Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Verse of the week!
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”- Luke 2:11-14
Prophecy News Watch Headlines - December 19
1. Where is the United States in Prophecy?
Doomsday: U.S. report warns of 'strategic shock' leading to massive unrest The United States could be sleep-walking into its next crisis, a military report said. The report by the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Institute, said that a defense community paralyzed by conventional thinking could be unprepared to help the United States cope with a series of unexpected crises that would rival the Al Qaida strikes in 2001, termed a "strategic shock." The report cited the prospect of the collapse of a nuclear state leading to massive unrest in the United States, Middle East Newsline reported. "Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security," the report, authored by Ret. Lt. Col. Nathan Freir, said. "Deliberate employment of weapons of mass destruction or other catastrophic capabilities, unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters are all paths to disruptive domestic shock." The report cited the prospect of a breakdown of order in the United States. Freier said the Pentagon could be suddenly forced to recall troops from abroad to fight domestic unrest. "An American government and defense establishment lulled into complacency by a long-secure domestic order would be forced to rapidly divest some or most external security commitments in order to address rapidly expanding human insecurity at home," the report said.. .................. read more
What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the worst that could happen? That’s a question that James Rickards spends a lot of time pondering these days, as he sifts through the national security implications of the financial crisis facing the United States. Rickards will lay out his worst case scenarios in a lecture sponsored by the Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy tonight. And his forecasts aren’t for the faint of heart. Rickards calls it the “A to Z” problem: What are the threats that could make the U.S. economy look less like America and more like Zimbabwe? He sees them everywhere – in the Chinese ownership of vast amounts of American debt, in Russia’s increased centralization of its economy, in Al Qaeda’s long-established fascination with damaging the U.S. economy. In many ways, Rickards is the ultimate bear. He’s not just thinking about whether the stock market will decline, but whether or not the stock market will survive. All that puts Rickards decidedly outside mainstream economic and political thinking in America. But he does have an influential audience: the United States intelligence and defense communities. Rickards is a regular adviser on financial issues to the office of the Director of National Intelligence, and he lends his financial advice to the national security community. His lecture comes as part of an annual “Rethinking Seminar” produced by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Rickards argues that government is not doing nearly enough to prepare for the worst. “Here’s the policy problem for the United States,” he said in an interview. “We have experts in defense and intelligence, and huge depth in capital markets experience at the Fed and at Treasury. But they’re separated by the Potomac River. And they’re not talking to each other.” Rickards came by his economic experience the hard way. He was the general counsel at Long Term Capital Management, the hedge fund that collapsed in spectacular fashion in the late 1990s and nearly took the global economy along with it. That near-economic death experience gave him a healthy appreciation for risk. Today, he’s the senior managing director for research at Omnis, an applied research firm. Four of the following scenarios keep him up at night..................... read more
IMF warns of economic riots, police ready for civil unrestPentagon resources and U.S. troops may be used if needed to quell protests and bank runs during an economic crisis, the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Institute reported. "Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security," the War College study states. Incidents of economic collapse, terrorism and disruption of legal order could require deployment of forces within the U.S., it said. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has warned that advanced nations could face civil unrest during distressful economic times "Social unrest may happen in many countries – including advanced economies" if the economic crises are not properly dealt with, Strauss-Kahn said. "He added that violent protests could break out in countries worldwide if the financial system was not restructured to benefit everyone rather than a small elite," London's Guardian reported. In a recession where consumer spending is plummeting, foreclosures are rampant, workers are losing jobs, credit is tight and markets are strained, some are warning about a worst-case scenario. Last month, trends forecaster Gerald Celente told Fox News that America will morph into the first "undeveloped" nation of the world by 2012. He said there will be a tax revolution marked by "food riots, squatter rebellion, tax revolts and job marches." He also said by 2012, the holidays will be more about getting food rather than gifts. According to the Phoenix Business Journal, U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson considered the prospect of civil unrest while he pushed for September's Wall Street bailout – even suggesting martial law might be essential. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Barack Obama's pick for secretary of Homeland Security, would not provide comment to the Business Journal on the possibility of civil unrest during economic crisis. But state and local police indicated that they have trained for such an event...................... read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece
