The Underground -- Bones of saints probed in National Geographic documentary


The Underground -- Bones of saints probed in National Geographic documentary


Bones of saints probed in National Geographic documentary

Posted: 20 Apr 2011 10:28 PM PDT


Two skeletons that were discovered in the burial chamber of a cathedral in Italy may be those of two Catholic martyrs who were buried alive some 2,000 years ago.

The skeletons are believed to be those of the martyred Christian saints Daria and Chrysanthus who were, according to legend, celibate and persecuted in the third century for converting people in Rome to Christianity, National Geographic News said.

Ezio Fulcheri of Italy’s University of Genoa and head of the investigating team told National Geographic that there is no way they could say with 100 percent confidence that the relics belong to Daria and Chrysanthus.

However, the paleopathologist noted, there are many consistencies in the relics which align strongly with the possibility, National Geographic News said.

First discovered

The relics were discovered in 2008 when the cathedral in Reggio Emilia, a town in Italy, was being renovated. It is the most complete collection of relics to date, with 300 bones that were discovered beneath the main altar of the church in a sealed crypt, according to National Geographic News.

The bones in the crypt did not, however, contain the skulls of the martyrs. These were found inside a pair of busts made of silver and gold that were kept in the vault of the cathedral, National Geographic News reported.

Mark Salomon, series writer for EXPLORER told Catholic News Agency that the study is a hallmark for the Catholic Church as it is the first time that the church endeavored such an investigation from this period of time.

Salomon, who is also a senior producer for EXPLORER told CNA News, “This is the first time that we can really test the authenticity of what is believed to be the body of a saint. For us, it was really a privilege to have a seat at that table and see its risks.”

Salomon also pointed out the risks in the church’s seeking scientific verification of relics that it has had for some 1,000 years. “There’s a very good chance when you’re dealing with relics that the relics aren’t real.” In the Middle Ages there was a huge black market for forgeries, CNA News said.

Auxiliary Bishop Lorenzo Ghizzoni said, “We might discover that these relics are fake. That would be a huge problem for us. If we find out we have bones like that, then we have to throw them out, destroy them. That would certainly be a scandal for the faithful,” CNA News reported.

Legend

The legend of Daria and Chrysanthus is that of two young people of wealth. Chrysanthus was the son of a Roman Senator from Alexandria who was raised in Rome, where he eventually came to embrace Christianity and took a vow of celibacy, The Daily Mail said.

His father, appalled, arranged for him to marry Darius, a wealthy high priestess devoted to the virgin goddess Vesta. However, Darius also converted to the Christian faith, and she and Chrysanthus lived as a celibate couple who very effectively spread Christianity, The Daily Mail reported.

For doing so, the young couple was buried alive around A.D. 283, the legend says, according to The Daily Mail.

Findings

Fulcheri and his team made the following conclusions from their investigation, according to National Geographic News:

  • The remains belong to a man and a woman who were healthy at the time of death.
  • DNA analysis showed that one skeleton was that of a female in her mid-20s.
  • The bones of the female showed characteristics of a virgin.
  • The bones of the female showed she had not experienced a life of great physical stress.
  • DNA tests showed the second skeleton belonged to a man.
  • The bones indicate the man was 17 or 18 years old, as shown by the fact that some of the bones were not fully formed.
  • The bones indicate that the man and woman belonged to the upper class, as they showed no sign of deterioration nor deformities that would result from physical labor.
  • There are indications of trace elements of lead poisoning, a characteristic of wealth, as lead was existent in the plumbing system which only reached wealthy homes.
  • Carbon dating places the bones between A.D. 80 and 340.

Chrysanthus and Vesta were buried alive in a sand mine in A.D. 283, The Daily Mail said. A wall was placed around the sand mine, but it still became a place for pilgrimages. As a result, the remains of the two martyrs were moved several times until they reached the Reggio Emilia cathedral in the 10th century.

A documentary by National Geographic, entitled EXPLORER: Mystery of the Murdered Saints, was aired recently showing how the skeletons were removed from a crypt and studied by scientists.

Book about religious abuse offers an 11-step program to spiritual freedom

Posted: 20 Apr 2011 10:27 PM PDT


A book was released recently by Christian author that talks
about religious abuse and offers an 11-step program of recovery from it.

Jack Watts, author of Recovering from Religious Abuse: 11
Steps to Spiritual Freedom, says that although clergy sexual abuse has received
wide media attention, what is less spoken of, and barely acknowledged by the
church, is religious abuse, The Christian Post said.

Watts told The Christian Post that religious abuse involves
“the mistreatment of a person by someone in a position of spiritual authority,
resulting in the diminishing of that person’s sense of well-being and growth –
both spiritually and emotionally.”

Religious abuse also involves “misuse of Scripture that
harms a person’s relationship with God,” Watts told The Christian Post, adding,
“Probably the best definition of religious abuse is if you feel like you have
been abused, you have, [and] millions say they have been.”

More
prevalent, less identified

Watts told The Christian Post that verbal and emotional
abuse in the church is more prevalent, but less often identified, than sexual
abuse. In his website, he describes it as oftentimes more rooted in a
legalistic approach to the gospel. It takes a heavy toll on its victims.

Watts says in his website, “Most abused Christian’s lead
half-lives, consumed with anger, bitterness, shame, and disillusionment. They
question whether the best years of their lives have already passed, hoping they
haven’t but suspecting they have. They are prone to depression and acting-out
behavior, including over eating, over spending, alcoholism, drug addiction,
pornography and promiscuity.”

In describing the dynamics of spiritual abuse
Watts says in his website that oftentimes, the religious abuser blames the
victim for the emotional and psychological damage that the victim experiences.

Watts says in his website, “Worst of all, the
mistreated person comes to believe that his or her abusers are correct.” This
enhances the guilt feelings in the victim and drives him further away from God.
“It’s a vicious, destructive downward spiral.”

Least discussed

Watts
told The Christian Post that oftentimes people are disengaged with the church
because they have questions or different ideas. Because of this, the church cuts
them off.

Watts
told The Christian Post, “Once shunned, they go off and are quickly forgotten.
So instead of leaving the 99 that are saved and going after the one that is
lost, they’ve allowed the people that are lost to become so great that they now
constitute 12 percent of the population.”

Watts’
book is published by Simon and Schuster and can be found in Barnes & Noble,
but not in LifeWay Christian bookstore. Watts told The Christian Post, “My
guess is they don’t like that I’m calling them on their stuff. I am, in the
evangelical world, the Nathan (the prophet in the Old Testament who confronted
King David about his sin).”

Personal
experience

Watts draws on his own experience of religious abuse,
writing in his website, “The first inkling of the severity of my psychological
damage came when I went shopping for a motorcycle, which I needed for
transportation. There were two good choices. Being a little confused about
which to purchase, I remember asking myself, Who is going to tell me which
one to buy?”

That was when he realized how dependent he had become on his church elders for making decisions, amid a community where
“acting independently” was viewed as rebelliousness.

Spiritual healing

Watts says in his 11 step program, among other things, that one has to recognize that God is not the abuser, The Christian Post said.

Other things one must do, according to his website, is to share one’s experience with a trusted friend, ask God to change what he wishes and submit one’s pain to God for healing.

Forgiveness is required. Watts wrote on his website, “Because God forgives us as we forgive others, I forgive my abusers.” Finally, he said one has to “make a commitment to nurture [one’s] relationship with God, asking him to reveal his will and to give [one] power to obey.”

Christian Pastor says Easter is best spent doing acts of philanthropy

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 05:25 PM PDT


A Christian pastor wrote in his newly-released book that Christians should celebrate Easter outside the church rather than just within it.

Rev. Eric Foley, pastor of Doers of The Word Evangelical Church (with branches in Colorado Springs and Seoul, Korea) says in his book, The Whole Life Offering:   Christianity as Philanthropy that from a biblical point of view, Easter is best celebrated on the road, Christian Newswire said.

Foley, who is also co-founder and CEO of Seoul, USA, takes a deep look into Christian history, Scripture and Protestant theology. He says in his book that making one’s life an offering to God is characterized by being soaked in grace, in this way empowering one’s Christian discipleship, according to the book’s website.

In so doing one achieves full maturity in the faith. The website says, “[G]rowing to full maturity in Christ isn’t only possible; it is God’s intended purpose for every Christian, right here on earth in the midst of everyday life.”

In the first chapter Foley says the book’s goal is “[T]o enable the philanthropy of Christ to be magnified more fully in the life of the reader, and to equip the reader to mirror that philanthropy more fully into the lives of others as a continual act of worship.”

Foley adds, “The Whole Life Offering is Christ’s philanthropy. He pours the fullness of his life into any who will receive it. Those who receive it are enabled and authorized to share the length and breadth of it with others,” the website says.

Foley says, “Whether it’s the disciples who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus or the apostles who are called out of the Upper Room and on to Galilee, the Easter message is clear: If you want to meet Jesus, hit the road,” Christian Newswire reported.

Foley writes in his book about seven spiritual disciplines that enhance loving God, and 10 outreach disciplines to strengthen loving one’s neighbor. Easter Sunday, he adds, is the perfect time to practice both branches of loving, Christian Newswire said.

The seven spiritual disciplines are called Works of Piety, while the 10 outreach disciplines are anchored on these. Foley says in the website, “We find not only what we should be doing in order to love our neighbors, but how to do it to the glory and praise of God.”  The Whole Life Offering can be purchased either at Amazon or at the book’s website, www.thewholelifeoffering.com, according to Christian Newswire.

Foley’s church, Doers of the Word meets via satellite in Seoul, Korea and Colorado Springs, Colorado. In the last 20 years Foley has trained some 1,300 church leaders on volunteerism and socially oriented programs, the website said.

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The Underground -- Presbyterian church in Tennessee votes to leave Presbyterian Church (USA)

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Presbyterian church in Tennessee votes to leave Presbyterian Church (USA)


Presbyterian church in Tennessee votes to leave Presbyterian Church (USA)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:46 PM PDT


A Presbyterian congregation in Memphis, Tenn. voted recently to depart from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to join forces with a more conservative church body to which it felt more theologically aligned.

The Advent Presbyterian Church voted 482-22 to seek dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA), which is the largest Presbyterian body in the country, to join the much smaller Evangelical Presbyterian Church based in Michigan, the AP said.

The PCUSA, which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, has some 11,000 denominations under its wing. By contrast, the EPC has only 300 congregations, according to the AP.

This makes Advent the first church to choose to leave the PCUSA since its General Assembly approved in 2010 a proposal permitting homosexuals to receive ordination, the AP said.

On its website, Advent said the local church formed a Study Committee in 2006 to observe and be updated on issues within its
denomination. At that time they had also begun to have structured prayer for discernment.

The website said, “This process continued until March of this year. The study and prayer of both the Committee and the Session involved both the issues and various past and potential future responses.”

Advent said on its website that it believes “joining the EPC will best allow Advent to conduct its mission to share God’s love with others as we have seen it in Jesus Christ and to reach out in ministry and mission without having to divert energy into denominational conflict.”

While stating in the website that the separation is only organizational and not spiritual, it added, “We differ in what we see as the best way for Advent to grow and develop in the Kingdom of God. Yet, Christianity is not a competitive sport–we hope and pray that the PCUSA will be successful in sharing the love of Christ, just as we will strive to do the same within the EPC.”

It is expected that Advent’s request for separation will receive approval from the Mid-South Presbytery, which will give its response in May, according to the AP.

Two other churches within the area are deliberating on leaving the PCUSA as well. They are Woodland United Presbyterian Church, which will have a congregational vote on May 1, and Grace Presbyterian in Bartlett, whose governing body will confer about this on April 19, the AP said.

Although Advent is the first church to leave the PCUSA after its 2010 vote to allow ordination of homosexuals, two other churches had already split from the PCUSA.

The Highland Heights Presbyterian Church left the PCUSA in 2008, and Faith Presbyterian Church, Germantown parted ways the following year. The EPC formed a presbytery for congregations that opt to leave PCUSA, the AP reported.

These developments are perceived as a broader repositioning that is taking place within mainstream Protestant denominations in response to divergence over matters regarding church governance, scripture interpretation and the ordination of homosexuals, the AP said.

On its website Advent noted “a number of areas in which there were differences between the beliefs and values of Advent and those held by many leaders of the PCUSA,” with regard to “biblical authority and interpretation, standards for leadership, and church government.”

Advent said on its website, “Because our respective positions rest on separate theological presuppositions, we believe this conflict is unlikely to be peacefully resolvable.”

Advent’s senior pastor, Dr. Chris Scruggs, told the AP, “We believe that joining the EPC will best allow Advent to conduct its mission to share God’s love with others as we have seen it in Jesus Christ and to reach out in ministry and mission without having to divert energy into denominational conflict.”

While noting that “Christianity is not a competitive sport,” Advent said in its website, “[W]e hope and pray that the PCUSA will be successful in sharing the love of Christ, just as we will strive to do the same within the EPC.”

Two Christian Pakistanis detained for alleged blasphemy

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:45 PM PDT


Two Christians in Pakistan were picked up by police and detained last Friday night for alleged violation of the country’s infamous blasphemy law.

Mushtaq Gill, 60, and his son, Farrukh Mustaq Gill were picked up from the family home in Gujranwala city, some 28 miles away from Lahore, after a group of Muslims surrounded the house and tried to burn it, The International Herald Tribune said.

The police took the two men into “protective custody” allegedly to avert violence, according to The International Herald Tribune. However, Scoop Independent News said the two men were detained.

Gujranwala lies in an area which is considered to be the hub of Islamic radicals in Pakistan, Scoop Independent News said. It has been the site of previous burning of Christian churches, occupation of their properties, false accusations of the blasphemy law and murdering of Christians.

Because of this hundreds of Christians have fled the area for fear of their safety, including the family of Phillip Dutt, a local pastor, according to The International Herald Tribune.

Last Friday after prayers Muslim activists from Azizabad Colony “tried to incite a mob attack” against the victims’ home by making inflammatory announcements on the loudspeakers of mosques, The International Herald Tribune said.

Led by clerics, a group of Muslim extremists surrounded the house of the victims with intent to set it on fire. According to The International Herald Tribune, police picked up the two men to avert violence.

Accusations against the two men go three months back when some Muslims claimed they had found a package of burnt pages of the Quran outside of the Gill home, along their postal address, The International Herald Tribune reported.

Included in the package was a statement allegedly from the Gills in which they “admitted” committing several blasphemous acts and planned to do more because no one has “enough guts to prevent them from doing so,” The International Herald Tribune said.

Dutt told The International Herald Tribune that he knows both men well and said they were “clearly being framed by someone who wanted to get even in some unrelated matter or out of sheer jealousy.”

It is not yet certain whether the Gills were victimized because of a personal score or as a reaction to the recent burning of the Quran by a cult in Florida. In recent weeks incidents of persecution of Christians in Pakistan were blamed on the Quran burning, Scoop Independent News said.

Mushtaq Gill is vice principal of the Christian Technical Training Center which is with the Presbyterian theological seminary. According to Scoop Independent News he is an elder with his church.

Farrukh  is an MBA degree holder who works at the local National Bank branch as a welfare officer, according to The International Herald Tribune.

The family of the victims called on the Masihi Foundation for legal help. The Foundation is known for assisting in the legal defense of Christians, including the defense of Asia Bibi, the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy, Scoop Independent News said.

Haroon Barkat Masih, chairman of the Foundation, told Scoop Independent News, “The government has failed to control the growing extremism, protect the properties and lives of the Christians in Pakistan. In the past few weeks we have witnessed the growing hatred towards the Christians. The Christians across Pakistan have been condemning the desecration of the Quran, but still they are targeted. If they condemn the desecration of the bible, still they face brutality. Without confirming the facts, the Christians are assaulted and subjected to the worst torture in the name of the blasphemy law.”

Kate Middleton’s timely confirmation raises questions

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:45 PM PDT


Kate Middleton’s recent confirmation to the Anglican Church has raised questions and doubts about the reason why she did it.

