Latest NewsDec 21, 2011 - Latest Research Support's Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin is very likely
not the product of Medieval fakery, say Italian researchers who used Over five years of work, the scientists blasted modern linen with ultraviolet light and examined X-rays of the fabric, attempting to replicate the stunning Christ-like image exhibited in the Shroud. The findings, released in November by Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development, showed they “achieved a very superficial, Shroud-like coloration of linen yarns,” according to a report on msnbc.com. It fell way short of the characteristics
of the real Shroud, however. They concluded therefore that Jesus’s
supposed burial cloth could not have been doctored in Medieval times,
as has been theorized during past studies, some of which relied on
radiocarbon dating of fiber samples.
May 13, 2011 - Bart Ehrman is at it
again with his new Book "Forged"
Bart Ehrman’s new book, Forged (Harper, 2011, 307 pages) has hit the bookstalls and has been hovering in the 300s in the list of top sellers, eclipsed by another Harper book that came out at about the same juncture—- Rob Bell’s Love Wins. Bart Ehrman argues in this book that half the New Testament is "forged", and that the authors deliberately misrepresented the facts. But is this case? Do his accusations stand up to critical analysis, and true scholarship? Those who are looking for an excuse to call the early Christians liars and deceivers are delighted with this book. But let's look at the facts. Let's find out the truth by reviewing this critical analysis: Link to an analysis by NT scholar Ben Witherington: http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture/2011/03/30/forged-bart-ehrmans-new-salvo-the-introduction/ Feb 2, 2011 - 1,700 Year Old Monastery Found! Ain Soukhna, Egypt (CNN) The founders of this monastery were disciples of St. Anthony the Great, widely considered to be the Father of Monasticism because he initiated Christian monastic life as we have come to understand it today. The story goes that St. Mark, one of Jesus Christ's 12 apostles, arrived in Alexandria to spread the word. In a city rife with various schools of thought and religious beliefs, St. Mark was confronted with philosophers who were convinced his teachings were at odds with their own beliefs. To defend his beliefs, St. Mark
founded a theological school, teaching Christianity from a philosophical
point of view. He lived a life modeled after Jesus and attracted many
converts who ultimately became disciples.
For complete details, read the full article about
this recently discovered Christian Monastery at CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/07/orthodox.christian.monastery.egypt/index.html?iref=obinsite
Feb 21, 2010 - Shroud of Turn to Draw Over 2 Million Visitors ROME — Some two million people are
expected to view the Shroud of Turin, the purported burial cloth of Link to article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gX1Z__iySoYsWYJ7Px0CdYF9lJxA Aug 1 - Ancient 2,000 Year Old Cup Has Unusually Long Inscription
LA Times: U.S. archaeologists have
found an extremely rare 2,000-year-old limestone cup inscribed It will probably takes some weeks to months to translate the actual language, but this work is done, it will indeed be exciting to learn the details inscribed on this most unusual cup. For the full details, please see the article in the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-mtzion1-2009aug01,0,6188025.story May 30 - Biblical "Writing on the Wall" Discovered May 30 - Biblical Archeology Society, by Ben Witherington. Archeologists have found evidence of early Christian graffiti. Quoting the article from the web site: "One of the most enlightening lectures at the SBL session was Roger Bagnall’s “New Graffiti from Smyrna in the Context of Early Christianity.” He concentrated on what was found in a basilica basement in the vast Smyrna agora. (In the Roman world a basilica was a type of public building, often a hall of justice; only later was its architectural pattern taken over by the church and used as a design for churches.) The basilica had collapsed in 178 A.D. due to a massive earthquake but was later reconstructed. The part of the basilica Bagnall focused on comes from the late first and early second centuries. Plaster or stucco covered the walls that had graffiti on them. The assortment of graffiti was considerable, focusing on sex, love, civic pride, politics and religion, all jumbled together." One of the most interesting of Bagnall’s examples reads ό δεδωκως πvεύμα (“the one who has given the Spirit”—namely Kyrios, the Lord Jesus). Bagnall claims that this is probably the earliest evidence of Christian graffiti ever discovered. What was the function of this graffito, inscribed in a public place? It does not seem to have been an advertisement to bring in outsiders, but rather for insiders (Christians), who knew the key clichés, phrases and code words to make sense of the graffito. To insiders it announced that there were Christians in the city with whom other Christians could socialize and worship. >> Read the full article at: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=03&ArticleID=05&Page=0&UserID=0& May 21, 2009 - Scientists "Roll Their Eyes" at all the Hype Surrounding Evolutionary Ancestor Time: As many of you know, the media came out with lots of hype last week about finding "the missing link" that will now "change everything" about how we think about human origins. Really. Time just came out with an interesting article discussing how that the recent fossil find "Ida" has been hyped way out of proportion. Interestingly, the title of the article is "Ida: Human kin's earliest ancestor (not really)" Here is a quote from the article:
