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Pakistan attack on World Vision staff brutal and senseless World Vision today is mourning the brutal and senseless deaths of six members of our staff in the Mansehra district of Pakistan, following an unprovoked attack by gunmen. We have confirmed that the gunmen entered our office compound, threw grenades, opened fire on staff inside the office, and left the compound after exploding a homemade bomb. The compound is located about 40 miles north of Mansehra town. In addition to those killed, eight employees were hospitalized with injuries. Four of them were released from the hospital, while another four remain hospitalized...

We are back on the good news vs. bad news seesaw, in the war vs. Islam. Just a few hours ago, I posted an article in which we learned that the first non-Islamic school in the UK will serve strict halal food. In this article we learn that a coalition of Churches and locals are “fiercely” opposing the construction of a new Mosque. Of course you guys remember the “Just say no to drugs” motto, well we should all be saying no to Muslim immigration and Mosque construction. Go mates!

Sarah Palin had a busy day last Saturday. She woke up in Cleveland, Ohio, where at noon she spoke at a $2,500-a-plate fundraiser at the Ohio and Cleveland chapters of Right to Life. She then climbed on a Raytheon Hawker 800 twin-jet charter that carried her to Calgary (and believe me, if you want to see how the rich and famous get around, check it out at hawkerbeechcraft. com). From the airport, it was straight to a day room at the Fairmont Palliser where she got lost looking for the pool, and asked directions from a guy in the elevator....

Greetings and Salutations! O.K. for years I have not made a post. I thought to myself this week, maybe it is time. Some years ago, I focused a lot more politically with my former site voterepublican.net. However, with the kids taking more of my time and the focus as a preacher toward more study and sermon preparation, the time I might have given to posting and discussing went away. As a preacher, discussing political situations is supposed to be a no-no in many people's eyes. I never have bought into that whole idea. However, I don't talk about politics just...

For the Independent Weekly of Durham, North Carolina, writer Sam Wardle proves that he hasn’t a clue how the phrase “religious extremist” is properly defined. But, I’d suggest that his confusion is endemic in the far left and proves to show why so many in the west don’t understand how to face and defeat the real religious extremism of radical Islam. In a story about Representative Sue Myrick (R, NC) and her association with The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools as juxtaposed with her condemnation of radical Islam, Wardle sees no difference between a radical Islamist that...

Sociologist Christian Smith contends that most religious teens in the U.S. have very little appreciation or regard for the theological and doctrinal particulars of their own religious traditions but did believe that God exists, loves them, wants them to follow the Golden Rule, and comforts them in the midst of the emotional ups and downs of adolescence. Moreover, Smith argued, most teens, including teens who were regular churchgoers, believed that all religious traditions are functionally equivalent, and that they provide spiritual succor, moral guidance, and emotional support in about equal measures. This, then, is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism; and, as Smith...

For forty years, the idea that Hitler and his Final Solution had even a remote resemblance to Christianity would never have been considered. Indeed, the biggest complaint was that Christians themselves allowed a man such as Hitler to get away with so much- implicitly acknowledging that what Hitler did was anything but Christian.

Is Muhammad more deserving of reverential treatment than Jesus? The New York Times seems to think so. A Times article reporting on the collapse of Christian communities in the Middle East contains two references to Jesus. Not "Christ," which is a religious title, or "Jesus Christ," but simply "Jesus," who was (or may have been) a historical figure. The same is true of other Times stories and wire service articles published by the Times which no longer appear on its website (but still appear on other sites under different titles and are linked below). A December 21 story entitled "First...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A Malaysian magazine apologized Saturday for upsetting Christians after it published an article researched by two Muslims who pretended to be Roman Catholics and took Communion in a church. The apology is likely to soothe frustrations among religious minorities who feel that overzealous government authorities and clerics are trying too hard to champion the interests of Islam and ignoring the rights of non-Muslims. The Al Islam monthly magazine, which focuses on issues affecting Malaysian Muslims, acknowledged in a statement on its publisher's Web site that its article had "unintentionally hurt the feelings of Christians, especially Catholics."

'I absolutely know that in anybody's eyes I was a traitor," says Mosab Hassan Yousef. "To my family, to my nation, to my God. I crossed all the red lines in my society. I didn't leave one that I didn't cross." Now 32, Mosab is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder and leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. As the son of a Muslim cleric, he says he had reached the conclusion that terrorism can't be defeated without a new understanding of Islam. Here he echoes other defectors from Islam such as the former Dutch parliamentarian and...

