Christian Business Ordered to Duplicate Homosexual Activist Videos

Concerned Women for America - Christian Business Ordered to Duplicate Homosexual Activist Videos:

"In a case similar to a Canadian Christian printer’s punishment for declining a job for a homosexual activist group, an Arlington, Virginia, video duplicator has been ordered by the Arlington County Human Rights Commission to do a job for a lesbian activist.

The April 18 order follows a March 9 hearing in which Tim Bono of Bono Film and Video cited constitutional freedom of religion protection in refusing to duplicate two pro-homosexual films for lesbian activist Lillian Vincenz, according to the Family Policy Network (FPN), which is seeking clients for a class-action suit against the county.

Bono, a Christian, said he did not want to violate his Biblical values by assisting the promotion of homosexual behavior. Bono Film & Video informs potential customers that the firm does not duplicate material that the firm deems obscene, could embarrass employees, hurt the company’s reputation, or that runs counter to the company's Christian and ethical values, Bono told FPN.

After Bono rebuffed her request, Vincenz asked Arlington County officials to force Bono to duplicate her videos. The Arlington Human Rights Commission began an investigation and held a public hearing on March 9 to discuss the alleged discrimination.

As of April 25, neither Bono nor Vincenz had responded to the commission’s order, Raul Torres, executive director of the Human Rights Commission, told Concerned Women for America’s Culture & Family Institute (CFI).

If Bono refuses to do the job, “after a reasonable amount of time, the commission can reassemble and discuss why the remedy was not done,” Torres said. The commission could then forward the case to the full county Board of Commissioners and ask them for permission to file a discrimination complaint in Arlington Circuit Court, he said.

The decision found that:

* “Bono Film and Video is a public accommodation as defined by the Arlington County Code.”

* Bono “refused to duplicate two documentaries submitted by the Complainant, entitled: Gay and Proud and Second Largest Minority.”

* Bono “did not review the content of the documentaries.”

* Bono “perceived the Complainant to be ‘gay’ and to have a gay agenda when he communicated to her that Bono Film and Video ‘do[es] not partake in any gay agenda no matter what the content.’”

* “Chapter 31 [of Arlington County Code] prohibits discrimination by a public accommodation in the provisions of services on the basis of sexual orientation or perception thereof.”

The Arlington case is reminiscent of an Ontario human rights panel’s fining of a Christian printer, Scott Brockie, for his refusal to print materials for the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives."

This is one of the main reasons why homosexual couples want legal marriages. It will legitimize them in society and cause instances like these to be criminal.

They want to shift the discrimination from an ideology to a people group. We have a freedom to reject ideas but not reject people in most cases. They want their lifestyle choice (idea) to be seen as a natural trait to be protected like we protect the handicapped or women against discrimination.

I bet that same activist group would not allow a conservative Bible study or an author that opposed homosexuality to advertise on their website. It will be interesting how this ends up.

U.S. Plan For Flu Pandemic Revealed

U.S. Plan For Flu Pandemic Revealed:

"President Bush is expected to approve soon a national pandemic influenza response plan that identifies more than 300 specific tasks for federal agencies, including determining which frontline workers should be the first vaccinated and expanding Internet capacity to handle what would probably be a flood of people working from their home computers.

The Treasury Department is poised to sign agreements with other nations to produce currency if U.S. mints cannot operate. The Pentagon, anticipating difficulties acquiring supplies from the Far East, is considering stockpiling millions of latex gloves. And the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a drive-through medical exam to quickly assess patients who suspect they have been infected.

The document is the first attempt to spell out in some detail how the government would detect and respond to an outbreak, and continue functioning through what could be an 18-month crisis, which in a worst-case scenario could kill 1.9 million Americans. Bush was briefed on a draft of the implementation plan on March 17. He is expected to approve the plan within the week, but it continues to evolve, said several administration officials who have been working on it.

Each year, about 36,000 Americans die from seasonal influenza. A worldwide outbreak, or pandemic, occurs when a potent new, highly contagious strain of the virus emerges. It is a far greater threat than annual flu because everyone is susceptible, and it would take as much as six months to develop a vaccine. The 1918 pandemic flu, the worst of the 20th century, is estimated to have killed more than 50 million people worldwide.

Alarm has risen because of the emergence of the most dangerous strain to appear in decades -- the H5N1 avian flu. It has primarily struck birds, but about 200 people worldwide have contracted the disease, and half have died. Experts project that the next pandemic -- depending on severity and countermeasures -- could kill 210,000 to 1.9 million Americans.

To keep the 1.8 million federal workers healthy and productive through a pandemic, the Bush administration would tap into its secure stash of medications, cancel large gatherings, encourage schools to close and shift air traffic controllers to the busier hubs -- probably where flu had not yet struck. Retired federal employees would be summoned back to work, and National Guard troops could be dispatched to cities facing possible "insurrection," said Jeffrey W. Runge, chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security."