Read the Time Article: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1900057,00.html April 10, 2009 - Colbert Interrupts Bart Ehrman regarding his new book "Jesus Interrupted" Check this out: http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=224124 April 7, 2009 - Thorough Review of Bart Ehrman's book entitled "Jesus Interrupted" Ben Witherington does a very careful and thorough review of the latest book attacking Christ and the Christian faith, from Bart Ehrman. The review is being done in three parts, and you can find it all on Ben's Blog at ... http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2009/04/bart-interrupted-detailed-analysis-of.html March 11, 2009 - Fifth Century Monastery found near Jerusalem
CNN --
After a group of Israeli farmers sought last year to expand their property
in the hills near Jerusalem, they discovered
an archeological gem beneath the dirt
- the remains of an ancient Christian Monestary. A team led by Daniel Ein
Mor barely had to scratch the surface before finding the remains of a
Byzantine monastery, he told CNN on Wednesday. http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/11/byzantine.monastery.jerusalem/index.html Oct 30, 2008 - Archeological Evidence Now Undisputed - The James Ossuary is Authentic! Biblical Archeological Society. "In
the most recent embarrassment for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), Link: http://www.bib-arch.org/news/forgery-trial-news.asp Oct 22, 2008 - Christians Being Threatened and Forced to Flee Iraq and Other Predominantly Muslim Middle Eastern States According to the LA Times, Fox News, and other sources, Christians are being threatened and forced to move out of Iraq for fear of loosing their lives. A Chaldean Catholic archbishop has warned that Christians in his county face "liquidation". According to the LA Times, this is a "tragedy, not only for Christianity, but also for the long-term goal of ensuring Middle-Eastern societies are pluralist as well as democratic." The Times also reports that this is "part of a larger pattern in which a faith with origins in the Middle East is being driven out of its native region. From Iraw to Lebanon, which once claimed a Christian majority, to Bethlehem, the West Bank town revered as the birthplace of Jesus, Intra-Muslim violence and the Arab-Israeli struggle have combined to persuade (and in some case force) Christians to relocate to Europe or North America." Please help to right this wrong by supporting Christians under persecution in Middle-East, and letting your voice be heard that this persecution needs to stop. For more details, please see:
Fox News: Christians
Fleeing Violence in Iraq -
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270377,00.html
August 26, 2008 - Dead Sea Scrolls to be Viewable on the Internet The New York Times. JERUSALEM — In a crowded laboratory painted in gray and cooled like a cave, half a dozen specialists embarked this week on a historic undertaking: digitally photographing every one of the thousands of fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the aim of making the entire file — among the most sought-after and examined documents on earth — available to all on the Internet. For the full story see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/world/middleeast/27scrolls.html?_r=1&oref=slogin August 18, 2008 - China Confiscates Bibles from American Christians BEIJING - Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four American Christians who arrived in a southwestern city with plans to distribute them, the group's leader said. The Bibles were taken from the group's checked luggage after they landed at the airport in the city of Kunming, said Pat Klein, head of Vision Beyond Borders. The group, based in Sheridan, Wyoming, distributes Bibles and Christian teaching materials around the world to "strengthen the persecuted church," according to its Web site. For the complete story, please visit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080817/ap_on_re_as/china_bibles_confiscated July 13, 2008 - What's the New Dead Sea Stone Really Says Prime Time Jesus - Recently a collector has announced the discovery of an ancient stone tablet from the dead sea area, which he bought from a local antiquities dealer. This collector, and an Israeli scholar, are claiming that this find is authentic, and that it talks about a person