Middleton, who will marry Prince William on April 29, was baptized into the Church of England–but she had never undergone confirmation rites until just prior to her wedding, Alexander Chancellor wrote in The Guardian.

Furthermore, Chancellor noted in The Guardian, “[N]either [Kate Middleton] nor other members of her family appear until now to have been regular churchgoers.”

Middleton was confirmed by Bishop of London Richard Chartres, in private rites that were held in St. James Palace last March 10, according to The Telegraph. Also present were Middleton’s family and Prince William, Reuters reported. Chartres will also deliver the address during the wedding ceremony.

Chartres confirmed William in March 1997 at Windsor Castle when the heir to the throne was 14 years old. At the time, this was a departure from tradition as such royal services were usually done by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Reuters said.

The timing of Middleton’s confirmation raises speculation that the 29-year-old bride-to-be only did it because of her pending wedding. Chancellor wrote in The Guardian that if Middleton were truly serious about the Church of England she would have been confirmed much earlier.

Chancellor wrote in The Guardian that Middleton attended private boarding schools such as Downe House and the posh Marlborough College, where she would likely have been given the chance to receive confirmation rites when she was still in her teens.

Sources close to Middleton told The Daily Mail that the future bride was confirmed as a result of a “personal journey,” Chancellor wrote in The Guardian. However, he also muses on the fact that without the confirmation Middleton would not have been able to receive Holy Communion during the wedding ceremony.

Furthermore, in marrying Prince William she also becomes the wife of the “future Defender of the Faith,” Chancellor wrote in The Guardian, which raises suspicion that “she did it more for convenience than from conviction.”

Not so

Others however say that it is not so. Rowan Pelling wrote in The Telegraph that she can understand why Middleton might sincerely choose to be confirmed just before her wedding, as that was her own personal experience as well.

Pelling explains in her opinion piece in The Telegraph that in her personal case, it was the desire to have a church wedding that made her think it would be hypocritical on her part to do so without being personally committed to the church.

Pelling wrote in The Telegraph, “Like Kate, I was baptized into the Church of England while I was a baby, but, although my family attended church throughout my childhood, my mother believed confirmation was a decision for the individual.”

Pelling added that in her school there was “no real pressure to join the fold.” This, she says looking back, was a better approach as “it suffers the big children, as well as the little ones, to come unto it,” she wrote in The Telegraph.

Pelling wrote in The Telegraph, “Kate may have had some of the same conversations and wobbles of conscience that troubled me 16 years ago: that solemn vows have little weight unless you trouble yourself to consider the splendid solemnity of the forces that underpin them. It seems to me that one part of becoming an adult is to take responsibility for your faith, or, indeed, your lack of  it.”

In the 16th century, King Henry VIII broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself supreme head of The Church of England. Currently, Queen Elizabeth II holds this title, which will be passed on to William when he becomes king, Reuters reported.

Evangelicals assist thousands of Tunisian refugees in Italy

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:45 PM PDT


Even as thousands of refugees from Tunisia have fled to a tiny island in Italy, causing dispute among some EU nations, Evangelicals are helping to minister to them by distributing aid and Bibles.

Some 26,000 illegal immigrants from Tunisia crossed the Mediterranean in tiny boats in the last few weeks, causing what some officials in Italy call a “human tsunami,” the AP reported.

Italy has said it will grant six-month permits for residency to the migrants, providing a chance for them to try to settle in neighboring countries through Europe’s visa-free Schengen zone, the AP said.

Not everyone is happy about this. France, in an unprecedented move, set up guards along the Italian border and Germany said it may follow suit, the AP reported. France is only willing to honor permits of those migrants who have evidence of financial resources.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the Tunisians should be repatriated adding, “There is no rule that says that illegal economic migrants should be welcomed here and allowed to travel freely in Europe,” the AP reported.

In response, Italy’s interior minister Roberto Maroni said it seemed pointless to be a part of the EU if the nations within it could not collaborate on this and other issues, the AP said.

Tunisia has undergone great destabilization recently, due to an uprising that culminated last January in deposing its longtime
president, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, the Evangelical Alliance Italy is collaborating with the island’s local authorities in assisting the migrants and helping them in fostering good relations with the local community, Christian Today said.

According to Christian Today, Lampedusa, which is only 75 miles away from the coast of Tunisia, has long been a point of arrival for North African illegal immigrants who are seeking a better life in Europe.

With the unrest that is prevailing in North Africa, some 50,000 migrants are expected to try to enter the island, according to Christian Today. In a statement, the Evangelical Alliance in Italy said this is a great opportunity to share the gospel.

The migrants are willing to risk grave danger to leave their countries. The AP said that last Thursday two women drowned when their boat, loaded with 250 migrants, went off course then landed on Italy’s Pantelleria island.

In another incident, a boat with some 300 illegal immigrants capsized, the AP said, and only 50 of them survived. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is urging Tunisia to take their citizens back.

Christian volunteers are doing what they can for migrants in both Lampedusa and a migrant center in Mineo, Sicily, by providing aid and distributing bibles and Christian literature, Christian Today said.

They are also counseling the migrants and sharing the love of Jesus in suitable ways, Christian Today reported. The alliance is seeking prayer and joint cooperation in cultural mediation and humanitarian assistance, “in the hope that God will open further
Gospel opportunities,” according to Christian Today.

Philadelphia launches website offering free condoms to youth aged 11-19

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:44 PM PDT


Philadelphia launched recently a website where young people aged between 11-19 years can have free condoms sent to them by mail.

The website, Take Control Philly, was launched by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. It shows a drawing of a black woman who asks, “Why risk it?” and contains instructions on how to use condoms with a tab to receive them by mail.

The website also shows a condom map with some 100 sites in the city where youths can access free condoms. There is also a list of free clinics where people over 12 years of age can get free exams, diagnosis and treatment for STDs, and be assured of full confidentiality.

Youth risk survey

The Philadelphia Department of Health launched the site in response to a 2009 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey which showed that 15 percent of the city’s high school youth had sex before they were 13 years old, and 26 percent had sex with four or more different partners, Christian Today said.

Philadelphia youth aged 10-14 are 5.3 times likelier to have Chlamydia, and those aged 15-19 are three times more bound to have Gonorrhea, while those 10-14 years old are four times more likely to have Gonorrhea than other youths in the country, Christian Today reported. Some 37 percent didn’t use a condom the last time they had sex, the study reported.

An ABC News report said that students in the city cut classes in the afternoon to have orgies, usually in a home where the parents are both out. Gary Bell of Bebashi Transition to Hope said, “[T]hey go there and have sex and trade partners,” Christian Today reported.

Health officials of Philadelphia said they hope the website will help to lower the STD rate among the youth, Christian Today said.

Abstinence, anyone?

Chad Hills of Citizen Link said the website provides, at best, “irresponsible teaching.” He told The Christian Post, “Most 11-year- old kids must be told to brush their teeth before bed; to take a shower at least several times a week; to put on clean clothes and comb their hair before walking out the door. Now we’re handing them condoms and instantly transporting them into the world of adult sexual activity – awakening their curiosity and sexual passions before they can even think for themselves?”

A study by the University of Pennsylvania showed that teaching abstinence is more effective than is commonly believed. The study was published in the Feb. 2010 Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine (American Medical Association), Christian Today said.

The study surveyed 662 public middle school youths of low-income communities and found that those who received abstinence-only education were less likely to become sexually active, with only a third of the students having sexual intercourse within two years of the class.

This compares favorably to those who had a condom use-only program, where more than half said they had engaged in sexual intercourse. More than 40 percent of students who had a class which combined both methods had sex within the next two years, Christian Today said.

Focus on the Family, citing seven different researches on abstinence, said on its website that 47 percent of students nationwide had sex adding, “in contrast to contraceptive-based sex education claims, teens are capable of abstaining from sex; they just need the right motivation and support.”

Laura Story’s new album redefines Blessings through struggles

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:41 PM PDT


What do you do when you have written the No. 1 worship hit, married your perfect man, won major music awards, but beyond the dazzle, your life is falling apart?

That would seem to summarize the life of Laura Story, who recently released her new album, “Blessings.”

In 2004 she penned the No. 1 Worship song, “Indescribable.” She got married in 2005, and in 2008 won a Dove Award for Inspirational Album, and was nominated twice as Female Vocalist of the year, her website said.

During those same years God landed a shocker in her married life, Story’s website said. Her husband, Martin Elvington was hospitalized in 2006 and diagnosed with a brain tumor. How does one inspire others while watching her husband undergo memory loss and significant vision loss?

Story admits on her website that she was lonely, afraid, and had swings of faith and unbelief. Then after a difficult spiritual journey she realized that she had to redefine her notion of blessings, her website said.

Story told The Trades, “Initially, I thought God was going to bring about this miraculous healing, and He was going to get all the glory. But instead it was, okay, God’s going to partially heal Martin, and we’re going to limp along for the next five years — and God’s going to get all the glory.”

Eventually Story realized, “Either way, God gets all the glory. We don’t know what the next five years will look like, but we’re trusting that He’s faithful and we’re saying, ‘Here we are, God. You tell us what’s next,’” The Trades reported.

Her turmoil became the inspiration for her new album. On her website Story said, “Life is filled with things you don’t expect, but the Bible tells us to respond by trusting God and continuing to worship him. Martin hasn’t received complete healing – and that can be hard at times when we view God as all-powerful and all-loving. But here we are now saying, ‘Yes, this is how faith works.’ God has proven to be faithful. We have been truly blessed out of a circumstance that at first didn’t seem like much of a blessing at all.”

A new voice

Story is slated to cross the country to promote Blessings, as well as visit churches in South America and Europe. She believes the timing is no accident saying on her website, “[W]e have a voice that wasn’t there prior to this suffering.”

She also cites James 1:2 (Consider it a great joy … whenever you experience various trials), and notes in her website that she and
Martin had the opportunity to pray with others who were suffering much more.

She told The Trades, “[T]his world continues to go through such turmoil — whether it’s tsunamis and earthquakes, or whether it’s just seeing the growth in materialism or how sin has marred creation so much.”

Story said to The Trades, “[Many ask] ‘Why does God allow such hard things to happen?’ ” But in redefining Blessings, she realized it could not simply be “health, wealth and prosperity.”

“It has to be something different, because there’s too many people that don’t fear God that are living seemingly prosperous lives,
and there’s too many people that walk with the Lord that suffer,” Story said to The Trades.

She added, “Think about missionaries, people that we’ve never heard of, that are giving their whole lives to the cause of Christ. They’re never going to get these material blessings, but there’s a blessedness that they know just from an intimate walk with the Lord that is far more valuable than anything that money can buy. I truly believe that,” The Trades reported.

One of her songs in Blessings asks:

“What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
is a revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy?”

At another point in her website she quotes Jim Elliot, a martyred Christian missionary who said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Blessings was produced by Nathan Nockels and recorded in Chris Tomlin’s studio in Georgia. Story wrote most of the songs, but in a few worked with co-writers like Mac Powell  of Third Day and Brenton Brown, the website said.

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The Underground -- Appeals Court drops suit challenging National Day of Prayer

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Appeals Court drops suit challenging National Day of Prayer


Appeals Court drops suit challenging National Day of Prayer

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 10:23 PM PDT


A federal appeals court ruled recently 3-0 to throw out a lower court decision that stated that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.

The three-judge panel decided on Thursday that the U.S. president has the right to proclaim the National Day of Prayer, and as a result overturned last year’s ruling by U.S. district judge Barbara Crabb, which deemed the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, the AP said.

The unanimous decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated that private citizens, including the Freedom From Religious Foundation, do not have legal standing to challenge the National Day of Prayer, which is simply one of the duties of the U.S. president rather than a demand.

The panel noted the oftentimes the president urges citizens to do things they would otherwise perhaps not do, especially concerning political issues. The Republican Party however has no personality to sue the president if he talks to supporters or tries to persuade the undecided, the AP said.

The three-judge panel noted that while some may not agree with the president’s proclaiming a National Day of Prayer, neither are they harmed by it, adding, “a feeling of alienation cannot suffice as injury,” Christianity Today reported.

As an example the ruling, penned by Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook noted that God is mentioned seven times and prayer, three times in the second inaugural address of President Abraham Lincoln, the AP said.

Easterbrook wrote, “The address is chiseled in stone at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. An argument that the prominence of these words injures every citizen, and that the Judicial Branch could order them to be blotted out, would be dismissed as preposterous,” the AP reported.

In April 2010 Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional and calls for religious action. Crabb said the government cannot enact a law that supports a day of prayer, neither can it require citizens to fast for Ramadan or go to a synagogue, the AP said.

The Appeals court said a lawful presidential proclamation is a request, not a command of the public. The three-judge panel wrote, “If anyone suffers injury…that person is the president, who is not complaining,” USA Today reported.

The court ruling, penned by Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook stated, “Those who do not agree with a president’s statement may speak in opposition to it; they are not entitled to silence the speech of which they disapprove,” according to USA Today.

The ruling also said that a National Day of Prayer does not obligate people to pray, “any more than a person would be obliged to hand over his money if the President asked all citizens to support the Red Cross or other charities,” the AP reported.

Rehearing sought

The Freedom from Religion Foundation told USA Today that the ruling is in violation of the Constitutional prohibition of the establishment of religion by government. They told USA Today that they will seek a rehearing by a full panel of judges in the circuit court.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF said, “ the decision is part of an ominous trend in the federal courts to deny Americans the right to challenge church-state violations,”  the AP reported.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council lauded the ruling saying, “The court is to be commended for rejecting even the idea of a federal lawsuit that demands this kind of religious expression be scrubbed from the public square,” USA Today reported.

The National Day of Prayer was established in 1952 by Congress, and signed by President Truman. In 1988 it was determined that every first Thursday of May the president may issue a proclamation asking the people to pray, the AP said.

This year many Christians are marking May 5 with plans to hold celebrations for the National Day of Prayer nationwide, according to USA Today.

Social networks help retired Christians pray for missions

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 09:59 PM PDT


Online social networks are useful for retired Christians as a means to pray for missionaries, seek prayer in return, and stay and
stay connected, the head of a prayer network for missionaries said recently.

Ed Cox, director of International Mission Board’s Office of Global Prayer Strategy told the Baptist Press that online networks is a key form of influence building, and it should be used to do God’s work.

Cox told Baptist Press that he hopes that Christians will tap social networks to build the much-needed prayer power that is necessary to back up missionary work noting, “[Social networking] is a major communication force within society.”

Cox told Baptist Press, “I really became convinced that if we were going to communicate with Southern Baptists we need to be where they are … and they are on Facebook. They are on Twitter.”

The Baptist Press noted that among the fastest growing age groups on Facebook is women aged 55 or older, recent studies show. To date, Facebook has over 500 million users.

One of them, June Livingstone, 79, became hooked on Facebook because of CompassionNet, which has a page on the social network where requests of missionaries and updates on their activities are posted, Baptist Press said.

Livingstone, who used to be an active missionary, visits the page daily and comments regularly. She told Baptist Press, “I can’t travel very much anymore, but I like to pray. I think it does me more good than it does [the missionaries].”

CompassionNet has a prayer app which lets people access it from iPhones, iPads and Android phones as well. The APP includes videos, MP3 prayer guides and missionary blog excerpts, Baptist Press said.

The prayer site is one of the endeavors of IMB’s Office of Global Prayer Strategy. Livingstone told Baptist Press that although she uses Facebook to catch up with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, most of her time is spent at CompassionNet, Baptist Press said.

A review of Compassion Net’s website shows that they have a strong focus on prayer, including prayer threads, prayer requests, prayer line, KOMpray for children, prayer products, and others.

The website’s home page is filled with regular updates on the situation in Japan, but there are also sections for people around the world, healthcare connections, stories, videos and photos, among others.

Of interest is its resources section which shows, among others, a Kingdom Women Kit to show how God uses women to make himself known to unbelievers, The Camel Workshop which shows how to minister to Muslims and how to ride a camel, and the book, Unveiled at Last: Discover God’s Hidden Message from Genesis to Revelation, the website said.

