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Fear, if not conquered, will continue to repeat its vicious cycle. Moving the clock forward a few years, many may remember in 1999 during the time of Y2K that people became fearful about what would happen at the turn of this century. There were some who wrote books that fueled the spirit of fear in people. Today we can see that we made that turn into the 21st century, and our society did not go under as predicted. This does not mean there couldn’t be difficult economic times in the future, but those who live by faith in God’s Word...

A team of scientists led by renowned French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio recently announced that they have found a bowl, dating to between the late 2nd century B.C. and the early 1st century A.D., that, according to an expert epigrapher, could be engraved with the world's first known reference to Christ... The full engraving on the bowl reads, "DIA CHRSTOU O GOISTAIS," which has been interpreted by French epigrapher and professor emeritus Andre Bernand as meaning either, "by Christ the magician" or "the magician by Christ." ...He and his colleagues found the object during an excavation of the underwater ruins...

Excerpt..... A new policy banning Virginia State Police chaplains from saying Jesus,’ Christ’ during prayer is stirring up a lot of controversy. Six chaplains have already resigned over the issue. “In the bible it says to pray in Jesus name,” said Charlotte Ryan, Johnson City, Tennessee resident. Claude Duncan from Johnson City is also against the prayer policy change. “I think it’s a terrible thing that they would create such a thing that would deny us the privilege of praying in the name of our savor, Jesus Christ,” Duncan said. We found strong opposition on Monday to a decision.........

Controversy stirs over state police ruling on prayer By CHELYEN DAVIS [in the Free-Lance Star newspaper of Fredericksburg, VA] http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/092008/09262008/413698 Date published: 9/26/2008 RICHMOND-- A Fredericksburg court case has set off a flurry of accusations between Republicans and Democrats over public prayer. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a Fredericksburg City Council ban on referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers that open council meetings. So Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steve Flaherty directed state police chaplains to avoid references to Christ in their public prayers--they were told to use nondenominational prayers in public, although they could...

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV Christ is the Mediator between God and men. A mediator is one who brings two parties together who have a disagreement. Our disagreement with God is sin. As sinners, we are in rebellion against the the word and will of God. God is holy. He cannot condone sin. Our sin must be punished by a holy God. OUR MEDIATOR AT THE CROSS In Scripture, we see Christ as our Mediator at the cross. Not only is God holy, but...

If you had the opportunity to ask Jesus one question, what would it be? Perhaps you'd like to know why God allows suffering in the world. Perhaps you'd like the origins of the universe revealed. Joe Black, owner of the coffee shop "Geeks On Caffeine" has a question for Jesus...and you may be surprised what it is! NOTE: The author of this cartoon requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within the thread. Thanks!!

Contemporary Christians refer to Jesus in many ways. We hear folks say he is their Lord, Savior, Master, Friend, even the ever popular “personal Lord and Savior”. However, when is the last time you have heard Jesus referred to as “my curse”? But yet that is exactly what Galatians 3 says: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us- for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree�- Galatians 3:13 Humanity has a colossal problem. It has been cursed. To make matters worse the One who has issued said...

If you haven't heard the audio of the particularly disgraceful Democrat talking point comparing Obama to Jesus Christ and Governor Palin to the man who sentenced Him to death by crucifixion, check out this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDA_sMqs564We really need anyone still riding the fence about how to vote, especially Christians in this case, to understand just how low the Obamaites have stooped and the blatant contempt they have for the things many of us hold dear.

About 20 years ago in the windy city of Casper, Wyoming, I was privileged to serve among a group of 'community organizers.' These men and women served at the local mission, helped in latchkey school programs and we got involved in politics teaching on free enterprise and the constitution, helped register voters, and ran for precinct chairs all for the betterment of our communities. And we did it for free. Our pastors encouraged us to get off our blessed assurances and make a difference in our community. We knew what they preached and it wasn't anti-American nor did they call...