This could be serious if and only if the flu bug mutates and becomes air borne. Right now it only infects people on contact. It is always a good idea to buy extra food and water for emergency. Don’t think that the government will be able to respond to a larger natural disaster, terrorist attack or a new flu outbreak.

Chaplain’s Log

I am duty chaplain today. The pager went off at 06:28 this morning. The dispatcher informed me it was a suicide attempt. The traffic was horrible due to an accident on I-25. It took a long time to get to the scene.

When I arrived I was told it did appear the young man did indeed kill himself. It seemed like a really great family. They were loving and close. It was very traumatic because the uncle had witnessed the suicide and the mother had heard it on the phone.

Since the family members were kept apart until the investigation was over I spent my time going from family member to family member. Everyone was in shock and had numerous questions. It is very difficult to lose a loved one but to hear and see it is just unimaginable.

I was able to use debriefing techniques, share the Word, and pray with them. Yet I still felt helpless. The why question is one that I cannot answer. Some people lose all hope. In Christ we always have hope. Remember to tell your family that you love them.

More and less on the gospel of Judas

More information on the gospel of Judas on how it is less than inspired. Now we learn it lacks a resurrection account.

Judas is portrayed as a hero and in Christ’s will as he betrays Jesus. Yet Judas takes money for the betrayal which confirms it was a true betrayal or a truly deceptive act not in the will or character of God. Jesus would never condone such an act to advance His kingdom. Jesus was as much the TRUTH as He was the way and the life.

Why betray Jesus at all if it does not accomplish Jesus’ death? This lacks sense and motivation. The Jews already knew who Jesus claimed to be. They took up stones earlier in Jesus’ ministry to kill him because they understood Jesus claimed to be God. Nothing good was accomplished by Judas in the betrayal. All such Gospel want-to-be's fall apart in multiple ways when examined.

The missing - INQ7.net:

"In light of today's feast—the greatest in the Christian calendar, and the real meaning behind the privations of Lent, the anniversaries of Holy Thursday, the ultimate sacrifice of Good Friday-perhaps the most striking aspect of the Judas text is not what is in it, but what is not: The gospel has no resurrection story.

It ends with Judas' betrayal of Jesus Christ. 'Jesus answered them [the high priests] as they wished. And he received some money and handed him over to them.'

The ending does not come as a surprise; it confirms the gospel's main expository thrust, which is a justification of Judas' betrayal. That is, an explanation of his act, written by the members of an already heretical Christian minority at least a hundred years after His death. (But the rationalizing drive, which portrays all the other apostles as venal and ignorant and Judas as the only disciple who loved and understood Jesus, sputters at the very end: If Judas had betrayed Jesus as an act of obedience, why did he accept 'some money' for the deed? Some acts cannot be explained away.)

The real gospels, however, all describe a resurrected Christ. Their main narrative drive takes them past the parables and the miracles and the Passion, to the greater miracle of resurrection. That is the real good news. For the Christian faithful, mankind is saved precisely because Jesus conquered death; his rising from the dead is not a mere glimpse of his divinity but an earnest of our life after death.

Aside from the likelihood that the so-called lost gospel of Judas is a third- or fourth-century copy (in ancient Coptic) of a second-century Greek original (and thus at least a hundred years too late to give us the real Jesus or the authentic Judas), it is the text's lack of a resurrection story that ultimately betrays it as non-canonical, as undeserving of inclusion in the New Testament. It is not a true gospel."

Oregon man survives 12 nails to the head

Oregon man survives 12 nails to the head - More Health News - MSNBC.com:

"PORTLAND, Ore. - An Oregon man who went to a hospital complaining of a headache was found to have 12 nails embedded in his skull from a suicide attempt with a nail gun, doctors say.

Surgeons removed the nails with needle-nosed pliers and a drill, and the man survived with no serious lasting effects, according to a report on the medical oddity in the current issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.

The unidentified 33-year-old man was suicidal and high on methamphetamine last year when he fired the nails — up to 2 inches in length — into his head one by one."

The man at first told doctors he had had a nail gun accident, but later admitted it was a suicide attempt.

The nails came close to major blood vessels and the brain stem but did not pierce them. The patient was in remarkably good condition when he was transferred to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where the nails were removed.

Meth will destroy the user. See the evidence here. This man was driven to a suicide attempt with a nail gun because of it. It can kill brain cells in more than one way. Meth is fairly easy to make but it is a very difficult habit to kick. That is why some grow weary and just try to end it all.