But social networking, Cox said, has a special role because it serves as a way to encourage missionaries on the field. “I think the powerful thing behind Facebook, as opposed to our e-newsletters and our website, is the fact that people have the opportunity to interact,” Cox told Baptist Press.

To date, CompassionNet on Facebook has 3,100 friends, but Cox told Baptist Press that considering there are 16 million Southern Baptists, the potential is rich and largely untapped.

Unique book on global Christianity from ancient beginnings to current times

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 10:16 PM PDT


A new book is on the market that tracks the history of Christianity from a global perspective—a diversion from the normal coverage of the faith as primarily a Western phenomenon.

The book, Christianity: The Illustrated Guide to 2,000 Years of the Christian Faith, goes further back in time covering the little-known Nestorian Christians up to current Christian phenomena including the Evangelical movement, the First Vatican Council and televangelism, among others, according to its website.

Christianity: The Illustrated Guide is published by Millennium House and authored by various religious experts. Its chief consultant is Prof. Ann Marie Bahr, Department of Philosophy and Religion, South Dakota State University, Newswise said.

The book is an illustrated guide to 2,000 years of history in Christianity, featuring miracles, martyrs, major figures, ideas, faith, events, literature, music, feasts, festivals and mysteries, according to the website.

The book also has superb illustrations including art, architecture, and detailed maps. There are also special features on prayer, church music, Christian tradition, Christian experience and the bible, the website said.

Bahr, who was with the Religion in the Schools Task Force of the American Academy of Religion until 2008, told Newswise the reference book is the first of its kind with its comprehensive coverage. “Millennium House came to me with the idea of doing a high-quality illustrated reference work for libraries on Christianity,” she said.

However, she felt the original book outline focused too much on Christianity from the western historical viewpoint, and suggested that it instead provides a global history of faith, “something that would show how Christianity came to different parts of the world, and when, and how it developed there, and what the status is of Christianity in all parts of the world now,” Bahr told Newswise.

Noting that academics today are more interested in a global picture of Christian history, Bahr told Newswise, “[A]s far as I know, this is the first reference book to use this approach anywhere in the world to telling the history of Christianity.”

Because of this, readers see beyond the misconception that the Christian faith is only a phenomenon of the West. Bahr told Newswise, “It was definitely an attempt to break down this monolithic sense of what the history of Christianity has been and to incorporate the different perspectives of Christians around the world. The story of Christianity cannot be told from a single geographic vantage point.”

Nestorian Christians

Bahr told Newswise that Christianity reached China earlier than what is commonly known through the efforts of the Nestorian Christians, among the earliest and lesser-known missionaries who no longer are in existence today.

Bahr said to Newswise, “Christianity went east before it went west, to a great extent. It’s very relevant to us today because it was along that route that they first met, for example, with Buddhists.”

Noting that religions play a major role in shaping society, Bahr said understanding faith is a major task for 21st century globalism. She told Newswise, “[W]hat we will be in the future really depends upon whether these traditions can talk to each other, both internally — their differences within each tradition — and externally — the differences between them.”

According to the website, the reference book includes writings on the more recent developments of Christianity including the Evangelicals, radical Christianity, the First Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility, the spread of the others.

Christian leaders slam burning of Quran

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 10:02 PM PDT


Two Christian leaders said recently that the act of burning the Quran by Terry Jones, a Christian pastor has produced more harm than good, and doing so is the wrong way to express disagreement with the Islamic faith.

Nasir Saeed, UK Coordinator of the Center for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, wrote in Christian Today that Pakistani Christians have long lived in fear of losing their lives and wellbeing, but now they must also deal with “retaliation for [Terry] Jones’ actions.”

Saeed, who through CLAAS provides free legal services to Christians in Pakistan, said that Jones’ imprudence must not become justification for hindering Christian-Muslim relations in the Muslim-majority nation, he wrote in Christian Today.

Golden Rule

Dr. Jerry Newcombe, author of some 21 books and senior producer of the TV program The Coral Ridge Hour, noted in his Crosswalk article that the act has led to riots in Afghanistan and beheadings of some Westerners, among others.

Newcombe wrote in Crosswalk, “[T]he pastor is ill-advised to burn [the Quran].  Since Jesus is the one who originated the Golden Rule, and since the pastor would not want a Muslim to burn the Bible, then I don’t think he should burn anyone’s holy book, either.”

Despite condemnation of the act by President Barack Obama as well as the United Nations, Muslim anger continues to run high, especially in Pakistan, Saeed wrote in Christian Today, saying Christians in Pakistan have “been attacked and lives have been needlessly lost.”

Extreme response as religious duty

Such extreme reaction continues to surprise the West, even after the response “of Pakistani Muslims towards the Danish cartoons, fitna and now Terry Jones,” Saeed wrote in Christian Today, adding that this shows “how easily agitated they can become if they feel their religion has not been given proper respect.”

Saeed wrote in Christian Today that such violent response is not deemed criminal in Pakistan but is seen more as religious duty, citing the example of Malik Qadri (personal bodyguard of Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer), who was hailed for killing his boss because Taseer wanted to amend Pakistan’s blasphemy law.

Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was also assassinated for supporting a bill to amend the blasphemy law. Sherry Rehman, who authored the bill has now withdrawn it, Saeed wrote in Christian Today.

Different laws

Saeed wrote in Christian Today that in the US it is not a crime to burn any holy book. However in Pakistan doing so carries a life imprisonment term, as stated in Section 295 B in Pakistan’s Penal Code.

Akhtar Hussein was charged for burning a bible, violating Section 295A, which is “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs,” Saeed wrote in Christian Today.

Still, Saeed wrote in Christian Today, “The charge carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine, but seeing as almost every policeman in Pakistan is a Muslim and they have a tendency to protect their own, it is unlikely he will be handed such a punishment.”

Saeed said nonetheless that by Jones’ burning the Quran, “the result is not to make hard-line Muslims reconsider their unreasonable attitudes towards Christians, but rather to radicalize them even further.”

Saeed suggested in Crosswalk that a collaborative response by the international community could help to show that “needlessly insulting the religious sentiments of any faith community in the name of freedom of expression and free speech is … unacceptable.”

Saeed also said Muslim leaders should teach followers to respect other religions, and work to calm emotions and condemn the killing of Christians and demolishing of Christian homes and schools.

Newcombe wrote in Crosswalk that burning the Quran is wrong because, “All that does is close the door further to Muslims potentially interested in the message of Jesus.

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The Underground -- Christians in Myanmar among victims of powerful earthquake


http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Christians in Myanmar among victims of powerful earthquake


Christians in Myanmar among victims of powerful earthquake

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:05 AM PDT


Christians were included among the victims of the powerful earthquakes that struck Northeast Myanmar recently, destroying at least 10 churches among over 100 damaged buildings.

Three earthquakes struck the country on March 24 with aftershocks through the weekend ranging in magnitude from 5.4 to 7.0. Some 100 were killed and perhaps 150 injured, Continental News said.

However, BosNewsLife said Myanmar’s government officials pegged the number of dead at 300. In previous disasters the military government was reluctant to give exact numbers of the dead and wounded.

The earthquakes struck the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and northern Thailand meet. The epicenter was south of the Burmese town Keng Tung, according to Continental News.

Hundreds of miles from the epicenter the quake was felt in Rangoon, Myanmar, Bangkok in Thailand, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Cities in Vietnam, BosNewsLife said, quoting Christian missionaries.

Serious damage was experienced in the towns of Tachilek, Mong Lin, Tarlay and Keng Tung in the northeastern part of Myanmar where bridges collapsed, making it harder to reach these areas, Continental News said.

BosNewsLife mentioned photos of leveled buildings and roads sliced in two due to the shifting ground. Stephen Van Valkenburg, overseas director for Southeast Asia, Christian Aid Mission told BosNewsLife, “Thousands of families are homeless and several churches were destroyed or severely damaged in hard-to-reach villages.”

CAM collaborates with native missionaries, a number of which are in isolated areas that were hit by the earthquake including areas with the indigenous Lahu and Akha groups, BosNewsLife reported.

CAM has established an emergency relief fund for the victims.  Valkenburg told BosNewsLife, “As in most such disasters medical help for the injured comes first, then long term efforts to rebuild homes, churches, Christian orphanages and schools as well as native missionary training centers.”

Another Christian group, Gospel for Asia, supports hundreds of pastors and aid workers in Myanmar. GFA deployed several Compassion Services teams to affected areas but is having difficulty reaching its workers in remote areas, Charisma Magazine said.

The earthquake is expected to impose added pressure on Christians who are already dealing with a government crackdown from Myanmar’s military junta, including forcible relocation and forced labor even of children, BosNewsLife said.

The military junta has been sanctioned by the international community for its human rights record, according to BosNewsLife.

Series of disasters

Myanmar has faced a series of natural disasters including a 2008 cyclone where 100,000 died, and a 2009 rat infestation that destroyed crops. Last summer the country had another cyclone. The recent earthquake is said to equal the magnitude of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Charisma Magazine said.

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Christians laud, critique Obama’s position in Libya

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:05 AM PDT


Christians have good things and bad things to say about the position that President Barack Obama is taking in Libya.

Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention said Obama made the correct decision, and lauded the president’s highlighting of American ideals, Baptist Press said.

Land said, “[M]any Americans and most Southern Baptists appreciated President Obama’s reaffirmation of our values and beliefs, and that it would violate our values and beliefs to allow human beings to be massacred by their own government, when we had the ability to stop such a slaughter of human beings with a relatively small exercise of American military power,” Baptist Press reported.

Land said Obama’s action “[I]s the opposite and correct decision to the wrong decision by President Clinton not to intervene in Rwanda in 1994, which resulted in as many as one million people being hacked to death in about three months’ time,” according to Baptist Press.

Land added, “At least in the end we’re doing the right thing. I just hope and pray that it is not too late because Gaddafi murdering his fellow citizens, butchering them – it’s what the world looks like without U.S. leadership,” The Christian Post reported.

Land also said, “Mr. Gaddafi needs to be tried and found guilty of crimes against humanity including the Lockerbie bombing, and then he needs to be hung as the war criminal that he is,” according to Christianity Today.

Just-war tradition

Another evangelist who approves is Chuck Colson, founder of Breakpoint. On his webpage Colson said that intervention by coalition forces must follow “the Christian just-war tradition.”

Colson wrote on his blog, “In order to be just, a military action must be for a just cause and done for the right reason. It must be waged by a legitimate authority as a last resort. I can’t imagine a more just and proportional response to the massacre of innocent people than to establish a no-fly zone. So, I was mystified and chagrined by our nation’s inaction.

“Again, America can’t run around the globe solving every conflict. But there are times when we have the ability and the moral obligation to stop a grave injustice … and to help innocent people who seek only freedom. This was one of those times,” Colson wrote in his website.

Colson concluded in his blog, “America is great so long as it is a moral beacon. When we behave immorally, when we look the other way in the face of grave evil, we lose our greatness. And we Christians — the moral conscience of society — have to be the ones to say so.”

Illegal use of military

Land said that while he lauds Obama’s action, the president was wrong to do it without congressional approval. “For the president to authorize the use of American military force in combat without seeking the prior or the subsequent approval of Congress is — to put it bluntly – illegal,” Baptist Press reported.

The 1973 War Powers Act allows a U.S. president to send forces into battle for 60 days, with an additional 30 day extension–without congressional approval. Land said Obama should, within those 90 days, get congress to approve, Baptist Press said.

Land stressed, “Otherwise, it sets a dangerous precedent of the overreach of executive branch power and does damage to the balance of powers designed by our forefathers,” Baptist Press reported.

Evangelicals in the U.K. said international interference in Libya should be contained and not escalate. Steve Clifford, general director of the U.K.’s Evangelical Alliance said, ““We ask that the current UN campaign does not go beyond its mandate and that civilian lives are protected in every possible way,” The Christian Post reported.

American interests and values

In a televised speech at the National Defense University, Washington D.C., Obama said, “There will be times…when our safety is not directly threatened, but our interests and our values are,” according to the Baptist Press.

The goal of the U.S. action is only to protect the Libyan people and to ground the Libyan air force by enforcing a no-fly zone with the support of the United Nations Security Council, according to the Baptist Press.

The overthrow of Gaddafi will be done non-militarily, otherwise, “Broadening our military mission to include regime change would be a mistake,” Obama said, and would lead to U.S. troops on the ground, increased cost, and may destroy the coalition, Baptist Press said.

“To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq, [which] took eight years, [and cost] thousands of American and Iraqi lives and nearly a trillion dollars. That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya,” the Baptist Press reported.

Obama said the international coalition intervention in Libya seeks to strengthen democracy and prevent possible obstructions to transitions taking place in Tunisia and Egypt, according to the Baptist Press.

Obama said, “The democratic impulses that are dawning across the region would be eclipsed by the darkest form of dictatorship, as repressive leaders concluded that violence is the best strategy to cling to power,” the Baptist Press reported.

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Jordan fights for possession of Christian books that may precede writings of St. Paul

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:05 AM PDT


Jordan is fighting to take possession of some 70 books that may, if authentic, precede the writings of St. Paul.

The books, which were found in a Jordanian cave, that tell of how Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and details the birth of Christianity, The Daily Mail said.

A number of rare documents from the same era were discovered in the same cave in the past. However, these books are different. They were discovered between 2005 and 2007 when a flash flood took place in the valley, which led to the exposure of two alcoves inside the cave. One of the alcoves bore the sign of a menorah, or the Jewish religious candlestick symbol, BBC News said.

Historically, Christians fled Jerusalem in 70 AD after its fall, and sought refuge in Jordan, The Daily Mail said. According to BBC News, a Jordanian Bedouin found the books in the alcoves, then an Israeli Bedouin got possession of them and illegally smuggled them into Israel.

The Israeli however said the books were kept in his family line for over 100 years, BBC News said. A British team that is examining the books fears the Israeli might sell some of the books in the black market—or worse—might end destroy them, The Daily Mail said.

David Elkington, a British archeological and religious history expert is spearheading British efforts to get the books to a Jordanian museum. He told The Daily Mail, “It is vital that the collection can be recovered intact and secured in the best possible circumstances, both for the benefit of its owners and for a potentially fascinated international audience.”

Elkington, one of the few who examined the books, told The Daily Mail they are “the major discovery of Christian history. It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church.”

Ziad al-Saad, director of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities told BBC News the books may have been made by Jesus’ followers within decades of the crucifixion. If so, “They will really match, and perhaps be more significant than, the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Saad told BBC News, “[I]t seems that we are looking at a very important and significant discovery, maybe the most important discovery in the history of archaeology,” although he said more verification is needed.

Each of the 70 books contain between five to 15 pages cast in lead, the size of a credit card, and bound with metal rings. The text is in an Ancient Hebrew code. Elkington told BBC News that if the books are truly of early Christian, rather than Jewish, origin then they are extremely rare and valuable.

Elkington saw indications of early Christian origin, including Christian symbols of Jesus alongside symbols of God on the covers and some pages of the books. He told BBC News, “It’s talking about the coming of the messiah.”

Elkington told BBC News, “In the upper square [of one of the book covers] we have the seven-branch menorah, which Jews were utterly forbidden to represent because it resided in the holiest place in the Temple in the presence of God. So we have the coming of the messiah to approach the holy of holies, in other words to get legitimacy from God.”

Philip Davies, an Old Testament expert from Sheffield University noted a map of Jerusalem, the holy city, and a cross in the foreground. He told BBC News, “ I was dumbstruck. That struck me as so obviously a Christian image.”

Davies told BBC News, “There is a cross in the foreground, and behind it is what has to be the tomb [of Jesus], a small building with an opening, and behind that the walls of the city. There are walls depicted on other pages of these books too and they almost certainly refer to Jerusalem.”

The cross is shaped like a capital T, (the crosses of Roman crucifixions). Davies told BBC News, “It is a Christian crucifixion taking place outside the city walls.”

