'Good news' from northern Iraq�

'Good news' from northern Iraq�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper:

"Retired Iraqi Gen. Georges Sada, a former fighter pilot-turned-Christian evangelist, says Kurds are converting to Christianity 'by the hundreds' in northern Iraq.
Gen. Sada earlier reported that he had been told that Iraqi pilots, flying private planes, took weapons of mass destruction to undisclosed locations in Syria in 2002.

The 'good news' from Iraq's turbulent religious scene, consisting mainly of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim militias battling each other, is from the Kurds, he said. Kurds are creating a constitution that does away with Shariah, or Islamic law, a move counter to trends in other Muslim countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, where leaving Islam is a capital offense and Christian converts are often killed.

'No Christians in the Kurdish territory are persecuted,' he said yesterday in an interview.

Gen. Sada, 66, who lives in Baghdad, cited growing numbers of evangelical Christians in the Kurdish city of Irbil and a recent church conference of 854 Christians at the city's Salahaddin University as demonstrations of the Kurds' willingness to protect religious freedom.

He added that Nechervan Idris Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdish regional government in Irbil and nephew of former Iraqi Governing Council President Massoud Barzani, was extremely positive about evangelical Christians' efforts among Iraq's 4 million Kurds.

'He told me he'd rather see a Muslim become a Christian rather than a radical Muslim,' the general said. "

Don’t be fooled by false reports that Islam or Mormonism are the fastest growing religions in the world. Christianity is the fastest growing religion and thousands of Muslims are being converted even in primarily Islamic nations. I hear the same thing reported by missionaries that I speak to as is being reported in this article.

Rescued – the Pakistan children seized by Islamist slave traders

Rescued – the Pakistan children seized by Islamist slave traders - Sunday Times - Times Online:

"THE slave traders came for 10-year-old Akash Aziz as he played cops and robbers in his dusty village in eastern Punjab.

Akash, still in the maroon V-neck sweater and tie that he had worn to school that day, was a “robber”. But as he crouched behind a wall, waiting for the schoolfriend designated as the “cop” to find him, a large man with a turban and a beard grabbed him from behind and clamped a cloth over his nose and mouth before he could cry for help.

He recalls a strange smell and a choking sensation. “Then I fainted,” said Akash, a delicate little child from a loving family that takes pride in his enthusiasm for English lessons at school.

Akash woke up in a dark room with a bare brick floor and no windows. The heat was suffocating. As he languished there over the next month, 19 other panic-stricken boys were thrown into the room with him.

The children, all Christians, had fallen into the hands of Gul Khan, a wealthy Islamic militant and leading member of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD), a group linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network."

Read more here . . . Rescued – Pakistan children

Graduates stage protest prayer

Graduates stage protest prayer:

"A federal judge ordered school officials and a student not to include a scheduled prayer at last night's Russell County High School graduation ceremony.

But about 200 seniors responded at the event by standing during the principal's opening remarks and reciting the Lord's Prayer. That prompted a standing ovation from the standing-room-only crowd in the school gymnasium."

And thunderous applause drowned out the last part of the prayer.

Judge Joseph H. McKinley of the U.S. District Court in Bowling Green had ruled earlier in the day in favor of a lawsuit filed by an anonymous graduating senior who said he was offended by graduation prayers.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which represents the student, said the prayer would have violated the constitutional ban on government-sponsored religion.

Megan Chapman, who was elected chaplain by her classmates and was scheduled to give the prayer, said she would comply with the order.

School Superintendent Scott Pierce did not return calls yesterday. But he said earlier this week that Russell County graduations have included prayers at least as far back as his own graduation in 1965. Until now, he said, the school "never had a complaint."

For many years, he said, such prayers were organized solely by the students.

The lawsuit alleged that graduation prayers in past years at Russell County had included "sectarian Christian invocations and benedictions given by students," that refer regularly to "God" and "Jesus."

Once again the will of the one over the will of the many all because the one might me offended. There are many things in life to be offended over but someone or a group seeking God in prayer at a major turning point in their lives should not be one.