raising from the dead in 3 days. What is really on the recently discovered dead sea stone is not what one antiquities dealer, and the the media would have you believe. Its actually a series of broken Hebrew text that requires a lot of creative imagination to come to a conclusion that its talking about another Messiah prior to Jesus who would rise in three days. It also is ink writing on a tablet, in contrast to writing on scrolls, or carving on tablets - somewhat unusual. Of course the tablet has to be verified, authenticated, etc., but given all that, the growing consensus is that this tablet is being made out to be far more that what it in fact is (again, it appears the scholar is tring to sell his books and agenda). Here is the link to the MSNBC full story: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/07/1184950.aspx June 16, 2008 - Dan Brown's Latest Attack Film - Banned from Rome The Vatican has banned the makers of a prequel to The Da Vinci Code from filming in its grounds or any church in Rome, describing the work as “an offence against God”. Angels and Demons, the latest Dan Brown thriller to be turned into a film, includes key episodes that take place in the Vatican and Rome’s churches. Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, the head of the Vatican’s Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that Brown had “turned the gospels upside down to poison the faith”. “It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into films in the name of business,” he said, adding that Brown’s work “wounds common religious feelings”. Read the full story on line: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4147839.ece
AMMAN, Jordan — Archaeologists in Jordan say they have discovered a
catacomb underneath one of the world's oldest churches that may be an even
more ancient site of Christian worship. Archaeologist Abdel-Qader Hussein, head of the Rihab Center for Archaeological Studies, says the catacombs were unearthed in the northern Jordanian city of Rihab after three months of excavation and show evidence of early Christian rituals. Shortly after the death of Jesus Christ, disciples founded churches in the area, many of them underground to escape persecution. The catacomb lies under St. Georgeous church, built in 230 A.D, making it one of the oldest churches, along with one unearthed in the Jordanian southern port of Aqaba in 1998 and another in Megiddo, Israel discovered in 2005. Al-Housan said there was evidence that the underground cave was used as a church by 70 disciples of Jesus in the first century after Christ's death, which would make it the oldest Christian site of worship in the world. He described a circular worship area with stone seats separated from a living area that had a long tunnel leading to a source of water. He said the early Christians hid there from persecution.In the cave there is also a tunnel that leads to a cistern which supplied water to the dwellers. A mosaic inscription in the floor of the church above refers to the "70 beloved by God and the divine" whom the archaeologist believes were refugees from religious persecution in Jerusalem. Dr Al-Hassan says that excavation of the tunnel and the cistern may yield yet more evidence about the lives of these early Christians. "From the tunnel to the cistern is very important. We want to clean it and make an excavation inside it. We found a very old inscription beside it and coins also, and crosses made from iron." Read the full article at BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7446812.stm
World Net Daily - The mystery of
the Shroud of Turin, a 14-foot-long cloth that many thought may have John Jackson, a physics lecturer at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, has convinced scientists who performed the age tests on the cloth housed in Turin, Italy, since the 1500s to consider his suggestion that those tests may have been faulty, according to a report in the Denver Post. For the full story go to World Net Daily at ... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64881 Building Remains from First Temple Period Exposed West of Temple Mount! Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Mar 13, 2008 A rich layer of finds from the latter part of the First Temple period (8th-6th centuries BCE) was recently discovered in archaeological salvage excavations in the northwestern part of the Western Wall plaza. Read the full story: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Building+remains+from+First+Temple+period+exposed+west+of+Temple+Mount+13-Mar-2008.htm Islamic Film Presents Muslim View of Jesus - But is it Credible? ABC News: A director who shares
the ideas of Iran's hard line President has produced what he says is the
first film giving an Islamic view of Jesus Christ, in a bid to show
"common ground" between Muslims and Christians. For a
summary of the movie and the film makers remarks, please see the
following links: ABC News (AU):
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/16/2139706.htm Click here to read our critical review of the film's claims. Feb 12 - Update on James Ossuary -