Margaret Barker, Society for Old Testament Study, said many of the books are sealed adding, “The Book of Revelation tells of a sealed book that was opened only by the Messiah. Other texts from the period tell of sealed books of wisdom and of a secret tradition passed on by Jesus to his closest disciples. That is the context for this discovery,” The Daily Mail reported.

A translation of one part of the text with a menorah says, “I shall walk uprightly,” which appears in the Book of Revelation, and which may refer to the resurrection, BBC News said.

Timing of artifacts

Metallurgical tests of some books indicate the first century AD, The Daily Mail said, although this does not mean that all the books come from the same time period.

Corrosion of some of the pages, experts told The Daily Mail, would be impossible to produce artificially. If the dating is correct, these books could predate St. Paul’s writings and be some of the earliest Christian writings.

BBC News said, “Never has there been a discovery of relics on this scale from the early Christian movement, in its homeland and so early in its history.”

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Troubling trends for U.S. homeschoolers are cited by college chancellor

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:05 AM PDT


Troubling trends are arising in the U.S. regarding homeschooling, a college chancellor said recently.

Michael Farris, chancellor of Patrick Henry College, said some states seem to be imposing legal impediments to make it more difficult for parents to home school their own children, Florida Baptist Witness said.

Farris told Florida Baptist Witness, “I think what we’re seeing is unfortunately a growing trend.” New Hampshire’s state Supreme Court, for example, is set to rule on a case between divorced parents regarding their daughter’s education.

The father’s lawyer said the parents do not have any constitutional right to home school. The father said Christian homeschooling isolates the child. A lower court ordered the child to go to public school, The Florida Baptist Witness reported.

The mother sees this as a violation of her parental rights. Rep. Jim Parison of New Hampshire, as a result, entered the Homeschool Freedom Act to protect parents who home school from government interference, Florida Baptist Witness said.

Incredibly dangerous

Farris, who is with the Home School Legal Defense Association, considers the case in New Hampshire “an incredibly dangerous development,” because the mother was teaching her child a belief system, Florida Baptist Witness reported.

Farris said the troubling trend came in three waves. The first wave took place years ago when the quality of education through home schooling was questioned, Florida Baptist Witness said.

The second wave claimed (proven wrong) that home schooled students are socially inept. The third wave is the assertion that Christian homeschooling teaches values that are dangerous to the children and society, Florida Baptist Witness reported.

The values being questioned in the third wave are the belief that homosexuality is sinful, that men should lead the family, and that Jesus is the only way to God, Florida Baptist Witness said.

Farris wrote, “I doubt that many of you have any idea of the intensity and breadth of the elitist movement that is taking dead aim at our movement,” according to Florida Baptist Witness.

Farris cited law professors from George Washington University, Emory University and Northwestern University who have already called for a ban of religious education in private schools and in homeschooling, Florida Baptist Witness said.

Farris said, “Religious liberty means the government has no jurisdiction over what you believe and the soul is at liberty. No one can be punished for what they believe or don’t believe,” Florida Baptist Witness reported.

German experience

The third wave becomes more worrisome in light of the German experience, particularly of Juergen and rosemarie Dudek, who were prosecuted for the “criminal offense” of homeschooling their children, WND said.

Judge Herwig Mueller who prosecuted the family from Achfield said to the Dudeks, “You don’t have to worry about the fine, because I will send you to jail,” according to WND.

Another high-profile case involved Melissa Busekros, 15, who in Jan. 2007 was taken by police officers, upon court order, to a psychiatric ward for being homeschooled, according to WND.

WND reported that German homeschoolers can be fined thousands of dollars, may be jailed, or their children may be placed in psychiatric facilities with a diagnosis of “school phobia,” WND reported. Because of this hundreds of homeschooled families either go into hiding or leave the country.

Nazi era law

The law against homeschooling came from the Nazi era when Hitler decided that only the state should educate children, and all schools and school issues were placed under his Ministry of Education, according to WND.

In 1937 Hitler said, “This Reich stands, and it is building itself up for the future, upon its youth. And this new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing,” WND reported.

Growing numbers

Farris said homeschooling is undergoing more government scrutiny in the US because its numbers are growing. Farris said, “That’s what I think they don’t like. They don’t like seeing the next generation of top leaders being taught in a way that effectively transmits a Christian worldview,” Florida Baptist Witness reported.

A National Home Education Research Institute study said over two million children in the U.S. are homeschooled, and this is “rapidly becoming a mainstream education alternative,” Florida Baptist Witness said.

Florida Baptist Witness noted that in January homeschoolers taking standardized achievement tests scored an average 37 percentile points higher than the national average.”

Farris said, “The proof is in the pudding,” noting that “The executive editor of the Harvard Law Review right now was homeschooled. Homeschoolers that I’ve taught are now on full-ride scholarships at Pepperdine Law School, George Washington Law School, University of Virginia Law School and a number of others. Those are ones I personally taught,” Florida Baptist Witness reported.

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Afghan Christian detained for apostasy may face death penalty

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 11:05 AM PDT


A Christian rights worker said recently that another Afghan Christian is in jail and needs the help of the international community.

Aidan Clay, regional manager of the Middle East, International Christian Concern, said Shoaib Assadullah, 23, has been in jail since Oct. 21 for converting to Christianity, Allvoices reported.

Assadullah was arrested in Mazar-e-Sharif after giving a bible to a man who later reported the incident to local authorities, Allvoices said. While in prison, he has been physically abused and threatened with death by inmates.

Clay noted that another Afghan Christian, Said Musa, was released and granted asylum in Europe after nine months of abuse in jail, because of pressure from the international community including the U.S., Italy and other countries, Allvoices said.

In the same way, Clay told Allvoices that international diplomacy should be stepped up to help to secure the immediate release of Assadullah. Clay noted that while Musa was released amid a slew of international publicity, little progress has been made on behalf of Assadullah.

Clay expressed concern that Assadullah may be sentenced to death, the penalty for apostasy. Although Afghanistan’s constitution allows freedom of religion, apostasy falls under Islamic law, Allvoices reported.

In a letter that was shown to BosNewsLife and dated Feb. 17, Assadullah wrote, “Several times I have been attacked physically and threatened with death by fellow prisoners, especially [from members of the] Taliban [group] and anti-government prisoners who are in jail.”

Assadullah added, “These assaults on my human dignity have affected me negatively, close to the point of death,” according to BosNewsLife.

In another letter written by Assadullah dated Mar. 11, he wrote, “I am under emotional pressure from being in prison. Add to that the threat of being executed, constant insults and accusations, threats, cursing and being forced by other prisoners and by prison guards to do work for them… all because of prejudice against my different beliefs and my different ethnicity,” BosNewsLife reported.

Assadullah, on Mar. 24, said in a phone conversation that he would die for his Christian faith rather than return to Islam, according to BosNewsLife.

Clay told BosNewsLife that under President Hamid Karzai, “Afghanistan continues its anti-Christian crackdown and is far from altering any policies to protect apostates. The release of Musa was a great victory, but the battle carries on. The fight for religious freedom in Afghanistan is far from over.”

In a statement the U.S. State Department said, “The United States and its international partners remain committed to helping Afghans realize their vision for a country that is stable, democratic, and economically successful, and to an Afghan Government committed to the protection of women’s rights, human rights, and religious tolerance,” BosNewsLife reported.

In the Netherlands, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte promised to do “everything in his power to prevent executions of Christian converts,” BosNewsLife said.

It is estimated that there may be up to 10,000 Christian converts in Afghanistan, despite its being a highly Islamic nation where expressing one’s faith openly can lead to murder by militants, family members or government officials, BosNewsLife reported.

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Christian Manga group kicks off fund raiser to go digital

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:57 AM PDT


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The Underground -- Gaddafi tries to portray uprising as a war between Christians and Muslims, Euthanasia widespread in UK says UK Catholic Medical Association leader, Catholic-secular hospital merger raises issues of faith and medical treatment,

The Underground -- Gaddafi tries to portray uprising as a war between Christians and Muslims


Gaddafi tries to portray uprising as a war between Christians and Muslims

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:35 PM PDT


Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi is trying to get himself out of the hot seat by stirring up the present war and portraying it, amid intervention from coalition forces, as another religious crusade of Christians in the West against all Islamic armies.

Gaddafi is hoping, in doing so, to provoke anger and reign in support not only from Muslims in Libya, but also from Muslims outside of the country, according to Barnabas Fund.

Coalition forces have reigned in Gaddafi and are keeping him under pressure with continued air strikes, and he is responding with religious rhetoric. Over the weekend Gaddafi declared that he was the defender of Libya and the country’s dignity against France, the U.S. and Britain, according to Barnabas Fund.

Gaddafi said in his government controlled media, “The Christians…are in a pact against us,” and said he would wage a “long-drawn war,” adding, “We have Allah with us, you have the devil on your side,” Barnabas Fund reported.

Last Tuesday Gaddafi made a public appearance—his first since the coalition declared Libya a no-fly zone. Gaddafi told supporters that there is a “new crusader battle launched by crusader countries on Islam,” according to Barnabas Fund.

Gaddafi added, “Long live Islam everywhere. All Islamic armies must take part in the battle, all free [people] must take part in the battle. In the short term, we will beat them. In the long term, we will beat them,” Christian Today reported.

Divisive

According to Christian Today, there have been some elements of division caused by the coalition’s intervention, threatening support from the Arab League, which expressed concern that it may have exceeded the boundaries of the UN resolution.

The US, according to Christian Today, has taken great effort to lay responsibility on Europe. After a series of talks, France, the U.K. and the U.S. agreed that NATO will take charge of the no-fly zone.

Amid all this, the U.K. Evangelical Alliance stated that the coalition must focus on protecting civilians. In a statement, it warned against the conflict escalating to the point where Libya becomes “another Iraq,” Christian Today said.

The Evangelical Alliance said the coalition should limit its operations to destroying Gaddafi’s capability to harm his own people, and ensuring a return of the country to normalcy as soon as possible, Christian Today said.

Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance said in a statement, “We ask that the current UN campaign does not go beyond its mandate and that civilian lives are protected in every possible way,” Christian Today reported.

Christians in Libya

Gaddafi’s newest strategy puts Libya’s vulnerable Christian community in harm’s way, as they may become targets of revenge for anti-Western wrath by Gaddafi supporters, according to Barnabas Fund.

The church in Libya is mainly comprised by expats, mostly coming from sub-Saharan Africa. It is likely many of them will leave due to the country’s unrest. Of greater concern is the safety of Libyan Muslims who converted to Christianity, Barnabas Fund said.

Libyan converts live in isolation and are fearful of having contact with foreigners. They also fear meeting among themselves due to government infiltrators, according to Barnabas Fund.

Invoking al-Qaeda

Gaddafi has also responded to the international intervention by threatening to join al-Qaeda, saying, “If they [the West] behave with us as they did in Iraq, then Libya will leave the international alliance against terrorism. We will then ally ourselves with al-Qaeda and declare a holy war,”  Barnabas Fund reported.

Gaddafi has long dreamed of making Africa into a single Muslim government, ergo a United Islamic States of Africa. Now he is appealing to radical Islamists to help him overcome the coalition, according to the Barnabas Fund.

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Euthanasia widespread in UK says UK Catholic Medical Association leader

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:34 PM PDT


The president of the UK Catholic Medical Association expressed concern recently that covert euthanasia is being widely practiced in the country.

Dr. Clare Walker, president of the U.K. CMA said that she believes mercy killing is being widely practiced in the National Health Service, especially in cases that appear to be end of life situations, LifeSiteNews said.

Walker said, “[E]uthanasia is being widely practiced in the NHS in an official way.” She said oftentimes healthcare managers and professionals contact her to describe “their experience of witnessing repeated instances of unofficial active euthanasia in their local areas,” according to LifeSiteNews.

LifeSiteNews said the “Euthanasia Prevention Coalition regularly receives phone calls and emails from family members and friends of people whose medical caregivers appear to be intentionally causing their death.”

However, both Walker and LifeSiteNews admitted that there are no real statistics and the stories they get, while plentiful, are basically anecdotal.

One reason for the occurrence of euthanasia, Walker told Scottish Catholic Observer, is that “The standards of medical ethics and of interpretation of existing legislation appear to vary greatly around the country and from one organization to the next, even in the same local area.”

Misuse of LCP

Another reason is the misuse of the Liverpool Care Pathway, which was developed in the 1990s at the Marie Curie hospice and royal Liverpool Hospital, so that palliative care for end-of-life patients could improve, the Scottish Catholic Observer said.

The LCP provides criteria that must be followed before ending life-sustaining treatment and applying palliative care, LifeSiteNews said. However, reports have indicated that LCP has been used in the cases of people who were not dying, such as dehydrating someone to death on the grounds of LCP.

Walker said, “If it is used out of context, then it could be used to the detriment of patients e.g. a patient comes into a resuscitation bay, and it is not always clear if a condition is acute and can be treated,” LifeSiteNews reported.

A recent report on crematorium records showed that 23% of all deaths in one city in the U.K. were people put on LCP without any definite diagnosis of their stage of life, LifeSiteNews said.

LifeSiteNews mentions the case of in the U.S. of Terri Schiavo, who was not dying, but who was withheld hydration, as an example of euthanasia. However, if a person is “actively dying and/or is unable to assimilate H & N, [t]hat person is actually dying and the provision of H & N provides little to no benefit and may cause suffering.” In such case, it would not be euthanasia.

No ethics

A third reason why euthanasia occurs, Walker said, is lack of ethics especially among younger health professionals who may fear straying from protocol and/or offending superiors, Independent Catholic News said.

Walker said, “Sometimes, in addition to what is required by a protocol, which tends to assess for a single condition, you have to follow an instinct that there is something else wrong with a patient and there is nothing wrong with that. This is the art as well as the science of clinical practice,” according to Independent Catholic News.

The CMA opened membership 18 months ago to all healthcare professionals and health managers. Many newly-admitted are directly employed in clinical care, and there have been reports of overt bullying, Independent Catholic News reported.

Walker said every healthcare professional should be expected to treat a patient in the same way that they would care for a member of their own family, according to Independent Catholic News.

Not widespread

Gordon Macdonald of the Care not Killing Alliance said his organization shares the concerns of Walker. However, they are less certain that euthanasia is widespread, Scottish Catholic Observer said.

Macdonald told Scottish Catholic Observer, “We would not say it’s widely practiced. The pro-euthanasia lobby has claimed it is as an argument for legalizing it, but the palliative care doctors we have spoken to have told us that’s not the case. For example, though there are cases of the LCP being abused, if it’s implemented properly in the last hours of life that’s not euthanasia.”

Macdonald told Scottish Catholic Observer, “Of course, we share concerns over abuses. Anecdotally we hear stories of certain care homes with questionable practices, but generally we would not accept it’s widespread.”

Sources:

http://www.sconews.co.uk/news/7797/care-questions-claim-of-widespread-euthanasia-by-default/

http://www.lifesitenews.com/blog/unofficial-euthanasia-is-practiced-in-the-uk-dr-clare-walker/

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=17930

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Catholic-secular hospital merger raises issues of faith and medical treatment

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:33 PM PDT


The merger of a secular health center with a Catholic network in Arizona has led recently to a religious and ethical crossing of swords.

The Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, a rural secular hospital, merged recently with the Catholic Carondolet Health Network, putting Catholic directives in force regarding treatments for abortion, birth control, and end of life issues, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reported.

Sierra Vista county has among the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S., but now doctors in the hospital can’t do abortions. Most of the staff are not happy about this, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly said.

Dr. Bruce Silva, an ob-gyn at Sierra Vista told Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, “[S]omeone else…puts their belief systems and their ethics on me and on my patients, which I just don’t think is right.”

Last year, Sister Margaret McBride was excommunicated because she approved an abortion at St. Joseph’s hospital after a pregnant woman contracted pulmonary hypertension, a condition with a high death rate among pregnant mothers. (See  http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/06/church-excommunicates-nun-for-authorizing-life-saving-abortion-12404).