Notice again we see the nonreligious being the intolerant ones here. Who is forcing their view on the others by court order? I stand and applaud the students as well.

Teenage girls are 'out of control'

Teenage girls are 'out of control' | the Daily Mail:

"Teenage girls are now more likely than boys to drink, smoke, steal and take drugs, a survey has shown.

In a disturbing confirmation of the spread of the 'ladette' culture, it found violence, aggression and self-destructive behaviour has spread alarmingly among girls over the past 20 years."

The study of 14 and 15-year-olds was conducted by questionnaire, in schools under exam conditions, and the results compared with a similar one from 1985.

Professor Colin Pritchard, who led the research, said: 'Girls now significantly smoke and binge-drink more than boys. They truant, steal and fight at similar rates, and start under-age sex earlier than boys.'

The study comparison found that the number of boys admitting to smoking has nearly halved to just over a quarter, while the number of girls who smoke has risen to nearly half. The number of girls who admit having smoked cannabis has gone up nearly fourfold, to one in five.

In 1985 around half of all boys and girls drank alcohol on a regular basis. Last year the numbers had shot up to 68 per cent of boys and an astonishing 85 per cent of girls.

This is a survey done in England. England is totally in a post Christian era now. Christianity has little or no influence on everyday life. The UK has had a decline in church attendance for almost eighty years now. They had a small renewal during WWII but for the most part they have been in a tail spin. The signs of it are in their society.

The USA is in its twentieth year of church attendance decline. You can find specific information here.

Even though nondenominational churches are growing almost all denominational churches are in decline. The news gets worse. Nondenominational churches are not growing in relation to the population growth. More people are going but not in proportion to the size of the population so there is a decline in the overall number of people going to church.

The signs of it are in our society. We are right behind England. However we do have strong churches that can turn it around if they begin to send out people to plant new churches.

Health experts say cause for concern over "abortion pill"�

Health experts say cause for concern over "abortion pill"�|�Reuters.com:

"ATLANTA (Reuters) - Reports of rare bacterial infections, including a handful of cases in women who have taken the controversial RU-486 abortion pill, are cause for concern and warrant further study, U.S. health experts said on Thursday.

Two sometimes fatal bugs -- Clostridium sordellii and Clostridium difficile -- are a particular worry as antibiotic resistance grows and infections occur in people without typical risk factors, doctors and researchers said.

While the infections also have been reported in drug users, surgical patients and accident victims, including men, those found in women taking the pill drew the most scrutiny at a public meeting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Atlanta headquarters."

Another six women who took RU-486, also known as Mifeprex or mifepristone, have died since 2000. Officials linked four of the cases to infection but could not tie them to the drug. Another case is under investigation and another was ruled unrelated.

Two experts singled out the abortion pill as a problem. University of Colorado Health Sciences Center gynecologist James McGregor urged officials to "reduce or eliminate" use of Mifeprex.

Anytime we violate God’s laws and think we can escape the consequences we are wrong.

'Forget Benny Hinn, go to the doctors instead'

'Forget Benny Hinn

Good advise from people who been there. It's all a show folk.

"The wife of the man who died soon after he was said to have been healed by
American televangelist Benny Hinn seven years ago had this bit of advice for
sick people who plan to attend Hinn's crusade this month: Visit a doctor
instead.

'Don't believe in any man. Believe that Jesus can help you,' Molly
Chance said on Monday.

Chance's ailing husband, Marcano Siewkumar, went to Hinn's crusade at
the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain in 1999.
Struggling to walk, he was
chosen as one of the people to be healed that night, and was lifted onto the
stage.
Hinn is returning to Trinidad for a three-day crusade from May 19.
Siewkumar, who suffered with heart disease, kidney failure and hypertension,
was told he was healed.

The Siewkumar miracle as it was called was broadcast on a Christian
television cable channel by Hinn who said he had cast out more demons in
Trinidad than anywhere else he had preached.