Teaching that God, who is pure spirit (John 4:24), has His own spirit body is to teach something definitely not found in Scripture. There is no biblical basis for such a teaching. This teaching would be more in line with Mormonism than orthodox Christianity. Kenneth Copeland teaches that God created the Universe, and everything therein, out of a spiritual substance known as faith, by forming a mental picture of the creation in "the insides of Him," then by using words as containers for His "faith," projected the image outwardly into the reality of creation. For example, in his tape, Spirit,...

It's quite striking to see the degree to which traditional Islam has come under ferocious attack from the anti-religious impulse in Hollywood and New York and other bohemian centers in America. It is clearly anti-Islamic religious bigotry. Take a look at just some examples over the past year alone. January: The Source Weekly, a weekly arts publication in Bend, Ore., featured on its cover an image of Mohammad holding a child with President Obama's head crudely posted on its body. Muslim protests were greeted with this dismissive response: "What is printed is printed, and we will not apologize." Feb. 12:...

...atheists in Australia appear to have demonstrated that they have more money than they know what to do with by wasting it on bus ads that read “Atheism - celebrate reason.” Atheists have, again, come very close to quoting that which the Bible has stated for almost 3,000 years, “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD (Isaiah 1:18). The ads are occasioned by the upcoming “Global Atheist Convention” in Melbourne a convention that is being titled, “The Rise of Atheism” and billed as the “biggest ever atheist event in Australia’s history.” This convention will feature the best and...

Now "strengthening of the heart" is one of the great wants of many professing Christians...They want to realize more tangible comfort. They fancy they ought to feel more and see more...Where shall they turn? What shall set their consciences at rest? Then comes the enemy of souls, and suggests some shortcut road to establishment. He hints at the value of some addition to the simple plan of the Gospel, some man-made gimmick, some exaggeration of a truth, some flesh-satisfying invention, some improvement on the old path, and whispers, "Only use this, and you shall be strengthened."... "Come to us," says...

You can learn quite a bit about those who consider themselves leaders in the liberal movement by reading The Huffington Post. Now, as of a few weeks ago, you can learn what they think about religion, too. I look at the Huffington Post to see today what many in the media will be talking about tomorrow. The news aggregator and blog website was founded by former conservative Arianna Huffington, wife of former GOP Senate candidate Michael Huffington. It collects bloggers of every description, from Robert Rubin to Bianca Jagger. Often, the site anticipate trends, like the “small bank” movement that...

A nail from the time of Christ's crucifixion which was hidden by the same knights who featured in The Da Vinci Code has been found in a dig. The four-inch Roman relic, stored in an ornate box, was uncovered by archaeologists working at a fort thought to have been a former Knights Templar stronghold. It was buried with three skeletons and three swords, including one with the religious order's cross on its blade, on the tiny island of Ilheu de Pontinha, off Madeira. The iron nail is of the type used in thousands of crucifixions - but it is special....

In today's technological age, it might seem silly for intelligent people to consider a spiritual world where beings we cannot see might exist. Oh it's fine to read books and watch Hollywood movies about the afterlife and spirits that roam the netherworld but that's all make believe, not the real world. In the real world we are taught that reality consists of what we can touch, taste, see, hear, smell, and that the spirit world is for those weak minded individuals who use religion as a crutch to get through the day.  However, what if I told you that...

In this age of media insolvency and newsroom job cuts, I sometimes think that restaurant reviewers are doubling as religion writers. After all, both today seem to treat their subjects as matters of taste. In fact, I expect to soon open a modern newspaper's religion page and read something akin to the following: The steeple was sufficiently impressive, although there were obvious stress cracks in the paint. As I entered the church, I was greeted by an all too obsequious usher, whose fawning attempts to please were rendered quite unwelcome by his dollar-store shoes, mismatched tie and sport coat, and...

• Keanu Reeves • k.d. lang • Richard Gere • Uma Thurman • Orlando Bloom • Kate Hudson • Tina Turner • Kate Bosworth • Herbie Hancock • Russell Simmons

The rise of Islamic extremism is putting increasing pressure on Christians in Muslim countries, who are the victims of murder, violence and discrimination. Christians are now considered the most persecuted religious group around the world. Paradoxically, their greatest hope could come from moderate political Islam. By SPIEGEL staff. Kevin Ang is cautious these days. He glances around, taking a look to the left down the long row of stores, then to the right toward the square, to check that no one is nearby. Only then does the church caretaker dig out his key, unlock the gate, and enter the Metro...