The Daily Record - NEWS - HANDWASH KILLS BIRD FLU BUG IN 30 SECONDS

The Daily Record - NEWS - HANDWASH KILLS BIRD FLU BUG IN 30 SECONDS:

"AN ORDINARY handwash costing just �2.99 can kill the bird flu virus in 30 seconds, tests have found.

No-Germs, a simple hand spray, has been on sale over the counter for two years. But when the H5N1 avian flu outbreak gathered pace among birds, No-Germs owners decided to test it against the virus.

The results, revealed yesterday, were remarkable - the handwash was more tha 99.8 per cent efficient in killing H5N1. The discovery has been heralded as a 'major breakthrough' - particularly if the virus ever mutates into a human form."

This is good to know. It is my guess then that most bleach based house cleaners will kill the virus then.

Many Canadians believe Da Vinci theory

Many Canadians believe Da Vinci theory:

Poll: 17% of Canadians, 13% of Americans accept premise

Dan Brown

"OTTAWA - Almost one in five Canadians believes Jesus Christ's death on the cross was faked and that he married and had a family, according to a new poll that challenges the cornerstone Christian belief in the resurrection.

Although 73% of Canadians and 78% of Americans said they believe Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected to eternal life, religious studies professor Richard Ascough said the poll shows 'that The Da Vinci Code is winning the day,' a reference to the best-selling novel that raises the conspiracy theory about Jesus.

The poll, conducted for CanWest News Service in the days leading up to Easter, indicated 17% of Canadians and 13% of Americans believe author Dan Brown's premise, which has been fiercely disputed by Christian religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury in an Easter service yesterday."

This is disheartening but I knew it was likely to happen. I have seen another poll conducted with Christians that showed fifty percent could not even name the four Gospels. One respondent named the gospels as Matthew, Mark and Luther.

Therefore it is no surprise that people will start to believe that Jesus survived crucifixion and was married even though the Bible clearly states that Jesus died on the cross. There will be opportunity to share your faith when this movie comes out in May. Be ready to defend your faith by knowing your Bible.

United 93 Movie review

United 93:

By Kirk Honeycutt

"To keep things as accurate as possible, Greengrass reportedly interviewed more than 100 family members and friends of those who perished. He hired flight attendants and commercial airline pilots to play those roles; hired several civilian and military controllers on duty on Sept. 11, including the FAA's Ben Sliney, to play themselves; culled facts from the 9/11 Commission Report; and rehearsed and shot his actors in an old Boeing 757 at England's Pinewood Studios.

Even Barry Ackroyd's hand-held cinematography, John Powell's muted, anxious score and the plane set fixed to computer-controlled motion gimbals to simulate the pitch and roll of the aircraft urge the viewer to think of this as a you-are-there experience. Yet no one really knows what happened on United 93. We have evidence from phone calls made from the plane and those interviews, but that's where it ends. And that is where an artist can pick up the story.

This is what it probably was like, and the experience overwhelms. Time passes in weird ways. The four nervous terrorists wait seemingly forever to make their move. The panicked passengers wait seemingly forever to make theirs. Helplessness engulfs us, then determination takes hold."

Preacher Zola Levitt dies

WorldNetDaily: Preacher Zola Levitt dies: "

Jewish Christian preacher Zola Levitt died today after battling cancer, according to his ministry website.

Levitt, known for the tagline, 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,' had a television program seen on the several Christian networks, 'Zola Levitt Presents.'

He died at home in Dallas, where he led the non-profit Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc.

Levitt was diagnosed with cancer Feb. 10, which had spread from his left lung to his liver and brain, according to his son, Mark Levitt, who posted updates on the ministry website."

Zola Levitt

If 'Roe v. Wade': were reversed what would your state do?

USATODAY.com - 'Roe v. Wade': The divided states of America:

This is a well balanced and informative article. It’s worth the read.

"USA TODAY used the Guttmacher data and other factors to calculate how states would be likely to respond if Roe were reversed. The 1973 decision recognized access to abortion as part of a constitutional right to privacy and limited states' ability to restrict it.

The conclusions:

•Twenty-two state legislatures are likely to impose significant new restrictions on abortion. They include nearly every state in the South and a swath of big states across the industrial Rust Belt, from Pennsylvania to Ohio and Michigan. These states have enacted most of the abortion restrictions now allowed.

Nine states are considering bans similar to the one passed in South Dakota — it's scheduled to go into effect July 1 — and four states are debating restrictions that would be triggered if the Supreme Court overturned Roe.

•Sixteen state legislatures are likely to continue current access to abortion. They include every state on the West Coast and almost every state in the Northeast. A half-dozen already have passed laws that specifically protect abortion rights. Most of the states in this group have enacted fewer than half of the abortion restrictions now available to states.