Chance said her husband was bitter until his death, which came 33 days
after the healing.

At her home in Douglas Trace, Barrackpore, Chance recalled: 'When he
came home, he believed he was healed. He walked off that stage without help. He
felt real good. But three days later, he said we should take him to hospital.'

She added: 'My husband said the man didn't heal him.'

Siewkumar, a 61-year-old cane farmer, was taken to the San Fernando
General Hospital, then Mt Hope, and died at the Port of Spain Gene"

Madonna crucifies herself in L.A. tour

Madonna crucifies herself in L.A. tour opener�|�Reuters.com:

Back to her old tricks. Think if this was an Islamic symbol.

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Madonna launched her first world tour in two years on Sunday, delighting an enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd by hanging herself from a cross, insulting President George W. Bush, and dusting off some of the sexy moves that have sustained her career for more than 20 years.

The 'Confessions' tour will keep her on the road for two months in North America, and then resume on July 30 in Wales for a five-week stadium swing through eight European cities. Shows in Japan are also on tap for mid-September.

The 47-year-old dance diva spent two hours churning out most of the tunes from her new album, 'Confessions on a Dancefloor,' as well as a few old hits such as 'Like a Virgin,' 'Ray of Light' and 'Lucky Star.'

The audience at the Los Angeles Forum included Madonna's Kabbalah guru Rabbi Yehuda Berg, socialite Nicole Richie, and gay icon Rosie O'Donnell, who upgraded herself to a premium seat on the floor and left her spouse alone in the stands."

Holy Wheelchair Batman

My Way News: "

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wheelchair-bound Los Angeles woman, who has repeatedly filed lawsuits over access for the disabled, got up and ran after police arrested her for fraud, authorities said on Thursday.

Laura Lee Medley, 35, had sued in at least four California cities over injuries she claimed she sustained while trying to navigate her wheelchair before she was suspected of fraud.

Medley, who claimed to be paralyzed from a drunk driving accident, was tracked to Las Vegas where police there took her into custody and then, when she complained of medical issues, to a local hospital, Long Beach prosecutor Belinda Mayes said.

'She gets to the hospital and while she's waiting for an examination, she gets up from the chair and runs,' Mayes said. 'Somebody remarked, 'That's where the great miracle occurred.''

Medley sprinted through the hospital corridors but was quickly apprehended by police and booked pending extradition to San Bernardino, southern California, where she is facing charges of filing false documents, attempted grand theft and insurance fraud.

Medley has sued the cities of Long Beach and South Pasadena and counties of San Bernardino and Riverside over various injuries she claimed she sustained in her wheelchair. She was also being sought on arrest warrants by the states of Oregon and Washington, Mayes said."

Da Vinci Code put forth the idea the early church did not believe Jesus was God

Da Vinci Code put forth the idea the early church did not believe Jesus was God until it was voted on at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

This idea that Jesus was God did not grow over time. It did not come about because of a vote. It was believed emphatically from the time of Christ. Let’s look at the New Testament.

First even Jesus’ enemies believed that Jesus claimed to be God. This is why they killed Him.

(John 5:17 NKJV) But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
(John 5:18 NKJV) Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Jesus confirmed He was equal with God the Father.

(John 10:30 NKJV) “I and My Father are one.”

Jesus did not mean it metaphorically but literally. Jesus stated that He had power over life and death just as God does. Jesus by His will had power that only God has.

(John 5:21 NKJV) “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

This claim of Jesus along with His resurrection convinced His followers that Jesus was indeed God. Thomas was persuaded.

(John 20:27 NKJV) Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
(John 20:28 NKJV) And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

John believed it to be true.

(1 John 5:20 NKJV) And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

The early church fathers believed in Jesus’ deity. They wrote about it to encourage other believers. Ignatius who lived 200 years before the Council of Nicaea wrote to the church at Ephesus.

Ignatius (AD 110-130). In his epistle to the Ephesians testifies that Jesus is God.

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled grace.

