Revelation 17:3-6
And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.
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Galatians 1:6-9
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
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A Sign? Broken cross ready to
"fall away" from church building  | |
Jeremiah 7:18
"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to spite Me.
Romans 1:22-23
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
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2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.
Revelation 18:4
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;
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Pictured Above:
Eucharist Panorama:
Roman Catholic "Eucharist", Monstrance (holds Eucharist), miracle of the Sun,
Envoy magazine cover picture asks question: GOD? With Eucharist inserted as the
letter "O".
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Jude 1:3-5
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons
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| Shalom in Christ Jesus, | 
"But all these things are merely the beginning
of birth pangs.
- Matthew 24:8 (NASB)
Ever since I was around twelve years old, having viewed one
of the movies mentioned below, [Note: I always thought is was a movie
edition of The Late Great Planet Earth, but I am not 100% sure, I wish I could
figure it out some day] I been observing these phenomena of the prophecies
of the Scriptures called "birth pangs" coming to pass before our eyes, even
though for much of the time I did not know nor understand that was the
Scriptural term. Pastor Bill Randles stated it perfectly in his set of articles
published in a recent alert about how this used to be:
It is an irony that when I became a Christian, in
the late 1970's, the evangelical and Pentecostal world into which I was born
again was gripped with the eschatological urgency. One of the best sellers was
THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH, by Hal Lindsey. There was an evangelistic movie
series called A THIEF IN THE NIGHT, about the rapture, and everyone was looking
for the signs of the times in current events. Moreover, every once in a great
while, perhaps every six months or so, an item in the news would send us all to
our Bibles for corresponding scriptures.
I remember how exciting this used to be, an event would take place concerning
Israel, Chernobyl or the first Gulf War. These things would shake you up and
make you think, "Jesus is coming soon".
When I started
composing BE ALERT! in August of 2002 there was much more
happening pointing to the soon return of our Lord, however, still it was a much
slower pace than just nearly eight years later. Weekly, numerous events and articles would come out about
deception occurring in the church, ever growing persecution, events surrounding
Israel and the Nations, however, one still had to do some digging. I built up a
large amount of resources from which to compose alerts from so readers had
something worthwhile to open. Nowadays, the floodgates have opened, and events
do not just happen daily but hourly. Even the "Mainstream media" seems to
be struggling with which "disaster" to cover as articles and news items that
relate to prophetic end times flow in at such a pace it is difficult if not
impossible to keep up on all that is happening.
In Matthew, 24:8 Jesus states that what He just described
"are the beginning of birth pangs". The word "merely" was added by the
translators to help 'clarify' the statement and is not in the original text,
that is why it is italicized. Personally, I find that by reading the
verse without the added words will many times help the text to actually become
more clear, direct and powerful.
As He was sitting on the Mount of
Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will
these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of
the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it
that no one misleads you. "For many will come in My name, saying, `I am
the Christ,' and will mislead many. "You will be hearing of wars and
rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must
take place, but that is not yet the end. "For nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will
be famines and earthquakes. "But all these things are merely the
beginning of birth pangs.
- Matthew 24:3-8
People everywhere are taking notice of all the "shaking"
that is taking place however, working amongst mainly "lost" and marginal
believers I hear things like "maybe the talk about 2012 is right" or any and
every other such nonsense except for the truth of Scripture. The truth of
Christ and the Bible seems to be the One thing that most still do not want to
hear.
It is time to be prepared for greater shakings and greater
deceptions. Articles in this alert sadly chronicle the apostasy in the church
that has become the rule rather than the exception. The first set of articles
highlight the growth of the Interfaith movement within the church as well as in
society including the re-marriage of Rome and Protestantism. In addition, the latest church growth
statistics show that only the false "Christian" churches are growing and there
is more disturbing news concerning what is transpiring in the "Evangelical
church".
If you are new to BE ALERT! please know
that we are just doing a small part of what the Word of God commands us to do
and it is highly imperative that you get well fed, strengthened and encouraged
from Scripturally sound and godly sources on a regular basis and if possible attend a sound local fellowship where the Bible is taught. Be aware so that you
are not swept up in the tide of spiritual drunkenness, darkness, and deception
of all sorts, as well as the anger and loss of love that can so easily entangle
any one of us.
I pray that these articles, which although in and of
themselves are seemingly dismal news for the true church, the reader can take
courage because we were told beforehand that these things should occur and are
the clearest sign of the soon return of our Lord and Savior.
"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another
and hate one another. "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead
many. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow
cold. - Matthew 24:10-12
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves
teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from
the truth and will turn aside to myths. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from
your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as
if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any
way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the
man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts
himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his
seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
BE/\LERT!
Scott
Brisk
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Interfaith movement gains new strength
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Interfaith/Mystery Babylon
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Breaking barriers, creating bonds with other religions
THE WASHINGTON TIMES [News World Communications/Moon-Unification Church] - By Julia Duin - April 5, 2010
This is the first in a series of reports that will look at new efforts - driven largely by American faith leaders - to bridge old divisions among the nation's and the world's believers.
NEW YORK -- When FaithHouse Manhattan has its twice-monthly interfaith gatherings, the guest list is a carnival of religious belief and creed.
An Islamic Sufi dervish greets you at the door, but the program director, an Episcopalian, makes the announcements. A rabbi, a female Muslim and a Seventh-day Adventist share leadership of the meeting. ...
"People who have a hunger for religious experience can have a taste of it here," said Samir Selmanovic, the Adventist co-leader. Born in Croatia to a Muslim father and a Catholic mother, he helped found FaithHouse 18 months ago. Then he wrote a book, "It's All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian," on the plethora of religions that Americans are increasingly sampling.
FaithHouse is probably the only multireligious church in the country, but its jumble of faiths and practices is becoming less unusual in today's religious marketplace.
In a world in which sectarian divisions fuel some of the most violent and dangerous confrontations, the interfaith movement - once thought as irrelevant - has emerged as a force in American religion like never before.
The movement has made for some unlikely bedfellows, such as an emerging think tank for Jews and Mormons in Salt Lake City.
It involves unlikely alliances, such as when one of the most conservative Christian pro-life groups staged a news conference on Capitol Hill in September applauding a Muslim prayer service on the Mall.
It involves unlikely allies, such as leading Christian "emergent" leader Brian McLaren, who was roundly criticized during Ramadan last year when he fasted the entire month out of solidarity with Muslims.
It involves unlikely support, such as that offered by the Obama White House, which has identified interfaith work as a public policy goal. President Obama's Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has an "interreligious dialogue and cooperation" task force that includes a female Hindu priest, an Orthodox Jewish layman, a female Muslim pollster, a nondenominational evangelical Christian pastor, a pastor and black civil rights leader, and a Muslim youth worker.
It benefits from some unlikely backing. Some of the biggest movers and shakers in the interfaith movement are governments in Muslim states: Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.
Heads - or former heads - of state are likewise involved. Soon after British Prime Minister Tony Blair retired, he founded an interfaith foundation in London to "promote respect and understanding about the world's major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world."
Not since 1950, when the National Council of Churches was founded, has this much energy been aimed toward alliances across religious barriers.
Some say the lessening of fervor among evangelicals - the Southern Baptists, for instance, have been losing members several years in a row - is responsible.
Others say the presence of the first U.S. president whose father was a Muslim is what's spurred interest.
Others point to Sept. 11, 2001, a bolt out of the blue that was a wake-up call to Islamic leaders around the world.
"There has been a huge outpouring of interfaith effort since Sept. 11," said Padraic O'Hare, director of the Center for Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. "This is not a luxury. It's a necessity, whether there is a God or not."
His center added the word "Muslim" to its title in October 2008, a sign that the nation is evolving from a Judeo-Christian society to a society based on the three major Abrahamic religions.
Many say natural disasters, such as the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Haiti earthquake in January, have thrown together disparate religious charities like never before.