•Twelve states fall into a middle ground between those two categories. About half are in the Midwest, the rest scattered from Arizona to Rhode Island."

The frightening truth of why Iran wants a bomb

Telegraph | Opinion | The frightening truth of why Iran wants a bomb:

Conflict looks inevitable. Click on the above link to go to the article. This is an Opinion section but it is well worth the read.

"Last Monday, just before he announced that Iran had gatecrashed 'the nuclear club', President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad disappeared for several hours. He was having a khalvat (t�te-�-t�te) with the Hidden Imam, the 12th and last of the imams of Shiism who went into 'grand occultation' in 941."

According to Shia lore, the Imam is a messianic figure who, although in hiding, remains the true Sovereign of the World. In every generation, the Imam chooses 36 men, (and, for obvious reasons, no women) naming them the owtad or "nails", whose presence, hammered into mankind's existence, prevents the universe from "falling off". Although the "nails" are not known to common mortals, it is, at times, possible to identify one thanks to his deeds. It is on that basis that some of Ahmad-inejad's more passionate admirers insist that he is a "nail", a claim he has not discouraged. For example, he has claimed that last September, as he addressed the United Nations' General Assembly in New York, the "Hidden Imam drenched the place in a sweet light".

Last year, it was after another khalvat that Ahmadinejad announced his intention to stand for president. Now, he boasts that the Imam gave him the presidency for a single task: provoking a "clash of civilisations" in which the Muslim world, led by Iran, takes on the "infidel" West, led by the United States, and defeats it in a slow but prolonged contest that, in military jargon, sounds like a low intensity, asymmetrical war.

In Ahmadinejad's analysis, the rising Islamic "superpower" has decisive advantages over the infidel. Islam has four times as many young men of fighting age as the West, with its ageing populations. Hundreds of millions of Muslim "ghazis" (holy raiders) are keen to become martyrs while the infidel youths, loving life and fearing death, hate to fight. Islam also has four-fifths of the world's oil reserves, and so controls the lifeblood of the infidel. More importantly, the US, the only infidel power still capable of fighting, is hated by most other nations.

Israel Warns of World War

BREITBART.COM - Israel Warns of New 'Axis of Terror':

"Israel warned Monday that a new 'axis of terror' _ Iran, Syria and the Hamas-run Palestinian government _ is sowing the seeds of the first world war of the 21st century. The Palestinians accused Israel of an escalating military campaign using indiscriminate force to kill civilians and entrench its occupation."

Recent statements by the Palestinian government, Iran and Syria, including one by Hamas on Monday defending the suicide bombing, "are clear declarations of war, and I urge each and every one of you to listen carefully and take them at face value," said Israel's U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman.

"A dark cloud is looming above our region, and it is metastasizing as a result of the statements and actions by leaders of Iran, Syria, and the newly elected government of the Palestinian Authority," Gillerman warned.

'God made me cancel my own crucifixion'

'God made me cancel my own crucifixion' - World - Times Online:

"BRITISH broadcaster who travelled to the Philippines to be crucified on Good Friday for a television programme pulled out of the stunt in tears yesterday — and blamed God for his decision.

Dominik Diamond broke down and wept after watching nine Filipinos take their turn to be whipped and nailed on crosses and realising that his turn was next. “God wanted me only to pray at the foot of my cross,” he sobbed, sinking to his knees and praying as local people and tourists started to boo.

Five, the television channel, denied it was disappointed that Diamond, a radio and TV presenter and outspoken Daily Star columnist, had decided against being crucified. No date has been set for the broadcast of the programme. If shown, it may have to change its original working title, Crucify Me.

Diamond was set to join an elite group of radical Roman Catholics who mark each Easter by re-enacting the Crucifixion. Thousands of people gather to watch the volunteers nailed to crosses with metal spikes the size of pencils."

No understanding of Grace

Most viewed and emailed blogs

Believe it or not but I have over 400 posts now. Cross Blog had close to 1000 unique hits just last week. I thought I would post some of the most viewed and emailed posts. Here are four of the top ten. I think I will wait a month and list some more top posts.

Sanhedrin Re-established

Faces of Meth

Scientists debate blending of human, animal forms

Dennis Prager: Better answers: The case for Judeo-Christian values

GMU prof, students fight anthrax with liquid agent

Washington Business Journal: GMU prof, students fight anthrax with liquid agent - 2006-04-10

The company's product absorbs chemical, biological, radioactive or poisonous powders through a chemical reaction. Once used, the liquid can be vacuumed, analyzed and heated to destroy biological threats or to transform radioactive and poisonous materials into bricklike form for long-term storage.

Potential customers include first responders in emergencies, airports and stadium operators.

Iran president: "Zionist regime" a threat� Update

Iran president: "Zionist regime" a threat�|�Reuters.com:

This is why the United States and other countries are paranoid about Iran.

"TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Friday that the existence of the 'Zionist regime', Iran's term for Israel, was a threat to the Islamic world, days after declaring Iran had become a nuclear power by enriching uranium.

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

But the tone of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to a conference on the Palestinian issue was slightly more moderate than fiery rhetoric last year, when Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted him as telling a conference: 'Israel must be wiped off the map.'

'The existence of the Zionist regime is tantamount to an imposition of an unending and unrestrained threat so that none of the nations and Islamic countries of the region and beyond can feel secure from its threat,' Ahmadinejad said on Friday."

California faces battle over gays in textbooks

California faces battle over gays in textbooks - Yahoo! News:

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California school textbooks would highlight the role gays have played in the history of the nation's most populous state if a new proposal that has angered conservatives passes the state Legislature.

History books record contributions by gays but their sexual orientation is often ignored, a situation gay activists say is inexcusable in California, home to a large gay population in San Francisco, a city that briefly made history in 2004 by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The proposed bill would require school textbooks to include lessons on how gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons have helped California develop.

Conservative groups say the proposal before lawmakers goes too far and promise a hard fight in California's ideologically divided Legislature. They say it is another bold political move by gay-rights advocates who last year lobbied the Democrat-led Legislature to pass a bill to allow same-sex marriages.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed that legislation, but has not taken a position on the new bill.

'This bill would also prohibit anything that reflects adversely on those people,' said Karen England of the conservative Capitol Resource Institute.

'They're after their lifestyle to be embraced and they want to force it on kids as young as kindergarten.'"

Sexual orientation is always ignored in textbooks because it is irrelevant to what a contributor did. Most of the time textbooks don’t even tell us if the person was single or married or if they did it is only in passing.

Homosexuals are not being discriminated against or singled out in history textbooks. Textbooks mentioning anyone’s sexual preference are inappropriate for classroom use.

This is less about doing right by past contributors as it is about promoting the homosexual lifestyle. They are always in a campaign to legitimize their actions to appease their conscience.

Many not sure about the their resurrection

Scripps Howard News Service:

"Most Americans don't believe they will experience a resurrection of their
bodies when they die, putting them at odds with a core teaching of Christianity.

The findings of a new Scripps Howard/Ohio University poll surprised and
dismayed some of the nation's top theologians since it seems to put Americans in
conflict with both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, ancient statements
of faith meant to unify Christian belief.

The Nicene Creed, adopted in
325 at the First Council of Nicea under Roman Emperor Constantine, concludes
with the famous words: 'We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of
the world to come. Amen.'

Similarly, the Apostles' Creed professes a
belief in 'the resurrection of the body.'

Only 36 percent of the 1,007
adults interviewed a month ago by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio
University said 'yes' to the question: 'Do you believe that, after you die, your
physical body will be resurrected someday?' Fifty-four percent said they do not
believe and 10 percent were undecided."

This is a central theme of the Bible. The resurrection of both the saved and unsaved was taught in the Old Testament.

(Dan 12:2 NKJV) And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

(Dan 12:3 NKJV) Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

This same thought is expanded in the New Testament. Everyone will eventually be resurrected to either life with Christ or life eternally separated from Him.

(Rev 20:4 NKJV) And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

(Rev 20:5 NKJV) But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

(Rev 20:6 NKJV) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

It is the hope of every Christian. We do not cease being after death. We don’t continue on in just a spirit form but we will all be in a resurrected body.

(1 Cor 15:19 NKJV) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

(1 Cor 15:20 NKJV) But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

(1 Cor 15:21 NKJV) For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

(1 Cor 15:22 NKJV) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

(1 Cor 15:23 NKJV) But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

S.F.denounces the church's moral teaching on homosexuality as 'hateful

USNews.com: Opinion: John Leo: John Leo's Blog: Loony S.F. bids adieu to Catholics:

"The People's Republic of San Francisco goes it own way, as the country has long understood. That way is predictably loony much of the time.

The new anti-Catholic resolution of the Board of Supervisors reads like an invitation for all Roman Catholics to leave the city. It denounces the church's moral teaching on homosexuality as 'hateful,' 'insulting and callous,' 'defamatory,' 'absolutely unacceptable,' not to mention insensitive and ignorant.

It also depicts Catholics as representatives of a foreign government, just as earlier Know-Nothings and Klansmen did. The resolution says, 'It is an insult to all San Franciscans when a foreign country, like the Vatican, meddles with and attempts to negatively influence this great city's existing and established customs and traditions, such as the right of same-sex couples to adopt and care for children in need.'"

I think it is obvious that San Francisco is operating in a completely post Christian era now. When the city supervisors can officially condemn Christianity and not fear any backlash from the community then there is little chance of the Holy Spirit convicting people.