Ignatius again states it very plainly that Jesus is God.

Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, first did and then taught, as Luke testifies, "whose praise is in the Gospel through all the Churches." There is nothing which is hid from the Lord, but our very secrets are near to Him.

The early church fathers fervently defended their belief in Jesus’ Godhood. Irenaeus was very clear in proclaiming the church believed Jesus was our Lord, God, Savior and King.

Irenaeus (AD 115 – 190) In his defense against heresies volume X defended the deity of Jesus.

. . . in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess"134 to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all . .

There you have it folks. We could go on and on but I am writing a blog not a book. It isn’t too difficult to find the evidence that the Church from the time of Jesus and beyond believed He was in fact God manifest in the flesh. His enemies killed Him for it. His disciples were converted by it. His apostles taught it. Their disciples defended it. That settles it.

"Da Vinci Code" secret is out: most critics hate it

"Da Vinci Code" secret is out: most critics hate it�|�Reuters.com:

"CANNES, France (Reuters) - Most critics panned 'The Da Vinci Code' on Wednesday ahead of the world premiere of the year's most eagerly awaited movie.

Kicking off the annual Cannes film festival, Ron Howard's adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller was described variously as 'grim', 'unwieldy' and 'plodding', though one reviewer bucked the trend and said 'You'll Louvre It!'"

Da Vinci Code Actor: Bible Should Have 'Fiction' Disclaimer

Da Vinci Code Actor: Bible Should Have 'Fiction' Disclaimer | NewsBusters.org:

"If 'The Da Vinci Code' was already feeding the flames of controversy with its challenge to the basic tenets of Christianity, actor Ian McKellen managed to pour a refinery tank's worth of gasoline on the fire on this morning's 'Today' show, asserting that the Bible should carry a disclaimer saying that it is 'fiction.'"

With the camera focused on McKellen, one could hear a distinctly nervous laugh in the background, seeming to come from either actor Tom Hanks or director Howard. McKellen's stunning bit of blasphemy is likely to test the adage that all publicity is good publicity.

Reading "Da Vinci Code" does alter beliefs: survey�

Reading "Da Vinci Code" does alter beliefs: survey�|�Reuters.com:

"LONDON (Reuters) - 'The Da Vinci Code' has undermined faith in the Roman Catholic Church and badly damaged its credibility, a survey of British readers of Dan Brown's bestseller showed on Tuesday.

People are now twice as likely to believe Jesus Christ fathered children after reading the Dan Brown blockbuster and four times as likely to think the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei is a murderous sect.

'An alarming number of people take its spurious claims very seriously indeed,' said Austin Ivereigh, press secretary to Britain's top Catholic prelate Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

'Our poll shows that for many, many people the Da Vinci Code is not just entertainment,' Ivereigh added."

Da Vinci code wants us to believe Jesus was married and had children

Dan Brown’s source for this is two Gnostic gospels. The Gospel of Phillip and The Gospel of Mary Magdalene are supposed to give us the evidence for this claim that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene states that Jesus “loved Mary Magdalene more that the others.” She was called a “companion,” and that Jesus used to kiss her. According to the Da Vinci Code any Aramaic scholar will tell you’re the word companion in those days meant spouse.


Think about it. First, all creditable scholars date these gospels around 300 A.D. or at the very least 200 years after the life of Jesus. In other words they were not written by the suggested author, an eyewitness or even someone a generation removed. The author is four or five generations removed from the facts. They don’t have any credibility.

Second, none of the statements from these gospels say Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene or anyone else for that matter. Jesus also loved Martha but that does not mean He was married to her.

(John 11:5 NKJV) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Second, the Gospel of Phillip was written in Greek not Aramaic. There is no evidence of these gospels in Aramaic. The term for companion (koinonos) did not require marital or sexual interaction. This term for companion appears ten times in the New Testament and not one occurrence implies that the person was married or had a sexual relationship.

