Article on CNN May 15, 2009 — Updated 1407 GMT (2207 HKT)By John Blake, CNN — Just so you know, Bart Ehrman says he’s not the anti-Christ.
Bart Ehrman says most of the New Testament is a forgery but it’s still an important body of work. He says he’s not trying to destroy your faith. He’s not trying to bash the Bible. And, though his mother no longer talks to him about religion, Ehrman says some of his best friends are Christian. Read the rest of this entry »
I first wrote about this here earlier this year and am still standing by what I wrote then, as per “Obama Worship craze”, you can read it for yourself. This is really getting out of hand , I wonder how much of this Idolatry our Heavenly Father will take from us before He sends His wrath upon us. I think it’s time we as Christians should cry and wail to God in repentance for our nations and ask God to heal our land .This is not the time for fund raising by the Church,hosting tea parties,Preaching on how God wants us to be rich and happy or even how to have great sex in marriage and other mundane issues but, a time for the Church to humble herself in penitence. We (the Church) have been so involved with so much Worldly activities that we didn’t know when the enemy snuck in at night and sowed tares amongst our wheat and now we have to live with the bushy situation… metaphorically speaking. In all I I believe that the prophecies are being fulfilled just as our Lord Jesus spoke of and promised us, so Christians should not freak out but rather become aware of the what the Bible says about the End time events.
On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be "crowned" in messianic imagery at New York City’s Union Square.
Artist Michael D’Antuono’s painting "The Truth" – featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head – will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square’s South Plaza.
According to a statement released about the portrait, "The 30" x 54" acrylic painting on canvas depicts President Obama appearing much like Jesus Christ on the Cross: atop his head, a crown of thorns; behind him, the dark veil being lifted (or lowered) on the Presidential Seal. But is he revealing or concealing, and is he being crucified or glorified?"
Even the title of the piece, "The Truth," suggests a play on biblical themes, as Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
"More than a presidential portrait," writes D’Antuono on a website touting the painting, "’The Truth’ is a politically, religiously and socially-charged statement on our nation’s current political climate and deep partisan divide that is sure to create a dialogue."
Like others in the news who have depicted Obama in Christ-like imagery, D’Antuono insists he isn’t claiming the man is Messiah, but only inviting "individual interpretations."
"’The Truth,’ like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder," claims the exhibit’s press release.
D’Antuono even invites the public to email him with reactions to the piece, answering his posed question, "What’s your
As WND has reported, D’Antuono follows others who have cast Obama in messianic imagery.
Clark’s Obama sculpture, riding a donkey at the Iowa Capitol
In January, artist Matthew J. Clark paraded a sculpture of Obama riding a donkey and preceded by waving palm fronds, reminiscent of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in the 21st chapter of Matthew as foretold by the prophet Zechariah: "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass."
Like D’Antuono, Clark was also unclear about whether his piece was proclaiming Obama to be the Christ or making some social commentary. Clark’s website described the sculpture in vague terms:
"This project was inspired by my thoughts about ‘icons’ and religious symbols and whether they represent truth or merely represent," Clark’s website reads. "The sculpture poses a question that relates to social conventions, metaphysics, and the collective response of society in reaction to fearful and uncertain times, but doesn’t impose an answer. For me, it has much more to do with the general public as followers than any leader granted power."
Others, such as Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, have been far clearer in their nearly religious adoration of Obama. As WND reported, Farrakhan declared last year that when Obama talks, "the Messiah is absolutely speaking."
Addressing a large crowd behind a podium with a Nation of Islam Saviour’s Day 2008 sign, Farrakhan proclaimed, "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn’t care anything about. That’s a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking."
Farrakhan pointed out that the man Nation of Islam followers refer to as "the Savior," Fard Muhammad, had a black father and a white mother, just as Obama did.
"A black man with a white mother became a savior to us," he said. "A black man with a white mother could turn out to be one who can lift America from her fall."
The site is topped by an Obama quote strategically ripped from a Jan. 7 speech at Dartmouth College just before the New Hampshire Primary in which he told students, "… a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote" for Obama.
WND also reported on near-religious experiences surrounding Obama on the campaign trail, as supporters who came to hear him speak on several occasions fainted in the middle of the candidate’s speeches. As WND reported, some compared the fainting to fanatical swooning in the midst of a mesmerizing preacher; others, like radio host Michael Medved, thought the collapses were staged moments; and still others believed it was simply a matter of people standing in the crowds too long and growing dehydrated.
"The artist quite clearly portrays Obama as a latter day Christ-like figure, considering the outstretched arms and the crown of thorns. Obama worship, complete with halo images, has been noted before," writes Gladnick, "but it was nothing compared to current expressions in awe of ‘The One’ as we approach his hundredth day in office on Wednesday."
I wonder what the results would be like elsewhere, say in Europe and in Africa?
By Jennifer Riley , Christian Post Reporter Mon, Apr. 13 2009 02:59 PM EDT
The majority of American Christians do not believe that Satan is a real being or that the Holy Spirit is a living entity, the latest Barna survey found.
Nearly six out of ten Christians either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan "is not a living being but is a symbol of evil," the survey found.
Forty percent strongly agreed with the statement while 19 percent of American Christians somewhat agreed.