What is a community organizer? Barack Obama started out his career as a community organizer until he found out he could parlay the suffering and hardship of others into a lucrative profession. From there he made contacts to support his political ambitions into a mediocre career in the Illinois state legislature. His political potential and political connections allowed Mr. Obama to “buy” a Chicago mansion. With no major achievements he became the pawn of the Chicago political machine and was elected into the U.S. Senate where again his mediocrity was parleyed into 1 keynote speech at the ’04 democrat convention...

Recently the Obama campaign and its surrogates have been putting forth the preposterous proposition that Jesus Christ was a "community organizer", and that Pontius Pilate was a "governor". The obvious connection they want us to make is that Barack Obama is like Jesus Christ, and Sarah Palin is like Pontius Pilate. I guess one could possibly draw those conclusions if they knew nothing about Jesus Christ or community organizing. However, when one examines the facts, one could very well come up with the exact opposite conclusion. First let us begin with a working definition of "community organizer" and see if...

Redstate.com reports that Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) had this to say in the House of Representatives. I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, um, that the parties have differences, but if you want Change, but if you want change, you want the Democratic party, uh, Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus who our, uh, minister prayed about, uh, Pontius Pilate was a governor. Perhaps Rep. Cohen believes that Obama is the Jewish Messiah (whom Christians would probably call the Second Coming of Jesus). After all, the National "Jewish" Democratic Council proclaims with a straight face that the Messiah is...

"Jesus was a community organizer, Pilate was a governor."This bit of wisdom comes from the same liberals who excoriate President Bush's prayers, denigrate Sarah Palin for living her religion, and routinely ridicule "right-wing Christians." I won't even mention their casual antisemitism cloaked in criticism of Zionism and "Neocons." All I can say is, welcome to the club. Now, what would Our Lord and Savior say about your unqualified support for abortions, including leaving babies who survive them to die? This near-blasphemous nonsense is the work of desperate Obamaniacs caught in the grip of Piddle in the Pants Palin Panic (known...

<p>Democrats are asking Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin: What would Jesus do?</p> <p>The Alaska governor, a Christian, has come under fire for criticizing community organizers, but according to labor leader Cecil Roberts, Jesus was a community organizer.</p> <p>“I used to be a community organizer and I’m in good company,” Roberts said as he introduced Barack Obama at a town hall event here Tuesday night. “Martin Luther King was a community organizer. Listen, Sarah, Moses was a community organizer and yes, Jesus was a community organizer.”</p>

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn): "Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus, who our minister prayed about. Pontius Pilate was a governor."

Senator Barack Obama took (D-Ill.) umbrage at the denigration of his reputed meager executive experience by speakers at the Republican National Convention and enumerated on the uncredited executive experience he has had. “Let me first point out that I am the executive in charge of my own presidential campaign,” Obama said. “I’ve got 19 months of that under my belt. This is 80 times the one week of campaign experience Governor Palin has. And she isn’t even going for the top spot.” “I was a community organizer for three years,” Obama added. “I was director of that operation. There were...

[translated from Polish]The assembly of a gigantic monument of Christ the King has just begun on the outskirts of Swiebodzin, Poland. Situated on the small hill several miles east of the German-Polish border, the statue is erected not only as a fruit of faith of the local people but also as a towering symbol of welcome to Catholic Poland, perfectly seen from both A-2 Highway and S3 Fastway. Almost 100-foot-tall statue of Christ the King will be 4 feet higher than a famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, which is overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by a priest Sylvester Zawadzki...

Recent cartoons portraying Muhammad have stirred the ire of Muslims, but this comic has gone to great lengths to portray The Prophet in as positive a light as possible. See for yourself! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and refrain from pasting the comic within this thread. Thanks!

Addiction, more often than not, is recognized as an unceasing need for a particular drug. But there are also those addicted to certain behaivours! When you're planning an intervention for someone addicted to violence and drunk on power, it better come with one heck of a guarantee if you're hosting it!! NOTE: The author has requested that you refrain from pasting a copy of the comic within the thread and instead visit his web site. Thanks!!