Third, it was normal custom to kiss people in Jesus’ time. You greeted men and women with a kiss. Jesus rebuked Simon the Pharisee when Simon was upset that a repentant woman washed Jesus’ feet and kiss Him. Simon had not greeted Jesus with a kiss. This does not mean Jesus was married to this woman or to Simon if he later departed Jesus with a kiss. You kissed instead of shaking hands.

(Luke 7:45 NKJV) “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.

Fourth, there is no evidence that Jesus had children. It is just wild speculation that Jesus was married therefore he must have had children. It does not follow.

Fifth, to top it off these are Gnostic Gospels. The Gnostics believed that Jesus did not have a body like you and I have. They did not accept as true that Jesus was made of flesh. He could manipulate the universe but He was not a part of it. They believed that material things were evil and spiritual things were good. They believed that Jesus walked on water because there was no weight to Him. According to their view if Jesus walked on the beach He would leave no footprints in the sand. (There goes that poem.) There is no way that the Gnostics would believe that Jesus had a physical relationship with Mary Magdalene.

The apostle John was already fighting this heresy as we see in his epistle. He testified that they literally touched Jesus and that Jesus came to us made of flesh.

(1 John 1:1 NKJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life;

(1 John 4:2 NKJV) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
(1 John 4:3 NKJV) and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

There you go. A testimony from someone who was not an eyewitness but was writing 200 years later, who did not believe Jesus had a literal body and never stated Jesus was married. I am not impressed.

BTW, if you still believe the Da Vinci code read on.







Pssst, I have some swamp land to sell.

Da Vinci Code claims New Testament altered

Da Vinci Code claims New Testament altered to make Jesus appear divine.

The claim is that three centuries after Christ the Roman emperor Constantine in the Nicaea council of churches proposed that they vote Jesus divine. He then had the scriptures hunted down and altered to give Jesus his godhood.

Think about it. The New Testament is the best documented work of antiquity. We have more manuscripts or fragments of manuscripts in Greek closer to the time of the originals than any other books from that time. We have 5,886 Greek copies that show almost no variation whatsoever. If that many survived for two thousand years think of how many there were back then.

Now how could anyone hunt down every copy and have them changed? It would be like changing a printing of Newsweek or the USA Today paper. How are you going to hunt down every copy and not miss hundreds or thousands? How are you going to replace them or alter them without anyone knowing about it or writing about it?

How are you also then going to hunt down every letter or written sermon of the time and the past 300 years and change the scriptures quoted? We can recreate the entire New Testament except for eleven verses just by the homilies and letters of the early church fathers. It sounds more like a Da Vinci con than code to me.

Cowboy Church told it violates the law

Bedford Bulletin:

Cowboy Church to challenge ruling

"Garland Simmons was excited when the Cowboy Church began meeting at his place on Horseshoe Bend Road in late March.

It appears, however, that somebody did not share his enthusiasm. Simmons was notified by Bedford County officials that the Cowboy Church meetings violate county zoning regulations.


'I got the notice certified through the mail, Monday morning,' Simmons said.

The notice consisted of two letters. One was from Gary McIver, the county's building official. McIver wrote that, by hosting the Cowboy Church on his property, Simmons is using it in a manner contrary to its agricultural (AR) zoning."

The other letter was from Lindsay Blankenship, a planner in the county's department of planning. It directs Simmons to "obtain the necessary permits for the establishment of a Religious Assembly" on the property by May 28.

"I don't think it's the county," commented Simmons. "It's somebody that is against religion or against me."

The Rev. Raymond Bell, the Cowboy Church's pastor, agrees that somebody has filed a complaint with the county.

Bell said that the issue is whether or not we have government authorized churches. He feels the zoning restriction on churches puts the government in a position of authorizing, or not authorizing, a church.

According to Rena Lindevaldsen, the Liberty Counsel attorney representing the Cowboy Church, the zoning code in Bedford County is very broad. It could even impact things people do in their own home and a person hosting a home Bible study could be required to get a special use permit.

