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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even with modern scientific technology, the Shroud of Turin continues to baffle researchers. Barrie Schwortz was the documenting photographer for the Shroud of Turin research project in 1978, an in-depth examination of what many people believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish home, "it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I'm a Jew and involved with probably the most important relic of Christianity," Schwortz told Catholic News Service. "Isn't it funny how God always picks a Jew to be the messenger," he said....

Washington Episcopal Bishop Marianne Budde, writing in her blog on the subject of Resurrection, opined that if someone were to discover a tomb with Jesus' remains in it, the entire enterprise would not come crashing down. VOL: Actually, Bishop it would. Our faith would be in vain and we would be of all men (and women) most miserable. St. Paul writes in I Cor. 15, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...

We somehow missed this yesterday, but Newsbusters certainly didn’t, and it’s worth a look even a day later. The New York Times, with reporters around the world and “layers of fact-checkers and editors,� somehow couldn’t properly define Easter in a news article that focused on Pope Francis’ message on Christianity’s most holy of days. This correction has to be a contender for the most hilarious of the year: This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:Correction: April 1, 2013An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the Christian holiday of Easter. It is the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection from...

A study released by the Rasmussen Reports polling firm on Good Friday found that 64% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. While Americans who believe in the resurrection remain in the majority, that number is down significantly when compared to a Rasmussen Poll that asked the same question, released a year ago.

The latest from Lutheran Satire. Happy Resurrection Sunday, everyone!

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Here are four things that modern scholars, including skeptical scholars, almost universally agree on. (This is a very brief summary of the original): 1. Jesus died and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. 2. A group of women found the tomb empty on Easter morning. 3. Over 500 people really and truly believed that they saw Jesus alive. 4. The Christian faith exploded to all the known world in a very short period of time thereafter. The best explanation for these events is that Jesus really did rise from the...

<p>A PROSTITUTE in Zimbabwe 'died' during a hotel romp with a client - only to come back to life as her body was being put in a coffin.</p> <p>The vice girl reportedly collapsed during a sex session last week at the Manor Hotel in Bulaweyo.</p>

Auguste Comte, a French philosopher and skeptic, was once belittling English writer, Thomas Carlyle, for his faith in Jesus Christ. Comte suggested that he might start a religion of his own to replace Christianity. "Very good," responded Carlyle. "All you need to do is to be crucified, rise again the third day and get the world to believe that you are still alive. Then your new religion just might have a chance." No religion in the world can match the claims of Christianity. What differentiates it from other religions is its declaration that Christ literally rose from the grave. There...

Some musings before this blessed dawn: What is a miracle? It's the LORD, the Almighty, doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. The greatest miracle of all, of course, is the Resurrection, the fact that He went to that cruel Roman cross and died for our sins, and then rose again, delivering us once for all from the eternal penalty of our sin, all as a free gift, one that we don't deserve, one that we could never earn. But every day since has been filled with additional miracles. America itself - the fact that we were...

A lot of what they build in Silicon Valley these days is pretty mundane: sexting apps, social games, and new ways to "share" things over the Internet. So it's pretty exciting when you hear about someone who has some really crazy ideas for what the future might hold. One such person is a new Google hire named Ray Kurzweil. The geeks among you already know who he is. But I only learned about him from a Bloomberg BusinessWeek story by Ashlee Vance. In it, Vance writes about Kurzweil's plans to… …Bring his dead father back to life. …Help humanity “live...

At the very core of Christianity is the historical authenticity of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. But for His resurrection, we would not be celebrating His birth. The Apostle Paul said, "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." Christian apologist Josh McDowell spent more than 700 hours studying the subject of the resurrection and concluded that it "is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most amazing fact of history." When a university student asked...

In the meantime, let’s go down a side route for a moment and ask first of all, whether any history can be written objectively. Is it possible for a historian to write a historical account without a bias of any kind? No. Every historian is limited by his philosophical and cultural assumptions. Every historian comes to his task with certain guiding principles that he thinks are true or valuable or helpful. These guiding principles cause him to interpret the history he records. He cannot help but make value judgements on the actions he records. Furthermore, those value judgements are in...

The Resurrection Appearances Chronologically ArrangedBy: Msgr. Charles Pope This blog post is a follow-up from yesterday’s blog. You can read yesterday’s post by clicking HEREWhen we encounter the resurrection accounts in the New Testament we face a challenge in putting all the pieces together in a way that the sequence of the events flow in logical order. This is due to the fact that no one Gospel presents all, or even most of the data. Some of the data also seems to conflict. I tried to show in yesterday’s blog that these apparent conflicts are not, usually, true conflicts....