(Luke 9:5 NKJV) “And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

However, there is maybe a sliver of hope so let’s pray for that city.

Premature babies 'feel true pain'

BBC NEWS | Health | Premature babies 'feel true pain':

"Premature babies experience feelings of pain rather than simply displaying reflex reactions, a study says.

Experts have never been sure how a premature baby responds to pain, the Journal of Neuroscience reported."

But a team from University College London found that they do feel pain after analysing brain scans taken when blood samples were being drawn. They hope the findings will lead to more formal plans for managing pain in premature babies.

Lead researcher Professor Maria Fitzgerald said: "We have shown for the first time that the information about pain reaches the brain in premature babies.

Here is one more reason to ban abortion not that we need another but some are still unconvinced. This should absolutely put a moratorium on partial birth abortion at the least.

The 'Gospel of Judas' forget it. The early church did.

ABC News: Expert Doubts 'Gospel of Judas' Revelation:

"An expert on ancient Egyptian texts is predicting that the 'Gospel of Judas' a manuscript from early Christian times that's nearing release amid widespread interest from scholars will be a dud in terms of learning anything new about Judas.

James M. Robinson, America's leading expert on such ancient religious texts from Egypt, predicts in a new book that the text won't offer any insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus. His reason: While it's old, it's not old enough.

'Does it go back to Judas? No,' Robinson told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The text, in Egypt's Coptic language, dates from the third or fourth century and is a copy of an earlier document."

Robinson has not seen the text that National Geographic is working on, but assumes it is the same work assailed by Bishop Irenaeus of Lyons around A.D. 180.

Irenaeus said the writings came from a "Cainite" Gnostic sect that jousted against orthodox Christianity. He also accused the Cainites of lauding the biblical murderer Cain, the Sodomites and Judas, whom they regarded as the keeper of secret mysteries.

Understand there were a number of false gospels that were never considered inspired by God by the early church.

First they were not written by eyewitnesses. Every New Testament book was written by an eyewitness or had direct information from an eyewitness. This gospel of Judas was not written by Judas because he killed himself right after the betrayal. All eyewitness were dead by the time it was written.

Second they were written long after Jesus lived. The books in the Bible were written while contemporaries were still alive and could refute or confirm the information. The Gospel of Judas was written as least a century after the crucifixion. Many scholars put the writing of the Gospel of Judas much later in the third century.

Third it contradicts what we already know what is true and corroborated by the rest of scripture and outside sources. It is a bad testimony.

Fourth it does not contain any prophecy that would prove it was from God. All books of the Bible contained some unfulfilled prophecy when it was written either directly or symbolically like the book of Ruth. We don't accept already given prophecies that are copied out the Bible.

Just like the book of Mormon the Gospel of Judas is not inspired. It quotes the Bible to make itself seem authoritative but it is a different Gospel. The apostles had to deal with false gospels and here was what Paul had to say about them.

Gal. 1: 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Churchgoers Live Longer

Churchgoers Live Longer - Yahoo! News:

"There are many things you can do to increase your life expectancy: exercise, eat well, take your medication and ... go to church."

A new study finds people who attend religious services weekly live longer. Specifically, the research looked at how many years are added to life expectancy based on:

• Regular physical exercise: 3.0-to-5.1 years
• Proven therapeutic regimens: 2.1-to-3.7 years
• Regular religious attendance: 1.8-to-3.1 years

"Religious attendance is not a mode of medical therapy," said study leader Daniel Hall, a resident in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "While this study was not intended for use in clinical decision making, these findings tell us that there is something to examine further."

Hall is also an Episcopal priest.

"The significance of this finding may prove to be controversial," he said. "But at the very least, it shows that further research into the associations between religion and health might have implications for medical practice."

1 tim. 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Jesus Could Have Walked on Ice, Scientist Says

LiveScience.com - Jesus Could Have Walked on Ice, Scientist Says: "

Rare conditions could have conspired to create hard-to-see ice on the Sea of Galilee that a person could have walked on back when Jesus is said to have walked on water, a scientist said today.

The study, which examines a combination of favorable water and environmental conditions, proposes that Jesus could have walked on an isolated patch of floating ice on what is now known as Lake Kinneret in northern Israel.

Looking at temperature records of the Mediterranean Sea surface and using analytical ice and statistical models, scientists considered a small section of the cold freshwater surface of the lake. The area studied, about 10,000 square feet, was near salty springs that empty into it."

"We simply explain that unique freezing processes probably happened in that region only a handful of times during the last 12,000 years," said Doron Nof, a Florida State University Professor of Oceanography. "We leave to others the question of whether or not our research explains the biblical account."

Such floating ice in the unfrozen waters of the lake would be hard to spot, especially if rain had smoothed its surface.