Many point out that it's not American Christians but minority religious groups - Muslims, Mormons and Jews - who are providing the energy and creativity for this movement.
Whatever the reason or cause, people are talking to other people like never before. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/05/interfaith-movement-gains-new-strength/print/
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Printing Be Alert! from the email you receive (unless it is a text version) is not printer friendly. If you want a printer friendly alert you have two options. When you receive Be Alert! click the link at the very top that says " Having trouble viewing or clicking this email? Click Here" This brings you to a version of the alert posted online 90 days from the date it is sent. If you use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox to surf the Internet select 'Print Preview' and you will notice that the dark background is gone and the white fonts now appear black. This is a printer friendly format, although the pictures will still print. From the "Print Preview' you can also adjust the overall page count by using the Percentage (%) tool that allows you to increase or decrease the size. The second option you have is to go the Be Alert! Archive pageYou can print them the very same way as the above procedure. You may want to bookmark the page in your Favorites. |
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Blair courts controversial US pastor Rick Warren in bid to unite faiths
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 Former prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious 'offensive' in North AmericaTHE OBSERVER [Guardian Media Group, UK] - By Jamie Doward and Paul Harris - March 25, 2010 Tony Blair is preparing to launch a "faith offensive" across the United States over the next year, after building up relationships with a network of influential religious leaders and faith organisations.With Afghanistan and Iraq casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain, Blair's focus has increasingly shifted across the Atlantic, to where the nexus of faith and power is immutable and he is feted like a rock star. According to the annual accounts of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes cohesion between the major faiths, the foundation is to develop a US arm that will pursue a host of faith-based projects. The accounts show that his foundation has an impressive - and, in at least one case, controversial - set of faith contacts. Sitting on some �4.5m in funds as of April last year, mostly gathered through donations, it is now well placed to make its voice heard. The foundation's advisory council of religious leaders includes Rick Warren, powerful founder of the California-based Saddleback church. It attracts congregations of nearly 20,000 and is reportedly one of the largest in the US. Warren, who has addressed the UN and the World Economic Forum in Davos, has been named one of the "15 world leaders who matter most" and one of the "100 most influential people in the world". His influence was confirmed in December 2008 when Barack Obama chose him to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration. But the decision angered many liberals, who see Warren as an opponent of gay rights and abortion on demand; a prominent alliance with Warren is likely to attract similar attacks on the former British prime minister. Also on the council is David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), a Virginia-based network of churches that spans the globe and is particularly active in the US. Another initiative has been to team up with the Belinda Stronach Foundation in Toronto. Unknown in the UK, Stronach, daughter of a Canadian billionaire, is hugely influential in Canada where as a philanthropist, businesswoman and former politician she has served in both the Conservative and Liberal parties. Attractive and barely into her 40s, media commentators have dubbed her "bubba's blonde", a reference to her friendship with Bill Clinton. According to the accounts, Blair intends to open an office in Toronto to develop the relationship. His desire for North America to be the focus of his faith-based operations was confirmed by the decision to hold his foundation's inaugural event in May 2008 in New York, for the "charity's key partners and religious stakeholders". The accounts also shine a light on the close connections the foundation now enjoys with major political institutions in the US. "With the Washington-based Centre for Interfaith Action, the foundation supported a meeting of major international organisations active in faith-based approaches to combating malaria (plus the White House, World Bank, UN, World Health Organisation) to co-ordinate international efforts," the accounts state. That Blair, a charismatic politician driven by faith, should be at home across the Atlantic is no surprise to political analysts. "He comes across as confident and persuasive," said Professor Shawn Bowler, of the University of California at Riverside. "He does not talk like a modern robo-candidate in the way so many US political figures do." Unlike in the UK, Blair's religious fervour is seen as a strength. "Blair is very open about his faith and that plays a lot better in the US than in Britain," Bowler said. ... Other North American faith-based initiatives endorsed by the foundation include the New York-based Global Nomads Group, which brings together young people through video conferences "to discuss the global issues that affect their lives", and the Faiths Act Fellowship, which selects "30 young leaders aged 18-25, drawn from the different faiths from the US, UK and Canada, to embark on a 10-month journey of interfaith service". ... So embedded is he that Blair regularly crops up in Washington society diaries. Last September, the former Republican vice-president, Dick Cheney, was dining in the same restaurant. Blair got top billing in the gossip columns. GLOBAL MISSION May 2008: Launches the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in New York. September 2008: Opens a three-year programme at Yale exploring the role of faith in the modern era. October 2008: Supports Face to Faith programme, a pilot project for schools in the US, Canada and India. December 2008: Teams up with the Belinda Stronach Foundation in Toronto. February 2009: Speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. March 2009: Helps to open a Baptist World Alliance centre in Jordan. August 2009: Takes part in launch of the Faiths Act Fellowship, bringing together young leaders from different beliefs in the US, UK and Canada. Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/14/tony-blair-faith-foundation-america/print |
Understanding other religions is key to peace, Tony Blair tells Dubai
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THE NATIONAL, English Newspaper of Abu Dhabi, UAE [Abu Dhabi Media Company PJSC (Government Owned)] - By Kathryn Lewis - January 6, 2010DUBAI -- An understanding of other religions may hold the key to peaceful global coexistence, the former British prime minister Tony Blair said yesterday during a visit to the Winchester School in Dubai. "If we only understood each other a little better it might be easier to get along with each other," he said during an event last night held in his honour. "Ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds conflict." "So what we want," he said, "is for there to be understanding, because understanding usually brings with it the possibility of peaceful coexistence." Mr Blair was in Dubai to discuss his Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a non-profit organisation he established, with Gems Education, the UAE's largest private school operator, after he left office in 2007. "Understanding the links people have between the faiths, understanding how faith has shaped the lives of people, this is important, and this is what my foundation is about," Mr Blair said, offering his thanks to Sunny Varkey, the chairman of Gems, for "helping with our foundation". Addressing the Gems chairman during a reception at Mr Varkey's villa, the former prime minister praised the school network's accomplishments in Dubai. ... The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, whose mission is to show that "faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world," offers free programmes for secondary schools and universities that bring students from different religions together to promote interfaith understanding. Gems plans to introduce the foundation's Face to Faith programme, which aims to improve religious literacy among secondary school students, in a handful of schools this year. ... Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100107/NATIONAL/701069816/1010/nationalAlso:Meet President Obama's 'spiritual cabinet'RELIGION NEWS SERVICE [Advance/Newhouse] - By Daniel Burke - March 10, 2010 Near the end of a bumpy first year in office, President Obama readied for a Christmas vacation in Hawaii, but before he left, he called on a group of five ministers for a spiritual recharge. ... Like previous presidents, Obama regularly seeks the counsel of longtime Washington insiders, including Sojourners founder Jim Wallis, Reform Rabbi David Saperstein and retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to shape decisions about the Iraq war, health care reform and the economy. But Obama has also turned to a group of fresh--and relatively unfamiliar--faces to manage religious issues in his administration. They are recalibrating America's engagement with Muslims, revamping the White House faith-based office and tending to the president's own soul. A year into Obama's presidency, each of the following seven people has become an essential member of what might be called his "spiritual cabinet." ... Full Report Posted on the Be Alert! Bloghttp://morielbealertblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/meet-president-obamas-spiritual-cabinet.html |
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Reagan and the occult
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Ronald Reagan had an interest in lucky numbers and newspaper horoscopes. Less known is that a certain scholar of occult philosophy had a lifelong influence on the 40th president of the United States. Mitch Horowitz,
editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin and the author of "Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation," reveals the details.