BAS Conference in Jerusalem In January 2007, the Biblical Archaeology Society convened a conference in Jerusalem of leading scholars from all over the world to assess a number of well-known artifacts that had in recent years been labeled as forgeries. One of these was of course the famous James Ossuary - the alleged box that once contained the bones of the Apostle James, the brother of Jesus. If these artifacts are in fact genuine, they would have a major impact on our knowledge of the Biblical world. For the full story, and to hear comments from experts, visit the BAR web site: http://bib-arch.org/forgery/forgeryreport.html Jan 20 - Scholars Review the Claims about the "Jesus Family Tomb" Ben Witherington's Blog contains a recap of the latest discussions about the Talipot Tomb, and why its highly unlikely to be "the Jesus Family Tomb". Read more: http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2008/01/jesus-tomb-redux-jerusalem-conference.html Dec 10, 2007 - Review of "The Golden Compass". Christianity Today - Once again Hollywood is attacking God, and Christianity. The move is "The Golden Compass", another attempt by Hollywood to make money off attacking the Church. But not to worry - the attack will not stand, and in the end we all know who wins anyway! Here is a balanced and thoughtful review of the new fantasy movie: http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/fearnotthecompass.html Dec 10, 2007 - Golden Compass Writer Admits Trying to Undermine Christian Faith Washington Post - An article in the Washington Post describes Philip Pullman, an atheistic fantasy writer living in England who has produced several fantasy novels targeted at youth. The first in the series of three is "The Golden Compass", upon which a new movie is based. Here is a quote from Mr. Pullman "I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief." Dec 4, 2007 - Christians in the Holy Land dwindling under persecution Jerusalem Post - The ever-dwindling Christian communities living in Palestinian-run territories in the West Bank and Gaza are likely to dissipate completely within the next 15 years as a result of increasing Muslim persecution and maltreatment, an Israeli scholar said Monday. "The systematic persecution of Christian Arabs living in Palestinian areas is being met with nearly total silence by the international community, human rights activists, the media and NGOs," said Justus Reid Weiner, an international human rights lawyer in an address at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, where he serves as a scholar in residence. "For too long the plight of Christian Arabs has been put on the back-burner or ignored altogether," said Rev. Malcolm Hedding, executive director of the International Christian Embassy, a Jerusalem-based evangelical organization. The Evangelical leader, who has drawn the wrath of Catholic leaders in the Holy Land for his strong support for Israel, said that "power politics" has prevented the major Christian leaders in the Holy Land from speaking out on this issue. "There is a one-sided debate in which Israel is responsible for everything," he said. "The Christian world needs to stand up and speak out about this." For the full article and photos see: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546795874&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Dec 3, 2007 - Temple Institute Announces: High Priest's Crown is Ready! The Bible indicates that in the last days, the "temple will be rebuilt, even in troublous times". It seems that we may be getting to even closer to that point, as IsraelNN.com has just reported that the High Priest's crown is now ready. Here is the the announcement from IsraelNN.com: "The Temple Institute in Jerusalem announces the completion of the Tzitz, the High Priest's headplate - now ready for use in the Holy Temple. "The tzitz is made of pure gold, was fashioned over the course of a more than a year by the craftsmen of the Temple Institute, and is ready to be worn by the High Priest in the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The words "Holy for G-d" are engraved on the headplate, in accordance with Exodus 28:36. A short video clip presenting the tzitz can be viewed here. " Of course, this presumes that the Holy Temple is indeed rebuilt in the first place. Current the Muslim "Dome of the Rock" occupies the Temple Mount, and that would either have to be displaced, or some type of agreement would have to be consummated in order to allow the re-building of the Jewish Holy Temple on the Temple Mount. What's interesting is that the book of Daniel talks about a "covenant" that is put in place in the last days to bring peace. Could it be that this future "covenant" allows for the re-building of the Jewish Holy Temple upon the Mount? For the full article please see: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124443 Aug 31, 2007 - Temple Mount Destruction Continues Biblical Archeology Society - The Waqf, the Muslim religious trust that controls the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem, has begun