In contrast, about 35 percent of American Christians believe Satan is real. Twenty-six percent strongly disagreed with the statement that Satan is merely symbolic and about one-tenth (9 percent) somewhat disagreed.
The remaining eight percent of American Christians responded they were unsure what to believe about the existence of Satan.
Interestingly, the majority of Christians believe a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits, even though many of these same people believe Satan is merely a symbol of evil. Two out of three Christians agreed that such forces are real (39 percent agreed strongly, 25 percent agreed somewhat).
Likewise, most Christians in the United States do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force. Fifty-eight percent strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity."
Only one-third of Christians disagreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is not just symbolic (9 percent disagreed somewhat, 25 percent disagreed strongly). Nine percent expressed they were unsure.
Interestingly, about half (49 percent) of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol but not a living entity, agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit is God’s power or presence, not just symbolic.
"Most Americans, even those who say they are Christian, have doubts about the intrusion of the supernatural into the natural world," commented George Barna, founder of The Barna Group and author of books analyzing research concerning America’s faith.
"Hollywood has made evil accessible and tame, making Satan and demons less worrisome than the Bible suggests they really are," he said. "It’s hard for achievement-driven, self-reliant, independent people to believe that their lives can be impacted by unseen forces."
But a large majority of American Christians agree that a person must choose to side with either good or evil. More than six out of ten American Christians strongly agreed (61 percent) with the idea that a person must either side with God or with the devil – that there is no in-between position. Another 15 percent somewhat agreed.
Just one out of ten adults disagreed somewhat (10 percent) and a similar proportion (11 percent) strongly disagreed. Only a few adults (3 percent) did not have an opinion on the issue.
Barna explained that because of the "sheer force of repetition" many Americans "intellectually" accept the idea that you either side with God or Satan and there’s no in-between, even though this idea does "not get translated into practice."
Other survey findings include a significant number of self-described Christians believing that Jesus sinned when he lived on earth, contrary to the core teaching of Christianity that teaches the divinity and perfection of Jesus.
More than one-fifth (22 percent) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17 percent agreeing somewhat.
However, nearly half of American Christians (46 percent) strongly disagreed with the idea that Jesus sinned, and 9 percent disagreed somewhat. Six percent did not have an opinion on the statement.
The Barna report is based on telephone interviews for two surveys among people who described themselves as Christians. A total of 1,871 adults were randomly selected from across the 48 continental states, with the first 873 interviews conducted in January and February 2008, and the remaining 998 interviews conducted in November 2008.
The church-affiliated Texas Christian University has announced plans to allocate apartment housing on its Fort Worth campus for homosexual students and their supporters.
According to a report in the city’s Star-Telegram newspaper, the school plans to open a section of the Tom Brown-Pete Wright apartments for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students and allies."
The school also will have two living groups that are designated "Christian-based" and others for fine arts and other themes, the report said.
"It’s a chance for students to be part of a unique experience," David Cooper, associate chief of residential life, told the newspaper.
Shelly Newkirk, a TCU sophomore who applied to create the homosexual residence lifestyle, told the newspaper her vision is that homosexuals and straight students will interact and hang out.
Cooper said the university opened its "living-learning communities" to student ideas.
Others coming up include the "Leadership and Strengths Community" for those who want to lead, environmentalists who are collecting in the "Green House" and the Health and Wellness Community.
"I think it’s wonderful that TCU is offering this," Nancy Tubbs of the LGBT Resource Center at the University of California-Riverside told the paper.
The report said a fraternity for homosexuals opened at the University of North Texas in 1998 but lasted only a few years before closing.
On the paper’s forum page, the reaction ranged widely.
"So let me get this straight. TCU now supports segregation?" wrote one contributor.
"Some of you will no doubt be SHOCKED to learn that ‘Christian’ does not necessarily mean ‘anti-gay.’ TCU is affiliated with the Christian (sic) Church (Disciples of Christ), a denomination that does not have anti-gay policies. … I’m just glad that some are trying to turn ‘Christian’ back into a term for love rather than the curse word that so many of you have caused it to be," said another.
April 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an openly lesbian minister in the American Episcopal Church, has caused a stir on the internet with a sermon, posted to her weblog, in which she called abortion a "blessing" and called for the suppression of rights of conscience for health care workers.
In her sermon, titled, "Our Work is Not Done," she wrote that there should be no restrictions whatever on abortion: "If we were to find that, while we were here, Congress had acted to insure that abortion would always be legal, that would be a very good thing; but our work would not be done."
"If we were suddenly to find a host of trained providers, insuring access in every city, town, village, and military base throughout the world, that would be a very good thing; but our work would not be done."
Rev. Ragsdale, a director of a left-leaning think tank, Political Research Associates, was appointed on March 30th as the next president of Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, MA. She was the unanimous choice of the School’s Board of Trustees and will begin her duties on July 1, 2009. Catholic Online news service reported that she has previously served on the boards of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
She posted the sermon, given in Birmingham Alabama in 2007, in August last year, but it has flashed around the "bloggosphere" in the last 24 hours after it was linked to by two of the most popular American Catholic bloggers on the internet, "Diogenes" and Fr. John Zhulsdorf.
The sermon was removed from her blog earlier today after 59 commenters urged her to repent of her support for abortion.