THE WASHINGTON POST [Wash Post Group/Graham] - POLITICAL BOOKWORM Blog - Written by Guest blogger Mitch Horowitz (Posted by Steven E. Levingston) - April 30, 2010
In spring of 1988, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater acknowledged publicly what journalists had whispered for years: Ronald and Nancy Reagan were devotees of astrology. A tell-all memoir had definitively linked the first lady to a San Francisco stargazer, confirming speculation that started decades earlier when Reagan, as California's governor-elect, scheduled his first oath of office at the eyebrow-raising hour of 12:10 a.m. Many detected an effort to align the inaugural with promising heavenly signs. Fitzwater also confirmed the president's penchant for "lucky numbers," or what is sometimes called numerology. ...
Full Report Posted on the Be Alert! Blog
http://morielbealertblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/reagan-and-occult.html
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All Roads Lead to Rome
Thousands of Anglican churchgoers could cross over to Rome with bishops
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LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] -
By Martin Beckford - May 3, 2010
Thousands of Anglican parishioners
could convert to Catholicism after three leading traditionalist bishops told
the Vatican they were ready to cross over to Rome.
Churchgoers in almost 300 parishes
that disapprove of women priests may take advantage of Pope Benedict XVI's
offer to change denomination if their "flying bishops" lead the way. ...
As The Sunday Telegraph
disclosed, the bishops of Fulham, Richborough and Ebbsfleet held a secret
meeting with papal advisers last week to discuss plans for Anglicans to convert
to the Roman Catholic Church en masse.
At least one key member of the
English Catholic church's commission on the Anglican Ordinariate - the Pope's
move to allow Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Holy See while
retaining some of their spiritual heritage - was in Rome at the same time. ...
There are 268 parishes under the
care of the three bishops, with an average 50 lay members in each as well as
hundreds of priests.
A leading Anglo-Catholic said: "If
it all comes off, it will start off small but grow. On day one 30 or 40 priests
will leave with some of their people. They're the brave ones who set off into
the unknown." ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7669306/Thousands-of-Anglican-churchgoers-could-cross-over-to-Rome-with-bishops.html
Also:
100 US Anglican parishes convert to Roman
Catholic Church
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] -
By Simon Caldwell - March 31, 2010
About 100 traditionalist Anglican
parishes across the United States have decided to convert en masse to the Roman
Catholic Church, it emerged yesterday.
They have voted to take up the offer
made by Pope Benedict XVI in November that permits vicars and their entire
congregations to defect to Rome while keeping many of their Anglican
traditions, including married priests. ...
The Anglican Church in America (ACA)
will now enter the Catholic Church as a block, bringing in thousands of
converts along with their own bishops, buildings and even a cathedral.
They will worship according to
Anglican rubrics, and use the Book of Common Prayer, but they will be in
communion with the Pope, recognising him as their leader.
The bishops said in a brief
statement afterwards that they had agreed to formally "request the
implementation of the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum
coetibus in the United States of America by the (Vatican's) Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith".
The ACA belongs to the Traditional
Anglican Communion, which broke from the Anglican Communion nearly 20 years ago
because of its drift from orthodox Christian doctrines.
Unlike 77 million Anglicans
worldwide, it is not in communion with the much larger US episcopal church nor
does it recognise Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the head
of the church but still considers itself Anglican in its origins.
Its decision to rejoin the Catholic
Church represents the second group of Anglican churches to take up the Pope's
offer. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7375163/100-US-Anglican-parishes-convert-to-Roman-Catholic-Church.html
Australia's traditional Anglicans vote to
convert to Catholicism
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] -
By Bonnie Malkin, in Sydney and Martin Beckford - February 16, 2010
Traditionalist Anglicans in
Australia have become the first to vote in favour of leaving their national
church and converting to Roman Catholicism.
Forward in Faith Australia, part of
the Anglo-Catholic group that also has members in Britain and America, is
setting up a working party guided by a Catholic bishop to work out how its
followers can cross over to Rome.
It is believed to be the first group
within the Anglican church to accept Pope Benedict XVI's unprecedented offer
for disaffected members of the Communion to convert en masse while retaining
parts of their spiritual heritage. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7249374/Australias-traditional-Anglicans-vote-to-convert-to-Catholicism.html
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Lutherans see signs of convergence with Catholics on Eucharist issue
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ECUMENICAL NEWS INTERNATIONAL - By Stephen Brown - April 30, 2010
Geneva/Helsinki -- A German Protestant bishop has urged Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches to draw up a joint declaration on their shared beliefs about the Eucharist, one of the issues that has divided them for hundreds of years since the Reformation.
"Our understandings of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper are no longer that far apart," said Lutheran Bishop Friedrich Weber, who deals with relations between the Catholic Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD), a grouping of eight German regional Protestant churches.
This follows a separate initiative of a group set up by Lutheran and Catholic churches in Sweden and Finland that has been discussing ways in which the two church traditions might advance the results of a 1999 joint Lutheran-Catholic declaration on the doctrine of justification. ...
Bishop Weber made his comments on 29 April in Frankfurt, noting that the Eucharist had been a divisive issue in the Reformation era. However, dialogue in recent times between Catholics and Lutherans had enabled a "differentiated consensus" to be reached.
Weber asserted this would make possible a declaration that there are now no differences of a church-dividing nature between the two traditions about the doctrine of the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper. The sacrament commemorates Jesus' last meal with his disciples.
The German bishop noted, however, that Lutherans and Catholics continue to have different understandings about the doctrine of the Church and the place of the ordained ministry which prevent them sharing together in the Lord's Supper. ...
The bishop suggested as a model the joint declaration signed in 1999 between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church on the doctrine of justification, also a divisive issue in the past. The two sides said that Reformation-era condemnations no longer apply to the present-day teaching of Lutherans and Catholics about the doctrine. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=4038
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For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
A Dozen Papal Encyclicals Reveal Mary's True Role in Salvation
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Pictured: March 21, 2005 issue of Time Magazine - Caption says: "Hail, Mary. Catholics have long revered her, but now Protestants are finding their own reasons to celebrate the mother of Jesus."  | CHRISTIAN NEWSWIRE - January 24, 2010MEDIA ADVISORY -- The Truth never changes but is revealed, through time, to a greater degree until the point at which it is fully known. Such is the role of Mary through Salvation history as revealed in twelve different Papal encyclicals that have been used with permission from Libreria Editrice Vaticana and comprise the highly acclaimed "Mary -- Ever Virgin, Full of Grace: A Study of Papal Encyclicals on Mary." Using Pope Leo XIII's 1891 "Octobri Menseo" as a starting point and concluding with JPII's 1987 "Redemptoris Mater," best-selling Catholic author and educator Cheryl Dickow delves into Church documents to uncover Mary's true role in salvation and examines why now is a pivotal time in human history to recognize Mary as Mediatrix and as the perfect way to Christ. Teresa Tomeo, host of Ave Maria Radio's "Catholic Connection" and EWTN's upcoming "All Things Girl" television series, endorses "Mary -- Ever Virgin, Full of Grace: A Study of Papal Encyclicals on Mary" and calls it an excellent beginning place for the novice to papal documents, while also providing enough freedom and depth of questions for those experienced with the rich writings of the Popes and highly recommends this study as a unique opportunity to delve into -- and be transformed by -- some of the greatest writings in Church history combined in one book. To receive a free review copy of "Mary -- Ever Virgin, Full of Grace: A Study of Papal Encyclicals on Mary" write Cheryl@BezalelBooks.com. Please identify the radio, television, or print organization that you represent and provide a shipping address at that organization. Promotion includes two free copies for radio program listeners on which the book is featured. Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://christiannewswire.com/news/1280812830.html
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Christian question: 'Interfaith dialogue' or 'useful idiots'?
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WORLDNETDAILY - By Michael Carl - May 4, 2010
Ed. Note: Acts 29? When a ministry is named after a chapter in the Bible that doesn't exist, maybe that in itself should suggest something regarding its Scriptural soundness.
BE/\LERT!
The effort among some Christian churches to meet with Muslims and dialogue about faith is a betrayal of the basic foundations of Christianity, asserts a critic of the developing trend.