New bombs change Middle East dynamicsA new bomb technology developed by Australia and the U.S. will allow Israel's jet fighter pilots to strike inside Syria or Lebanon without ever leaving their own airspace should there be another conflict in the region, changing the dynamics of the Middle East conflict, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. It is called the JDAM-ER, or Joint Direct Munitions-Extended Range, and essentially takes a dumb bomb and turns it into a smart bomb. Among the modifications is the addition of a set of folding wings that extend the range to more than three times the range of a baseline JDAM, or Mk-84 2000-pound bomb, reportedly increasing the range from 15 to some 55 nautical miles. Another modification converts existing unguided bombs into bombs directed to their targets using GPS technology. Even before the JDAM is released, it begins to receive data while still attached to the computer inside the aircraft. Upon release, a satellite then guides the bomb to its target. The aircraft and crew then don't have to remain in enemy territory to "ride the bomb down" to its target, according to officials. This enhanced capability allows the bomb to hit its target accurately regardless of weather conditions, day or night.................... read more
US - Israel on Collision CourseWith the election of Barack Obama, the United States has moved dramatically to the left in its foreign policy at just the time that Israel, which seems likely to return Bibi Netanyahu to office in early February, is moving to the right. A collision is almost inevitable. Caroline Glick, the highly astute conservative columnist for the Jerusalem Post, writes that the “international community” believes that Obama “will move quickly to place massive pressure on the next Israeli government to withdraw from Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in the interests of advancing a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians and the Syrians.” She notes that “people who have been in close contact with Obama’s foreign policy transition team have privately acknowledged that the widespread belief that Obama will move swiftly to put the screws on Israel is fully justified. According to one source who has spent a great deal of time with the transition team since last month’s U.S. elections, Obama’s people are ‘scope-locked’ on Israel.” Meanwhile, in Israel, there is a growing consensus, reflected in public opinion surveys, that trading land for peace is a chimera. Netanyahu points out that “we do not have a viable partner with whom to negotiate peace.” The Palestinian Authority does not speak for the people of either Gaza or the West Bank, and Hamas, which probably does (it won the election), does not want to be a party to any peace agreement. Recent experience suggests that Hamas will quickly install rocket launchers on any territory Israel concedes, using it not as a basis for peace, but as a platform from which to kill more Jews. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the candidates of the left, Labor’s Ehud Barak and Kadima’s Tzipi Livni, are deeply committed to land for peace. Their rejection by the Israeli electorate — the anticipated outcome of the Feb. 10 election — will signal a bold departure in the political consensus of the Jewish state, a consensus that flies directly in the face of Obama’s likely policy. The result is likely to be the most significant divergence between Israeli and American policies since 1956, when President Eisenhower sided with the Arabs to halt the British-French-Israeli invasion of Suez. The United States has tremendous leverage over Israel — military, financial and political. And Obama’s ability to carry the Jewish vote by a wide margin despite his likely Middle East policy makes him largely immune to the kind of political pressure that has disciplined American presidents in the past and forced them to incline toward accommodating Israeli views on the Middle East. But Israel probably has the military capacity to bomb Iran and to win the Middle East war against Syria, Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah that is likely to result. Unlike Olmert, Netanyahu will use ground troops right off the bat and will fight such a war to win and to win big. But they may have to do it without their strongest ally: the United States.................... read more
Hamas says won't extend truce with IsraelTwo Hamas officials said the Islamic group would not extend a six-month truce with the Israelis as militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at southern Israel and Israel hit back with airstrikes Thursday. Hamas said previously that the cease-fire ends Friday, but Israel maintained the unwritten truce did not have an expiration date. Violence has already resumed, although at a lower level than before the truce took effect. On Thursday, Gaza militants fired 11 rockets and six mortar shells toward Israel. Israel's military launched at least two airstrikes on rocket squads. "There is no chance of extending the calm," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in Gaza. He blamed Israel for the breakdown. In Lebanon, Hamas official Osama Hamdan told The Associated Press the truce would end Friday. It was not clear whether this was Hamas' final word, however. The group, which rules Gaza, has been issuing contradictory statements this week about extending the truce...................... read more