In her sermon, Ragsdale denied the assertions of some "progressive" clergy who call abortion a "tragedy," saying abortion is instead a "blessing." "When a woman finds herself pregnant due to violence and chooses an abortion," she said, "it is the violence that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing."
She described various situations in which "abortion is a blessing", including in cases of foetal "anomalies," rape or incest, material poverty and "lack of social support."
"When a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion – there is not a tragedy in sight — only blessing."
Rev. Ragsdale, described the "heroic" actions of abortion workers in keeping the local abortion facility running during a protest by "Operation Save America."
When a woman can receive an abortion at any stage, and for any reason or no reason, Rev. Ragsdale wrote, "our work" in the abortion lobby "will be done."
She said that although "we in the religious community" have a history of defending rights of conscience, the situation of health care workers and pharmacists who object to abortion is not analogous.
"There’s a world of difference between those who engage in such civil disobedience, and pay the price, and doctors and pharmacists who insist that the rest of the world reorder itself to protect their consciences," she said. If a doctor or pharmacist objects to abortion or dispensing contraceptives, she wrote, they should "choose another field."
The news that a virulent supporter of abortion has been appointed to a prominent leadership position in the US Episcopal Church has jumped the Atlantic with coverage by the UK’s popular Catholic blogger, Damian Thompson, who writes for the Daily Telegraph newspaper’s website.
Thompson wrote, "Do not, please, make the mistake of assuming that she is an unrepresentative extremist: liberal Anglicans in America are among the most fervent supporters of abortion in the world, outstripping even atheists in their enthusiasm for this gruesome procedure."
The extremely popular pseudonymous blogger, "Diogenes," wrote on the Catholic Culture website that the presence of such pro-abortion clergy in the Episcopal Church is ultimately due to the failure of leadership in the Anglican Church as a whole, and specifically the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
"Doctor Williams’ ‘big tent’ approach to doctrinal deviance has earned him the congratulation of the media (and the deviants)."
"At some point a man has to make a choice: he can either be a critic — aloof, sceptical, ironic — or he can commit himself to the battle. But Williams wants to have it both ways, watching the game from the sidelines and then trying to crowd into the team photo when it’s over."
THE MOVIE “ZEITGEIST” IS A TERRIBLE LIE FROM THE PITS OF HELL, I CAN NOT BELIEVE WHAT AM WATCHING, J E S U S C H R I S T HAVE MERCY ON US FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE ARE DOING. I urge you to take your time to read this post and also watch the first video and get the word out there for this is clearly from the devil himself, also if you have the time please watch the second video which is a rebuttal to the first video the Zeitgeist, I will spend time watching them too. For I have a lot to learn especially with regards to our Christian traditions for I agree with Richard Rives that:He thinks it makes a profound one, contending, "If Christianity does not start telling the truth about the fact that many Christian traditions never had anything to do with Jesus, the antichrists will continue to claim a substantial victory." I so agree with this point . . . we have a duty to help our fellow brethren to understand what True Christianity is about, which a lot of us including myself do not really get…. sadly.
An online movie documenting the close ties between ancient pagan religions and today’s Christianity is "antichrist" in nature, destroying the faith of believers by combining some astonishing truth with plenty of error. That’s the claim of a Christian historian and author who, ironically, has himself been educating the public about the impact heathen sun worship has had on traditional Christianity. Richard Rives, author of "Time is the Ally of Deceit" and "Too Long in the Sun," is sounding the alarm about "Zeitgeist," a 2007 documentary written and narrated by Peter Joseph, a freelance film editor, composer and producer in New York City.
Literally meaning "spirit of the time," "Zeitgeist" was released on DVD and the Internet, and Joseph claims it has been viewed more than 50 million times on Google Video, and more than 100 million times when other formats and public screenings are taken into account.
Horus was born on December 25th of the virgin Isis-Meri. His birth was accompanied by a star in the east, which in turn, three kings followed to locate and adorn the newborn savior. At the age of 12, he was a prodigal child teacher, and at the age of 30 he was baptized by a figure known as Anup and thus began his ministry. Horus had 12 disciples he traveled about with, performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. Horus was known by many gestural names such as "the Truth," "the Light," "God’s Anointed Son," "the Good Shepherd," "the Lamb of God," and many others. After being betrayed by Typhon, Horus was crucified, buried for three days, and thus, resurrected. …
Attis, of Phyrigia, born of the virgin Nana on December 25th, crucified, placed in a tomb and after three days, was resurrected.
Krishna, of India, born of the virgin Devaki with a star in the east signaling his coming, performed miracles with his disciples, and upon his death was resurrected.
Dionysus of Greece, born of a virgin on December 25th, was a traveling teacher who performed miracles such as turning water into wine, he was referred to as the "King of Kings," "God’s Only Begotten Son," "the Alpha and Omega," and many others, and upon his death, he was resurrected.
Mithra, of Persia, born of a virgin on December 25th, he had 12 disciples and performed miracles, and upon his death was buried for three days and thus resurrected, he was also referred to as "the Truth," "the Light," and many others. Interestingly, the sacred day of worship of Mithra was Sunday.