Lindevaldsen said that, because the code is overly broad, it violates the Cowboy Church's First Amendment rights, and also runs counter to a federal law, the Religious Land Uses and Institutional Persons Act. According to this law, local zoning can't impose a significant burden on a church's right to worship.

It seems the government always wants to shut someone down instead of working to solve the dilemma. Good thing Jesus wasn’t born in a manger today. With the family, all the shepherds and angels worshiping the government would have slapped them with a zoning violation.

Police: 7 confess to beheadings - May 10, 2006

CNN.com - Police: 7 confess to beheadings - May 10, 2006:

Update

"JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Seven suspected Islamic terrorists have confessed to beheading three Christian schoolgirls on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island, police said Wednesday.

The seven detained suspects confessed under questioning that they planned and carried out the Oct. 29 beheadings in the Sulawesi town of Poso, police chief Lt. Col. Rudi Sufahriadi told The Associated Press.

Another girl was wounded but spared by the assailants, he said.

Two of the suspects also say they have ties to Noordin Top, regarded as a key leader of the al Qaeda-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), according to Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno."

The other girl was not spared she ran away bleeding from her neck and face. The girls were singing on their way home from school. The Muslims thought they were singing a hymn and cut the heads off three of them but could not catch the fourth even after brutally slicing her neck and face.

Iran Leader Calls Israel an 'Evil' Regime

BREITBART.COM - Iran Leader Calls Israel an 'Evil' Regime:

Tick tick tick. . .

"Iran's president on Thursday called Israel's government a 'regime based on evil,' but also said he was ready to negotiate with the United States and other countries over his country's nuclear program.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has previously said Israel should be wiped off the map, also told a cheering crowd of students in Indonesia's capital that the Jewish state 'cannot continue and one day will vanish.'"

House bill would remove limits on military prayer�

House bill would remove limits on military prayer�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper:

Good bill that I hope passes.

"Tucked into a massive defense authorization bill that the House will vote on this week is a provision aimed at giving military chaplains more freedom to pray as they see fit.
The language was crafted by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, California Republican, and Rep. Walter B. Jones, North Carolina Republican, and is part of the defense bill approved by Mr. Hunter's panel last week.
Mr. Jones and others have long complained that some military chaplains feel restricted in how they can pray and have been encouraged, in some instances, not to pray in Jesus' name. "

Some chaplains have complained publicly that they've been asked to use general terms in prayer. Late last year, Mr. Jones and other House members demanded that the White House step in, and the White House was receptive. But Mr. Jones said this new bill's language will make the issue clear and enshrined in law.

"I'm very pleased," he said Friday, adding that it will "guarantee the First Amendment rights to our chaplains that have been challenged in recent years."

"This language helps to restore the privilege of that chaplain to pray as his faith calls on him to pray," he said.

He conceded that the language isn't a complete "home run," but said it's a "major step," and he plans to talk to senators in coming weeks to help ensure that the provision remains in the bill and becomes law.

WSJ.com - Avian Flu News Tracker

WSJ.com - Avian Flu News Tracker:

"8:30 p.m.: A leading bird-flu expert says H5N1 is the worst flu virus he's ever encountered, and that far too many gaps in planning and knowledge persist for the world to handle it in the event of a pandemic.

The virus is a virulent killer in poultry, moving into the brain and destroying the respiratory tract, said Robert G. Webster, a virologist at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. 'I've worked with flu all my life, and this is the worst influenza virus that I have ever seen,' said Mr. Webster, who has studied bird flu for decades. 'If that happens in humans, God help us.'"

This is why countries are culling thousands of birds everytime one is found with the virus. This is scary stuff.

UFO study finds no sign of aliens

BBC NEWS | UK | UFO study finds no sign of aliens:

"A confidential Ministry of Defence report on Unidentified Flying Objects has concluded that there is no proof of alien life forms.

In spite of the secrecy surrounding the UFO study, it seems citizens of planet Earth have little to worry about."

The four-year study - entitled Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK - tackles the long-running question by UFO-spotters: "Is anyone out there?"