digging a major trench on the north end of the complex, which was the ancient site of the Jewish Temples. Begun in July 2007 to accommodate electrical and plumbing infrastructure, the trench was greatly extended in late August. The trench is being carved by a backhoe—anathema to archaeologists because of the damage such a powerful machine can cause to ancient remains. Indeed, damaged items can already be seen along the pathway of the trench. So far, the Israeli government is doing nothing to stop the ravage that is being done to ancient artifacts being torn up as the excavating equipment continues its digging. The only comment is "no comment". The Biblical Archeological Society is mounting a protest, as are many Jews and Christians across the globe. The most recent development includes an escalation to the Israeli Supreme Court to try to stop the destruction. For more details, photos and video, please visit http://www.bib-arch.org/templemount/bswbTempleIntro.asp. August 5 - Microchip Implants - A Sign of the End Times? AP News - July 22, 2007. Almost everyone is familiar with a passage in the Book of Revelation in the Bible concerning 'the mark of the beast'. In this passage, written almost 2,000 years ago, the writer of Revelation predicts that in the end times people would be forced to take a 'mark of the beast'. And that without this 'mark', they would be able to neither buy nor sell - in effect, shut out of the planet's economic system. Furthermore, predicts Revelation, anyone who takes the 'mark of the beast' would be doomed, and those refusing this mark would be saved. Since the original writing, few have taken this passage literally. What could such a mark be? How could it be so inextricably linked to a person such that he/she could neither buy or sell without this mark? Why, for this to happen the mark would have to be literally a part of the person. Well, it is happening. In recent years we've seen the introduction of the UPC code, e-commerce, the advent of scanners, and now the emphasis on heightened security. In this AP News article, we are told that a security provider is now embedding RFID chips into people, allowing their persons to be 'scanned' - much like a credit card. A medical grade glass capsule, containing a silicon 'chip', is being implanted into people for various reasons. Currently the applications appear relatively harmless - clients embedded with a chip breeze past long lines into VIP lounges, gain access to secure areas with a wave of the hand, or pay for drinks without a credit card. What's to worry about? "We're not forcing this on anyone", states the article. But will it stop there? Beware - this may indeed be yet another sign of the end times. For the complete story, please visit http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070721/D8QH34P80.html July 16 - China Increasingly Driving out Christian Missionaries World Net Daily - July 16, 2007 - More than 100 foreign Christians in China have been accused of being involved in illegal activities and have been expelled in just a 90-day period, the biggest assault on the presence of Christianity in China since 1954, according to a new report from the Voice of the Martyrs. Read the full report at World Net Daily: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56660 Apr 4 - CNN Reports - Noted Scientist Believes in God, Sees No Conflict With Science CNN - April 4, 2007 CNN is running a special this week on 'what is a Christian?". In the context of this news special, they interviewed noted scientist Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. "I am a scientist and a believer, and I find no conflict between those world views. As the director of the Human Genome Project, I
have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of
the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, I see DNA,
the information molecule of all living things, as God's language, and the
elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a
reflection of God's plan." For the full article, please go to: Mar 6 - Cameron's 'The Jesus Tomb' Labeled "Publicity Stunt" Washington Post - Feb 28, 007. Leading archaeologists in Israel and the United States yesterday denounced the purported discovery of the tomb of Jesus as a publicity stunt. Scorn for the Discovery Channel's claim to have found the burial place of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and -- most explosively -- their possible son came not just from Christian scholars but also from Jewish and secular experts who said their judgments were unaffected by any desire to uphold Christian orthodoxy. Read the whole story: Link to Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022600442.html Feb 12 - Visions of a Young Girl CNN. Feb 12, 2007. Click on
this link at CNN and view the story of how the young daughter of an
atheist has received an astounding gift of portraying heavenly visions on
canvas. She claims to have had numerous heavenly visions, and has
been given a fantastic ability to translate these visions onto canvas.
The amazing thing - all of this started at a very young age.