"Useful idiots," is how Christian talk show host and Muslim analyst Ingrid Schlueter assessed the participants in a recent interfaith dialogue session between the Acts 29 Network-affiliated Harambee Church and MAPS, the Muslim Association of Puget Sound, a group that has connections to the Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
WND previously reported an expert on the advance of radical Islam in the United States says the Muslim Brotherhood is effectively employing a strategy of presenting "Islam lite" to organizations, including Christian churches.
The Muslim Brotherhood is the Sunni transnational movement founded in Egypt in 1928 that has spawned most of the major terrorist movements in the world, including al-Qaida and Hamas. It's aim is to make Islamic law supreme over the world.
The recent church plant, a spinoff of Seattle's Mars Hill megachurch, recently started a series of interfaith dialogue meetings with MAPS. Schlueter said there are complications.
"Harambee Church is pastored by Michael Gunn, who was a former pastor at Mars Hill Church. When I saw that they had actually worked with CAIR to sponsor this event I was shocked and really horrified," Schlueter said. "I know something of the background of CAIR. It's very clearly a group with terrorist ties, so much so that the government won't even work with them as of last year. They were named as unindicted co-conspirators in the Hamas funding case the government was investigating.
"I just couldn't believe that a church would actually serve as a propaganda base in effect for this Muslim group, what many call a Hamas front group in an evangelical church," Schlueter said.
A source in Washington state who is close to the Acts 29 Network says another reason the series of interfaith dialogues is a cause for concern is the Acts 29 Network's and Pastor Mark Driscoll's connections with Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren. The best-selling author of pastor of the Lake Forest, Calif., megachurch also is involved in interfaith dialogue, Schlueter said.
Driscoll has participated in conferences at Warren's Lake Forest, Calif., church and was listed as a speaker at Saddleback's Radicalis conference for youth in February. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=149893
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Christian school teaches how to lead a mosque
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Hartford Seminary, Islamic Institute launch graduate certificateWORLDNETDAILY - By Michael Carl - February 22, 2010Muslims who want to become an imam in the U.S. can now train at an institution founded in the 18th century by members of the Congregationalist denomination to prepare pastors and other Christian ministers for service. Hartford Seminary is launching a new " Graduate Certificate in Imam Education" program this spring, with help from the seminary's Duncan Black MacDonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, the Fairfax Institute and the Fairfax Institute's parent, the International Institute for Islamic Thought, or the IITT The Hudson Institute's Hillel Fradkin says he's concerned about the move, because the IIIT is a front group of the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood, which spawned most of the leading terrorist groups, including al-Qaida and Hamas. "If the Hartford Seminary program is being done through the IIIT, that is rather worrisome," said Fradkin, senior fellow of the D.C.-based think tank's Center for Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World. Christopher Holton of the Center for Strategic Studies in Washington agreed the IIIT represents a radical version of Islam. "IIIT is a Wahhabi organization. The Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam is among the most intolerant, hateful and aggressive religious cults in the entire world. The Hartford Seminary has been snowed due to their apparent ignorance, and this is a disservice to America, as well as peaceful and tolerant people of all faiths," he said. He called the move "an unfortunate continuation of a disturbing pattern of misguided American Christian leaders choosing to do interfaith outreach with jihadist Muslim Brotherhood organizations." He said it isn't the first time a Christian leader has taken such a step. "First we saw the Rev. Rick Warren speaking at ISNA's (Islamic Society of North America) convention last summer, and now we have this episode. Choosing the IIIT for interfaith outreach is a betrayal of Christian principles." Holton said. ... The Muslim Brotherhood strategy for the U.S. isn't complicated, said Fradkin. "The Muslim Brotherhood's stated goal is to turn every location where it exists into an Islamic state, including the United States," he said. The Brotherhood's aims are documented in reports from the NEFA Foundation, established to fight against terror through research, analysis and dissemination of information. ... Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.wnd.com/?pageId=125870
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Bending yoga to fit their worship needs
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Many Christian and Jewish yogis are incorporating prayer and religious teachings into the practice. 'It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual,' one leader says.
LOS ANGELES TIMES [Tribune Company] - By Nomi Morris - April 5, 2010
Christian pop music played quietly in the background as instructor Bryan Brock led a recent yoga class at the nondenominational Church at Rocky Peak in Chatsworth.
Incorporating prayer and readings from the Bible, Brock urged his class of about 20 students to find strength in their connection to their creator through yoga's deep, controlled breathing. "The goal of Christian yoga is to open ourselves up to God," he said. "It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual."
The instructor then recited the Lord's Prayer while his students moved slowly through a series of postures known as the sun salutation.
Such hybrid classes, which combine yoga practice with elements of Christianity or Judaism, appear to be growing in popularity across Southern California and elsewhere.
Some Christians call their versions of the discipline holy yoga or Yahweh yoga and some teachers urge participants to "breathe down Jesus." Jewish yogis, in turn, have developed -- and in some cases, even trademarked -- Torah yoga, Kabbalah yoga and aleph bet yoga, applying Eastern meditative movements to Jewish prayer and study.
Meanwhile, Californian Muslims who practice yoga have yet to merge it with the teachings of the Koran or worship of Allah, a local leader says. And there are skeptics within all three Abrahamic religions who question whether it is proper to integrate the Hindu-based spiritual practice into Western monotheistic traditions.
Rayna Mike said she was skeptical of yoga before she started going to Brock's class at the Church at Rocky Peak, an evangelical congregation. "I never did it before because I considered it Eastern philosophy and I didn't want any part of it," said Mike, a Bel-Air businesswoman.
Mike changed her mind when her trainer at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys recommended the yoga class, and she said the practice has improved her health while feeding her soul. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs-yoga5-2010apr05,0,1068344,full.story
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Dumpster Diving?
Latest church growth statistics
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THE WASHINGTON TIMES [News World
Communications/Moon-Unification Church] - Belief Blog by Julia Duin, religion
editor - February 12, 2010
[...] Roman Catholics, the nation's
largest Christian denomination, grew 1.49 percernt to 68 million members. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1.71 percent to 5.8 million
members and the Assemblies of God grew 1.27 percent to 2.8 million members.
Others claiming growth incluce the
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of God in Cleveland, Tenn., both at 1
million members.
The Southern Baptists, though,
registered their second straight year of losses as being down .24 percent to
16.2 million. Even so, they are still the nation's largest Protestant
denomination. They are doing well compared to certain others, such as the
Presbyterian Church USA, which is down 3.28 percent to 2.9 million members; the
American Baptists are down 2 percent to 1.3 million and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America is down 1.92 percent to 4.7 million.
I am attaching a list of the 25
largest churches below. Overall membership in church is up .49 percent this
year to 147.3 million; just under half of the American population.
Total church membership reported in
the 2010 Yearbook is 147,384,631 members, up 0.49 percent over 2009. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/belief-blog/2010/feb/12/latest-church-growth-stats-in/
Also:
The top 25 churches reported in the
2010 Yearbook are in order of size Full Report Posted on the Be Alert! Blog
http://morielbealertblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/top-25-churches-reported-in-2010.html
Catholics, Mormons, Assemblies of
God growing;
Mainline churches report a
continuing decline
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES NEWS
SERVICE - February 12, 2010
New York, February 12, 2010 -- The
National Council of Churches' 2010 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches
reports membership gains in the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and the Assemblies of God, among others.
The 78th annual edition of the
Yearbook also reports a continuing decline in membership of virtually all mainline
denominations. And the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's second largest
denomination and long a reliable generator of church growth, reported a decline
in membership for the second year in a row, down 0.24 percent to 16,266,920.
...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html
Christian churches in Canada fading
out: USA next?
USA TODAY [Gannett] > Faith &
Reason Blog - By Cathy Lynn Grossman - February
11, 2010
Olympics fans heading to Vancouver
might want to visit a vanishing cultural treasure while they're in Canada --
local churches.