When we read the various accounts of the Resurrection in the four Gospels, Acts and Pauline Epistles we can easily be puzzled by some apparent discrepancies in the details. The Pope in his recent book, Jesus of Nazareth (Vol II) says, We have to acknowledge that this testimony [of Scripture] considered from an historical point of view, is presented to us in a particularly complex form and gives rise to many questions. (P. 242) The Pope goes on to explain what he considers to be the reason for this complexity and apparent divergence in some of the details. What actually...

“And for me, and I’m sure for some of you, it’s also a chance to remember the tremendous sacrifice that led up to that day, and all that Christ endured--not just as a Son of God, but as a human being.”

Today, Christians around the world are taking the time to honor the day in which, Jesus Christ, three days after suffering and dying on the cross on a hill called Calvary, on the very same third day, rises from the dead. Jesus, savior of all, wins the great victory over the enemy, death, and sin.

Hal Lindsey describes the events that lead up to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and how the Jewish Passover foretold the event, unbenounced to the Jews. Great job by Hal and one of his best weekly reports.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen...

A Glorious Easter to all Christians. If you are Catholic and physical challenges do not allow you to make it to mass today, here it is online.

Call me Mary -- not the one who bore Him, but she who was borne up by him, little did I know it at the time. And you? You say you're some sort of scribe. Lord knows there is always something to write about in Judaea.I do not mean to be inhospitable, young man. Blessed be he who comes, as they say. Recline. Rest yourself. Have you had something to eat, a glass of wine for your stomach's sake? You must wash your feet, change your sandals. For I know it is a long, dusty trip up here, and with...

Easter is a celebration of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. How important is the resurrection of Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul wrote about the importance of the resurrection of Christ in the entire 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. He began by saying, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how...

April 8, 2012 The Resurrection of the LordThe Mass of Easter Sunday  Reading 1 Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Peter proceeded to speak and said:"You know what has happened all over Judea,beginning in Galilee after the baptismthat John preached,how God anointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Spirit and power.He went about doing goodand healing all those oppressed by the devil,for God was with him.We are witnesses of all that he didboth in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be...

Click below (scroll to the bottom of this post) to listen to the special TSP Easter podcast. Of course, you can also listen on iTunes. (Have you subscribed to the podcast yet?)St. Paul makes it clear that Resurrection is an essential aspect of Christian faith. He states, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:16–19). Yet...

If you want a true blessing on this, the most sacred of days, listen to this rendition of He's Alive. The most amazing part of the production of this song was that it was performed Live on National T.V. in 1989 during the Country Music Awards and what a blessing it was (and is). Whatever happens to us as a Nation, we must remember that this is truly what it is all about. I hope this blesses you as much as it has me. He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive and I'm Forgiven! (as I so desperately need His forgiveness)...

LAST SUPPERI am Catholic, and along with other Christians, this weekend we are celebrating the Holiest of days. Unlike the so-called "religion of peace," which has filled the world with unspeakable violence and misery, we have a sense of humor and are actually not threatened. If something like this was done about the ROP, there would be car bombings, suicide bombings, carnage, and mass death. That is their worthless and bankrupt culture. To Christians everywhere, may you have a blessed Easter.

Rome, Italy, Mar 30, 2012 / 01:44 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Church in Italy has issued new guidelines that rule out scattering the cremated remains of a person or the keeping them in an urn at home. “Cremation is considered as concluded when the urn is deposited in the cemetery,” says the appendix to the new edition of Funeral Rites issued by Italian Episcopal Conference. “The practice of spreading ashes in the wild or keeping them in places other than the cemetery,” it adds, “raises many concerns about its full consistency with the Christian faith, especially when they imply...

A 95-year-old Chinese woman thought to have passed away stunned her neighbours - after waking up six days after she had been placed in a coffin. Li Xiufeng was found motionless and not breathing in bed by a neighbour two weeks after tripping and suffering a head injury at her home in Beiliu, Guangxi Province. When the neighbour who found her could not wake the pensioner up, they feared the worst and thought the elderly woman had passed away. She was placed in a coffin which was kept in her house unsealed under Chinese tradition for friends and relatives to...