View the details at: Jan 19 - 3,000 New Believers Added Daily in China! WorldNet Daily. Jan 19, 2007 Worship services are being broken up by baton-wielding police officers, participants arrested, Bibles confiscated and Christian church buildings demolished. But still, an estimated 3,000 people every day come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ in China. The report comes from Voice of the Martyrs, a U.S.-based Christian group that works specifically to help those members of the persecuted Christian church worldwide. Get the whole story at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53808. Oct 29 - Evidence of the Garden of Eden Found in Turkey? First Post, by Sean Thomas. I am standing above an archaeological dig, on a hillside in southern Turkey. Beneath me, workmen are unearthing a sculpture of some sort of reptile (right). It is delicate and breathtaking. It is also part of the world's oldest temple. If this sounds remarkable, it gets better. The archaeologist in charge of the dig believes that this artwork has connections with the Eden story! Read the whole story at http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2&subID=1007 Oct 21 - Media Relents Momentarily,
But Continues its Mocking of Jesus Christ While I'm pleased that NBC ultimately made the right decision not to offend millions of Christians by editing out the offensive footage in "Madonna: The Confessions Tour — Live From London", scheduled to air Nov. 22, this is really a small victory. You see, the broadcast and cable networks continue to assault the character of Jesus Christ on a regular basis. Why? Because evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics are seen as pariahs. Therefore, the subject of our faith — Jesus Christ — should be mocked. Recent examples:
Seems the media relishes bashing Jesus and Christians - but treads oh so lightly when other regions come into their view. Read the full story at WorldNetDaily: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52541 Oct 14 - Young Shoppers Want to Pay with Chip in their Skin! UK - The Daily Mail - Some customers are willing to have microchip implants as a means of paying in stores, a report out today says. Teenagers are more open to the idea of having a high-tech shopping experience, the Tomorrow's Shopping World report suggests. Around 8 per cent of 13 to 19-year-olds were open to the idea of microchip implants while 16 per cent wanted trolleys to be fitted with SatNav systems. For the full story please visit... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=409867&in_page_id=1770 Could this be evidence of a sign of the last days? An early indication of what was foretold in the Bible two thousand years ago? In the Book of Revelation we read about a "beast", a world ruler that grabs power in the midst of turbulent times that shake the nations to their core. He apparently unites the nations, "and deceives those who dwell on the earth" (Rev13:14). .
That no one could buy or sell without a mark on their forehead or hand probably sounded foolish to people 20 or even 50 years ago - but NOW, this is actually being discussed (see article). Financial institutions are loosing billions of dollars a year due to stolen credit cards, hackers, and others who work tirelessly at cheating the present financial system. They are able to do this because the current system has multiple points of failure which allow it to be compromised. Believe it or not, the notion of embedding a "credit card chip" just under the skin is not so far fetched any more. Young people get piercing routinely, and so an embedded chip is thought to be no big deal, and would make buying and selling so convenient. And my goodness, how this would solve so many problems! Of course you could not loose your card any longer, and no one is likely to "steal" it. Financial transaction processing is improved - their is no need for a second form of identification - its in your skin! And a side benefit - no need to worry about getting lost due to memory problems - we have all of your personal data inscribed on the embedded chip as well! Presto -- millions saved to averting stolen credit cards. No issues with unidentified persons. Improved economic control. Sounds good, doesn't it? Stay tuned for more in the not too distant future. Oct 3 - Scientists Confirm Bing Bang and Win Nobel Prize!
