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We cannot understand in this present life how much God loves us. Much of it is due to the fact that our earthly minds do not understand God's holiness and the the truly destructive power of sin. Even more, we cannot understand God's love for us that he would take our sins upon himself so that we may be re-united with him.What is holiness? It means that God is separate, not just separate like an ant is to a man, but transcendentally separate in a way that we cannot understood. We are created in his image, but our power, understanding,...

EU constitution is a ‘holy text’ The EU constitution is a “holy text”, the leader of the European parliament’s centre right Hans-Gert Poettering told the Pope on Thursday. The German MEP used an audience with Pope Benedict XVI to assert the European People’s Party’s Christian and conservative credentials. He told the Catholic pontiff that the spirit of the EU constitution would live on even if the text could not be resurrected after French and Dutch referendum rejections. “[We] fought for a reference to God in the European constitution. Although we were not successful, we are proud of having done so....

The survey's director, Christian researcher George Barna, said that "the results portray a body of Christians who attend church but do not understand the concept or significance of holiness. ... The challenge to the nation's Christian ministries is to foster a genuine hunger for holiness among the masses who claim they love God but who are ignorant about biblical teachings regarding holiness.'' The Barna report was based on a nationwide telephone survey of 1,003 adults

22 die in clashes on Shia holy day By Imtiaz Ali in Peshawar and Thomas Coghlan in Kabul (Filed: 10/02/2006) Pakistan's attempts to curb Islamic extremism suffered a new setback yesterday when sectarian violence killed 22 people and left scores more injured on a Shia holy day. A Pakistani soldier stands guard at the site of the bomb explosion Sunni Muslim extremists were blamed for the suicide bombing of a Shia procession celebrating the festival of Ashura in Hangu in the North West Frontier Province. The attack, which left 60 per cent of the town's bazaar in ruins, provoked a...

Is God a Trinity?Why is the Trinity mysterious?Why is this doctrine so HARD to understand?(Part 2)  Who Was Jesus?The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. But we are still faced with the question: Who was Jesus Christ? Was He a man that lived such a perfect life that God decided to call Him His Son at baptism? Or was He God who became a man and died for all men?In the past in most theological circles, a rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity included a rejection of the divinity of Christ. But before this booklet...

Is God a Trinity?Why is the Trinity mysterious?Why is this doctrine so HARD to understand?(Part 1)  Is the Trinity Biblical?A Gallup Poll taken in 1966 found that 97% of the American public believed in God. Of that number, 83% believed that God is a Trinity.Yet for all this belief in the Trinity, it is a doctrine that is not clearly understood by most Christian laymen. In fact, most have neither the desire nor the incentive to understand what their church teaches. Few laymen are aware of any problems with the doctrine of the Trinity. They simply take it for...

Syria 'tried to fuel holy war in Iraq against US and Britain' By Francis Harris in Washington (Filed: 11/01/2006) President Bashar al-Assad of Syria secretly incited Iraq's top Shia leader to declare holy war against US and British forces, according to Washington's former administrator in the country. In his new book, My Year in Iraq, Paul Bremer said he heard the explosive intelligence in October 2003 as sectarian tensions soared across the country following the fall of Saddam Hussein. News of Assad's actions ‘stunned’ the US administration in Iraq The report came from an extremely senior source, the supreme leader...

Why Some Christians Don't Celebrate Christmas Many feel that Christmas marks Christ's birthday and that it honors Him. After all, can 2 billion professing Christians be wrong? At the same time, some few Christians don't observe Christmas, believing that Jesus didn't sanction it and that it dishonors Him. Who is right—and why? by Jerold Aust One day, years ago, someone asked me why I kept Christmas. "The Bible says to keep it," I responded. "Somewhere in the Gospel of Luke, it speaks of the nativity scene. An angel told some shepherds that were keeping their sheep in the fields at...

Two Britons and an Iraqi have been killed in an attack by gunmen in Iraq as they travelled to holy sites. The pair and at least three other foreigners were shot on a minibus near Baghdad as they travelled to Karbala. The group were British Asians from London on a pilgrimage and they were carrying British passports. The shooting comes as hostage experts hunt for a kidnapped British aid worker who went missing with three other westerners in Baghdad on Saturday. A multi-national hostage team is trying to find Norman Kember, a retired professor in his 70s. The Britons killed...

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in recognition of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins today: “As Muslims around the world recognize the holy month of Ramadan, we take this opportunity to celebrate the contributions of millions of Muslim Americans. They enrich our country while deepening America's respect for Muslims here at home and around the world. As they observe this sacred month, they honor Islam's teachings of self-discipline, compassion and commitment to family. “As we celebrate Ramadan, we are reminded that we are a country of many faiths, and as such,...