Addiction, more often than not, is recognized as an unceasing need for a particular drug. But there are also those addicted to certain behaivours! When you're planning an intervention for someone addicted to violence and drunk on power, it better come with one heck of a guarantee if you're hosting it!!

Jesus' genealogy is stated clearly in the Bible and demonstrates that he was a man of color... Matthew 1:2-17 sets out Jesus' lineage to King David and beyond, which... contains at least four Afro-Asiatic women: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth and Bathsheba... He was of mixed blood known as Afroasiatic. Like his parents, he was much like the darker Palestinian, Egyptian or Yemenite of today... The name Hussein, which is being used to demagogue [sic] Mr. Obama... does not actually have any evil connotation... Jesus was crucified because he was a liberal... These are liberal principals [sic], but it does not end...

The deification of Barack Obama has reached epic levels among the left. Every time he hits the stage, women faint, the masses swoon and the media covers the event as if it were Jesus himself entering Jerusalem. It's time for these "disciples" to receive a dose of reality! Today's "Geeks On Caffeine" cartoon exposes the humanity of their savior, and rest assured, the "Obamassiah" may NOT be able to walk on water, but he...well..see for yourself! NOTE: The author of this comic requeswts that you visit the web site and refrain from copying the cartoon within the thread. Thanks! P.S....

The deification of Barack Obama has reached epic levels among the left. Every time he hits the stage, women faint, the masses swoon and the media covers the event as if it were Jesus himself entering Jerusalem. It's time for these "disciples" to receive a dose of reality! Today's "Geeks On Caffeine" cartoon exposes the humanity of their savior, and rest assured, the "Obamassiah" may NOT be able to walk on water, but he...well..see for yourself!

Asking Jesus to do for the nation what the Democrats won't. What's that all about? See for yourself in today's "Geeks On Caffeine" cartoon! NOTE: The author has requested that you visit his web site and refrain from copying the cartoon within this post. Thank you very much! Have a great one!

Jesus performed many miracles in the Bible like raising the dead, feeding the masses, turning water into wine and driving out demons. If Jesus were here today, what miracle would he perform that would really grab your attention? See for yourself in this installment of "Geeks On Caffeine!" NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and refrain from coping the cartoon within the thread. Thanks!

Aren’t there some striking parallels between the Jesus and Mithra stories? Hardly. Before reading this list, a little background on the Mithraic religion is in order. Mithra was a Persian god dating back to roughly 1400 B.C. It later sprang up in Rome after Christian times, with a severely different story to it. Here is the list given, with my responses: 1. Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25th in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds. There is no support for the idea that Mithra was born of a virgin. And since nowhere in...

Joe Black, the owner of the coffee shop "Geeks On Caffeine," has been asked by a television producer if he can film an episode of the addiction recovery program "Interventions" there. Nothing special...except for a divine guest on the show! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and refrain from copying it within the thread. Thank you!

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage today, they will vividly demonstrate the reach that has made the Rev. Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation. He's a megastar who leads the nation's fourth-largest church and reaches thousands of ministers through the Internet and crusades against poverty and AIDS. That globe-trotting work and his successful book — "The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?" — puts him at the vanguard of a movement that inspires young, socially conscious Christians. But his willingness to soft-pedal political issues...

LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain differed on abortion Saturday, with McCain saying a baby’s human rights begin “at conception,” while Obama restated his support for legalized abortion. Appearing on the same stage for the first time in months, although they overlapped only briefly, the two men shared their views on a range of moral, foreign and domestic issues...

MELBOURNE: It is possible that cricket, a game venerated all over the Commonwealth, is older than currently thought. In fact, Jesus may have played the game (or a similar bat-and-ball combination) as a child, according to an ancient Armenian manuscript. Long before the English launched cricket some 300 years ago, similar games were being played as early as the 8th century in the Punjab region, Derek Birley writes in his Social History of English Cricket. But an Armenian scholar says there is good reason to believe that similar games were played in the Middle East long before that time. Dr...