The answer, it seems, is "no".

The question is not is there intelligent life out there but can we find some here. Scientists who listen to sounds from space believe any simple order of sounds or numbers would prove intelligent life is out there. Yet we are told that intricate complex propose in life here does not prove intelligent design. Four bleeps from out there proves intelligent design but the million volumes of information carried in our DNA proves that we happened by chance. Go figure!

The Bird flu may cause a sick internet connection

My Way News: "WASHINGTON (Reuters)

Telephone and Internet services could be overwhelmed and shut down in the early stages of a bird flu pandemic as people panic and try to work from home, according to a report released on Thursday.

Businesses need to think of other ways to keep going as governments close schools and direct people to stay home, management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton reported.

The company issued the report based on a exercise conducted at the World Economic Forum in January, involving 30 chief executive officers of companies, government ministers, and senior officials of the United Nations.

The scenario assumed a pandemic was already underway in Germany and the participants thought through the consequences.

What they found matched with what other experts have predicted -- large numbers of people will stay home from work, either because they are sick, caring for family members, because schools are closed or simply because they are afraid.

And many may presume that they can telecommute -- perhaps too many, the officials and business leaders agreed.

'Telecommunications (phone and Internet) will likely be overwhelmed early in a pandemic, with experts predicting shut-downs in two to four days, meaning that telecommuting will not be viable and alternative communications need to be explored,' the report read.

'Governments will likely direct the general population to stay in their homes, and minimize social contact,' it added.

'Alternate facilities, such as schools and churches will need to become hospitals with the recovered filling vacant essential jobs. This will require individuals to receive a minimal level of training to perform critical functions.'

I have seen numbers from Home Land Security to the Center for Disease Control that suggest it will take 18 to 24 days for the flu to subside in a city or town. In other words, if it is a real epidemic you will probably be asked to take precautions or stay home completely for up to three weeks.

Therefore, each time you go to the store buy two or three items that you will put in long term storage for an emergency.

Judge orders San Diego cross removed

WorldNetDaily: Judge orders San Diego cross removed:

"Ruling on a 15-year-old ACLU case, a federal judge today ordered the city of San Diego to remove a mountain-top cross within 90 days or face a fine of $5,000 a day.

U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson said, 'It is now time, and perhaps long overdue, for this court to enforce its initial permanent injunction forbidding the presence of the Mount Soledad cross on city property,' the San Diego Union-Tribune reported."

Thompson ruled in 1991 the Mount Soledad cross violates the so-called "separation of church and state" but the case has remained in courts and become an issue of public policy for more than a decade.

ACLU lawyer James McElroy believes San Diego officials finally will give up their fight.

"I don't think the city has its heart in taking more action," he said, according to the paper.

The battle began in 1989 when Phillip Paulsen, an atheist, filed suit, and a court ordered the city to remove the cross. In 1998, the city sold the property to the Mt. Soledad War Memorial Association, which again was challenged in court. The sale originally was upheld but later ruled unconstitutional by the full panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and remanded back to district court to work out a remedy.

During its brief period of ownership, the Memorial Association made significant improvements, including extensive landscaping and the addition of more than 3,000 plaques honoring military veterans.

The first cross placed on this site was in 1913. However, this has been an established war memorial for more than five decades. Over 100,000 signatures were gathered in support for this memorial but one lone atheist can thrust his will on everyone else to have it removed. He can only do this thanks to the ACLU which receives government funding.

Navy Chaplain May Face Court-Martial For Praying

NBC 4 - News - Navy Chaplain May Face Court-Martial For Praying:

Clergyman Prayed In Uniform Outside White House

"NORFOLK, Va. -- A chaplain stationed at Naval Station Norfolk said he could face court-martial for praying in uniform outside the White House.

Lt. Gordon Klingenschmitt said he prayed at a March 30 protest opposing Department of Defense rules forbidding military chaplains from invoking the name of Jesus Christ.