STOCKHOLM, Sweden
(AP) --Americans John C. Mather and George F. Smoot won the 2006 Nobel
Prize in physics on Tuesday for work that helped cement the big-bang
theory of the universe and deepen understanding of the origin of The scientists discovered the nature of "blackbody radiation,'' cosmic background radiation believed to stem from the "big bang,'' when the universe was born (read: created). "They have not proven the big-bang theory but they give it very strong support,'' said Per Carlson, chairman of the Nobel committee for physics. "It is one of the greatest discoveries of the century. I would call it the greatest. It increases our knowledge of our place in the universe.'' Their work was based on measurements done with the help of NASA's COBE satellite launched in 1989. They were able to observe the universe in its early stages about 380,000 years after it was born. Ripples in the light they detected also helped demonstrate how galaxies came together over time. "The COBE results provided increased support for the big-bang scenario for the origin of the Universe, as this is the only scenario that predicts the kind of cosmic microwave background radiation measured by COBE,'' the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm said in its citation. No other competing theory of origins (cycles, the steady state theory, etc.) can explain the "leftover background radiation" detected by scientists, using the COBE satellite - only the Big Bang or "creation event" provides an adequate explanation. All other theories are found wanting. The big-bang theory states that the universe - all of space, time and matter - began some 14-17 billion years ago, from a single point in space, no larger than the head of a pin. R ead the full story on Space.com's web site at ... http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/061003_ap_nobel_physics.htmlSept 19 - Fox to Offer Christian Films to Viewers LOS ANGELES — The home-video division of Twentieth Century Fox said Tuesday it will acquire as many as a dozen family friendly movies a year and market them under the FoxFaith banner. With budgets of less than $5 million each, the films will be aimed at the same Christian audiences that helped boost box-office receipts for such films as "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." "We saw the opportunity to fill the needs of an underserved marketplace," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of marketing at Fox Home Video. "All of this programming is
entertainment first. We're not in the business of proselytizing or
preaching," he said. About half of the films will be distributed
theatrically through a third-party company under a deal with two large
theater chains, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The rest will go
directly to DVD. For the full story visit Fox News at:
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Sep19/0,4670,FoxChristianFilms,00.html July 24 - Ancient Copy of the Book of Psalms Unearthed In Ireland DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Irish
archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms
by a construction worker while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a
bog.
Interestingly enough, the book was found open to a page describing, in Latin script, Psalm 83, in which a plea to God is made not to let the enemies of Israel eradicate God's chosen nation:
Following this passage, the Psalm lists a number of Israel's ancient enemies bent on its destruction. Strangely enough, Psalm 83 was one of three psalms recited at locations worldwide Tuesday at the request of the governing council of Israel's Chief Rabbinate. For the complete text, see Psalm 83: http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Psa/Psa083.html Wallace said several experts spent Tuesday analyzing only that page -- the number of letters on each line, lines on each page, size of page -- and the book's binding and cover, which he described as "leather velum, very thick wallet in appearance." The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries. Read more on CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/07/25/ireland.psalms.ap/index.html July 7 - Search for Noah's Ark to be Launched this Summer National Geographic reported that an
expedition to find Noah's Ark is to be launched during the summer
of 2006. Daniel McGivern, the "We're telling people we're 98 percent sure," said McGivern, a member of the Hawaii Christian Coalition. "In one image we saw the beams, saw the wood. I'm convinced that the excavation of the object and the results of tests run on any collected samples will prove that it is Noah's ark. " Here is a link to close-up photos space photos from DigitalGlobe - are these possibly images of Noah's Ark from space? http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/zoomviewer/index.php?display_img=ararat Read the full story at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0427_040427_noahsark.html June 9 - BP News - 1 in 5 Americans Have Read "Da Vinci', Barna Poll Says A nationwide poll by Barna indicates that 1 in 5 Americans have said they have read 'The Da Vinci Code" (this equates to about 45 million people). Key findings from the survey:
For the complete article please go to: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23245. May 17, 2006 - Da Vinci Code Movie Opens to 'Cat Calls' CNN posted a review of the new Ron Howard
movie, The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks. Apparently the
movie has opened to May 17, 2006 - Early Reviews of Da Vinci Code Movie - "a dud" says Rolling Stone Click below for a link to Rotten Tomatoes, a compilation web site of all the latest reviews of the Hollywood attack on the Christian faith http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da_vinci_code/ May 7, 2006 - Churches Prepare to Rebut Da Vinci Code Washington (Washington Times) - Prior to the
release of Ron Howard's new movie, The Da Vinci Code, churches prepare
people with information debunking the outlandish claims made in this move
and book. For the full story, please see the full article...
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20060507-014436-5581r.htm.