9/28/2005 2:28:00 PM Holy Cow Statue Discovered in MazandaranRemains of several cow statues have been unearthed in Gohar Tepe, Mazandaran. Tehran, 28 September 2005 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Gohar Tepe, in Mazandaran province in Iran, led to the discovery of the remains of the statues of some cows which were most probably used in religious ceremonies. The discovery of these sculptures indicates that the people of the region worshiped cows 3000 years ago. Mazandaran is one of the most ancient provinces in Iran. Archaeological excavations indicate that the province has been inhabited by human beings since 400,000 years ago...

GODS GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE If we believe that our sins keep seperating us from God, we remain in "unbelief". But if we believe Jesus paid the full price of our sins on a cross and invite his Holy Spirit into our heart, we have the life of God living in us. God's gift of life is eternal. It cannot be broken because the only thing capable of bringing death was sin. And Jesus dealt with sin in full. God no longer condemns us when we sin. Rather, he changes our hearts by placing his Holy Spirit into us. SALVATION...

  by Thomas J. Nash Other Articles by Thomas J. Nash Worthy Is the Lamb? 08/16/05 Even among animals, a lamb is not a likely “leading man” for a Hollywood action-adventure. Mighty Mouse or Underdog could save the day, but not a lamb; lambs are known for needing help in times of trouble. Recall the wandering lamb that had to be rescued (Mt 18:12-13), or other lambs that needed protection from a menacing wolf (Jn 10:11-12). In This Article...An Untimely and Humiliating DeathFollow the LeaderThe Lambs Win in the End An Untimely and Humiliating Death What was God thinking when He...

Bishkek, August 9, Interfax – Kirghiz archeologists have discovered ruins of the Armenian monastery in which St. Matthews may have been buried, at eastern side of Lake Issyk-Kul in the north of the country. Local mass media have reported Tuesday, citing the leader of the archeological expedition Vladimir Ploskikh, that the ruins of the monastery have been discovered near the village of Tiuf, on the land surrounded by water from three sides, though they had searched for them underwater. The ruins are concealed inside a large loam hill. The search for the Armenian monastery in which, according to tradition, St....

Concerns over the sensitivities of Muslims have once again taken members of the American media – even its government – over the top. Some in the media have decided that Islam should be treated differently from other world religions, and some in American government are spending too much time worrying about Muslim sensitivities, as opposed to concentrating on crushing the Islamist enemy. An article published in the Washington Post on Tuesday, May 17 highlights examples of the mistakes being made by the media as well as in government. Robin Wright, author of the Post’s article, “U.S. Long Had Memo on...

May 29, 2005The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Psalm: Sunday 25 Reading IDt 8:2-3, 14b-16a Moses said to the people:"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,has directed all your journeying in the desert,so as to test you by afflictionand find out whether or not it was your intentionto keep his commandments. He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,and then fed you with manna,a food unknown to you and your fathers,in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,but by every word that comes forth from the mouth...

With the revelation that a copy of the Quran may have been desecrated by U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Muslims and their governments--including that of Saudi Arabia--reacted angrily. This anger would have been understandable if the U.S. government's adopted policy was to desecrate our Quran. But even before the Newsweek report was discredited, that was never part of the allegations. As a Muslim, I am able to purchase...

Yesterday that recently vanquished cliché, the Arab street, returned to remind us that there are some things that even the most enlightened Westerners don't get about Muslims -- their fanaticism about the Koran. Newsweek, which had only a few months ago been jubilantly celebrating the new People Power rising up in the Middle East, apparently ran an article in which it was alleged that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, in order to annoy the Muslim inmates, had deposited copies of the Koran on or in the toilet bowls of the prison facility. There was even a rumor that a copy of...

Once again, protests have been proven effective. After receiving an avalanche of protest emails, petitions and calls eBay has changed its policy and will now refuse to sell consecrated Hosts and other sacred objects. In an email sent to protestors, Kaelee of eBay’s Community Watch Team writes: “we have concluded that sales of the Eucharist, and similar highly sacred items, are not appropriate on eBay. We have, therefore, broadened our policies and will remove those types of listings should they appear on the site in the future.” The controversy began in mid April, when someone seeking to capitalize on the...

Police in India have arrested a 'holy man' who allegedly forced a woman to strip naked and broke coconuts on her head. Senthil Kumar, 27, promised to treat the woman, 30-year-old Selvi Dhanalakshmi, after her parents brought her to his hermitage at Velliraveli, near Erode. Kumar claimed she was possessed and offered to exorcise her of the evil spirit, reports the Deccan Chronicle newspaper. He locked himself up with the woman in a room before stripping her of her clothes and lighting camphor on her palms and breasts. The woman began yelling in pain when the holy man, chanting prayers,...