“The historicity of Christ is as axiomatic for an unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar. It is not historians who propagate the ‘Christ-myth’ theories.”~F.F. Bruce. Historian Durant: “In the enthusiasm of its discoveries the Higher Criticism has applied to the New Testament tests of authenticity so severe that by them a hundred ancient worthies—e.g., Hammurabi, David, Socrates—would fade into legend.” Greco-Roman historian Michael Grant, who certainly has no theological axe to grind, indicates that there is more evidence for the existence of Jesus than there is for a large number of famous pagan personages - yet no one...

NOON SERVICE, JUNE 12, 1917. WHAT TO DO WITH LIFE'S BURDENS.Text: "For every man shall bear his own burden." * * * "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." * * * "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee." Gal. 6:5; 6:2; Psa. 55:22. Distinct pleasure is in my heart that I am allowed to greet the busy men and women before me for this brief midday service. As has already been announced, these midday services are to be begun exactly at twelve o'clock, and are to be closed at ten...

On September 15th the paperback edition of Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth (featuring a new index) will be available from Ignatius Press. The Jesus of Nazareth Study Guide will also available on the same date. Here is the description: This easy-to-use companion study guide helps the readers who approach Joseph Ratinger/Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth without the benefit of extensive theological or biblical training. The goal is not to replace Benedict’s book but to make it more accessible, more fruitful for the average reader—whether lay, religious, priest or deacon Designed for individual study or for group/parish discussion, this guide...

CITY PRAYER POLICY UPHELD Fredericksburg Free Lance - Star Fredericksburg Virginia http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/072008/07242008/397448 Date published: 7/24/2008 BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE Fredericksburg City Council can keep Jesus Christ out of its prayers. The 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday upheld the city's right to start its meetings with nonsectarian prayers. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor sat on the three-judge panel hearing the case and wrote the opinion. "She didn't feel my rights were being violated, but my rights are definitely being violated," said City Councilman Hashmel Turner, who filed the case. "It removed an opportunity for me to pray...

Jesus Christ's epic Sermon on the Mount, with its calls for peacemaking, helping the poor and working for justice, could well be compared to a modern political campaign speech in front of the multitudes in a modern stadium. Now a Gilbert church is launching a Jesus for President campaign and will conduct a two-month effort starting in August - parallel to the U.S. presidential campaign - that emphasizes a familiar issue in the 2008 campaign: change. "Advocating for Change Since 33 A.D." is the secondary theme of the campaign that Pastor Mark Connelly is launching this weekend at Superstition Springs...

Becoming a Witness of Christ By Elder D. Todd Christofferson Apostles, by virtue of their priesthood office, are commissioned as special witnesses of Christ in all the world (see D&C 107:23). Their testimony is vital in the Lord’s work of salvation. Yet the Apostles must not and do not stand alone. All of us who are baptized and confirmed have taken upon us the name of Jesus Christ with a commitment “to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). It is within the capacity of each of us to...

Rihab, Jordan - Excavations are continuing on a hilltop in the rural Jordanian town of Rihab to find additional evidence that supports a recent history-making discovery of what renowned archaeologists believe could be the first church on earth. We believe this is the world's first church, where early Christians took refuge after they escaped Roman persecution in Jerusalem and came here to perform their rituals in secrecy," archaeologist Abdul Qader al-Hosan told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. Al-Hosan is head of the state-run Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies and doubles as a professor of archaeology at Hashemiyah University. "The evidence we have...

More Observations on the Stone Dead Sea Scroll Text July 8, 2008 (from Taiwan) By bock - Posted on July 8th, 2008 am writing from Taiwan, but I am not immune to the news about the new Stone "Dead Sea Scroll". I have made available by link in the News We Are Watching window Time's latest article on this. Thanks to Craig Blomberg for noting where access to the text can be found. The BAR site also in the News We Are Watching window gives access to both English and to the Hebrew text. Now you do not have to...