A girl flees from her home in fear for her life — and law enforcement goes after the people who helped her. That’s the situation in the Rifqa Bary case. The Columbus Dispatch reported this about Rifqa’s friend Brian Williams: “An Ohio minister accused of driving a teenage runaway to a bus station last year has retained a lawyer as police say they’re investigating whether anyone broke the law in helping the Christian convert leave home for Florida.” And why did she flee to Florida? Because, she says, when her devout Muslim father found out she had become a Christian,...

"It’s a Sunday evening at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and the pews are full. Redeemer is a conservative Evangelical Christian congregation, but the parishioners don’t fit the easy Bible Belt stereotypes. They are a cross-section of yuppie Manhattanites—doctors, bankers, lawyers, artists, actors, and designers, some of them older, most of them in their twenties or thirties..." "Last year, after his book The Reason for God hit No. 7 on the New York Times’ nonfiction best-seller list, his publisher, Dutton, conceived the idea for a new Redeemer imprint. Keller’s latest book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and...

N. Pierce: “Great metropolitan regions...not nation-states--are starting to emerge as the world’s most influential players.” Cities are growing in the ‘Third World’ at an enormous rate and are regenerating in the U.S. and Europe. In the U.S. even smaller cities have seen a renaissance of their downtown cores, as professionals, immigrants, international business leaders, empty-nest baby-boomers, artists, and the ‘young and hip’ move back in. The coming world ‘order' will be a global, multi-cultural, and urban order. So globalized city-centers are the strategic ‘leading edge’ of world culture. So what are they like? Would we say that young city-center dwellers...

Muslim man throws his 3-year-old baby girl off a bridge to her death! Last week, a Muslim man in New Jersey kidnapped his 3-year-old daughter for the girls maternal grandmother, drove to a nearby bridge, and tossed her to her death in the icy waters of the river below....AFTER consulting with his Imam!!! Here is what I want you to hear today. This man is not some crazed terrorist. He was never viewed as some radical with ties to terror organizations. The fact is, he is simply a normal Muslim man who followed the teachings of his religion of hate...

To claim that by opposing the gay agenda the Church is acting in an unloving manner is patently untrue. It is considered negligent to allow or actively support action, drug abuse for example, that you know is both dangerous and destructive. Imagine being accused of bigotry after forbidding such action in one of your children. Yet Church opposition of the homosexual agenda draws angry criticism from those who claim her stance on homosexuality is based solely on religious bigotry against homosexuals. [...] To make the issue and argument solely about what the Bible or Catechism says is to deliberately misconstrue...

One of today’s most contentious culture wars is over the religious commitments of our nation’s founders. Were most of them orthodox Christians, deists, or agnostics? Scholarly books, college classes, radio talk shows, and blogs all debate this issue, and the Texas Board of Education recently joined the fray. Because of Texas’ large number of students, its huge educational fund, and its statewide curriculum guidelines, this board strongly influences what textbooks are published in the United States. Last month the board reviewed the state’s social studies curriculum, and its conservative Christian members injected more analysis of religion into the guidelines, including...

“Is Christianity good for the world?” That’s the subject of an ongoing debate between renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens and a conservative and sometimes controversial Christian, Douglas Wilson. Close What began as a correspondence between the two has led to a co-authored book, a debate tour, and now a fascinating documentary-a kind of behind the scenes look at that tour, featuring interviews with both men. These interviews achieve a rare level of honesty and insight about what it takes to have faith in the modern world-or, conversely, what it takes not to have faith. The film shows the tremendous level of...

Thirty-five Korean ministers and professors visited the Los Angeles Jewish community last week, sitting in on high school Torah classes, attending morning prayers, joining a Shabbat meal and studying Jewish texts with local rabbis. All devout Christians, these students of Judaism hailed not only from South Korea, but also from Korean communities in Russia, China, South America, Canada and across the United States. They were not interested in converting to Judaism or in proselytizing Jews, but rather were here to learn the secret to Judaism’s survival. “Jews successfully conveyed the Torah, the traditions, the history — especially the history of...

Every time I walk through the mall I feel this stab of pain in my gut. It also happens in Target, Wal-Mart, the doctor’s office, the grocery store; it even happens in church. I don’t need medication for this pain. It’s not a disease – it’s grief. I’m mourning the death of modesty. Last week I read the most perfect definition of modesty on the website for the Archdiocese of Washington. Msgr. Charles Pope wrote that “modesty is reverence for mystery.” I can’t imagine a better way to define it. And sadly, in our culture, the mystery is GONE. And...