While many of today’s Christians might recognize similarities to their own beliefs, they may be unaware some pieces of information in the film are not biblical at all.
For instance, the Bible does not assign Dec. 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth, and "three kings" or "three wise men" are never mentioned in the related gospel accounts. As WND previously reported, no wise men at all are shown to be visiting baby Jesus the night he was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. The Book of Matthew states an unspecified number of wise men showed up later to meet Jesus for the first time in a "house" when Jesus was a "young child." "What is happening is that ‘antichrists’ are turning the false traditions of the theologians right back on them and the theologians do not have a biblical leg to stand on," Rives told WND. "All those who present the traditions of men can do is throw up their hands in defeat. The theologians know it and so do the antichrists such as ‘Zeitgeist.’" Rives, also known for his hunt for the Ark of the Covenant, added, "Millions of believers have watched ‘Zeitgeist’ and many are throwing away their long held faith in Jesus as a result. I am receiving calls from people concerned about family members who are doing just that." Rives has designed a PowerPoint presentation to educate people about what is true and what is not when it comes to "Zeitgeist," and has recently created a rebuttal website featuring videos he posted on YouTube.
An attempt is also made to associate Jesus with Easter and the worship of the fertility goddess. While being right about the pagan nature of Easter, once again they are wrong about Jesus. The Jesus of the Bible was not crucified at the time of Easter. The Bible never says that. He was crucified at the time of Passover. It was almost three hundred years after the birth of Christ before the Council of Nicaea set that date. Even then, what they did was actually change the date for the observance of Passover. Theologians know that and so do the producers of "Zeitgeist."
But does knowing all this information make any difference? Rives thinks it makes a profound one, contending, "If Christianity does not start telling the truth about the fact that many Christian traditions never had anything to do with Jesus, the antichrists will continue to claim a substantial victory."
Joseph rejects the notion "Zeitgeist" is an attack on Christians. "The only thing the film addresses is ideology and beliefs," he explains. "Sadly, many don’t realize that one’s ideology is not them. We are emergent beings and everything we believe is taught to us one way or another. Therefore, to say the film is attacking ‘Christians’ is about as absurd as saying the film attacks people with baseball caps." Joseph calls the claims propaganda to stop people from critically analyzing the information he presents. "The same kind of propaganda has materialized where the project has been called ‘new world order,’ ’satanic’ ‘Marxist’ and other irrational, thoughtless distinctions not worth bringing up." Meanwhile, Peter Joseph – who actually goes by his first and middle names, preferring not to disclose his last name – is continuing to spread his message through seminars and support of the worldwide Zeitgeist Movement. On March 15, which his group calls "ZDay," short for "Zeitgeist Day," he headlined a large New York gathering, one of an estimated 1,800 similar events in 70 countries. At that event, according to the New York Times, Joseph said he had recently "moved away from" the idea of the 9/11 attacks being an inside job. The Zeitgeist Movement says its ultimate aim is global "unity and equality." According to its website, "The goal is to revise our world society in accord with present day knowledge on all levels, not only creating awareness of social and technological possibilities many have been conditioned to think impossible or against ‘human nature,’ but also to provide a means to overcome those elements in society which perpetuate these outdated systems." The movement takes a harsh view of any religion, claiming, "we have been conditioned by society to think that crime, corruption and dishonesty is ‘the way it is’ and that there will always be people who want to abuse, hurt and take advantage of others. Religion is the largest promoter of this propaganda, for the ‘us and them’ or ‘good and evil’ mentality promotes this false assumption."
Friend you would not believe this website offers subscriptions for one to be prayed for by a computer program, This is totally wrong and unscriptural. This is Idolatry!!! Am sure you will find the site scary to say the least, Do you want to pray for luck? Do you want A nice, short prayer, that has all the basic essentials important in a daily prayer? Am afraid this tells of what we should expect in the future in our world where the doctrines of the new agers and the one World religion promulgators will be shoved down our throats and only then will the elect of God stand and defend their faith in Christ. my dear friend Fishhawk of the blog Asthecrackerheadcrumbles drew my attention to the site for he said he knew I would be interested in this and I am but, it is really sad that many Christians and other well meaning human beings will fall for this demonic scheme, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other" (Matt. 6:24). for I wonder which God they are Praying to ? for my God is one God! Halleluyah.
NOTE TO CHRISTIANS: DO NOT PAY FOR PRAYERS; NO MATTER WHAT, IT IS NOT THE WAY OF OUR GOD WHO SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON TO DIE FOR US EVEN WHILE WE WERE YET IN SIN!!!
MATTHEW 10: 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
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The Bible talks about the Great Apostasy
1 timothy 4:1,1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons
2 Thessalonian2:3 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Nehemiah 9:6 "Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth, and all things that are therein"
My dear friend Jerry pointed out to me that I left out, an important part of this post: He said, !For the kind of prayer that He delights in hearing comes from our hearts, and involves us just wanting to talk to Him. This is something that cannot be planned”.
Of course Prayer is our way of communicating with our God and no machine can do that for us. So in a way, I see that not only is it sinful to subscribe to this types of Prayer services but, I think it is also a covert way for the devil to make people (Christians) prayerless or worse of make them feel there is no need to communicate with God …. which is why He created us in the first place i.e. to fellowship and worship Him in the beauty of His Splendor and Holiness
NOTE: anyone who is willing to visit such sites and request for Prayers should please drop a Prayer request on this site or any other site that offers the Prayer Request form for free and you shall surely be Prayed for, in the spirit of fellowship but, that does not in any way take away the quality time you should have with your God and Maker.