Israeli Jewish believers in Jesus say the recently publicized Hebrew tablet describing the death and resurrection of a messianic figure challenges centuries of teachings by rabbinic Judaism that the redemptive process of Jesus was a departure from biblical Jewish understanding. The unique stone tablet dubbed “Gabriel’s Revelation” contains 87 partial lines of archaic Hebrew in which the archangel commands a messianic ruler identified as the “Prince of Princes” to rise after having been dead for three days.

A possible ethical problem in America’s modern-day Christian Church has developed over the wealthy lifestyle that many television and or mega-church ministers are living. These ministers receive large sums of money from their followers on a regular basis to support their ministries. But, most of the people who send money to these televangelists assume they are mainly using it for the ministry of the Gospel. They also assume that their money is being used frugally. But, do they really expect their contributions to be used frugally?

The death and resurrection of Christ has been called into question by a radical new interpretation of a tablet found on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea. The three-foot stone tablet appears to refer to a Messiah who rises from the grave three days after his death - even though it was written decades before the birth of Jesus. The ink is badly faded on much of the tablet, known as Gabriel’s Vision of Revelation, which was written rather than engraved in the 1st century BC. This has led some experts to claim that the inscription has been overinterpreted....

JERUSALEM — A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.

Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection By ETHAN BRONNER JERUSALEM — A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days. If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus...“This is the sign of the son of Joseph. This is the conscious view of Jesus himself. This...

There is a skeptic I have been witnessing to. He has many questions. I offered to answer them all if he took the trouble to write them down. I have included my answers to his questions. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood Seven "effusions of the Blood of Christ", implicitly or explicitly mentioned in the Gospels, are recalled in a series of biblical meditations and devotional prayers: the Blood of the Circumcision, the Blood of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Blood of the Flagellation, the Blood of the Crowning of Thorns, the Blood of the Ascent to Calvary, the Blood flowing from Christ's side pierced by the lance. Directory on Popular Piety and the LiturgyThis Chaplet is divided into seven groups, containing thirty-three "Our Fathers" in honor of the thirty-three years during which the Precious Blood...

Deep in China’s heartland is a region known as “The Bethlehem of China,” where, more than a thousand years ago, Western missionaries first brought Christianity to the area. It is here, in a series of caves hidden in the hills, where members of China’s underground Christian Church tell FRONTLINE/World and Chicago Tribune reporter Evan Osnos how they have kept the religion alive. For years, they moved from place to place to avoid government detection, until they found safety in these hills. “When we were in an underground state, we would gather here to meet,” Zhang Yinan, a pastor who’s chronicling...

Shortly before he died, one of Israel's most prominent rabbis wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was opened, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua (Jesus), is the Messiah. A few months before he died, one of the nation’s most prominent rabbis, Yitzhak Kaduri, supposedly wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was unsealed, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua (Jesus),...

From the natural disasters that have devastated thousands of lives around the globe to the bleak financial reports we’re hearing in our own country, it’s apparent we’re living in some serious times. We are an informed bunch with news alerts sent to us by email, text messaging, and the old standby—the TV screen. News seems to travel at the speed of light. But how much of this information is just too much?

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage (D.Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S.E.) is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior’s mission and message, expounding all scriptures in one on the various aspects of the life of our Redeemer. CHAPTER 42, JESUS THE CHRIST TO RETURN - THE LORD'S SECOND ADVENT PREDICTED IN ANCIENT SCRIPTURE "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage (D.Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S.E.) is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior’s mission and message, expounding all scriptures in one on the various aspects of the life of our Redeemer. CHAPTER 41, PERSONAL MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD THE ETERNAL FATHER AND OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST IN MODERN TIMES - A NEW DISPENSATION In the year of our Lord 1820 there lived at Manchester, Ontario County, state of New York, a worthy citizen named Joseph Smith. His household comprised...