Bishop Thomas Olmsted, who excommunicated the McBride, said the baby was healthy and that the mother’s disease should have been treated, instead. Richard Doerflinger, who handles bioethics issues for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops told Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, “You would try everything else to save her life except directly kill someone else.”

Even in the case of pregnancy by rape, Rev. Thomas Weinandy of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said abortion is not acceptable. He told Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, “You don’t just kill somebody because of…how it happened. That doesn’t make their life any less worthy of living.”

Other mergers

The trend towards mergers of hospitals is prevailing these days, and many times it involves Catholic with secular hospitals. There is for example the possibility of a merger being explored between the Hospital of St. Raphael and Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, CT Mirror reported.

If the merger pushes through, the terms of agreement have stated that medical care under St. Raphael will continue to be in line with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, CT Mirror said.

Days before talks of the merger, another Catholic hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, said it is going to join forces with LHP Hospital Group. Under the arrangement much will remain the same, including the name and status of St. Mary’s as a Catholic hospital. But the merger also will make St. Mary’s part of an organization that has hospitals in Texas, Idaho, and pending regulatory approval, New Jersey, CT Mirror reported.

With over 600 Catholic hospitals in the U.S., it is likely that in 2011, one out of six patients will receive treatment in a Catholic infirmary. In fact, Catholic hospitals are the largest nonprofit US healthcare providers to date, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly said.

Hospital landscape

Hospital mergers are bound to increase amid growing financial pressures, more so as hospitals must deal with lower reimbursement rates from both public and private insurers. By joining forces, hospitals benefit by lower costs in billings, purchases and other functions. At the same time, there is more capital to invest in medical equipment and information technology, CT Mirror said.

Hospitals are even merging with home health care agencies and private physicians to raise financial efficiency, according to CT Mirror.

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Greg Laurie examines the true Easter experience in his newest book

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:33 PM PDT


Greg Laurie, multi-awarded author and pastor of one of the first megachurches, released recently his newest book, Road to Resurrection.

Road to Resurrection is timely with the Easter season. Laurie investigates with great depth and comprehension the death and resurrection of Jesus, showing how it has been pivotal to the world, even as the reader gains a deeper appreciation of the meaning of the celebration, according to Harvest Resources.

Laurie’s new book also serves as a guidebook about the historical context of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Included is a timeline of the first Easter that contains an examination of the prophecies that came hundreds of years before, and the people and places during the crucifixion, plus a factual explanation of what happened after Jesus’ resurrection, Harvest Resources reports.

Through the book the reader comes to appreciate the ridicule, anguish, pain and death Jesus endured for all people, and understands the call for pure worship as the appropriate response to the sacrifice of Christ, Harvest Resources says.

In the flyleaf of Laurie’s new book it says, “For three days after the Crucifixion, the disciples were dismayed, the religious leaders rested in victory, and Jesus Christ lay dead and buried in a dark garden tomb.

But early Sunday morning, the angel proclaimed the victorious words: “He has risen!” The message behind these words provides power to Christianity, freedom from sin, and joy to followers of Christ.”

Laurie’s book examines how Easter is about a life-changing experience, and dwells on the message of hope that it brings for all people. But he also talks about how Jesus’ death and resurrection had been prophesied in the Old Testament hundreds of years before, making this a pivotal event for the world.

Laurie also writes about what Jesus said when he was on the cross, the details of Easter morning, the appearances Jesus made to people after his resurrection, and the birth of the church.

Laurie’s own life is a testament to the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Born out of wedlock to a mother who was an alcoholic and who had married seven times, Laurie’s life took a pivotal turn when he came to know Jesus in a personal way. His story is told in his autobiography, Lost Boy: The Next Chapter, the website says.

The autobiography was made in DVD form and won Best Documentary awards at the 2009 International Film Festival South Africa, the 2009 Riverside International Film Festival and the 2009 International Christian Film Festival, according to his website.

The DVD also was a finalist in the 2010 International Christian Film Festival (UK), the 2009 Long Island International Film Expo, the 2009 International Film Festival Ireland and the 2009 International Film Festival Wales, the website said.

Laurie is the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. He also founded Harvest Crusades, an evangelistic outreach component that was begun in 1990, and which has brought more than four million souls to Jesus Christ through outreaches around the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, according to his website.

Laurie also hosts the radio program, A New Beginning which is syndicated nationwide and has up to three million listeners daily.

Road to Resurrection would be a great way to explore the miracle of Easter, and to strengthen and enhance one’s own personal relationship with God.

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Inspirational film about pro surfer Bethany Hamilton slated to hit theatres

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:32 PM PDT


Soul Surfer, a movie based on the inspirational true story of Bethany Hamilton, will be shown in theatres starting April 8.

Hamilton, 21, has inspired millions through her autobiography, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board, published by MTV Books, I Am Rogue reported.

A professional surfer, Hamilton was born in Kauai, HI in 1990 to a family that was devoted to the sport. When she was eight years old she entered her first surfing contest and won in both of the categories that she competed in, according to I Am Rogue.

A year later, at the age of nine, she won the Rell Sun Menehune competition. This opened the door to her first sponsor, Ripcurl, which stayed by her even after the tragic accident when a shark bit off her left arm when she was 13 years old, I Am Rogue reported.

Hamilton told I Am Rogue, “They continued to support me through the loss of my arm, recovery, and return to surfing.  I’m proud to wear their clothes and use their products.”

Shark attack

It was on an Oct. 31 morning in 2003 when Hamilton, a rising star on the waves, was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark that chewed off her left arm just below her shoulder, according to her website.

She was 13 years old, and she lost 60 percent of her blood from the accident. There followed several surgeries within the next week, according to I Am Rogue. But one month after the attack, she was back in the water trying to surf, her website reported.

She got her skills back in two months, and competed in the Open Women’s division surf competition, where she placed fifth. She won her first National Title shortly after one year, landing first place in the 2005 NSSA National Championships in the Explorer Women’s Division, her web site said.

Movie

Soul Surfer stars Anna Sophia Robb, who plays the part of Bethany Hamilton. Robb said that Hamilton was a great help in fleshing out the role. Robb told Just Jared, “She is not scared to talk about her arm. No question is off limits with her. It’s just so wonderful that she is so receptive because as an actor, I want to portray her as real as possible.”

Hamilton said of Robb, “I’m stoked to have her play me. I never thought I would actually find someone to play me that would do it justice. I had such high expectations. I didn’t know who could fill this role and she did an amazing job. She’s the girl for me, I guess (laughs),” according to Just Jared.

Hamilton also said she was delighted to have a movie made about her. She told Just Jared, “Having my life being made into an hour and a half movie is amazing. I never would have thought a movie would be made about me, but it’s happening and it’s real.”

Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid play the parts of Hamilton’s parents, Cheri and Tom.

Quaid told Just Jared that he was impressed with Robb’s work. “You could not ask for anyone better to play this part. She is so dedicated as an actress and very natural. You don’t really feel like she’s acting and that makes everyone else better as well.”

Also in the movie is American Idol winner and country singer Carrie Underwood, who plays her first film role as Sarah Hill, a church youth leader who helps Hamilton to strengthen her faith amid the trauma, according to I Am Rogue.

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Jesus makes you fat? Study shows regular churchgoers are more prone to obesity

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:31 PM PDT


A study from a Chicago university discovered recently that there is a link between middle-age obesity and regular church attendance.

The study, Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults, was conducted by fourth year student Matthew Feinstein of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, The Daily Mail said.

The paper concluded that there is a 50 percent higher likelihood that regular churchgoers will become obese by middle age compared to those who are nonreligious, according to The Daily Mail.

The study was included among a number of other reports that had been presented at the American Heart Assn.’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scientific Sessions in Atlanta, the Los Angeles Times said.

No explanation was given for the findings, although it was pointed out that oftentimes many churches allow eating during service.

Methodology

The study looked into the lives of 2,433 people who came from Minneapolis, Chicago, Alabama, Birmingham and Oakland, California, according to The Daily Mail.

The test group was followed for 18 years and were ranked by their church attendance in the following categories: High (weekly to more frequent church attendance), medium (regular but not weekly church attendance), low (rare church attendance) and none, the Los Angeles Times said.

The findings noted that young adults ranging in age from 20 to 32 who were on the high category regarding church attendance were 50 percent more likely to be obese when they reached middle age, compared to those who never go to church, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The findings remained consisted even after the researchers made adjustments for race, sex, age, income, education and the person’s body mass index from the start of the study, according to the Los Angeles Times.

By the second year of the study, a profile of those participants who tended to be in the high level of churchgoers indicated that they tend to be black females with a higher BMI, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Historical link?

Feinstein did not give definite reasons to explain why high church participation is linked to obesity. He did say in a news release, “It’s possible that getting together once a week and associating good works and happiness with eating unhealthy foods could lead to the development of habits that are associated with greater body weight and obesity,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Courtney Parker, catering manager of the Apostolic Church of God (20,000 members) in Woodlawn said that historically, church services were very long, and so people were allowed to eat while hearing the gospel, The Daily Mail reported.

Parker told Sun Times, “[T]he first thing you do is go eat, and then you go to sleep,” according to The Daily Mail.

Upshot of study

Feinstein told the Los Angeles Times that there is an upshot to the study, “[T]hese findings highlight a group that could benefit from targeted efforts at obesity prevention,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

In fact a number of religious groups have engaged in exercise programs including jazzercise, belly dancing, zumba and pole dancing (see http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/03/former-stripper-teaches-pole-fitness-for-jesus-class-16294).

Other studies have shown definite health benefits that churchgoers enjoy, according to Feinstein. For example, churchgoers smoke less, live longer and enjoy better mental health, The Daily Mail said.

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Faith Funder: Making a church donation has never been easier

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:30 PM PDT


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The Underground -- Nepal Christians demand designated burial grounds, Wealthy California town appalled, outraged at torching of cross, Obama visits tomb of El Salvador prelate who fought for human rights, Apple removes another Christian app amid

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Nepal Christians demand designated burial grounds


Nepal Christians demand designated burial grounds

Posted: 25 Mar 2011 04:01 PM PDT


Some 36 Nepalese Christians leaders held a sit-in in Kathmandu to demand burial grounds for their dead while in other parts of the city protest rallies were held with numbers ranging from hundreds to thousands.

C.B. Gahatraj, one of the leaders at the sit-in, told All Headline News that Christians are determined and will not step back in their fight to have designated Christian burial grounds.

Gahatraj told All Headline News, “Until and unless we are assured for a designated land for the burial ground, we are not going to call back our protest.”

The group had already met with Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari and requested immediate use of the temple grounds for burials. Gahatraj told All Headline News, “We will only hold talks with Prime Minister now.”

Empty coffin

Elsewhere in Kathmandu, Christians by the thousands rallied along the streets of the city carrying an empty coffin and calling on the government of this majority Hindu nation to keep its promise and assign separate Christian burial grounds, All Headline News said.

The demonstrators waved banners saying, “Give us our rights, give us burial grounds,” the BBC News reported, while others simply asked outright, “Where is our burial ground?”

Pastor Sundar Thapa, leader of the protesters, said they are demanding burial space in all of the country’s 75 districts, “[s]o that we can bury our dead according to Christian practices,” according to BBC News.

Thapa told BBC News, “If the government listens to our demands, we will [continue] peacefully living in this country and helping this country to develop. But if it doesn’t listen, then we will have to come on to the streets in coming days.” Other Christians said they will parade their dead at the steps of parliament if need be.

In the past Christians had been using the Hindu Pashupatinath Temple grounds in Kathmandu for decades. However a ban was imposed on this practice last month because the grounds lie alongside the revered Hindu temple, the AP reported.

Nepal’s Supreme Court temporarily lifted the ban last week ordering the Pashupati Area Development Trust to allow non-Hindus to bury their dead on the grounds of one of the most sacred shrines of its faith, All Headline News said, but this has failed to appease tensions.

There has long been a dearth of places for Christian burials, while Hindu burial places predominate, even as most of the Hindu dead are cremated according to their tradition, BBC News said. Temple authorities say there is no room for new graves on their sites, according to the AP.

A statement issued by Christian protestors said, “Preventing us from the burial ground violates the basic tenet of human rights as well as signifies the mockery of democracy and secularism,” according to All Headline News

Protestors are also enraged that their repeated appeals are ignored by the government, and none of the political parties have expressed support. They also said the National Human Rights Commission has failed to do enough, All Headline News said.

Amid all this, Christian leaders told BBC News that they are demanding formal government recognition of their status.

Growing faith

Christianity is a growing faith in Nepal, particularly among low-caste Hindus who find refuge in it and hope for a better life that transcends the Hindu caste system, the BBC reported.

Nepal has a population of 27 million, mostly Hindus. Christians comprise some 1.5 percent of the total according to BBC News. Others peg their numbers at 0.5 percent, totaling two million, All Headline News said.

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Wealthy California town appalled, outraged at torching of cross

Posted: 25 Mar 2011 04:01 PM PDT


Residents of a wealthy, mainly white California community are shocked and outraged at the recent torching of an 11-foot cross in a lot next to the home of a black family.

In Arroyo Grande, a 17,000 population community near San Luis Obispo, people are angry at what is the first hate crime to be recorded in the area since 2002, CBS News said.

Hate crimes

A letter signed by 31 clergy members to the San Luis Obispo Tribune said, “Burning crosses, swastikas on synagogue walls, hateful words on mosque doors are not pranks. They are hate crimes meant to frighten and intimidate,” CBS News reported.

Parishioners from the church plan to send prayer blankets to the mother and daughter that lived in the house where the incident occurred, according to CBS News.

In a city council meeting held last Tuesday Dean Limbo, a churchgoer said, “We were just in total shock that someone would do something with what is to most people a symbol of peace and love,” CBS News reported.

Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, president of the NAACP Santa Maria/Lompoc Branch said the group is helping the family and said, “I know many people in the community are disturbed that it happened. But it’s a reality that it did happen. We need to be able to address that and to deal with it,” The Tribune reported.

Carolyn Hinson of Arroyo Grande High School and a member of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance said, “I am deeply disgusted by what has occurred. I would like you [the city council] to somehow find a way to make it so these hate crimes can never occur in the county, in the state … so we can make it a loving, peaceful place to live,” according to The Tribune

Extra patrols

Since the crime occurred last Friday, police have set up extra patrols in the neighborhood and there is a $3,500 reward for information leading to the perpetrators of the crime, CBS News said.

Church leaders have been asked to mention the family during prayers, The Washington Post said.

Police chief Steve Annibali told the city council a coalition of law enforcement groups are working together including the California Department of Justice, the FBI, the county District Attorney’s Office and the county Sheriff’s Department, The Tribune said.

Annibali told the council, “The coverage of the event may have suggested that the department is not taking it seriously. We have always pursued this as an arson and hate crime,” according to The Tribune

Annibali also said his department has assigned an arson investigator to the case and evidence collected from the crime scene will be examined in an independent crime laboratory, The Tribune reported.

Cross stolen from church garden

The cross that was burned had been stolen weeks before from Saint John’s Lutheran Church garden. Early Friday morning, the cross was wedged on the ground outside the window where a 19-year-old woman slept, on a lot behind the family home, The Tribune said.

It was then set ablaze. The teen was awakened by a banging noise and looked outside her window. When she saw the cross in flames she awoke her mom and then called 911, according to The Tribune.

At 12:30 a.m. firefighters responded and put out the fire with a garden hose. Police gathered remnants of the cross and other pieces of evidence from the crime scene, The Washington Post said.

Ku Klux Klan extinct

The nationwide number of cross burnings, which are commonly linked to the Ku Klux Klan, has dropped from 50 annually a decade ago to 30 today, Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Alabama told The Tribune.

The Ku Klux Klan started after the Civil War and revived in 1915 with the controversial film, “Birth of a Nation.” Potok told The Tribune, “There is no Klan now,” although there is an assortment of “squabbling organizations.”

Sick joke?