Israeli-Palestinian peace process is irreversible The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Tuesday stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process initiated by the United States last year is irreversible and urging intensified efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East. The vote was 14-0, with Libya abstaining. The resolution — co-sponsored by the United States and Russia — backs "the determined efforts" by Israel and the Palestinians to conclude a peace treaty and fulfill the vision that they can live peacefully side by side as independent democratic states. The negotiating process launched by President George W. Bush at Annapolis, Md., in November 2007 called for the Israelis and Palestinians to try to reach a final peace deal by the end of 2008. That goal would have given Bush a diplomatic victory just before leaving office — but it was not to be, despite months of intense negotiations. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said all council members regret an agreement won't be reached this year, but said "a serious process is under way" and the international community must ensure the talks achieve results. The sides have failed to bridge disagreements over the so-called core issues, including their final borders and the competing claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. Political uncertainty on both sides has also clouded the picture. Israel is headed toward elections in February, and the front-runner, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been cool to the Annapolis process. The Palestinians, meanwhile, disagree over when the term of Israel's negotiating partner, President Mahmoud Abbas, is to end. Hamas says he must step down in January, though he has vowed to stay in office. .................... read more
Top Israeli officer says Hizbullah will be destroyed in five days 'next time' Israel is developing plans to "destroy" Hizbullah in an armed onslaught of such severity that it would require no more than five days to complete, a senior Israeli military officer has said. The commander of Israel's artillery division, which fired an average of 5,000 shells a day into Lebanon during the summer war in 2006, said that in any future conflict his men would "fire to destroy." "No village will be immune," Brigadier General Michael Ben-Baruch told The Jerusalem Post newspaper. "We will give them about a 12-hour warning and then strike back." His comments are the latest in a series of saber-rattling interviews in which senior Israeli military figures have outlined their plans for the next assault on Lebanon. The tone of the rhetoric coming out of Israel became so severe during the summer that Prime Minister Fouad Siniora complained to the United Nations about the threats. "In the last war, we made a distinction between Hizbullah targets and Lebanese national targets," an anonymous general in Israel was quoted as saying, contradicting overwhelming evidence to the contrary. "Now that Hizbullah is in the government - with veto power in the cabinet - there is no longer a reason to make this distinction, since a Hizbullah attack against Israel is essentially a Lebanese attack against Israel." Last week, the Israeli military conducted a major training exercise in the Golan Heights in a practice run for a potential war against the combined forces of Syria and Hizbullah. Israel's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, has reportedly recommended that the Israeli cabinet rubberstamp plans to launch an all-out assault on Lebanon's infrastructure in case of another conflict. During the 2006 war, which has been described as a "missed opportunity" by Israel's top brass, hundreds of roads and bridges were targeted. The Israeli military claimed this was because they were used by Hizbullah. In any future war there will be no such justification required because the Jewish state now considers the Shiite party to be a part of the Lebanese government. The newspaper also revealed that some senior military figures in Israel are pushing for an unprovoked "preemptive" assault on Hizbullah. But it says this is not "likely," given that others seem willing to bide their time until Hizbullah launches an attack of its own, something which many in Israel consider to be inevitable. . .................... read more