Attacker said he aimed to stop Christian conversions; Hindu extremist connection suspected.
NEW DELHI, March 10 (Compass Direct News) – In an effort to stop conversions to Christianity in the eastern state of Bihar, a 25-year-old ailing man on Sunday (March exploded a crude bomb in a church and shot the pastor.
Police Inspector Hari Krishna Mandal told Compass that the attacker, Rajesh Singh, had come fully prepared to kill the pastor, Vinod Kumar, in Baraw village in the Nasriganj area of Rohtas district, and then take his own life.
“However,” Mandal said, “believers caught him before he could do more damage or kill himself.”
The 35-year-old pastor was taken to a hospital in nearby Varanasi, in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh and at press time was out of danger of losing his life, according to a leader of Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (GEMS) who requested anonymity.
The church, Prarthana Bhawan (House of Prayer), belongs to GEMS. Around 30 people were in the church when the attack took place. Some women in the church sustained burns in the blast.
“Rajesh Singh threw a crude bomb from the window of the church, and the sound of the explosion created a chaos in the congregation,” said Inspector Mandal. As members of the church began to run out, he added, Singh came into the building and shot the pastor with a handmade pistol from point-blank range.
Singh had more bombs to explode and three more bullets in his pistol, but church members caught hold of him and handed him over to police, the inspector said.
“In his statement, Singh said he was personally against Christian conversions and wanted to kill the pastor to stop conversions,” Mandal said. “He wanted to take his own life after killing the pastor, and this is why he had more bullets in his pistol and an overdose of anesthesia in a syringe.”
Asked if Singh had any links with extremist Hindu nationalist groups, the inspector said no such organization was active in the area, though local Christians say Hindu extremist presence has increased recently. The GEMS source said people allegedly linked with a Hindu nationalist group had sent a threatening letter to the pastor, asking him to stop preaching in the area.
The source said the incident could have been fallout from conversions in nearby Mithnipur village, where a Hindu family had received Christ after being healed from a mental illness around six months ago. Singh also lives in Mithnipur.
“Pastor Kumar had not been visiting the village, fearing opposition from the villagers who were not happy with the conversion of this family,” the GEMS source said. “The same church’s cross had also been damaged about a year ago by unidentified people.”
The source said he believes that although Singh’s affiliation or linkage with a Hindu nationalist group has not been established, it is likely that he was instigated to kill the pastor by an extremist group. Pastor Kumar, married with three children, has been working in Rohtas district for the last 12 years.
Local Christians complain that the presence of the Hindu extremist Sangh Parivar (a family of organizations linked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, India’s chief Hindu nationalist group) has recently increased in the area. They say the Hindu nationalist conglomerate has been spewing hate against Christians for more than 10 years, accusing them of using monetary incentives and fraudulent means and foreign money to convert Hindus.
The attacker has an amputated hand and was said to be mentally disturbed since 1996, when he was diagnosed with cancer, Inspector Mandal said.
“According to the villagers,” he said, “Singh had been mentally disturbed ever since he was diagnosed with cancer, and later tuberculosis, although there is no medical report to substantiate this.”
The government of Bihar is ruled by a coalition of a regional party, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) party, and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The JD-U is also part of the National Democratic Alliance, the main opposition coalition at the federal level led by the BJP. The JD-U, however, is not perceived as a supporter of Hindu nationalism.
Of the 82 million people, mostly Hindu, in Bihar, only 53,137 are Christian, according to the 2001 census.