The former speaker launches an unlikely comeback. In June, after his top advisers bolted, Newt Gingrich was supposed to be finished. Four months later, after a series of sharp debates, his poll numbers are climbing and his coffers are stuffed. Behind the scenes, his aides aim to capitalize on the resurrection. “There is plenty of room,” says R. C. Hammond, the campaign spokesman. He bets that by early January, when New Hampshire and Iowa are blanketed by snow, Gingrich’s “tortoise” campaign will inch ahead. That optimism is backed up by cash, Hammond says. In the past week, the campaign has...

What happens when you die? The Bible uses the word death in different senses. Jesus said: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). Also in Revelation 20:6, John speaks of a “second death,” apparently distinguishing it from the first death or the usual understanding of death. It is important to note that the only way to escape the second death and Hell is through the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 11:26). Make sure to be in on that one! Now...

My mother Della Mae Trainor loved cooking Mexican food, painting, watching reruns of Golden Girls, shopping at Target, and playing Scrabble, which by the way she was very good at. Her birthday was September 18th. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She was married to my father for 49 years. She delivered my sister and me by C-sections. She was a unique person, with a very specific set of gifts, weaknesses, fears and joys. A little over ten years ago I stood by her bed as she died. I watched with Mary, Lucas, my sister and an Episcopal priest as...

A Chronological Sequence of the Resurrection EventsBy: Msgr. Charles Pope This blog post is a follow-up from yesterday’s blog. You can read yesterday’s post by clicking HERE.When we encounter the resurrection accounts in the New Testament we face a challenge in putting all the pieces together in a way that the sequence of the events flow in logical order. This is due to the fact that no one Gospel presents all, or even most of the data. Some of the data also seems to conflict. I tried to show in yesterday’s blog that these apparent conflicts are not, usually,...

Making Sense of the Resurrection Accounts – Are there Discrepancies?By: Msgr. Charles Pope When we read the various accounts of the Resurrection in the four Gospels, Acts and Pauline Epistles we can easily be puzzled by some apparent discrepancies in the details.The Pope in his recent book, Jesus of Nazareth (Vol II) says, We have to acknowledge that this testimony [of Scripture] considered from an historical point of view, is presented to us in a particularly complex form and gives rise to many questions. (P. 242)The Pope goes on to explain what he considers to be the reason for...

Though I was bound, by sin held fast From me earth's shackles have been cast My Savior came, my winter passed Eternal spring, it sprang at last For Christ is risen, as He said No longer is He with the dead All souls believing He has led His bride to Him will soon be wed So do not tarry by a grave Seek for the One to you Who gave The open Door from death's dark cave The only LORD, with pow'r to save Together, ever, then we'll sing The glories of our God, our King Who has destroyed all...

The greatest news story in the history of humanity broke on a spring morning in A.D. 32. The news? Jesus had risen from the dead just as he had predicted. An angel told the story and entrusted it not to a theologian, not to one of the remaining disciples, not to a ruler. No, the ones who were first entrusted with the most profound and incredible story in all history were two women. Why? Some possible reasons are seen in there example. Lets consider some of the lessons they can teach us.... Now on the first day of the week,...

“United with Him in a Resurrection Like His” (Romans 6:1-11)Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!) Indeed! And Christ’s resurrection has great implications for our life now--and our life forever. Both of these are brought our in our text for today, from Romans chapter 6, reading as follows: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We...

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is thee single most significant event in the history of this world. So much so, that the resurrection of Jesus Christ penetrated deeply throughout human history and split it into two distinct eras (B.C./A.D.). In fact, everything that is in and has been done in this world receives a dynamic and life-filled understanding when you take into consideration what Jesus did, what Jesus taught, and the fact that he rose from the dead just as he promised he would before showing hundreds and hundreds of people his scarred hands and feet after the...

In the early Church, when one Christian would greet another, often he would say: "He is risen." And the other would respond, "He is risen, indeed!" ..snip The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest fact in human history. Yet throughout the centuries to our present time, skeptics have argued against the historical reliability of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ..snip According to Liberty University professor Dr. Gary Habermas, "The fact that women reported the empty tomb is the best reason to believe it, 'cause it's not a scenario anybody would make up." The empty tomb was a fact of...