Here is the account they are trying to explain away.

(Mat 14:24-33 NKJV)

But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

About half the disciples where fishermen by trade so don’t you think they would not be fooled by ice.

Secondly, it would be just as much a miracle for someone to walk to the middle of the sea on ice that had a smooth wet surface in a wind storm than walking on water.

Thirdly, that ice would have to have been a foot think or much more in order to carry the weight of both Peter and Jesus. Do you think the on lookers would have missed seeing sheets of ice that thick as they rowed across the sea?

I am sorry but this scientist’s theory just doesn’t float.

Professor’s gone wild update

Professor's population speeches unnerve some:

Eric Pianka, a UT professor since 1968, has given recent speeches where he says disease pandemics could wipe out 90 percent of the world's population. Some critics say he's promoting such a disaster.

"University of Texas professor Eric Pianka's enemies say he advocates wiping out 90 percent of the population and that his seemingly giddy obsession with death and disease coupled with power over young minds is dangerous and disturbing.

His supporters say while his rhetoric may be shocking at times, he's just trying to get people to think about the consequences of uncontrolled population growth."

"I've found that it takes courage to tell people what they don't want to know," Pianka, 67, said Tuesday, two days after a newspaper story in Seguin's Gazette-Enterprise ignited a firestorm that has resulted in e-mail threats on Pianka's life.

The controversy surrounds comments made during two recent speeches in which Pianka discussed the need for population control and the impending disease pandemic that might well just take care of it. Some heard the comments as simply a warning. To others, however, it sounded like Pianka was advocating the use of deadly viruses to kill off millions of people.

Pianka, who calls the latter interpretation nonsense, says the whole thing has blown out of proportion. Many, however, seem to be taking his critics seriously. Pianka said he is scheduled to meet with FBI officials today.

"Someone has reported me as a terrorist," he said. "They think I'm forming a cadre of people to release the airborne Ebola virus into the air. That I'm the leader and my students are the followers."

I believe that the professor has the right to say what he thinks however he must also realize that there are consequences to his words.

If you advocate the killing of people some people might threaten you. If you insinuate the use of a virus to eliminate 90% of the earth’s population you might get investigated by the FBI.

Once again we see professors who want to judge and condemn society but don’t want to be challenged on their speech.

New Survey Reveals U.K. Christians' Lack of Basic Bible Knowledge

New Survey Reveals U.K. Christians' Lack of Basic Bible Knowledge | Christianpost.com- Christian News Online , Christian World News:

"LONDON – Less than a quarter of Christians in the United Kingdom possess enough knowledge of the Bible to be able to place key events in the order they appear, according to the results of a new survey by the Bible Society released last week. "

The Christian evangelical organization carried out a survey of regular churchgoers, which revealed that 76 percent of people were unable to put a series of ten popular Bible stories in the order that they appear in the Bible.

Events used in the survey included Noah’s Ark, Solomon’s building of the Temple, and Jesus feeding the five thousand, among other similar incidents.

The survey was carried out by asking the questions in a quick-fire quiz style, and was designed to assess the common assumption that Christians possess an in-depth knowledge of the Bible.

This is probably not true for a Christian that has attended a verse by verse teaching church for some length of time but sadly it is true for most church members across the world.

New Navy Ship Being Built With WTC Steel

ABC News: New Navy Ship Being Built With WTC Steel:

"With a year to go before it even touches the water, the Navy's amphibious assault ship USS New York has already made history twice. It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center, and it survived Hurricane Katrina."

In this photo supplied by Northrop Grumman, a 2005 artists rendering of the USS New York is shown as how it might look steaming through New York Harbor with lower Manhattan and the building that may replace the World Trade Center in the background.

Mass graves fear in bird flu attack

Mass graves fear in bird flu attack - Yahoo! News UK:

"Mass burials are being considered by the Home Office as part of preparations for a possible avian flu pandemic.

A 'prudent worst case' assessment suggested 320,000 people could die in Britain if the H5N1 virus mutated into a form contagious to humans, according to a confidential report seen by the Sunday Times.

That would lead to delays of up to 17 weeks in burying or cremating victims, the document - said to have been discussed by a cabinet committee - says.

It warns that the prospect of 'common burial' would stir up images of the mass pits used to bury victims of the Great Plague in 1665.

But in fact it 'might involve a large number of coffins buried in the same place at the same time, in such a way that allowed for individual graves to be marked'.

Town halls - the report suggests - could deal with what it terms a 'base case' of 48,000 deaths in England and Wales in a 15-week pandemic.

But it adds: 'Even with ramping local management capacity by 100%, the prudent worst case of 320,000 excess deaths is projected to lead to a delay of some 17 weeks from death to burial or cremation.'"