Yes Christians Todd Bentley has finally said I do to his former live in nanny /Mistress (Jessa). But am not going to go into the nitty-gritty of what Todd has done , for I know that He and his Pastor/Prophets sure know what the word of God says about these things. This is truly a sad story, every Christian out there should continue Praying for Todd Bentleys first wife (Shonnah) who has had to endure these recent embarrassing situations she found herself in and, remember the Children (my heart breaks for them) and neither should we forget Todd and the New wife both who have given in to the lusts of the flesh we ought to hope that they truly repent and find their way to God. For what I can see and read so far shows of people with hardened hearts, those who have chosen their own way instead of Gods way. so sad indeed(sigh)
Read the full story for yourself from Todd Bentleys Chief apologist Rick Joyner (I call him that for he keeps on making excuses for Todd)
Todd Bentley Begins Restoration Process By Rick Joyner
Todd Bentley was used to spark the Lakeland Outpouring, which raised the faith level of much of the body of Christ. Testimonies of healings and miracles from it are now virtually all over the world. When Todd’s marriage failed, he abruptly stopped all ministry and virtually disappeared for almost nine months. In the meantime, his divorce was finalized and he has recently remarried. Todd has taken full responsibility for the failure of his marriage. He and Jessa also admit that their relationship was premature and should not have happened the way it did. Both are adamant that it was not the cause for the failure of his first marriage, nor did they begin their relationship until Todd was convinced that his marriage was over. They have both expressed that it was wrong and premature. They do not want to try and cover this up even though they know many will never accept them for it. Even so, they are married now and are resolved to make the most of their marriage, their lives, and to continue to serve the Lord in the best way that they can. My position all along has been that I will do my best to comply with Galatians 6:1, “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV). To obey this Word, I have always felt that it did not matter what one had done, and that it was my responsibility to help them find the grace of God to return to the place from which they had fallen. I confess that with Todd, I am not just doing this as a duty. From the time I first met him nearly ten years ago, I knew that he had an extraordinary purpose and a gift of faith for the miraculous that would be desperately needed in these times. I consider helping any of God’s children an honor, and helping Todd is a privilege. I also confess to some selfish ambition in wanting to do this. I had a dream two decades ago in which one of my children had fallen into a sewage ditch and could not get up. My child was being scorned and no one would help him. A man came along who helped my child get up and then cleaned up. In that dream, I felt as if I would give everything that I owned to this man who helped my child. Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Jim Bakker is My child. Will you help him?” Since that time, I have been devoted to helping any of God’s children that I could who have committed any trespass, because I knew there were few other things that would bring the Father’s favor. I consider this willingness to at least try to help others this way a major reason for the extraordinary favor that our ministry, my family, and I have received. I love Todd and am glad to help him, but I also know by doing this, I will be doing something that means a great deal to our Father. When we release someone to minister in the body of Christ, we are releasing him or her to minister to God’s own children, and I personally do not do that with anyone who I would not allow to minister to my own family. For all that was done through Todd, and especially at Lakeland, which touched and helped countless thousands, many were also left confused and hurt by the way it ended. I think Todd is even more sensitive to this than I am. Although in some ways he greatly misses being in ministry and praying for people, he wants to be sure that when he comes back that his life and his ministry are on the most solid ground possible so that he does not cause these kinds of problems again. Jack Deere and Bill Johnson have agreed to be a part of Todd’s restoration process. I asked them to be a part because I know they will probably see things I don’t, but also because both Todd and I trust them and know they would not sign off on something they did not really believe in. However, both of them are going to be involved in this at a distance, and therefore, I will be the main person responsible.
Being a believer in body ministry, I expect our whole leadership team, and to some degree, our whole local church, to be involved in helping Todd and Jessa. Our staff and all from the church that I have discussed this with are very happy about them being here and want to help them in any way that they can. In future Bulletins, we will go into more detail about what we’re doing and why, as well as what we think was a cause of some of the failures Todd experienced. We will only do this for the sake of helping others avoid the same traps. We know that trust has to be earned and that Todd will have to earn the trust of the body of Christ for future ministry, which will not be easy, nor should it be. Todd, more than most, does not want to jump back into ministry prematurely, even as much as he misses it in some ways.
I for one have been very encouraged by the expressions of grace and genuine concern so many have expressed toward Todd in this situation. It gives me great hope. As we have been constantly reminded, the Lord had great patience with sinners, but He had none for the self-righteous. We’re all here because He had mercy on us, and we know we still need it. However, we also know that true repentance and restoration can only come if we refuse to compromise the clear biblical standards for morality and integrity. Todd wanted to personally say the following: It has been a long while since I have spoken publicly and openly. I am sorry for the hurt and confusion that my decisions have caused the body of Christ. It has been a true season of brokenness, hiddenness, and a long process of grieving. As many of you now know, my previous marriage has endured years of unresolved conflicts. I apologize that it has ended in divorce, and I take full responsibility for my part for the ending of the marriage. I realize that my silence and decisions have caused many of you to feel hurt, confused, and offended. The reason for the silence was for my need of healing, creating a restoration process under a team of qualified leaders, much needed rest after the Lakeland Outpouring, repentance, and the divorce process. I have now relocated to Fort Mill, South Carolina and have entered into my restoration and healing process under Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson. I am confident of this one thing—that God is faithful to His promise and my hope is to be fully restored, strengthened, healed, and to learn from all the mistakes I have made along the way. Thank you friends and partners for your continued prayers, encouragement, and love. I am committed to the work of the Holy Spirit and confident that the good men around me will help me be restored first as a man, as a husband, and ultimately to fulfill God’s call on my life.
Those of you who were touched by the Lakeland Outpouring do not lose your encouragement. What happened there was from God, and Todd is a true servant of God. He has made some mistakes, and he is trying to get his life back in order, and you can be confident that he will. Throughout the Bible, many of the greatest heroes in it also made some of the worst mistakes. King David, possibly the greatest hero in the Bible after Jesus, made one of the most horrible mistakes, not only committing adultery, but murdering the husband of the woman he committed it with. God knew that was going to happen with David when He called him, and He loved David before, during, and afterward. One of the remarkable events in the Bible is that the Lord then used Bathsheba to bring forth the heir to the throne, Solomon, and she is part of the genealogy of Jesus. It still stretches me, but we need stretching in the grace of God. At the same time, we must balance it with how God hates divorce, and it is one of the scourges of our times that is tragically hurting many, many people. Marriage is under such an assault now because it is so important. However, legalism will not overcome lawlessness. This situation and similar ones that almost every church and family are now being faced with is one that we need answers for. We cannot run from Him, but must run to Him with our need. Many of Todd’s friends and former partners have asked if and how they might help to rebuild and establish Fresh Fire USA, which has recently relocated from Abbotsford, BC Canada and is now based at Heritage International Ministries in Fort Mill, SC. Donations can now be made to Fresh Fire USA at the following address:
Fresh Fire USA
C/O MorningStar Fellowship Church
375 Star Light Dr.
Fort Mill, SC 29715
Make checks out to Fresh Fire USA, or if you would like to donate by credit card to help in rebuilding Fresh Fire USA, call 1-800-542-0278, and tell the operator that you want to make a donation to Fresh Fire USA.