[caption id="attachment_5697" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Hank Millstein"][/caption]   Hank Millstein is a practising Roman Catholic in San Francisco. He also serves on the National Committee and the Religion Commission of the Communist Party USA. To Hank, Easter isn't about the Resurrection, or even Easter Bunnies. Its about revolution, and "its already on its way". From the latest Peoples World Easter isn't about Easter bunnies - or even about going to church in Easter bonnets. The real message of Easter speaks powerfully to everyone, whatever their religious belief or unbelief.Easter got started when, after the revolutionary preacher Jesus was executed by the...

The Resurrection of the Body 877. What is the sense of the doctrine that our bodies will rise from the dead? Where will be the need for a material body in heaven? The sense and the need of the human body in heaven follow from the necessity of the survival of man. Man is not his soul only. He is a composite being, consisting of both body and soul, and must survive in his complete nature. Even though the soul attains happiness before its reunion with the body, it will be in an abnormal and unnatural state, its full powers...

Just as President Obama wants to change what it means to be American, controversial author Rob Bell wants to change what it means to be Christian. The cover story for the Easter Week edition of Time magazine is about Mr. Bell’s book, “Love Wins.” Mr. Bell, perhaps the most widely known of a group of young, supposedly evangelical writers who emphasize love and dismiss the traditional view of judgment/retribution (referred to in Christian circles as “hell) has prompted nationwide discussions about the very meaning of Christianity. Chris Matthews devoted a segment of his Palm Sunday show to a discussion of...

Our church got an early start on the Easter celebration. Very inspiring to see two thousand people dancing in worship. http://youtu.be/8KX2-J6uS-o Enjoy and may God bless you and your family this Easter.

The Way of the Disciple President Dieter F. UchtdorfSecond Counselor in the First Presidency  Now is the time to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, become His disciples, and walk in His way. Today is the day the Christian world traditionally calls Palm Sunday. You will remember that it was on that Sunday nearly 2,000 years ago that Jesus Christ entered the city of Jerusalem during the final week of His mortal life. 1 In fulfillment of Zechariah’s ancient prophecy, 2 He rode in on a donkey, and as He did so, a great multitude came out to greet the...

Eliot Spitzer's resurrection -- from the disgraced gov ernor better known as Cli ent 9 to CNN talk-show host -- has the political class buzzing about him running for mayor in 2013. Wilder still, one of his former targets is talking about running against him. Former New York Stock Exchange chief Dick Grasso -- one of the highest-profile targets of Spitzer's uneven assault on Wall Street -- has quietly been telling friends that he's leaning toward challenging Spitzer as a Republican (particularly if Police Commissioner Ray Kelly doesn't seek the GOP nomination himself, as some speculate he will). Sure, Grasso...

For those of you who have not been following the dialogue Chris Redford and I have been having, this is the 2nd part of a series of answers Chris, an atheist, gave to questions about his beliefs. He chose to answer as he would have answered when he was a youth attending an Assembly of God church and as an atheist. The difficulty with this Sisyphean approach is the assumption that he can answer and "defend" a position he no longer holds. It is one thing to tell somebody what you believed, it is a whole other thing to...

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:(Romans 6:3-5) The very question, “shall we continue in sin that grace may abound ?”, betrays a lack of understanding as to what...

BOOK: HEAVEN by Randy Alcorn Here's some selected quotes from the first 130 pages: pp10-11 Jesus said of the devil, 'When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies' (John 8:44). Some of Satan's favorite lies are about Heaven. Revelation 13:6 tells us the satanic beast 'opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.' Our enemy slanders three things: God's person, God's people, and God's place--namely, Heaven.4 p15 The writers of Scripture present Heaven in many ways,...

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (Romans 6:1-3) In Romans 5, the glorious truth is declared that though we were ‘in Adam’, sharing his sin, bearing his fallen nature, and estranged from God by his transgression, now we are “in Christ”. God’s salvation brings us into vital union with Christ, His death becomes our death, his resurrection is ours also,...

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.(Romans 4:23-25) Paul has been making the case that Salvation has always been by faith, and never by meritorious works of the law. God justifies the ungodly, after all they are the only ones who need justification. The Apostle calls two witnesses to the stand, Abraham, and David. Abraham, the father...

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong...

Other than hearing rumors that around the holidays if you place a glass of milk and a plate of race cards by a constitution burning fireplace he moves in to your home, pays below market rent and doesn't tell Congress, I don't actually know all that much about Charlie Rangel. I can say that I don't understand what motivates the 80 year old to fight for a career he should have ended a generation ago so he wouldn't have to stick around long enough to get caught with 13 counts of ethics violations. "You have started and executed the...