Police officials said the Arroyo Grande incident shows no evidence so far that any organized racist group was complicit in the crime, CBS News reported. Potok told The Tribune that it may even have been a twisted act done by a group of teenagers or someone ignorant, who perversely thought it might be funny.

Potok told the Tribune that either way, it does not make the act acceptable.

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Obama visits tomb of El Salvador prelate who fought for human rights

Posted: 25 Mar 2011 04:01 PM PDT


President Barack Obama ended his recent Latin American trip with a visit to the tomb of a Roman Catholic Archbishop from El Salvador who was a staunch human rights defender during that nation’s civil war.

Obama, along with President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador and Archbishop Escobar Alas of San Salvador went to the Metropolitan Cathedral to light a candle for slain Archbishop Oscar Romero, The Washington Post reported.

In a statement that Alas released beforehand, he said the visit by Obama was a “global event” that would enhance the reputation of the slain rights defender worldwide, according to Zenit.

Bowed, subdued

After Obama lit a candle he bowed his head and closed his eyes as he knelt beside Romero’s sepulcher. He then turned back and appeared to be subdued, according to Catholic Culture.

The kneeler that was placed beside the crypt had been used in 1983 by Pope John Paul II when he, too, visited the tomb of Romero at the cathedral, The Washington Post said.

Obama’s visit lasted for 24 minutes, during which Funes gave Obama a keepsake that was reminiscent of Romero’s life and service, according to The Washington Post.

Afterwards Obama said that he “was honored to visit the cathedral [...] and pay my respects to Archbishop Romero, who remains an inspiration to people all around the world,” according to Zenit.

The visit concluded Obama’s Latin America tour which included Brazil, Chile and two days in El Salvador. Issues discussed included immigration, drug-related violence and economic development, according to Zenit.

Fighter for the poor

Romero was a fighter for the poor who strongly criticized repression committed by the Salvadoran army which then had the backing of the U.S. during the Central American nation’s civil war, which ran for 12 years and left some 75,000 dead, the AP said.

Romero was shot dead on March 24, 1980, while saying mass in a hospital chapel, The Washington Post said. An investigation into his death conducted by the U.N. concluded that it was done under the order of Roberto d’Aubuisson, a right-wing leader during the civil war who was linked to the infamous 1980s “death squads,” Catholic Culture said.

Beatification

Alas said Obama’s visit will not influence the beatification of Romero which is currently underway in the Vatican. In 2005 the Vatican determined that Romero’s teachings as shown in his writings had no error, Zenit said.

In 2008 his beatification process was stalled when the prelate’s image was used politically and Romero was projected as a source of disunity in the country, Zenit reported.

But that same year, Benedict XVI told the Salvadoran envoy to the Vatican that Romero is viewed as a pastor “full of love for God,” who grounded the Gospel in El Salvador, “bringing abundant fruits of Christian life and holiness,” according to Zenit.

Recognition of pastor

Obama’s visit was applauded by El Salvador Congresswoman Lorena Pena, a former guerilla fighter turned politician who said, “It’s a recognition of our pastor who was killed for fighting for justice, for democracy and human rights,” The AP reported.

Roberto White, director of the Center for International Policy said Obama’s visit “is like a U.S. stamp of approval on the positive influence Romero’s life and death have had on Latin America and the world,” according to the AP.

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Apple removes another Christian app amid pressure from gay activists

Posted: 25 Mar 2011 04:01 PM PDT


For the second time within a few months, Apple changed its mind about a popular Christian app and deleted it from its iPhone app store because of complaints from the gay activist community—a decision viewed by critics as censorship and an infringement on the right to free speech.

Apple pulled the plug on an Exodus International iPhone app that talked about how one could be free of homosexuality by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, OneNewsNow said.

When Apple first approved the app, it received a 4+ rating, meaning the app did not have anything objectionable in its material. However, change.org, a gay activist group launched an online petition two weeks into its listing and gathered 150,000 signatures protesting the app, OneNewsNow reported.

Change.org said in its petition that the Exodus International app contains a message that is “bigoted” and “hateful.” As a result, Apple removed the app, OneNewsNow said.

Critics say Apple’s decision is discriminatory and intolerant, and they question why Apple approved the listing in the first place and kept it in its store for two weeks before caving in to pressure, Baptist Press said.

Baptist Press said those who disagree with the decision made by Apple, (one of the country’s most popular and powerful companies), fear that this could impact society in a way that stretches beyond the borders of simply the realm of iPhone owners.

Scare tactics

Gay activists argued that Exodus makes use of “scare tactics, misinformation, stereotypes, and distortions of LGBT life to recruit clients,” according to OneNewsNow.

However, the app only contains historic Christian doctrine at its core, Baptist Press said, noting that Exodus, often referred to as an “ex-gay” ministry, is the largest Christian organization that focuses its ministry on reaching out to the gay community.

The Baptist Press also noted the irony that Apple has hundreds of apps for the gay community that range from sex tips to dating matches. In comparison, the Exodus app, which was free, contained announcements about events and news related to the ministry.

Randy Thomas, executive vice president of Exodus told Baptist Press, “It’s alarming where this is headed in our culture…Activists were calling for Oprah to fire Lisa Ling simply for interviewing us [for a segment on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN channel].”

Thomas told Baptist Press, “It seems like if you’re a Christian in this culture and you have a moral view that isn’t in line with pro-gay ideology, they’re seeking to silence you, and silence anybody who would be even willing to even talk to you. That is a very alarming trend that seems to only be growing.”

Thomas told OneNewsNow, “I think Apple has really done themselves a disservice in not representing the true diversity of opinion concerning homosexuality and Christianity.”

Four months before, Apple removed an app from The Manhattan Declaration that supported religious freedom, traditional marriage and spoke out against abortion. The decision by Apple to remove it also came after pressure was exerted from the gay activist community, OneNewsNow said.

Forbes Magazine, in discussing the incident commented, “In other words, something is objectionable if enough people object to it. If that’s going to be the standard, Apple is going to be seeing a lot more petitions.”

Jeff Bercovici wrote in Forbes that the gay activist community’s victory may be fundamentally pyrrhic, saying, “What will Apple say the day it gets a petition with 140,001 signatures calling for banning…an app popular with gay men looking for a quick hit of romance?”

Bercovici wrote in Forbes that in the past gay rights activists protested censorship when it involved material that they approved of. Bercovici commented, “Their support for it now is bafflingly shortsighted.”

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The Underground Digest-- Former stripper teaches Pole Fitness for Jesus class, Study predicts the end of religion in 9 western nations, Dutch missionary shot dead by thieves in Kenya laid to rest

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Underground <staff@theundergroundsite.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 5:06 PM
Subject: The Underground -- Former stripper teaches Pole Fitness for Jesus class
To: tifforr@gmail.com


The Underground -- Former stripper teaches Pole Fitness for Jesus class


Former stripper teaches Pole Fitness for Jesus class

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:59 PM PDT


Christian women in a small town in Texas are learning to  pole dance for Jesus.

The class is held for free twice a month on Sundays and is taught by Crystal Dean, a former stripper, who now teaches pole fitness to Christian women who are required to bring their church programs with them if they want to join the class, ABC News said.

Dean meets the women in the dance studio, Best Shape of your Life, in Old Town Spring, Texas, The Los Angeles Times said. Her classes use upbeat contemporary Christian music and the routine is intended, as ABC News said, “to spin without the sin for the Lord.”

Dean said, “God gives us these bodies, and they are supposed to be our temples and we are supposed to take care of them, and that’s what we are doing,” according to ABC News.

Dean told The Los Angeles Times, “It’s fitness. I don’t teach women to be strippers.”  Pole dancing is now taught in many gyms, but Dean’s class revolves more around a church theme and she sees it as “continuing the whole worship thing.”

Her students agree that Pole Fitness for Jesus is another means to worship God and to express their faith. Tiffany Booth, one of Dean’s students, told ABC News, “I do feel a spiritual connection whenever you have the music on and it’s singing about lifting you up and being closer to God. You do feel that.”

Dean told The Los Angeles Times that if people wanted to judge her, that would be up to them but, “I’m good with God.”

Religious scholars point out that the last 50 years have seen Christian books about dieting, Christian tattoo parlors, and Christian alternatives to yoga. Thomas Tweed, a professor from the University of Texas told ABC News that he found Pole Dancing for Jesus “mildly surprising.”

Tweed told ABC News, “This is just another attempt to think through how to live a full Christian life. Some people of course would say that this is not the way; that it’s too vulgar, it’s too crass, it’s inappropriate. But I can imagine some Christians saying if it actually brings a husband and wife together as Christians to deepen the marriage bond, that actually it’s okay.”

A number of churches in the U.S. host contemporary workout classes including jazzercise (First Church of Lombard, Indianapolis), Zumba (Amazing Grace Church, Memphis) and belly dancing (Trinity Presbyterian, Richmond, Va.), according to ABC News.

Critics

Some however do not approve. One man went to Dean’s class and waved a bible as he pounded on the door. Rev. Ron Krueger of Immanuel United Church of Christ told ABC News, “It does have a history of being used for unhealthy practices, for things that are not good for portrayal of women. I wouldn’t seek that route to encourage spiritual development.”

However, Krueger told ABC News it would have a more positive outcome if it drew women back to church who were once turned away from the faith. Otherwise for health purposes, he felt that yoga, running, aerobics and walking were better choices.

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/chatter/2011/03/pole-dancing-for-jesus.html?cid=6a00d8341c630a53ef0147e366f921970b

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hallelujah-christians-pole-dance-jesus-texas/story?id=13194891&page=2

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Study predicts the end of religion in 9 western nations

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:58 PM PDT


A new study concluded recently that religion may die in nine nations.

The study, A Mathematical Model of Social Group Competition with Application to the Growth of Religious non-Affiliation, is listed at Cornell University Library, and was last revised in January 2011, according to God Discussion.

The study noted that there is a steady increase in the numbers of those who claim to belong to no religious group in nine countries, and its mathematical formula showed religion will be extinct in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland, according to Discover Magazine.

The study was headed by Richard J. Wiener, of Northwestern University’s Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Co-researchers are Haley A. Yaple of Northwestern and Daniel M. Abrams of the University of Arizona, the Daily Mail said.

The paper was financed by Northwestern University and The James S. McDonnell Foundation. Information pertinent to the study was supplied by P. Zuckerman, according to God Discussion.

The study, which was presented at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Dallas, Texas, analyzed census data that dated as far back as one century from the nine countries regarding religious membership, BBC News said.

U.S. stats

The study also commented on the U.S. noting that “Americans without religious affiliation comprise the only religious group growing in all 50 states; in 2008 those claiming no religion rose to 15 percent nationwide, with a maximum in Vermont at 34 percent,” according to God Discussion.

Nonlinear dynamics

The mathematical model applied, nonlinear dynamics, was used in a previous study by Abrams in 2003 to predict the waning use of certain languages in the world, BBC News said.

In essence, the 2003 study noted that some languages were less useful today than others, and put a numerical value to its continuing use over time, BBC said. Nonlinear dynamics has also been applied to study other phenomena such as the projected expansion of one social networking site over others.

The paper says, “Some other competitive social systems in which identical or very similar models may apply include, for example, smoker versus non-smoker, vegetarian versus meat-eater, obese versus non-obese, and Mac user versus PC user,” according to the Daily Mail.

Core utility

Nonlinear dynamics has at its core the measure of the utility of one phenomena compared to another. Wiener told BBC News, “The idea is pretty simple. It posits that social groups that have more members are going to be more attractive to join, and it posits that social groups have a social status or utility.”

Weiner said to BBC News, “For example in languages, there can be greater utility or status in speaking Spanish instead of [the dying language] Quechuan in Peru, and similarly there’s some kind of status or utility in being a member of a religion or not.”

The study said, “In a modern secular society there are many opportunities for out-group connections to form due to the prevalence of socially integrated institutions, schools, workplaces, recreational clubs, etc,” according to God Discussion.

Methodology

Weiner told BBC News, “In a large number of modern secular democracies, there’s been a trend that folk are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40%, and the highest we saw was in the Czech Republic, where the number was 60%.”

Using the nonlinear dynamics model, parameters were simply adjusted to measure the social and utilitarian benefits of being part of the ‘nonreligious’ group. From there, they drew their conclusions, BBC News said.

Shortcomings

Weiner admitted the study is high formulaic and has its shortcomings. He said the results are “suggestive” but fall short in limiting its numbers to measuring the utility of a religious group and its size as incentives for others to join a faith group, the Daily Mail said.

Weiner told BBC News, “Obviously much more complicated things are going on with any one individual, but maybe a lot of that averages out.”

Simplistic network structure

Discover Magazine commented on the “simplistic network structure” as one of the model’s limitations noting, “It assumes that each person is equally influenced by every other person. It also assumes that mere social utility is the driving reason behind people’s religious affiliations, ignoring a slew of other, difficult to measure, non-social factors underlying faith, such as the strength of deeply personal religious convictions and a (potential) basic human tendency to believe in something larger than ourselves.”

Discovery Magazine said, “The study is based on the premise that religious networks behave the same ways as do speakers of a common language and non-religious social groups, a reasonable but debatable assumption.”

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/03/22/study-finds-religion-may-be-going-extinct-in-some-countries/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368944/Religion-extinct-nations-New-Zealand-Canada.html

http://www.goddiscussion.com/43411/religion-may-become-extinct-in-9-countries/

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Dutch missionary shot dead by thieves in Kenya laid to rest

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:57 PM PDT


A Dutch Christian missionary, who was shot dead in Kenya when thieves broke into the orphanage where he worked, was laid to rest recently in his homeland in Netherlands.

Ebel Kremer, 36, was murdered at 1 a.m. on Fe b. 25 by three attackers who entered the complex that the orphanage shared with Youth With a Mission in Athi River town, some 32 miles from Nairobi, Worthy News said.

Kremer and his wife Lora, 34, lived within the complex and managed the orphanage. Lora, who witnessed the shooting death of her husband, was allegedly raped in the presence of her two small children, Worthy News reported.

A night watchman who was also wounded in the shootout is now recovering, according to Charisma Magazine.

YWAM was slated to host a Discipleship Training School graduation the evening following the tragic incident. It had also recently taken in new students for their forthcoming DTS session, Charisma Magazine reported.

The Kremers had been receiving financial support from their church, the Free Baptist Congregation Groningen in their home country. A married couple from FBCG picked up Lora and her children to bring them to them back to Netherlands, Worthy News reported.

The Kremers had been YWAM Kenya volunteers since Feb. 2008. Aside from the orphanage and training school, the complex also has a pre-school. Ebel was head of a special project, Maanzoni Children’s Village, which collaborated with Homes for Hope and Healing to establish eight homes for foster families that could each accommodate up to 12 children, Charisma Magazine said.

Karin Kea Sued, YWAM leader told Charisma Magazine, “Ebel was overseeing the building of the second of the eight homes. We were waiting for the homes to be completed before accepting more children.”

Sued also told Charisma Magazine that Kremer’s death was a tragic loss saying, “Our hearts are hurting as we are all in shock and disbelief that Ebel has been taken from us so suddenly, and in such a cruel and heartless manner. We have lost a fellow missionary and friend who beamed with energy and determination serving the One we all know to give perfect peace, comfort and eternal life. Our prayers and sympathy remain with Lora and their families in Holland.”

YWAM said there is no evidence linking Kremer’s death to Muslim extremism. The area surrounding the Complex is primarily Christian and those who broke in were searching for money, Worthy News reported.

There is no clear indication, as well, that YWAM’s identity as a Christian mission center had anything to do with the attack. PS Cain who worked in Kenya told Worthy News, “Most likely, the robbers would consider themselves ‘Christians’ and run from any Muslim label.”

Tamara Neely, YWAM spokesperson told Charisma Magazine that police, who are focusing their investigation on a motive of robbery, have beefed up security around the complex.

The couple’s home church, Free Baptist Congregation Groningen, held a special service before the burial. In a statement the church said journalists were kept away from Kremer’s funeral last Monday to help the family “cope with this loss and say farewell” privately, Worthy News reported.