Canada has become a
"post-Christian society" where once-dominant Anglicanism has
"moved to the margins of public life," according to a bleak study
reported by Michael Valpy at the Globe and Mail.
A new assessment of the state of the
church in Canada looks at the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia and then
across the country and concludes that,
... at
the present rate of decline -- a loss of 13,000 members per year -- only one
Anglican would be left in Canada by 2061.
...
Nationally, between 1961 and 2001, the church lost 53 per cent of its
membership, declining to 642,000 from 1.36 million. Between 1991 and 2001
alone, it declined by 20 per cent.
The report zeros in on Vancouver and
the adjacent Gulf Islands, suggesting closing or preparing to shutter nearly
two in three of its Anglican churches now that the Anglican population is
... one
generation away from extinction ... The unchurched are not coming to us.
Only the Roman Catholic Church is
holding steady and the report attributes that to immigration. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/02/christian-churches-in-canada-fading-out-usa-next/1
UK: Average age of churchgoers now 61, Church of England report finds
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] - By Andy Bloxham, and Martin Beckford - January 22, 2010
The average age of churchgoers is 61, according to according to the latest statistics from the Church of England.
The report, compiled by the research and statistics department of the Archbishops' Council, also found half of those in the pews are pensioners.
Some rural congregations were older than 65 on average, while the youngest Anglicans were found in London, with the 'standard' churchgoer aged 54.
It compares with the population as a whole where the average adult age is 48.
This is the first year in which the Church has analysed the ages of its congregations in detail, so no long-term trends can be determined.
However, weekly church attendance continues to fall according to separate figures published on Friday. Around 1.14m people went to a church service at least once a week in 2008, the latest figures show, but average Sunday attendance was down to 960,000 from 978,000 the previous year. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7054097/Average-age-of-churchgoers-now-61-Church-of-England-report-finds.html
Just follow the formula
"Sunday's Coming"
A movie trailer by North Point Media
If your church resembles something like this, you may be in trouble.
http://vimeo.com/11501569
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And how will they hear without a preacher?
Free Hugs... No Gospel
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 LIVING WATERS MINISTRIES > Living Waters / The Way of the Master's Notes - By Ray Comfort - April 11, 2010
I was with our team at Huntington Beach last Saturday when I noticed some teenagers with signs that said, "FREE HUGS." It turns out that they were a Christian group sharing "God's love" with strangers, by giving them a hug.
I asked the leader if the kids shared the gospel with the strangers they hugged. They didn't. It was "relationship evangelism."
Yes, they were going to Hell if they died in their sins, but they didn't want to be pushy. I encouraged him to have his team at least give out tracts to those they hugged, but he was in a hurry and had to leave before I could convince him to do so.
In a list of "Ten Ideas for Everyday Outreach," a leading Christian magazine recently suggested praying for people "as you walk by them," tell them you appreciate them, leave notes of encouragement, pick up trash, leave a thank you note for waiters, be friendly, etc.
If that's outreach, what are they reaching out for? Is it so that if sinners die in their sins they will think about how nice Christians were to them, and how they keep the sidewalks free of trash? They will need more than a hug, in Hell.
I couldn't help but think of how bold a person has to be to run around with a sign that says "FREE HUGS." Surely there must be someone in their leadership that has read "How shall they hear without a preacher," and will steer these kids to be true and faithful witnesses.
Then again, they may have got their hugs idea from the leading Christian magazine, and therefore think that they are doing the right thing.
Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=384661216637
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Survey: Most Young People Are 'Lost' Despite 'Christian' Label
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Though a majority of teens and young adults identify as Christian, a new study suggests that only 15 percent of them have personal relationships with Christ and are deeply committed.THE CHRISTIAN POST - By Audrey Barrick - April 27, 2010Though a majority of teens and young adults identify as Christian, a new study suggests that only 15 percent of them have personal relationships with Christ and are deeply committed. Most American "Millenials" - those born between 1980 and 1991 - don't pray regularly. Few read their Bibles or other religious texts, and many don't attend church on a weekly basis, according to a LifeWay Research study. "[W]e cannot forget the vast majority of lost young people in this generation. Our hearts should be broken with this reality," said Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. "We should be convicted if we do not yet have a heavy burden to reach this generation." Sixty-five percent of Millennials called themselves a Christian in the study that was conducted on 1,200 young Americans in August 2009. But Rainer estimates that 85 percent of young people are lost. "Many are either mushy Christians or Christians in name only," Rainer told USA Today. "Most are just indifferent. The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith." ... Forty-four percent of self-identified Christians agreed strongly that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Among those who trust Christ as Savior, 81 percent agreed strongly. Only 16 percent of young people who don't attend religious worship services indicated the same strength of accord. Moreover, 26 percent of Christians agreed strongly that salvation is through God's grace alone. In other findings, only a quarter agreed strongly that the Bible is the written word of God and is totally accurate in all that it teaches. Only 30 percent strongly believe Jesus Christ was sinless. And the most common belief among Millenials about life after death is that "no one really knows." ... Full Report Posted on the Be Alert! Bloghttp://morielbealertblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/survey-most-young-people-are-lost.htmlEdited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.christianpost.com/article/20100427/survey-most-young-people-are-lost-despite-christian-label/ |
One cannot fake repentance and a transformed life, however ...
Coerced to convert: Peer pressure at church
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HOUSTON CHRONICLE [Hearst Corporation] > Believe It or Not Blog - By Kate Shellnutt - February 23, 2010
Actor Mark Ruffalo, who most recently appeared in Shutter Island, admitted that as a kid he pretended to get saved at an alter call led by famed televangelist Jimmy Swaggart at his grandma's church.
He discusses the experience and his mish-mashed Baha'i-Catholic background on an episode of PBS' Tavis Smiley Show, scheduled to air tonight (clip below).
Ruffalo's story makes me think of those features in gossip mags: "Celebrities! They're just like us! They take out the trash! They wear sweatpants! They feel pressured to commit to Jesus!"
Anyone who's attended Christian summer camp, visited a particularly charismatic or evangelical church or spent time with overeager Christian friends probably knows the feeling he's talking about--a desire to experience the supernatural the way they see others overcome by it.
When he saw fellow 8-year-olds at church "knocked out by the spirit of the Lord," Ruffalo said he prayed that Jesus would come over him and knock him down... but when that didn't happen, he just threw himself to the ground and faked it.
This impulse to participate in the spiritual isn't just child's play. It's a real sociological phenomenon, where a kind of mob-mentality can coerce people into feeling something beyond themselves... and then attributing that force to the divine.