The Bird Flu is serious if it mutates to an airborne virus. Right now people who have direct contact with infected birds contract the virus.

Be prepared. If the Bird Flu breaks out in any city that city will be quarantined for up to a month. That means there will be no new delivery of food and services will be disrupted as they expect 60% absenteeism at the work place.

Universal Studios: United 93

Universal Studios: United 93

Here is a link to the movie site about ft 93 that went down on 9/11. If you view the trailer it may shake you a little. Although it may be difficult to watch I think we need to remember what happened that day.

When professors go wild

UT professor says death is imminent

Dr. Eric R. Pianka and an unidentified woman from the University of Texas at Arlington

AUSTIN — A University of Texas professor says the Earth would be better off with 90 percent of the human population dead.

“Every one of you who gets to survive has to bury nine,” Eric Pianka cautioned students and guests at St. Edward’s University on Friday. Pianka’s words are part of what he calls his “doomsday talk” — a 45-minute presentation outlining humanity’s ecological misdeeds and Pianka’s predictions about how nature, or perhaps humans themselves, will exterminate all but a fraction of civilization.

Though his statements are admittedly bold, he’s not without abundant advocates. But what may set this revered biologist apart from other doomsday soothsayers is this: Humanity’s collapse is a notion he embraces.

“This is really an exciting time,” he said Friday amid warnings of apocalypse, destruction and disease. Only minutes earlier he declared, “Death. This is what awaits us all. Death.” Reflecting on the so-called Ancient Chinese Curse, “May you live in interesting times,” he wore, surprisingly, a smile.

So what’s at the heart of Pianka’s claim?

6.5 billion humans is too many.

In his estimation, “We’ve grown fat, apathetic and miserable,” all the while leaving the planet parched.

The solution?

A 90 percent reduction.

That’s 5.8 billion lives — lives he says are turning the planet into “fat, human biomass.” He points to an 85 percent swell in the population during the last 25 years and insists civilization is on the brink of its downfall — likely at the hand of widespread disease.

“[Disease] will control the scourge of humanity,” Pianka said. “We’re looking forward to a huge collapse.”

In an evaluation of Pianka’s course — performed anonymously in keeping with university policy — one student offered:

“Though I agree that conservation biology is of utmost importance to the world, I do not think that preaching that 90 percent of the human population should die of Ebola is the most effective means of encouraging conservation awareness.”

Read more here

Let’s see, where do I begin? We have heard that the earth is over populated since 1960 or so. Doomsday because of over population was to occur in the 80’s then the 90’s then absolutely by the year 2000.

The fact of the matter is we are not even close to over populating the earth. If you have looked out a plane window you know that there are miles upon miles of untouched land out there. You could take the entire world’s population and put them in Texas.

Each and every person would have 1125 square feet to live in. Each person could have his or her own one bedroom house in the great state of Texas and the rest of the world would be deserted.

Texas is 268,601 square miles and that equates to approximately 168 million acres. 168 million acres is approximately 7.3 trillion square feet. Divide that by the population and you get 1125 square feet per person.

Gen. 1: 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

This always makes me laugh when some professor advocates sterilization of the population or some degree of genocide. He thinks that 90% of the world’s population should be terminated.

I say OK you first. If you believe it so strongly then you apply your solution to yourself. He will not because ultimately he values human life above lizards like we all should.

Daylight savings - Don't forget to set your clocks

Remember to set you clocks forward tonight.

Georgia Passes Bill to Fund Bible Courses in Public Schools

Georgia Passes Bill to Fund Bible Courses in Public High Schools - Los Angeles Times:

"ATLANTA — Georgia's Legislature on Monday passed a bill to fund elective Bible courses in public high schools, sparking concern among 1st Amendment advocates and generating praise from lawmakers worried that children are losing their grasp on one of Western civilization's most influential texts.

The bill — which still must be signed into law by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue — would fund separate high school courses on the Old and New Testaments in the context of history and literature.

The bill states that the classes should be taught 'in an objective and nondevotional manner, with no attempt made to indoctrinate students as to either the truth or falsity' of the works.

The measure passed late Monday, and lawmakers who supported it were unavailable to comment. But Republican state Sen. Tommie Williams, the bill's sponsor, has said in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Bible is crucial to understanding the foundations of American government.

Federal courts have ruled that public school Bible courses do not violate the 1st Amendment principle of church-state separation as long as they are objective and do not promote religion. A number of districts around the country already teach such classes."

It really depends on how the course is taught but this can be good or bad. Teaching the Bible without asserting that it is true is like teaching science and saying that we cannot really tell you that the laws of physics are absolute. If it is taught in a way that shows how the fathers of our country had their beliefs framed by the Bible that would be an interesting course.