He's accused of violating an order not to appear in uniform at news conferences in support of personal or religious issues.

The issue seems to hinge on whether his praying at the event was permissible participation at a bona fide religious service. Klingenschmitt is rejecting non-judicial punishment in favor of trial by court-martial.

In addition, he's filing a complaint against the Navy claiming the threat of punishment against him amounts to religious harassment and he's appealing to the White House to end what he claims are the military's attempts to take reprisals against a whistle-blower."

County quietly backs off plan to limit size of new churches

County quietly backs off plan to limit size of new churches:

"WEST PALM BEACH — In sharp contrast to earlier fervor-filled hearings, Palm Beach County commissioners quietly voted 4-1 Thursday to remove a clause that would have limited the size of new churches.

The proposed cap would have limited the number of seats and square footage to as little as 250 seats and 25,000 square feet in rural neighborhoods; 500 seats and 50,000 square feet in moderately dense areas; and 750 seats and 75,000 square feet in more urban settings. Houses of worship in commercial zones would not have been restricted."

Opponents of church growth were less sanguine about the vote.

"It's unfortunate that churches can't abide by the same rules that anybody else has to abide by," said Susan Kennedy, president of the Jupiter Farms Environmental Council, which advocated for the size limits. "That's all were asking for. You wouldn't want a super Wal-Mart or a giant-sized church placed in a small residential community."

County Zoning Director Jon MacGillis said Thursday that he doubted the proposed changes would have treated churches any differently than commercial and other enterprises.

Lawyers for two religious watchdog groups said the proposals may have violated the First Amendment right of religious expression, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 and the Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1998. The federal and state laws seek to protect churches from unequal treatment by municipal governments.

It is becoming increasingly more hostile between churches and planning commissions. Part of the problem is that most planning commissions do not plan for churches anymore so it becomes a fight for space and zoning.

They want to limit the size of churches not out of concern for neighborhoods but out of a concern that the city will be losing income. They would rather put a business in the space to gain tax revenue than have a church there. It is the age old question of God or Mammon?

Questions on the Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code FAQ

From one of my favorite bloggers, we have frequently asked questions on the Da Vinci Code book. Mark Roberts always does a thoughtful and thorough job on Biblical topics. Do the Gnostic gospels really give evidence that Jesus was married? (Hint: no) Does Dan Brown consider his book’s history of Christianity accurate? Were "more than eighty gospels considered for the New Testament"?

Be prepared to answer the questions that will come up when the movie hits the theaters.

To T or not to T

USNews.com: Opinion: John Leo: John Leo's Blog: A judge's fine line between victims and victimizers:

"What is the deepest instinct of the cultural left? I would say it is the irrepressible urge to divide the world into victims and victimizers, which means group identities, protected groups, and double standards.

The instinct made news when Stephen Reinhardt, the most liberal judge on the most liberal federal circuit–the Ninth–wrote a 2-to-1 opinion in a suit over an antihomosexual message on a T-shirt worn to high school by a student in California.

Reinhardt and a colleague, Sidney Thomas, ruled that the First Amendment does not protect messages criticizing a 'core identifying characteristic of students on the basis of their membership in a minority group,' particularly a group that has been historically oppressed. So gay students can wear a T-shirt attacking Christian students as bigots, but Christians, as members of a nonoppressed majority group in America, cannot respond with equally vehement shirt messages.

According to this new victim classification, a T-shirt message worn by Catholics may be granted First Amendment protection if Catholics are viewed as a historically oppressed minority within Christianity but not if they are considered to be part of a monolithic Christian majority. So hold that T-shirt until the oppression level of Catholics is determined. Who decides whether the oppression status is high enough to allow the First Amendment to be ignored? The judges didn't say."

Once again we see pseudo logic from our court system. Forget first amendment rights. What they are basically saying is it is ok to oppress, harasses or discriminate if you were part of a small group that was at one time oppressed. Therefore, oppression is condonable if it is vengeful or retaliatory.

(Mat 7:12 NKJV) “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.