This was one theory of scholar Emile Durkheim, who found that religion itself emerges out of social gatherings. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://blogs.chron.com/believeitornot/2010/02/coerced_to_convert_peer_pressu_1.html
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Joel Osteen: the new face of Christianity
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THE OBSERVER [Guardian Media Group, UK] - By Daniel Kalder - March 7, 2010Forget Billy Graham and Jimmy Swaggart - the most popular and influential pastor in the US is Joel Osteen. On the surface he is modest and quietly spoken, but his belief in the "prosperity gospel" is changing the way people pray The praise and worship brought me here," says Natalie, sitting beside me in the fifth row of Houston's Lakewood Church - a vast, converted stadium that seats 16,000. "I was raised Catholic, but I don't feel the spirit there like I do here." Three enormous video screens advertise church groups such as Griefshare: From Mourning to Joy and the Freedom Series. But just as I'm wondering what the Quest for Authentic Manhood involves, the house worship band kicks out the jams. It's 11am exactly and the day's second service has begun. The stage is dominated by an enormous revolving golden globe, in front of which is a rock orchestra flanked on either side by a multiracial gospel choir. Meanwhile, no fewer than nine lead singers are dancing about the stage, praising the Lord. And as if the stage isn't busy enough, down on the floor a small army of serious-looking men dressed in black suits stands alert, ever watchful, communicating with each other through radio mics. Theoretically they're church ushers, but they look more like secret service men guarding a president. Gently but firmly they guide latecomers to their seats, leaving nothing to chance, as if one wrong step could upset the delicate balance that keeps 16,000 evangelical Christians from erupting into violence and anarchy. Men on wheeled chairs scoot past these special agents, thrusting cameras into the faces of the congregation, while overhead a camera on a crane swoops past, instantly transmitting the action on stage to the giant video screens above. Looking up, I watch as the walls and ceiling periodically change colour, from blue to purple to orange as if we were at an intergalactic disco. Make no mistake: Lakewood is no ordinary church, it's a megachurch. No, let's go further: it's an ultrachurch, the largest in America, with more than 40,000 attending five services weekly and a further 7 million watching in their living rooms. And let's not forget the tens of millions more joining us in 100 countries around the world. The main draw is Joel Osteen, "America's pastor". He's at the edge of the stage with his glamorous wife and co-pastor, Victoria. I've watched his televised sermons, seen him on the cover of his bestselling books, and observed interviews on TV with megastars such as Larry King, Sean Hannity and Barbara Walters. Powerful politicians from both parties crave to be seen with him, just as in the past they paid homage to Billy Graham (who has endorsed Osteen). The Republican governor of Texas, Rick Perry, made sure to attend the grand opening of Lakewood in July 2005; Osteen in turn led the prayer during Perry's inauguration two years later. But Osteen doesn't pick political favourites; when Houston elected its first openly gay mayor this year (a Democrat), he said the prayer during her inauguration. The Clintons like to be seen worshipping at Lakewood when they're in town, and John McCain was happy to sing the praises of Osteen while campaigning in 2008. And while Obama is yet to pay a visit, last December he found the time to receive Osteen at the White House. These disparate and often opposed politicians recognise one thing: if anybody is the face of evangelical Christianity in America today, it is Joel Osteen. ... Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/07/joel-osteen-america-pastor
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"wiki-theology" - I could not describe Laodicea (literally "laity-decision" that is "peoples opinions") any better
'Theology After Google' conference takes look at religion in Web era
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LOS ANGELES TIMES [Tribune Company] - By Mitchell Landsberg - March 15, 2010 Like many Americans, Doug Pagitt grew up outside the world of organized religion. Neither his parents nor his grandparents were churchgoers, and there was no expectation that he would be any different. Today, with his goatee, ear stud and funky clothes, he could easily pass for the sort of Gen X hipster who lives an entirely secular life. But at 17, Pagitt saw a Passion play that hit him like a thunderbolt, and he wound up becoming a Christian pastor. His church in Minneapolis, Solomon's Porch, is blazing a trail in a new movement that could be called Church 2.0. That was, in fact, one of the terms used last week during a three-day conference about the future of American Christianity at the Claremont School of Theology. Pagitt was among about 150 ministers, laypeople and academics who gathered to discuss "Theology After Google." The consensus: It's a whole new world out there. Churches will ignore it at their peril. "I think things like denomination and ordination are part of the old system of control and domination that has to go," Pagitt, 42, said as he relaxed after the conference's first day at the Theo Pub set-up for participants. Around him, beer flowed and conversation leaped from Twitter to evangelism to church formation to corn toss, a beanbag game popular in the Midwest and Appalachia that is gaining a toehold among the theologians in Claremont. The premise of the conference had been laid out earlier in the evening by Philip Clayton, a professor at Claremont who talked about the role of Gutenberg's printing press in the 15th century. By making the Bible more widely available, he said, it democratized religion and led directly to the Protestant Reformation. "Ladies and gentlemen," Clayton said, "we are talking today about a transition equally as great." The Claremont school was founded by the United Methodist Church and serves as a seminary for Methodists and three other Protestant denominations. Theologically and culturally, the conference attendees leaned toward the liberal end of the spectrum. One theme that emerged was how smart the Christian right has been about using new media, and how progressive churches need to catch up. But more than talking about how to use new media and social-networking tools, the conference was about how those tools reflect a new cultural mind-set that is changing how people pray. Clayton cited a recent report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that found that people in their 20s today are less likely than any previous generation to be affiliated with a church. Jon Irvine, a 30-year-old Web designer who works with the "emerging church" movement, said the church of the future will have to be less hierarchical and more freewheeling and ecumenical. Using the familiar formula for tracking software changes, he said: "Church 1.0 . . . was always about a big council of big brains getting together and telling you, 'Here, we've gone into a room and we've decreed that you need to believe.' Church 2.0 is more bottom-up. Every man is capable of learning and providing feedback. Church 1.0 is all about creeds and doctrines, whereas Church 2.0 is kind of like a wiki-theology." In this new world, he said, "You can be a free agent. You could start your own church, go to a little faith community down the street, you could go to a mega-church. You could be a Methodist today, Anglican tomorrow -- it's your choice." That might sound like heresy to some, for whom doctrine is immutable. But it fit well with the spirit of the conference, where nothing with the exception of the corn toss tournament trophy, was etched in anything solid. Clayton, the organizer, said that what was happening at the conference and in emerging Christian movements reminded him of the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. "It's raw, it's unrehearsed, but it's unapologetic, it knows its purpose and it's powerful," he said. The conference began with an unusual announcement from co-moderator Tony Jones, a theologian-in-residence at Pagitt's Minneapolis church and the author of "The New Christians: Dispatches From the Emergent Frontier." "We don't want you to silence your cellphones," he told the audience. "We want you in this room to be connected to everything that's happening in the world." At least half the audience multi-tasked on laptops, iPhones and BlackBerrys while listening to speakers. And many contributed comments in the form of Twitter "tweets" that were constantly scrolling up a screen behind the podium. In addition to those in attendance in Claremont, organizers said about 1,300 people watched a streaming video feed of the conference from around the world. ... Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs15-2010mar15,0,4976077.story
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[A]nd you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked ... Rev 3:17
At Ivor church, clothing is optional
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WVEC-TV ABC 13/41 HAMPTON/NORFOLK/VIRGINIA BEACH/CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA [Belo Corp] - By LaSalle Blanks - February 23, 2010
IVOR - In church, you come as you are. That's especially true inside the Whitetail Chapel in Ivor. Clothing is optional for everyone from the pastor to the congregation.
"I really don't think God cares what you wear when you worship," said Richard Foley, a member of the congregation. "The thing is worship."
Churchgoers like Foley have no problem getting the word of God from a pastor in his birthday suit.
"Some of the biggest moments in Jesus' life he was naked," Pastor Allen Parker said. "When he was born he was naked, when he was crucified he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the tomb and he was naked. If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?"
Pastor Allen says the congregation is a family-oriented one and is very involved in helping others.
The Whitetail Chapel is part of the Whitetail Nudist Resort, the only year-round nudist resort in Virginia. It opened in 1984 and business is booming. More than 10,000 people visited last year and business is up 12 percent from a year ago.
"Obviously, we're doing something people like," said Michael Dougherty, the resort's office manager.
Visitors say being a nudist is about being free from societal judgments. They say it's a stress-free environment where everyone is equal and there's no pressure to be anything than who you really are. ...
Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://www.wvec.com/news/local/INSIDE-A-NAKED-CHURCH-85062392.html
Also:
Here we go again: Another pet service
Massachusetts church to offer worship services for dogs
ASSOCIATED PRESS - May 5, 2010
DANVERS, Mass - A Massachusetts church is scheduled to launch a new monthly worship service-for dogs. Calvary Episcopal Church will offer later this month its first "Perfect Paws Pet Ministry" aimed at giving area pooches and their owners improved odds at getting canines into heaven. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.denverpost.com/watercooler/ci_15023806
11:11 and other weird times Texas churches are choosing for worship
HOUSTON CHRONICLE [Hearst Corporation] > Believe It or Not Blog - By Kate Shellnutt - April 29, 2010
The latest trend among some contemporary Texas churches is a seemingly simple one: the start time. Instead of traditional on-the-hour worship, they're picking times a minute or two off.