A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.
Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state.
"No other religious bloc has kept such a pace in every state," the study’s authors said.
In the Northeast, self-identified Catholics made up 36 percent of adults last year, down from 43 percent in 1990. At the same time, however, Catholics grew to about one-third of the adult population in California and Texas, and one-quarter of Floridians, largely due to Latino immigration, according to the research.
Nationally, Catholics remain the largest religious group, with 57 million people saying they belong to the church. The tradition gained 11 million followers since 1990, but its share of the population fell by about a percentage point to 25 percent.
Christians who aren’t Catholic also are a declining segment of the country.
In 2008, Christians comprised 76 percent of U.S. adults, compared to about 77 percent in 2001 and about 86 percent in 1990.Researchers said the dwindling ranks of mainline Protestants, including Methodists, Lutherans and Episcopalians, largely explains the shift. Over the last seven years, mainline Protestants dropped from just over 17 percent to 12.9 percent of the population.
The report from The Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., surveyed 54,461 adults in English or Spanish from February through November of last year. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.5 percentage points. The findings are part of a series of studies on American religion by the program that will later look more closely at reasons behind the trends.
The current survey, being released Monday, found traditional organized religion playing less of a role in many lives. Thirty percent of married couples did not have a religious wedding ceremony and 27 percent of respondents said they did not want a religious funeral.
About 12 percent of Americans believe in a higher power but not the personal God at the core of monotheistic faiths. And, since 1990, a slightly greater share of respondents — 1.2 percent — said they were part of new religious movements, including Scientology, Wicca and Santeria.
The study also found signs of a growing influence of churches that either don’t belong to a denomination or play down their membership in a religious group.
Respondents who called themselves "non-denominational Christian" grew from 0.1 percent in 1990 to 3.5 percent last year. Congregations that most often use the term are megachurches considered "seeker sensitive." They use rock style music and less structured prayer to attract people who don’t usually attend church. Researchers also found a small increase in those who prefer being called evangelical or born-again, rather than claim membership in a denomination.
Evangelical or born-again Americans make up 34 percent of all American adults and 45 percent of all Christians and Catholics, the study found. Researchers found that 18 percent of Catholics consider themselves born-again or evangelical, and nearly 39 percent of mainline Protestants prefer those labels. Many mainline Protestant groups are riven by conflict over how they should interpret what the Bible says about gay relationships, salvation and other issues.
The percentage of Pentecostals remained mostly steady since 1990 at 3.5 percent, a surprising finding considering the dramatic spread of the tradition worldwide. Pentecostals are known for a spirited form of Christianity that includes speaking in tongues and a belief in modern-day miracles.
Mormon numbers also held steady over the period at 1.4 percent of the population, while the number of Jews who described themselves as religiously observant continued to drop, from 1.8 percent in 1990 to 1.2 percent, or 2.7 million people, last year. Researchers plan a broader survey on people who consider themselves culturally Jewish but aren’t religious.
The study found that the percentage of Americans who identified themselves as Muslim grew to 0.6 percent of the population, while growth in Eastern religions such as Buddhism slightly slowed.
This is the 2005 Christmas Message from the Pope to the Catholics/the World, This is the revelation that the Vatican is preparing to support the call for a new global economic order: and the prayer sounds “New age” to me at least in the translation I can see in front of me ,in my humble opinion I don’t know about you my dear friend . This worries me a lot.
This is a touching story because I can relate to this on a personal level without saying much, I want you dear reader to Pray for this sister and use her as a point of contact to reach other sisters who are been molested in any way across the Globe. I Pray that the Lord will guide sister Jesme and show her what true love in Christ really means for I can see and feel her hurt and pain and believe me she cannot say everything she suffered for the shame of it (sigh) Read on
A former nun’s tell-all story which details illicit relationships, sexual harassment and bullying in the convent where she spent three decades is causing ructions in the Catholic Church in the south Indian state of Kerala.
In Amen – an autobiography of a nun, Sister Jesme says when she became a nun she discovered priests were forcing novices to have sex with them.
There were also secret homosexual relationships among the nuns and at one point she was forced into such a relationship by another nun who told her she preferred this kind of arrangement as it ruled out the possibility of pregnancy.
“I did not want to make this book controversial. I want to express my feelings and to explain what happened to me … I want people to know how I have suffered,” she said, speaking from the town of Kozhikode. [...]
She also alleges that while senior staff turned a blind eye to the actions of more experienced nuns, novices were strongly punished, even for minor transgressions. [...]
When she resigned as a college principal, she claimed convents had become “houses of torture”, saying: “The mental torture was unbearable. When I questioned the church’s stand on self-financing colleges and certain other issues, they accused me of having mental problems. They have even sent me to a psychiatrist. There are many nuns undergoing ill-treatment from the order, but they are afraid of challenging it. The church is a formidable fortress.”