Those who find “the problem of evil” to be of interest may consider considering it with regards to H1N1/swine flu: The problem of evil and H1N1/swine flu, part 1, part 2

No, the “First Ever Award” is not being given to “Non-Believers Giving Aid” because it is the first atheist charity but because for the first time in history a “charity” has been established upon utter hatred, a lack of knowledge of theology in general, a lack of knowledge of the Bible’s contents, concepts and contexts in particular and general prejudice. “Non-Believers Giving Aid” the uncharitable charity, part 1, part 2, part 3

Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought Latter-day Saints usually think of pre-existence as a doctrine unique to Mormonism, known to Abraham and alluded to by Wordsworth in an oft-cited poem, but otherwise long lost to the Christian world. In actual fact, belief in the soul’s pre-mortal existence constitutes a rich if largely forgotten tradition in Western thought. Several philosophers from Plato through Leibniz and Kant to twentieth-century Cambridge intellectuals, dozens of poets from antiquity to Robert Frost, and numerous religious thinkers throughout the Jewish and Christian traditions, propounded a pre-earthly realm peopled by the souls of men and women yet...

GLOSSARY Legend & the 'Middle east' "conflict" Reality: A Jew:Whoever is Jewish by descent or by conversion. Hebrews, Israelites, were called Jews already in the Bible, in thie book of Esther. A Muslim:Whoever accepts Muhammad as a prophet and his Quran as truth. A Christian:Whoever is of the Christian faith, accepts old & new testament.Arab or non-Arab (including pre-Arab Semites Christians of the M.E. are victims of Arab Muslims - past & present). Arab, Arabs: 'Arab' is from the Biblical Hebrew translation: dwellers of the "desert, plain or steppe" [root = 'Arava']. Middle east:An area, ancient in history of humans,...

As you finally turn off the light and roll wearily into bed every night, do you ever think about the billions of people who are just starting their day? Do you ever consider the fact that as you sleep, millions of other people will be experiencing the same trials and challenges that you faced during your day? Skin colors,climates,altitudes,foods,languages,family structure,dwellings,financial status - these aspects may be completely different but yet we all have so much in common...

“What are you giving up for Lent?” I haven’t heard that question as much this year as in years past. The practice of giving something up, of fasting, is what most people associate with Lent. It’s a practice that I grapple with each year. Should I fast from something? What would it mean spiritually? Would I fast alone--since it’s not a communal practice in any of the churches I’ve attended?

LONDON, February 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Britain’s Labour government clarified this week that an amendment to the Children, Schools and Families bill, that says faith schools may teach the mandatory Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) program “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character,” does not, in fact, give the schools freedom to oppose abortion, contraception and homosexual activity on moral grounds. The clarification has been hailed by a local pro-life and pro-family group as evidence that the spectre of "totalitarianism" has reappeared in Britain.A recent statement from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), made in response...

The Story of the Scrolls: The Miraculous Discovery and True Significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. By Geza Vermes. WITHIN a century or so of Christianity’s emergence, Jews and Christians were having heated disputes over certain prophetic passages in the Hebrew scriptures. They were arguing not only over the meaning of those verses, but over their precise wording. Each side suspected the other of doctoring manuscripts in order to support its own interpretations. At least until the late 20th century, it was almost impossible for modern scholars to throw any light on the substance of these disputes: in other words,...

Barack Obama routinely laced his campaign speeches with words and phrases that resonated with voters, particularly those who practiced their faith more often than others in the body politic. His outreach to the Christian community became more fervent after the scandal caused by his ties to Pastor Jeremiah Wright who used his pulpit to bully and disparage America. Barack Obama attended forums held by the evangelical leader Rick Warren. He was seen in the company of a variety of Christian leaders. His courtship of religious groups in the 2008 race - the most extensive ever by a Democratic candidate for...

Question: What is the difference between Catholicism and Biblical Christianity? Answer: Catholicism and Biblical Christianity are divergent religions. They are built on different foundations, and they propose different ways of salvation. In principle, Christianity is built solely on the Holy Scriptures, the written Word of God. The Bible is our only infallible rule of faith, being sufficient to give us the sure knowledge of the Gospel for our salvation and holiness. Roman Catholicism demands submission of the intellect and will to the doctrines taught by the Roman magisterium (the Pope and bishops). It is claimed that the Catholic Church derives...

On a beautiful summer morning in June of 2007, I took a drive out to Libertyville, Illinois for the purpose of taking photos of the new memorial monument that had been erected and dedicated to Voyvoda Momchilo Djujich, a highly revered Chetnik commander under the command of Serbia's General Draza Mihailovich in World War II. When I arrived at St. Sava Monastery, the Serbian Orthodox Church that was home to this new memorial, I found the grounds to be even more lovely and peaceful than I had hoped they would be. The experience exceeded my expectations as the beauty of...