Associated Press, ROME - A Vatican official reportedly called for a
boycott of the upcoming "The Da Vinci Code" film Friday, saying it contained
"slanderous" offenses against Christianity that would have provoked a
worldwide revolt had they been directed against Islam or the Holocaust. April 6, 2006 - Peddling Gnosticism and Cashing In on The Gospel of Judas
This past week National Geographic announced that they had
'discovered ' the 'lost' Gospel of No surprise on the timing of this announcement
(apparently this document has been around for a while). Reports from
the Washing Post and other media indicate that the promoters are hoping to
cash in big on the claims being generated by The Da Vinci Code -ie, that
there are a number of other 'lost
gospels'. Problem is, this 'Gospel
of Judas' - like the other false 'gospels' of the Gnostics - are not
really gospels at all. "Gospel" means "good news", and the four
New Testament gospels all recount eyewitness testimonies and historical
events about the good news of Jesus. Contrast this to the so-called
Gospel of Judas, which was written by an unknown author (yes, not Judas - he
was long since dead) and contains a jumbled collections of sayings,
supposedly by Jesus and Judas. Aug 22, 2005 - Nun Protests at Film Set of 'The Da Vinci Code' London (AFP) - a Roman
Catholic nun showed her stuff and demonstrated in protest outside an English Said Sister Mary Michael: "When I face Almighty God, at my final judgment, as we all will, I can say, I did try my best, I did try my best to protest". Sister Mary also told the press what we, and may others have been saying all along - that The Da Vinci Code has many distortions and outright lies, such as the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children by her. Sister Mary agreed with us when she told the press that the notion of Jesus marrying was based on "an old error, derived from the mystery faiths of the east." She had this to say about "the true
bloodline" of Jesus, and the movie in general: “The Church should not be accepting money for
something that is not a true story,” she said. “There is something wrong.
They really should be praying more, and then the money would come in. I do
not believe the film will be successful. The essence of what I believe is
that I received the true body and blood of our Lord at Mass this morning.
That is the true bloodline. “To a believer, any believer, what is happening is
blasphemous. It is an offence against God. I am not going to
bash anyone over the head with a Bible, I am just trying to make
reparation to God.” The producers of The Da Vinci Code were apparently able to gain access to the Lincoln Cathedral after paying the dean of the cathedral a donation of 100,000 pounds (147,000 euros, or about $181,000 U.S. Dollars). Read the full story and watch the video - see why Sister Mary and other feel strongly about protesting this slam on Jesus and Christianity - BBC news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lincolnshire/4155422.stm
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modern technology to test the holy cloth’s authenticity.
Jesus Christ, when it goes on public display for the first time in 10
years shortly, officials said Wednesday. "We have already reached a
million" people who have reserved their chance to view the relic in the
northern Italian city from April 10 to May 23, Turin alderman Fiorenzo
Alfieri told a news conference.
with 10 lines of Aramaic or Hebrew script near the Zion Gate of the
Old City of Jerusalem. Researchers are not yet able to decipher the
cup because the text is in an informal cursive script and is apparently
deliberately cryptic. They know it contains the Hebrew word for
God, YHWH or Yahweh.
the government’s star witness, Yuval Goren, former chairman of Tel Aviv
University’s institute of archaeology, was forced to admit on
cross-examination that there is original ancient patina in the word
“Jesus,” the last word in the inscription that reads “James, son of
Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Read all the details on how "The James
Ossuary" - the box that contained the bones of 'the brother of Jesus' - is
now vindicated as authentic!
galaxies and stars. Mather, 60, works at the NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Smoot, 61, works at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. 
businessman and Christian activist
behind a planned summer 2004 expedition to investigate the site, is basing
his hopes on recent digital pictures taken from space by DigitalGlobe (a
commercial satellite-imagery company). The company confirmed that
they took the images that McGivern is using to guide his search..
mixed reviews, the article even noting that the audience greeted it with
'cat calls' and laughter at its opening at the Cannes Film Festival.
The movie is stirring up further anger and outrage from the Christian
community, due to the movie's deceptive mix of fact and fiction,
Boycotts and protests are underway in countries around the world.
For the full story, please see the CNN web site article at
Judas. This announcement has been all over the media this past
week, after the press announcement - having been carried in the press, on
the radio, and on the net. Apparently they have planned three books,
and a television special this Sunday evening. Based on reports, the
release of this so-called 'discovery' was carefully timed to occur prior to
the Christian Easter celebration, and the upcoming release of The Da Vinci
Code movie.