Mourning in Netherland

Isabella w. van Spijk, a Kenyan Christian who is married to a Dutchman, commented on BosNewsLife’s website, “Our pastor was a close friend of the deceased…He is heartbroken and we as a church are saddened by the cruel act.”

Spijk attends the Vineyard Assen church in Netherlands. She wrote, “The preacher could not hold back his tears, now and then he kept stopping preaching. Our God and only Him understands why. I will personally keep praying for Lora and the children that His will may prevail [and] comfort both families. God is on His throne and He will always remember them no matter what because we believe in a living God who is able to carry us through the storms.”

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The Underground -- Joni Eareckson Tada won’t waste her breast cancer

The Underground -- Joni Eareckson Tada won’t waste her breast cancer


Joni Eareckson Tada won’t waste her breast cancer

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:40 PM PDT


Joni Eareckson Tada learned early in life not to waste her afflictions.

When she was 17 she had a diving accident which left her paralyzed from the neck down, according to Baptist Press.

Now this 60-year-old woman has been diagnosed with malignant breast cancer, and after surgery today she will learn what stage her breast cancer is at, the Christian Post said.

Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni Eareckson Tada

But just as 43 years ago she refused to let her quadriplegia go to waste (a book, a movie and a 43 year ministry to the disabled are her fruit), so too does she refuse to waste her breast cancer, the Baptist Press says.

Tada said, “I’ve often said that our afflictions come from the hand of our all-wise and sovereign God, who loves us and wants what is best for us. So, although cancer is something new, I am content to receive from God whatever He deems fit for me.

“Yes, it’s alarming, but rest assured that Ken [her husband] and I are utterly convinced that God is going to use this to stretch our faith, brighten our hope and strengthen our witness to others,” the Baptist Press reported.

Tada surrendered her life to God after her diving accident and what followed were decades of lending hope and inspiration to people, disabled or not, the world over, the Christian Post said.

Tada’s movie, based on her autobiography “Joni,” was released by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It told the story of her diving accident and the two years of rehabilitation that followed, the Baptist Press said.

Tada has participated on the National Council on Disability and is a senior associate for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Baptist Press said. She heads Joni and Friends International Disability Center in Agoura Hills, Calif., the Christian Post said.

On her website Joni said, “For years I have hoped that my quadriplegia might encourage people struggling with cancer… now I have a chance to truly empathize and journey alongside, affirming that God’s grace is always sufficient for whatever the disease or disability.”

Her husband of some 28 years, Ken Tada said, “The doctors have assured us that more advances have been made in the last five years in treating breast cancer than in the last 150 years. We are confident Joni is in very good hands,” PR Newswire said.

The Christian Post quoted Steve Bundy, managing director of Joni and Friends who said, “God is at work, He’s doing something and He’s going to use cancer to bring that about.”

Bundy added that God is “very much involved with the suffering that we encounter, and His intention is to work it out for the good of ourselves and for the good of those around us.”

He cited Romans 8:28 in the Bible as reference, the Christian Post said.

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United Methodist Church retains affiliation with Claremont School of Theology

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:37 PM PDT


The United Methodist Church announced recently that it would preserve its denominational affiliation with Claremont School of Theology and  restore funding that it had previously embargoed, the Christian Post said.

Earlier this year, the UMC issued a public warning when Claremont established the University Project which instituted clerical training for Muslims and Jews. Claremont was originally a theological school only for Christians, the Christian Post said.

The UMC also suspended the normal funding that it had always set aside for Claremont, and began a review of the seminary with its new changes. At the end of the review, the UMC’s University Senate, which decides which schools are suitable for affiliation, determined that Claremont met all required criteria, the Christian Post said.

Although Claremont will undertake the University Project with Jewish and Islamic schools, this is a separate endeavor from Claremont’s School of Theology. It also affords for the students integration with those of different faiths in the aim of promoting understanding, the Christian Post said.

Claremont President Rev. Jerry D. Campbell said they were happy with the affirmation from the University Senate.

He added, “I think that the review came about in the first place because some people were worried that we were turning a United Methodist-related seminary into something very different, but we were able to show the review committee that we have no such plans,” the Christian Post said.

Some conservatives had aired concern after Claremont announced the University Project, fearing that Christianity may be compromised to accommodate the other faiths, the Christian Post said.

However Claremont saw the new move as a way to provide an environment where students can learn to live in harmony despite differences, and further down the road, become better equipped to work together and be peacemakers, the Christian Post said.

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Pope creates new office to re-evangelize Europe

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:36 PM PDT


Pope Benedict XVI announced recently that a new office will be opened to re-evangelize parts of the world, including Europe, where Christianity is being overtaken by secularization, the Associated Press reported.

Benedict announced the opening of the new office on the feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, which is a feast day that by tradition is celebrated together with the Orthodox church, the AP said.

Although there is no confirmed head of the new office, media in Italy have said it may be Monsignor Rino Fisichella. Conservatives criticized Fisichella last year when he pleaded mercy in defense of Brazilian doctors who performed an abortion on a 9-year-old. The child was raped by her stepfather and pregnant with twins, the AP said.

The Catholic church, even as it has created the new office, is in the midst of a number of controversies.

One involves Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, former head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (tasked to work in areas where the Catholic church is relatively unknown), regarding corruption in relation to some of his business transactions, the AP said.

Another controversy involves the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, who was found to have committed abuse with some seminarians, and was discovered to be the father of at least three children, the AP said.

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Supreme Court ruling supports Hastings College of Law’s student groupspolicy

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:36 PM PDT


The Supreme Court issued a ruling recently that allows San Francisco’s Hastings College of Law to force student groups to permit membership even to those who disagree with the group’s vision and mission, the Alliance Defense Fund Media said.

Leo Martinez, Hastings’ dean and acting chancellor said the school policy, which the Supreme Court backed in its ruling, is equitable and fair, FindLaw said.

UC Hastings COllege of the Law Web site

Martinez told PBS last April that the policy means that a Jewish league would have to admit Muslims, and a black group would have to admit white supremacists, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly said.

By the same reasoning, Democrats would have to allow the election of Republicans, and an atheist could lead a Bible study group, the ADF Media said.

The SC upheld the school policy in a 5-4 ruling. However, they did not address discrimination policies in general, and particularly, whether the school was targeting the Christian Legal Society only instead of applying the rule fairly to all school organizations, ADF Media said.

The SC said in its ruling that public universities have the option to supersede a religious student group’s freedom to choose its own leadership. However, they must apply the option equally to all student groups, ADF Media said.

Kim Colby, senior counsel of the CLS Center for Law & Religious Freedom expressed disappointment with the SC ruling and said, “All college students, including religious students, should have the right to form groups around shared beliefs without being banished from campus,” ADF Media said.

The Supreme Court noted in its ruling that the lower courts failed to address the CLS issue of whether Hastings was enforcing the policy only on the CLS, and in this way, exhibiting bias. The SC therefore left a window open by which the CLS may, if they wish, further pursue the issue, Speak Up said.

Lead counsel Michael McConnell said, “The record will show that Hastings law school applied its policy in a discriminatory way–excluding CLS from campus but not other groups who limit leadership and voting membership in a similar way. The Supreme Court did not rule that public universities can apply different rules to religious groups than they apply to political, cultural, or other student groups,” ADF Media said.

The case arose when Martinez denied funding and refused to give official recognition to the CLS, the Religion & Ethics Newsweekly said.

The CLS, an organization of Christian lawyers with chapters nationwide, seeks to practice law guided by their faith. They hold weekly Bible studies with prayer and worship, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly said.

While the CLS Hastings chapter permits all students to come to its meetings, one must sign a CLS statement of faith before gaining membership and the right to vote and be a leader in the organization. Martinez felt the requirement of a statement of faith was discriminatory, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly said.

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European court’s ban of crucifixes in classrooms being challenged in Italy

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:33 PM PDT


Italy appealed recently a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that bans crucifixes in the classrooms of all state schools, the Telegraph said.

The Italian government’s appeal will be raised before the Grand Chamber in Strasbourg. A decision is expected within three months and if Italy loses, crosses will be banned from all state schools in the European Union, the Telegraph said.

Credit: bjearwicke/sxc.hu

The case was initiated originally by Soile Lautsi, an Italian citizen. Lautsi was upset because her children went to a school in a small town near Venice where the cross was displayed in all of the classrooms, the Telegraph said.

When education authorities refused to take the crosses down, she filed a case in the Italian courts for several years. Finally, she brought her case to Strasbourg, the Telegraph said.

Last year the court ruled in her favor, causing an outcry in Italy where 90 percent of its people are Christian. The ruling was viewed to be invasive of the nation’s culture, religion and history, the BBC said.

The Vatican said the European court had no right to intervene, and added that the court seeks to ignore the part that Christianity played in the making of Europe’s identity, the BBC said.

Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini decried the ruling and cited the cross as a symbol of the country’s tradition, the BBC said. Gelmini added, “…If we erase symbols we erase a part of ourselves,” the Telegraph said.

Crucifixes have been displayed in all classrooms in Italy since the 1920s, the Telegraph said.

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BBC to launch Sunday faith show

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:27 PM PDT


A new religion and ethics program, Sunday Morning Live, is slated to air on July 11 on BBC One, the Guardian said.

The program will include short films and interactive talks between the hosts, program guests, and the viewers through email, phone calls and video, the Guardian said.

Sunday Morning Live is expected to more closely resemble the former magazine program, The Heaven and Earth Show, which had a down-home feel to it, as opposed to its successor, The Big Questions, which had an adversarial approach, the Guardian said.

The new program is timely, as there have been complaints raised by some quarters that religious television shows were declining, the Guardian said. A study from The Christian Institute noted that religious programs are trending towards completely disappearing, World Net Daily said.

Two television stations, namely Channel Five and ITV, said there is no commercial viability in faith programs, World Net Daily said.

The Christian Institute stressed however that two other television stations, the BBC and Channel 4, should as public service broadcasters feature faith programs; and BBC One and BBC Two are under a requirement to devote two hours weekly to religious programs, the World Net Daily said.

Last year Aaqil Ahmed, a Muslim with a seeming bias towards his faith became head of BBC’s religious programming. Also, a British Humanist Association member joined its religious board, and the program “Songs of Praise” was produced by a Sikh, World Net Daily said.

The Church of England earlier this year passed a motion to express concern about religious broadcasting and urged mainstream broadcasters to produce quality faith content, particularly of festivals and acts of worship, the Guardian said.

A radio presenter also asked BBC News to hire a religion editor to improve faith coverage and provide a faith perspective when covering news in general, the Guardian said.

Channel Four will introduce a 90-second slot after the news to dwell on spiritual issues whether Christian, atheist, secular or other religions. Two documentaries are also slated about Pope Benedict XVI which will be aired when Benedict visits the UK in September, the Guardian said.

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Gerard Butler to don the role of “Machine Gun Preacher”

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 01:08 PM PDT


Sam Childers arriving to the Book Signing Event of his book “Another Man’s War,” Beverly Hills, CA on May 5, 2009 - Photo by Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com Source: Wikimedia Commons

Hollywood action superstar Gerard Butler, whose recent high-octane roles include King Leonidas in “300” (2006) and Clyde Shelton in “Law Abiding Citizen” (2009), will soon be playing the role of real-life AK-47-toting Pastor Sam Childers in 2012’s “Machine Gun Preacher,” according to the Internet Movie Database.

A former bike gang member and drug dealer, Childers underwent a massive spiritual transformation in 1992, during a revival at an Assembly of God church and his pastor prophesied that Sam would one day travel to Africa.

Six years later, near the close of 1998, Childers boarded a plane for the Sudan.

It would be the first of several trips he would make to the war-torn region where the Ugandan sectarian militant group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Koney, had abducted and tortured an estimated 30,000 children and displaced 1.6 million people since the start of the rebellion in 1986.

The LRA claims they act under the principles and morals found in the Christian Bible and the Ten Commandments.

Childers made it his life’s mission to defend and protect the innocent children of the Sudan region by any means necessary.

For the past 12 years, the so-called “unconventional American pastor” has lived and operated in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda. His Angels of East African Children’s village has become a safe haven for rescued children.

“Machine Gun Preacher” is currently in its preproduction phase and will begin shooting in Pennsylvania in early July, according to Variety Magazine.

Under the directorship of Golden Globe nominee Marc Foster, whose 2008 “Quantum of Solace” follow-up to the 2006 James Bond remake “Casino Royale” cemented him as a Hollywood action-film giant, “Machine Gun Preacher” will co-star Michelle Monoghan of “Mission Impossible 3” (2006) and “Eagle Eye” (2008) fame as Childers’ wife Lyn.

The Christian Post recently interviewed Childers about his use of heavy firearms.

“I don’t condone violence at all,” he responded. “I don’t believe in violence but at the same time I don’t believe that children should be raped, murdered or cut up.”

Gerard Butler at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. Photo © gerardjamesbutler.co.uk Fan Site.

He also added, “I look at it as self-defense and I look at it as I’m helping God’s children. I’m not a person out to murder. It’s not that I like hurting anybody. But at the same time these people [the LRA] need to be stopped.”

Childers’ book Another Man’s War: the True Story of One Man’s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan and his official web site http://machinegunpreacher.org/ recall “the gruesome scenes after LRA raids that included the smelling of burning flesh and saving a woman drenched in her own blood from a breast that was half cut off by a machete,” according to The Christian Post.

Childers also recounted the LRA’s forcing of their victim’s to engage in cannibalism and children to murder their own mothers.

The biopic film’s release dates have undergone several changes and reschedulings since entering preproduction and is now slated for release sometime in 2012 with Lionsgate Entertainment and in association with 1984 Films.

You can find out more about Childers and his Angels of East Africa organization at his website www.machinegunpreacher.org.

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The Underground -- White House envoy to meet Israel, Palestine leaders, push for peace talks


The Underground -- White House envoy to meet Israel, Palestine leaders, push for peace talks


White House envoy to meet Israel, Palestine leaders, push for peace talks

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:34 PM PDT


U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell will meet today with Israel leaders with hope to revive peace talks between Israel and Palestine after almost a year of deadlock.

Mitchell is expected to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak.  The visit comes after a row broke out between Israel and the U.S. recently over home construction plans by Israel in East Jerusalem.

Both Israel and Palestine are reportedly willing to resume indirect peace negotiations, meaning at present, Mitchell will broker indirect talks by speaking to each leader individually as a middleman, until the two reach the point where they will agree to meet personally.  Mitchell is scheduled to go to Ramallah in the West Bank after his Israel meeting.

Negotiations met a snag early this month when Netanyahu announced plans to construct 1,600 houses in East Jerusalem.  One of the conditions set on the table for the peace talks is to halt all construction in that area.  Netanyahu responded with outright rejection saying, “There will be no construction freeze in Jerusalem.  There should be no preconditions to talks.”

Netanyahu pointed out that he is following a four-decade-old policy of his predecessors.  However State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, “We understand that the Israelis have a longstanding position, but … the status quo is not sustainable.”

East Jerusalem is the most explosive issue that divides Israel and Palestine.  Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war.  However, their annexation of the area has never been internationally recognized.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.  Some 180,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, mostly in Jewish neighborhoods surrounding the area. But one cause of friction is some 2,000 Israeli nationalists who live deep inside Arab neighborhoods.  Some 250,000 Palestinians live in the Arab neighborhoods.

Benny Begin, a senior Cabinet minister, said in a Thursday meet with media and diplomats that Netanyahu would have a hard time selling even limited concessions to his government, a coalition dominated by hard-line nationalist parties.