The Loft, the contemporary worship ministry of the Woodlands United Methodist Church, holds services at 6:29 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:29 and 11:11 on Sunday mornings.
"We wanted the Loft to be a different worship experience and the times kind of reflect that," said Rozlyn Tunstall, the church's logistics coordinator. The services have a "rock-concert feel," with parishioners in casual clothing and sipping coffee from their caf�.
When new people come, they'll usually ask about the weird times. "Some people think they're symbolic of a Bible verse or something. They're not," said Tunstall.
11:11 seems to be among the most popular unconventional times. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://blogs.chron.com/believeitornot/2010/04/1111_and_other_weird_times_tex_1.html
GM, church team up to convert sales
THE DETROIT FREE PRESS [Gannett] - By Steve Neavling - April 19, 2010
It was a day of praise, prayer and, well, test driving General Motors' new lineup of cars, crossovers and SUVS.
In what organizers said was the first event of its kind in the area, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit teamed up Sunday with GM and the GM Minority Dealers Association to offer churchgoers a chance to test drive more than a dozen cars.
As congregants left the northwest side church at 1 p.m., Pastor Charles Adams said the idea of Ride and Drive was to demonstrate GM's commitment to minority causes, its employment of thousands of local African Americans and to encourage churchgoers to buy a new GM car.
"Americans now must support American-made products," Adams said outside the church with Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, a longtime member. "We are encouraging our church members to take care of their community by buying locally. This is an ethical purpose that is beyond profit."
After a cruise in a shiny maroon 2010 Chevy Camaro, Indira Murray was all smiles.
"It's a beautiful car," the 38-year-old Detroit resident said. "I love it. When I get a job, I might get one." ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.freep.com/article/20100419/NEWS01/4190324/GM-church-team-up-to-convert-sales
The Apostasy has come to this (this is not a joke!)
Video: Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ZXliHbo5Q&feature=player_embedded
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Lack of discernment between holy and profane
Religion, politics and Miley Cyrus
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HOUSTON CHRONICLE [Hearst Corporation] - By Kate Shellnutt - April 21, 2010
Miley Cyrus has been pretty open about her Christianity--she brings up God's plan in interviews with the media, quoted the Bible on Oprah and thanked "my Lord and savior Jesus Christ" at an awards show.
But plenty of people think her Jesus talk doesn't match her walk, since she often walks around in short shorts (or dances up on a pole or takes scandalous cell phone pics or does a number of other typical teenager things).
"People are always looking for you to do something that is non-Christian," Miley, 17, said in an interview with Parade last month. "But it's like, 'Dude, Christians don't live in the dark.' I have to participate in life. If I wear something revealing, they go, 'Well, that's not Christian.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm going to go to hell because I'm wearing a pair of really short white shorts.' Suddenly I'm a slut. That's so old-school."
Her critics' concerns run deep: As Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter, Miley maintains a connection to the red-state-style country music industry, so they fear she's going to infiltrate their scene with her new, "California" values (She watches Ru Paul! She likes Michelle Obama! She's interested in Buddhism!).
That's right: Miley Cyrus is the liberal "Trojan horse," according to conservative watchdog site Big Hollywood.
The article posits liberalism against Christianity in a very direct way, saying "The left can't compete in the Christian market." For them, the left includes Miley Cyrus, and the Christian market is their market, country music. ...
"My faith is very important to me," said Miley, a Southern Baptist. "But I don't necessarily define my faith by going to church every Sunday. Because now when I go to church, I feel like it's a show. There are always cameras outside. I am very spiritual in my own way. Let me make it clear, though--I am a Christian. Jesus is who saved me. He's what keeps me full and whole. But everyone is entitled to what they believe and what keeps them full. Hopefully, I can influence people and help them follow the same path I am on, but it is not my job to tell people what they are doing wrong."
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://blogs.chron.com/believeitornot/2010/04/religion_politics_and_miley_cy.html
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New Evangelical Left Film Attacks Israel
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CHRISTIAN NEWSWIRE - April 7, 2010WASHINGTON -- A new film, "With God on Our Side," is being released this month to rebut pro-Israel Christians and persuade them to champion the Palestinian cause. The film's purpose, as its producer explains, is to take American Christians off the metaphorical tourist trail of their pro-Israel stance and instead wade them into embittered Palestinian communities where their views will change. The makers of "With God on Our Side" want increased U.S. pressure on Israel to accommodate Palestinian demands, facilitated by reduced U.S. evangelical support for Israel. The ultimate goal is unclear, whether a Palestinian state in the West Bank ruled by Islamists like Hamas, or dismantling Israel altogether in favor of a new nation dominated by returned Palestinian "refugees." Film endorsers include liberal evangelist Tony Campolo and Emergent Church guru Brian McLaren. ... Edited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.christiannewswire.com/news/3905213559.html
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Christians, protect your children
Ouija board a controversial toy for tots
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Marketing Witchcraft to little girls: Pink edition of the Ouija board by Hasbro  |
ONE NEWS NOW [American Family News Network] - By Charlie Butts - February 3, 2010Toys R Us is selling Ouija boards, promoting them as acceptable for children as young as eight years old. The pink edition of the Ouija board is listed for girls eight-years-old and up while the regular version is designated for all children eight and up. Stephen Phelan, communications manager of Human Life International, checked the website and reports that the findings are disturbing. "It is just troubling that these things are treated as casually as any other game, like Monopoly or anything else on this Toys R Us site -- and I think it's something Christians should be aware of and really not support," he states. He further believes that Christians have an obligation to fight against it. "If you go to the comments section on the Toys R Us [web]site, you'll read comments from people who talk about being obsessed with it, talk about missing school for it, talk about the spirits they spoke to on the other side and how creepy it was," Phelan describes. The communications manager adds that the primary groups that deny the evils of the Ouija board are the ones who deny the spirit world entirely. He goes on to say Christians have a biblical mandate. "We're supposed to deal with the truth only," he notes. "We're supposed to have nothing to do with dark spirits. We're not supposed to dabble in anything that would compromise our souls, and that's exactly what this does." The manufacturer of the product is Hasbro. Unedited :: Link to Original Postinghttp://www.onenewsnow.com/Business/Default.aspx?id=879430
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Professing to be wise, they became fools - Romans 1:22
A religious take on climate change
| About 90 people of many faiths gather at a cathedral near downtown Los Angeles to promote what they say is their moral duty to care for the Earth and all of God's creation.
LOS ANGELES TIMES [Tribune Company] - By Larry B. Stammer - May 1, 2010
Were it not for the setting in a stately Romanesque cathedral near downtown Los Angeles, the gathering might have been mistaken for a political rally.
Many of the 90 people present signed cards to California's two U.S. senators urging them to support legislation to roll back greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Others pledged to oppose efforts by oil companies and conservative activists in California to suspend the state's landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. They signed a "carbon covenant" to oppose illegal logging and deforestation in the developing world.
Yet for most of those last Sunday, the underlying motivation was not political but religious. They said they had a moral duty to care for the Earth and all of God's creation. They called for a widened understanding of what it means to love one's neighbor in a world where choices made on one continent can affect people thousands of miles away, including those in poor countries least able to cope with climate shifts.
The gathering at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral was yet another sign of a maturing religious environmental activism and sophistication 40 years after the first Earth Day. At that time, religious bodies were virtually silent about "green" issues. Not now. Indeed, longtime environmental advocates such as author Bill McKibben, the keynote speaker at St. John's, said that whatever success there may be in staunching the worst effects of climate change will depend in large part on people of faith. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/01/local/la-me-beliefs-green-20100501
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At 40, Earth Day Is Now Big Business
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 Forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services
NEW YORK TIMES [NYTimes Group/Sulzberger] - By Leslie Kaufman - April 21, 2010
So strong was the antibusiness sentiment for the first Earth Day in 1970 that organizers took no money from corporations and held teach-ins "to challenge corporate and government leaders."
Forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services, like office products, Greek yogurt and eco-dentistry.
For this year's celebration, Bahama Umbrella is advertising a specially designed umbrella, with a drain so that water "can be stored, reused and recycled." Gray Line, a New York City sightseeing company, will keep running its buses on fossil fuels, but it is promoting an "Earth Week" package of day trips to green spots like the botanical gardens and flower shopping at Chelsea Market.
F. A. O. Schwarz is taking advantage of Earth Day to showcase Peat the Penguin, an emerald-tinted plush toy that, as part of the Greenzys line, is made of soy fibers and teaches green lessons to children. The penguin, Greenzys promotional material notes, "is an ardent supporter of recycling, reusing and reducing waste."
To many pioneers of the environmental movement, eco-consumerism, creeping for decades, is intensely frustrating and detracts from Earth Day's original purpose.
"This ridiculous perverted marketing has cheapened the concept of what is really green," said Denis Hayes, who was national coordinator of the first Earth Day and is returning to organize this year's activities in Washington. "It is tragic."
Yet the eagerness of corporations to sign up for Earth Day also reflects the environmental movement's increased tolerance toward corporate America: Many "big greens," as leading environmental advocacy organizations are known, now accept that they must take money from corporations or at the least become partners with them if they are to make real inroads in changing social behavior. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/business/energy-environment/22earth.html
Also:
For Earth Day, 7 New Rules to Live By
NEW YORK TIMES [NYTimes Group/Sulzberger] - By John Tierney - April 19, 2010
On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, is the middle-aged green movement ready to be revived by some iconoclastic young Turqs?
No, that's not a misspelling. The word is derived from Turquoise, which is Stewart Brand's term for a new breed of environmentalist combining traditional green with a shade of blue, as in blue-sky open-minded thinking. A Turq, he hopes, will be an environmentalist guided by science, not nostalgia or technophobia. ...
Ed. Note: The Green/ Environmental movement has clearly grown into a pagan religion. I am not talking about being a good steward of what God has given us, but the worship of nature and the belief in the lies propagated by this movement. This article is edited to show just the "7 New Rules. Rule #7 just about sums up what this movement is really all about:
7. We are as gods and have to get good at it. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/science/20tier.html
Psychiatry Congress: Global warming fears seen in obsessive compulsive disorder patients
MEDIANET INTERNATIONAL-ASIANET - May 6, 2010
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- The Royal Australian and New Zealand Collage of Psychiatrists' Congress at SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland brings together mental health experts in a diverse range of areas; from children and adolescents to old age, mental health across the lifespan will be discussed. Here are some highlights from this morning's program.
Global warming fears seen in obsessive compulsive disorder patients
A recent study has found that global warming has impacted the nature of symptoms experienced by obsessive compulsive disorder patients. Climate change related obsessions and/or compulsions were identified in 28% of patients presenting with obsessive compulsive disorder. Their obsessions included leaving taps on and wasting water, leaving lights on and wasting electricity, pets dying of thirst, leaving the stove on and wasting gas as well as obsessions that global warming had contributed to house floors cracking, pipes leaking, roof problems and white ants eating the house. Compulsions in response to these obsessions included the checking of taps, light switches, pet water bowls and house structures. "Media coverage about the possible catastrophic consequences to our planet concerning global warming is extensive and potentially anxiety provoking. We found that many obsessive compulsive disorder patients were concerned about reducing their global footprint," said study author Dr Mairwen Jones. (9am) ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/psychiatry-congress/5/47523
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Crystal Cathedral in Calif. owes money to vendors
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Moriel and Jacob Prasch ask prayer that the Lord will bring
his continued judgment on Robert Schuller's apostate Crystal Cathedral
house of heresy.
Robert Schuller is the professing Reformed Calvinist cum
psycho-babbling heretic who preached that he would not mind if his
grandchildren became Muslims after inviting the Islamic Grand Mufti of Damascus
to his pulpit, and who called upon his congregants to ask the pope whom he
called "The Holy Father" the way home. Schuller was influenced by the 33rd
degree Free Mason Norman Vincent Peal; we might say that "Schuller laid the egg
that Bill Hybels and Rick Warren hatched".
Schuller once even taught that "Jesus Christ went to the
cross in order to magnify His ego"!
We thank God for His almighty judgment on this wicked
ministry. May the God who bought down Jim and Tammy Bakker's PTL Club,
the Brownsville Revival of John Kirpatrick, Paula White's Church
Without Walls, and The Lakeland lunatic asylum of the Straders and Todd
Bentley, please also now bring down the Crystal Cathedral
abomination of Robert Schuller, we pray in Jesus Holy Name.
ASSOCIATED PRESS - March 25, 2010 GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - The Crystal Cathedral megachurch, birthplace of the "Hour of Power" televangelist broadcast, owes tens of thousands of dollars for services provided for last year's holiday pageant, vendors said Thursday. Administrators sent an e-mail to "Glory of Christmas" vendors saying the church is having "severe financial difficulties" and can't afford to pay them now. A meeting between the vendors and church is set for next week. The church, founded in the mid-1950s by Robert H. Schuller, is staggering under about $55 million in debt. Earlier this year it ordered major layoffs, cut the number of stations airing the "Hour of Power" and sold property to stay afloat. The 10,000-member church also canceled this year's "Glory of Easter" pageant, which attracts thousands of visitors and is a regional holiday staple. The cathedral is doing everything it can to strengthen itself financially and is not looking at bankruptcy as an option, church spokesman John Charles said. Vendor Kristina Oliver, who provides the live animals for the "Glory of Christmas" manger scene from her Hemet-based Oliver Livestock Co., said she has been trying to collect nearly $57,000 from the church for months. Vendor Juliet Noriega, who provided costumes, said she is owed more than $10,000. "If someone is going to put forth an effort, they should be paid," said Noriega, who has designed costumes for the annual Christmas spectacular for 25 years. Unedited :: Link to Original Postinghttp://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5grb6-ZlJF4gnhFM8Gocitg1Hu9HQD9ELUTBO0 |
Ritual sacrifice of children on rise in Uganda
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ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Jason Straziuso - April 4, 2010 JINJA, Uganda - [...] The practice of human sacrifice is on the rise in Uganda, as measured by ritual killings where body parts, often facial features or genitals, are cut off for use in ceremonies. The number of people killed in ritual murders last year rose to a new high of at least 15 children and 14 adults, up from just three cases in 2007, according to police. The informal count is much higher - 154 suspects were arrested last year and 50 taken to court over ritual killings. Children in particular are common victims, according to a U.S. State Department report released this month. The U.S. spent $500,000 to train 2,000 Ugandan police last year to investigate offences related to human trafficking, including ritual killings. The problem is bad enough that last year the police established an Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce. Posters on police station walls show a sinister stranger luring two young girls into a car below bold letters that call on parents to "Prevent Child Sacrifice." Human sacrifices have been recorded throughout history and occur still in many countries, including India, Indonesia, South Africa, Gabon and Tanzania. One traditional healer in Uganda, when asked about the phenomenon, pointed to the story told in the Bible's book of Genesis, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice a son. However, the rise in human sacrifices in Uganda appears to come from a desire for wealth and a belief that drugs made from human organs can bring riches, according to task force head Moses Binoga. They may be fueled by a spate of violent Nigerian films that are growing in popularity, and showcase a common story line: A family reaping riches after sacrificing a human. ... The sacrifices are also linked to a deep belief in traditional healers, or witch doctors, who can be found practically every half mile in Uganda. ... On the Net:African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect: http://www.anppcanug.orgEdited :: See Original Report Herehttp://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVKJwZGbjcGft_IsyTJWdY6UGlCQD9ESCS900 |
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