If there’s anything Hollywood appreciates less, or fears more, than the inexorable rise of Sarah Palin, it’s the success of the movie The Blind Side. Heading into the Oscars, Avatar may be the techno-wow box-office behemoth, The Hurt Locker the critically acclaimed scrapper, but it’s The Blind Side that has truly blindsided the film industry. To the head-scratching consternation of West Coast movie execs, God-fearing “red state” Americans in their millions have been storming cinemas to see it. The film cost just $35m, has taken nearly $250m since the end of November and is a shock smash hit. Based on...

CHEATING Tiger Woods promised to mend his ways yesterday - with the help of Buddhism. The golf superstar had tears in his eyes as he apologised for betraying wife Elin during flings with a string of women. In a 13½-minute speech, Tiger, 34, said fame and fortune had led him to act as though he lived by different rules from his millions of fans. He confessed: "I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated." Tiger will return to rehab today to continue the fight to rehabilitate himself and save his marriage. And he also revealed he is turning for support...

It is hard to know whether Monday was a very bad day or a very good day for Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig. On the one hand, he was shot in the head. On the other, the bullet bounced off him. In one of those rare battlefield miracles, an insurgent sniper hit Lance Cpl. Koenig dead on in the front of his helmet, and he walked away from it with a smile on his face.... The only injury: A small, numb red welt on his forehead, just above his right eye.... Gunnery Sgt. Shelton, a 36-year-old veteran from Nashville, said he...

Apex, N.C. — An eighth-grade teacher at West Lake Middle School in Apex has been suspended for five days with pay pending an investigation, Wake County school officials said Monday. School district spokesman Greg Thomas would not go into details over Melissa Hussain’s suspension due to employee confidentiality obligations, but a parent said the concern started as the class was learning about evolution and some students challenged the teacher on Christian beliefs. Following the evolution discussion, Hussain wrote on her Facebook page that a student left a Bible on her desk with a card that read Merry Christmas with “Christ”...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has launched a nationwide crackdown on stores selling items that are red or otherwise allude to the banned celebration of Valentine's Day. A Saudi official says the feared religious police are inspecting shops for red roses, heart-shaped products or gifts wrapped in red, and ordering storeowners to get rid of them. Red-colored or heart-shaped items are legal at other times of the year, but as Feb. 14 nears they become contraband in Saudi Arabia...

HAMILTON, Ontario, February 15, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Public school children in Hamilton, Ontario will not be permitted to withdraw from classes that promote homosexuality, according to the Hamilton Mountain News. At the same time, according to a leaked document obtained by a local journalist, teachers are being instructed to tell parents who object to the curriculum that “this is not about parent rights.”At the end of January, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) hosted a professional development day dedicated to “equity” training, where they distributed a sheet to teachers with “quick responses” they can offer to parents who object to...

Finding the Missing Christians Samira H. Tamer, February 12, 2010 The Seventh Grade history book standard in most California schools is “History Alive – The Medieval World and Beyond.” Medieval generally refers to history from about 800 to about 1500. In terms of historical relevance, European Medieval history is the watershed for most of Western culture. While there were simultaneous historical events in China, India, and the Middle East, their impact on Western culture was minimal and often derivative. For this reason, it is astounding that “History Alive” contains 55 pages on Islam and only 16 pages on Christianity (of...

NEW YORK—I'm sitting across from Wafa Sultan in a midtown Manhattan deli while Christmas muzak ("Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" variety) plays. She's in New York to promote her book, A God Who Hates. It's a memoir of her life under Islam and a polemic against that religion, which she doesn't believe can be reformed. She knows this isn't a message Americans want to hear: "It's hard for you to believe that people can be evil." Her position is politically incorrect and in December wasn't garnering much media interest. That was different from her experience in 2006. Then she was...

To me, this seems to be a central issue, if not *the* central issue in the Christian claim. For this reason, I thought it might be worthy of discussion. I've intended to post something like this for a while, as it seems to get at the heart of virtually all the debates we wrangle with here on FR, and yet never really gets discussed. I was particularly motivated today, not just because I am trapped for the 3rd day in my home because of this danged snow, but because of this post here , an interesting exchange between RnMomof7 and...

Internet wide, atheists are taking umbrage at the fact that a Christian organization is providing free solar powered audio Bibles to Haitians. Such atheists complain that money is being wasted on a waste of a book, the Bible (actually, a compilation of books) when the Haitians are in real and material need…. Convoy of Hope, a disaster relief organization and ministry partner of Faith Comes By Hearing, feeds the hungry and provides pure drinking water to people in need across the United States and around the world. To date, the organization has provided help to 28 million people in 112...