“It is just impossible and unacceptable that people try to impress us that we should limit construction in Jerusalem,” Begin said.  Netanyahu so far has curbed West Bank construction in a temporary freeze.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the Netanyahu position on Jerusalem “very unfortunate.”  The Palestinians have said they will not hold face-to-face talks with Netanyahu until he freezes all settlement activity in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Other proposals that were given to Israel include release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, turning over more West Bank territory to Palestinian control, and possibly curbing Jewish construction in the heart of Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

Last week Obama assessed the situation, saying the U.S. couldn’t force its will on Israelis and Palestinians if they weren’t interested in making needed compromises in order to end their decades-old conflict.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians;_ylt=Ar8iv5t7GCXzAAUzvv43iiOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFibDNqaHVjBHBvcwM1MwRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3dvcmxkBHNsawNpc3JhZWxyZWplY3Q-

http://www.unnindia.com/english/story.php?Id=6381

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Man who murdered pro-lifer, one other, gets life in prison

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:21 PM PDT


A truck driver who killed a pro lifer and one other man in a Michigan shooting spree was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday.

In a court hearing, Harlan Drake, 34, was charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of pro life activist James Pouillon, 63, and businessman Mike Fuoss, 61.

Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Gerald Lostracco handed Drake a life term, the automatic penalty under Michigan law.

Drake had also planned that day to kill one other man on the morning of the shootings last September 11, but didn’t know where to find him.

The murders, he said, were vengeance acts on behalf of his mother, Kim Staples.

Staples did not like the fact that Pouillon would hold a picture of an aborted fetus outside Owosso High School, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.  Drake shot him four times.

Fuoss, the other victim, was a boss of Staples with whom the latter had disputes.  While shooting Fuoss 17 times Drake told him, “You should be nicer to your employees.”  The third target, whom Drake could not find, was a former boss of his mother.

Before the sentencing Drake apologized for the pain he caused to the families of his victims. But minutes later he seemed bored and told the judge to “get on with this” and called him a racist and a hypocrite.

Drake’s lawyers argued that he was mentally ill at the time and didn’t understand what he was doing.  They said Drake has been treated for depression since his semitrailer slammed into a car in Ottumwa, Iowa, killing two teens in 2004. He was not cited.  Drake also attempted suicide in jail after killing Pouillon and Fuoss.

However, the jury rejected an insanity defense.  Lostracco said, “This case was not about abortion.  It was about your intention to be a hit man (to settle grudges).”

Drake replied,  “Coming from a hypocrite and a racist, I really appreciate that, judge.”

Madison Pouillon, 16, said her grandfather drove her to school moments before he was shot with his pro life sign across the street.  She said she began praying for him when officials, citing safety, would not let her leave the building.

The teen cried and couldn’t finish reading her statement. Her mother, Holly Pouillon, 38, picked up the paper, turned to Drake, expressed her daughter’s forgiveness and added, “May God be with you.”

Jim Fuoss, 58, said his family had endured much misfortune in the past seven months. His slain brother’s wife, Barb, died of brain cancer on April 10.

Sources:

http://www.wwltv.com/news/national/91820879.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_re_us/us_activist_killed_mich;_ylt=AqEASxBxcayzQ1uopFRghxjuOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTE3cDB1M252BHBvcwMxNgRzZWMDTXdfVml0YWxpdHkEc2xrA21hbndob2tpbGxlZA–

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Former Rolling Stone’s child lover wants age of consent to be 18

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:15 PM PDT


Mandy Smith, the former child-lover and later wife of the Rolling Stone’s bassist Bill Wyman, said recently that the age of consent in Britain should be raised to 18.

Smith said at the currently legal age of consent, which is 16, girls are still emotionally vulnerable, and that even at age 18 some girls are still not ready for sex.  She adds, “You can never get that part of your life, your childhood, back.”

Bill Wyman and his Rhythm Kings Middelburg 27-01-2009/Credit: Jacco Barth

Parliament first established the age of consent in the UK at 13 years in 1875 in response to concerns that young girls were being exploited for prostitution.

The age of consent was amended to 16 years in 1885 under the Criminal Amendment Act because girls as young as 12 were still being sold in the sex trade.

Christian campaigner Josephine Butler, who fought to protect girls and prostitutes from exploitation, was primarily responsible for the changed law.

Two years ago Parliament passed a bill requiring Northern Ireland to lower its age of consent from 17 years to 16 years.  This caused a furor with Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly (NLA).

Some NLA warned this would only encourage sexual predators.  Belfast’s Rape Crisis Centre also objected to the change, saying the new law would make it more difficult for them to protect vulnerable girls.

Wild Child

In the 1980s Smith was deemed by media as London’s Wild Child.  She first dated Wyman when she was 13, and publicly admitted they had sex when she was 14 and Wyman was 48.

When Smith reached 16, the age of consent, their relationship became public and their marriage when she was 18 was depicted as a fairy tale wedding.  Two years later they divorced.

Today Smith is 39, single, celibate, and living out a revived Catholic faith.  She mentors young girls and is involved in charitable work.  She laments a childhood that she “could never get back.”

Smith says, “Sometimes, I drive through the city on a Saturday night and see young girls wearing hardly any clothes on their way to a nightclub, while others are being sick on the pavement from binge-drinking. They take their values from some rubbish TV show or wannabe celebrities.”  Smith’s father was absent since she was three, and she met Wyman in a club at a time when her mother was perennially ill.

Today Wyman is remarried with young children. In occasional interviews he refers to his “love affair” with Smith when she was 14 as a “midlife crisis.”

Writer Victoria Coren of The Observer wrote, “It’s not OK for a 48-year-old man to sleep with a 14-year-old, whoever he is. It’s not “a love affair.”

Smith says teenage girls today are caught up in a highly sexualized culture and its expectations.

“The girls I talk to are under pressure to be a certain way,” said Smith. “They think they should be having sex, living a certain life.”

Smith rediscovered her faith in 2005 and says “God is the only man in my life now.  The great thing about the Church is that you can go back. It’s never too late,” she said.

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1266664/Mandy-Smith-I-DID-sleep-Bill-Wyman-I-14–man-life-God.html#ixzz0lemZCzQJ

http://christiantelegraph.com/issue9556.html

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10042004.html

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Fringe Muslim group’s threats cause Comedy Central to censor South Park

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 11:55 AM PDT


The producers of “South Park” complained recently that Comedy Central censored a portion of their popular cartoon after they had received threats from a radical Muslim group.

Producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone expressed disapproval after their bosses bleeped out a portion of the usual wrap-up speech of South Park character Kyle.  The speech didn’t mention Muhammad.

The censorship was done in response to threats from Revolution Muslim, a fringe group which complained that `South Park’ insulted their prophet by depicting him in a bear costume in last week’s episode.

Many Muslims believe that Islamic teachings forbid showing images of Muhammad.

The Muslim group didn’t explicitly threaten the producers.  However, they warned that Parker and Stone could end up as Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh did, who was slain six years ago for making a film that criticized Islamic society.

Their Web site, revolutionmuslim.com also published Stone and Parker’s work address.

The Web site said, “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show.”

A photo of Van Gogh’s body lying in the street was included with the original posting, which has been unavailable to some Web users since news of the item broke earlier this week.

The extremist group is relatively small with about a dozen members.  It was formed in 2007 and is based out of New York.

It is mostly known for posting inflammatory and often threatening comments on its Web site, including a poem last October during the Jewish High Holy Days asking God to kill all the Jews.

Its members also stage protests in front of New York mosques, advocating a more fundamentalist form of Islam, said Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.

South Park, in its 200 shows, has satirized Christianity, Buddhism, Scientology, the blind and disabled, gay people, Hollywood celebrities and politicians of all persuasions.

Some of those who were satirized protested, or threatened to boycott.

Regarding Comedy Central’s self censorship, experts call it a dangerous precedent which also stirs up a free-speech issue that, while dormant for years, has now opened again.

UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh said to the Los Angeles Times that the network has potentially empowered other extremists by how it has chosen to handle the situation.  “The consequence of this position is that the thugs win and people have more incentive to be thugs,” said Volokh, who teaches free speech and religious freedom law.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_en_tv/us_tv_south_park_muslims

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-south-park-20100423,0,5940860.story

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Archie Comics to introduce first openly gay character, Kevin

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 11:48 AM PDT


Archie Comics will introduce a new character who is openly gay, Kevin Keller.

Keller first appears in Veronica  No. 202 (release date on Sept. 1st) as the new kid in Riverdale.

In the story, entitled “Isn’t it Bromantic?” Keller beats Jughead in an eating contest.

This makes him gain the attention of boy-crazy Veronica.

When Jughead points out her interest, Kevin’s up front about the fact that he’s gay and spends the rest of the issue introducing himself to the rest of the gang while trying to let a clueless Veronica down easy, much to Jughead’s amusement.

Cartoonist Dan Parent commented to Newsarama, “We didn’t do something with turmoil. The guy just happens to be gay, and the characters accept it, and that’s it.”

He said the comics want to reflect high schools in America, where being gay is okay for the most part.

“My daughter has openly gay kids in her high school and it’s accepted,” Parent said to Newsarama.  “Obviously this isn’t the case everywhere in the country. But gay kids in high schools isn’t the big deal it used to be.”

The character’s debut is part of Archie Comics’ overall efforts to make the comic, which has been around since 1939, more contemporary.

Historically, Riverdale had not been so diverse.  There was a malt shop, white walls, a jalopy and in general all the components which in its time created a safe world for everyone.

Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater, in an official statement, said he felt it just made sense to now have an openly gay character.  Parent said , “In the last year or two, we’ve been introducing a lot of new characters:  Diverse characters, characters with different ethnicities.”

Among the notable changes were a redesign to update the characters for modern audiences, parodies of current pop culture stories, and the introduction of an interracial relationship between Archie and Josie and the Pussycats’ character Valerie.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/newsarama/20100422/en_newsarama/archiemeetkevinriverdalesnewgaystudent

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/04/gay_archie_character.html

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/04/22/archie-introduces-an-openly-gay-character-kevin-keller/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/22/AR2010042205766.html

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UK candidates woo Christian swing vote in elections + 3 others


UK candidates woo Christian swing vote in elections

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 08:33 AM PDT


Unlike past British elections where publicly talking of religion by candidates was frowned upon and considered “un-British,” candidates today are pursuing the Christian vote more than ever.

The 2010 elections are marked with a desperate battle for marginal seats, and candidates are becoming more vocal about their beliefs in order to woo this sector, which is seen as a swing vote.

Gordon Brown at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has frequently referred to the "moral compass" he inherited from his clergyman father. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Zoe Dixon, chairman of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum admitted, “Certainly we try to mobilize the Christian vote in our favor in constituencies.”

Paul Woolley, director of the Christian think tank Theos said, “We did some research last year looking at the rhetoric of Gordon Brown and others in their key speeches and the extent to which they used Christian or theological or biblical language.”

Wooley noted that while secularism is gaining more ground in British public life, electoral parties are “working hard to make inroads into faith-based communities and organizations.”

Examples of these politicians include:

  • Conservative leader David Cameron, who has called for a “Big Society,” in which the government will work in tandem with volunteer and faith groups.  In Cameron’s conference speech last year some parts seemed biblical in rhythm, and the sections seemed like the Sermon on the Mount, according to Wooley.
  • Prime Minister Gordon Brown has frequently referred to the “moral compass” he inherited from his clergyman father.
  • Liberal democrat leader Nick Clegg claimed that Christian values are “central” to his policies in a Daily Telegraph article entitled “Atheist Nick Clegg discovers religion in time for polling day”.

Meanwhile, Christians are being enjoined by faith leaders to participate more in political elections.

Preacher Canon J. John, who is prominent within the evangelical community in the UK, urged believers to do their best to find out about their local candidates.

“We might want to ask whether they are genuinely committed to moral values or do they simply adopt whatever is the current fashionable view? Does the candidate place their party’s ideology above everything else? Would they be prepared to vote against the party line on moral grounds,” he said.

A spokesman for the Christian Peoples Alliance, which is putting up 17 general election candidates, said, “We are building for the politics of tomorrow.”

The Westminster 2010 Declaration, signed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey and Cardinal O’Brien, the leader of Catholics in Scotland, advised that

Christians should work to ensure “religious liberty and freedom of conscience are unequivocally protected against interference by the state and other threats”, while they “will not be intimidated by any cultural or political power into silence or acquiescence.”

The declaration goes on: “We call upon all those in UK positions of leadership, responsibility and influence to pledge to respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold these beliefs and to act according to Christian conscience.”

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Haitian judge says charges against missionaries still in effect

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 08:28 AM PDT


Charisa Coulter, left, and Laura Silsby are two of 10 missionaries accused of trying to take children after the Haiti earthquake. Photo Source: Getty Images

On Monday, the Haitian judge involved in the case of the 10 American Baptist missionaries who attempted to transport orphaned children out of the country declared that all charges still stand, according to several international news reports.

Although rumors had been circulating that the volunteers would soon be exonerated, Judge Bernard Saint-Vil denied ever suggesting he would drop charges against the group.

Last Friday, Haiti’s top prosecutor in the case, Attorney General Joseph Manes, said that any information suggesting dropped charges was “absolutely incorrect,” according to a report from CNN.

Under Haitian law, the charges are required to stand until Judge Saint-Vil “renders his decision.”

Missionary group leader Laura Silsby is still being held in Port-au-Prince, nearly two months after eight of her fellow volunteers were released on the condition that they would return if there was a need for future questioning.

The ninth missionary was released in March.

Interestingly, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho said via a spokesperson last week that the State Department had informed him that all charges had been dropped against nine of the 10 missionaries (excluding Silsby). Saint-Vil’s statement to the media, however, suggested the opposite.

Reverend Clint Henry of Central Valley Baptist Church in Idaho, where the missionaries hail from, said he received an e-mail from the State Department informing him that all the charges had indeed been dropped.

Manes, however, said on Friday that, based on the confidential documents his office received from Saint-Vil’s investigation, it remains to be seen whether the case will be dismissed or move to trial.

Right now, Saint-Vil has until May to decide if he will release Silsby or arrange a trial.

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Ireland poll favors constitutional protection for the unborn

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 08:24 AM PDT


A poll conducted recently in Ireland showed that 70 percent of Irish people would like their constitution to protect the unborn and ban abortion.

The survey, funded by Ireland’s Pro-Life Campaign and carried out by Millward Brown Lansdowne, recorded the opinions of nearly 1000 people aged 18 and older from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6.

The poll revealed that only 13 percent opposed protection for the unborn, while some 16 percent were undecided.

The survey also revealed that respondents were okay with Ireland’s current medical ethics and laws which allow intervention in case a mother’s life is endangered by her pregnancy.

The Pro-Life Campaign’s Dr. Berry Kiely highlighted the fact that the poll distinguished necessary medical interventions in pregnancy from induced abortion which directly targets the unborn child.

“This is a critical ethical distinction which abortion advocates constantly seek to blur,” Kiely said.

“Abortion advocates ignore the humanity of the unborn child throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy and the latest research highlighting the negative consequences of abortion for women.We cannot arbitrarily airbrush the unborn child out of the debate, or the many testimonies of women who regret their abortions.”

“To deny the right to life simply because the unborn child is at an early stage of development completely undermines an authentic vision of human rights,” Kiely commented.

Ireland is currently listed as the safest country in the world for pregnant women by the latest U.N. survey on maternal health.

Other countries where abortion is banned are Chile, El Salvador, Malta, Nicaragua and Bangladesh.

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Canadian parliament overwhelmingly votes down euthanasia, assisted suicide bill

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT


The Canadian Parliament turned down recently a bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide.

In a landslide vote, the House of Commons rejected Bill C-384 by a vote of 228 to 59.

Immediately after the vote, two members said they mistakenly voted for the bill, instead of against it.

Conservative Member and Parliamentary Secretary for Health Stephen Fletcher abstained, stressing that he believed “the individual is ultimately responsible” for his fate.

Fletcher, a quadriplegic MP, is confined to a motorized wheel chair.

The bill, which was proposed by parliament member Francine Lalonde (La Pointe-de-l’Île, BQ) also irked Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs who said it might be used to hasten the deaths of the mentally ill, chronically depressed, elderly (who could be put to death for financial gain), bedridden and handicapped.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told LifeSiteNews that the defeat of Lalonde’s bill means that Canada should now move on to finding better ways of offering true health care to Canada’s vulnerable patients.

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