The allegations are not the only controversy to rock the Catholic Church in Kerala. Last summer, a 23-year-old novice committed suicide and left a note saying she had been harassed by her Mother Superior.
Reports suggest there have been a number of similar suicides. And in November, police in Kerala arrested two priests and a nun in connection with the killing of Sister Abhaya in a notorious 1992 murder.
Last night, a spokesman for the Syro-Malabar order of the Catholic Church, Dr Paul Thelakkat, dismissed Sister Jesme’s allegations as a “book of trivialities”.
“It’s her experiences, but these are things that might creep into a society of communal living,” he said. Asked if the church would be shocked by the allegations, he replied: “Absolutely not. The church knows about these things.”Bookshops throughout India’s Christian communities in Kerala have already sold out of Amen, the autobiography of Sister Jesme, who has alleged that priests and nuns not only broke their vows of celibacy with each other but regularly forced novices to have sex with them.
The Catholic Church in India is mired in a series of sexual controversies, and has only just begun to recover from the dismissal of a senior bishop who “adopted” an attractive 26-year-old female companion as his “daughter”.
The book by the former nun reveals how as a young novice she was propositioned in the confession box by a priest who cited biblical references to “divine kisses”. Later she was cornered by a lesbian nun at a college where they were teaching. “She would come to my bed in the night and do lewd acts and I could not stop her,” she claims.
When she was sent to Bangalore to stay with a priest known for his piety, he lectured her about the need for “physical love” and later assaulted her.
"People say that everything is OK, but I was in the convent and I want them to know what goes on. I have concerns for others."
Sister Jesme, who quit last year as the principal of a Catholic college in Thrissur, alleges senior nuns tried to have her committed to a mental institution after she spoke out against them.
In her book, she says that while travelling through Bangalore, she was once directed to stay with a purportedly pious priest who took her to a garden "and showed me several pairs cuddling behind trees. He also gave me a sermon on the necessity of physical love and described the illicit affairs that certain bishops and priests had". The priest took her to his home, stripped off his clothes and ordered her to do the same.
She was not allowed to go home after she learnt her father had died. "I was able to see [the body of] my father barely 15 minutes before the funeral," she writes. "The [response] of the superiors was that the then senior sisters were not even lucky enough to see the bodies of their parents."
I am using these few verses of the Scriptures to say what I need to say to these Churches/Ministries that go on with these practices, (All the sex talk etc) for I may sound judgmental to some if I should speak my words let alone express my views on this subject. so I will let the Bible speak on this and you my friend will know where I stand on this issue.
2 Timothy 4:2-5
2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
1 Timothy 4:1-2
1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1 Corinthians 8:9-13
9But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. 10For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; 11And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. 13Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
Watch this video from Grace Church Ohio upcoming ‘Bringing Sexy Back’ sermon series You may or may not believe this is happening in Churches
The Vatican has admitted that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution should not have been dismissed and claimed it is compatible with the Christian view of Creation.
Gianfranco Ravasi: Monsignor Ravasi said Darwin’s theories had never been formally condemned by the Roman Catholic Church Photo: EPA
Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said while the Church had been hostile to Darwin’s theory in the past, the idea of evolution could be traced to St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas.
Father Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti, Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Santa Croce University in Rome, added that 4th century theologian St Augustine had "never heard the term evolution, but knew that big fish eat smaller fish" and forms of life had been transformed "slowly over time". Aquinas made similar observations in the Middle Ages.
Ahead of a papal-backed conference next month marking the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, the Vatican is also set to play down the idea of Intelligent Design, which argues a "higher power" must be responsible for the complexities of life.
The conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University will discuss Intelligent Design to an extent, but only as a "cultural phenomenon" rather than a scientific or theological issue.
Monsignor Ravasi said Darwin’s theories had never been formally condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, pointing to comments more than 50 years ago, when Pope Pius XII described evolution as a valid scientific approach to the development of humans.
Marc Leclerc, who teaches natural philosophy at the Gregorian University, said the "time has come for a rigorous and objective valuation" of Darwin by the Church as the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth approaches.
Professor Leclerc argues that too many of Darwin’s opponents, primarily Creationists, mistakenly claim his theories are "totally incompatible with a religious vision of reality".
Earlier this week, prominent scientists and leading religious figures wrote to The Daily Telegraph to call for an end to the fighting over Darwin’s legacy.
They argued that militant atheists are turning people away from evolution by using it to attack religion while they also urge believers in creationism to acknowledge the overwhelming body of evidence that now exists to support Darwin’s theory.
The Church of England is seeking to bring Darwin back into the fold with a page on its website paying tribute to his "forgotten" work in his local parish, showing science and religion need not be at odds.
I Appreciate your Prayer Requests,(Thanks to God for all who have been sending already) Keep them coming in Please, I love Praying for you... Lets Trust Jesus Together! HALLELUYAH!!! Thank you Holy Spirit
By John Blake, CNN — Just so you know, Bart Ehrman says he’s not the anti-Christ.
I first wrote about this 
exploded a crude bomb in a church and shot the pastor. 
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