Messianic Jews still face persecution in Israel A director of the US Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and his wife were detained Sunday at Ben-Gurion Airport by Interior Ministry officials amid allegations he is involved in illegal Christian missionary activity. It is illegal in Israel to proselytize among minors. It is also prohibited to engage in missionary activities among adults when economic incentives are offered. After over eight hours of detention, Jamie Cowen, a former president of the union, and his wife, Stacy, were permitted to enter Israel only after they agreed to sign a document that they would not engage in missionary activities during their stay. The Cowens are in Israel to visit their two daughters, one of whom is an Israeli citizen. The other is in the process of obtaining citizenship after she and a group of other Messianic Jews won a Supreme Court case against the state. The Cowens and their daughters all identify as Jews but believe that Jesus is the messiah. "This type of religious discrimination would be expected of Iran, not Israel," said Jamie Cowen, a US immigration lawyer, a few hours after he was released by immigration police. The Interior Ministry, which directed the police to arrest the Cowens, said they had classified information regarding missionary activity. "The Immigration and Population Authority has reliable information that the Cowens were involved in missionary activity prohibited by Israeli criminal law during their last visit to Israel," a ministry spokesman said. Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel of The Jerusalem Institute, which provides legal advice and representation to messianic Jews, said the Interior Ministry was filled will clerks who identified with a strictly Orthodox definition of who is a Jew. The Supreme Court has ruled that Jews who embraced Christianity are not eligible for Israeli citizenship. However, the court has also ruled that people who are not Jews according to Orthodox standards, but who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return do not forfeit this right if they adopt Christian beliefs. . .................... read more
4. The Gog/Magog War
Russia provides 10 MiG fighter jets to Lebanon for freeRussia gave Lebanon ten MiG fighter jets yesterday in a deal to boost defence cooperation. The MiG29 Fulcrum fighters would be provided free to Lebanon under an agreement on military-technical assistance, the head of Russia’s defence cooperation service said. Mikhail Dmitryev said that the jets would come from Russia’s existing stock. He said that Moscow was also in talks to supply Beirut with heavy armour, adding that supplies of such weaponry were “now possible after the situation in this nation has stabilised”. The MiG29s, one of Russia’s best fighter jets, will provide considerable additional firepower for the Lebanese air force, which currently has only five outdated Hawker Hunter jets and 16 helicopters. The gift is certain to strengthen Russian influence in the Middle East as Moscow seeks to restore a position that was lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The agreement is likely to prompt concern in Israel and the United States, given the continuing power and influence of the Islamic militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Ria-Novosti news agency reported that Lebanese officials were also seeking tanks, antitank rockets, air defence systems and helicopters. Russia is already a major weapons supplier to neighbouring Syria, which is keen to acquire the latest MiG29s and was reported to be seeking the latest Sam S300 air defence missiles earlier this year... ................. read more
Return to Soviet era continues - Russian authorities to label any government critic a traitorNew legislation backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would allow Russian authorities to label any government critic a traitor—a move that rights activists said Wednesday was a chilling throwback to times of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The bill, which is expected to become law, would expanded the definition of treason to include damaging Russia's constitutional order, sovereignty or territorial integrity. That, rights activists said, would essentially let authorities interpret any act against state as treason—a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Activists said that would catapult Russia's justice system back to the times of Stalin's purges, calling it "legislation in the spirit of Stalin and Hitler." "It returns the Russian justice to the times of 1920-1950s," the activists, which included Moscow Helsinki Group head Lyudmila Alexeyeva and Civic Assistance director Svetlana Gannushkina, said in a joint statement. Existing law defines state treason as actions harming external security by passing information to "foreign organizations." Putin's bill would add non-governmental organizations based anywhere in the world that have an office in Russia to the list of banned recipients of state secrets. The government has repeatedly accused foreign spy agencies of using NGOs as a cover to foment dissent. But critics warned the loose wording will give authorities ample leeway to prosecute those who cooperate with international rights groups. As for the rest of the proposed bill, the activists believe each additional phrase deliberately targets potential threats to the Kremlin. "Constitutional order," for example, would outlaw opposition protests, they said. "Territorial integrity" would forbid regional calls for independence, an issue of particular concern in Russia's volatile North Caucasus, where Chechnya is located. Lev Ponomaryov, an outspoken government critic, said the legislation creates "a base for a totalitarian state." In a separate development Wednesday, the Russia's upper house of parliament passed legislation that would end jury trials for those facing charges of terrorism and treason. Instead they would face judges. .................. read more
Russian S-300 anti-air weapon already delivered to Iran Despite the efforts of US and Israeli leaders, Moscow has begun delivering the highly sophisticated medium-range air defense S-300 system to Iran for securing its nuclear and strategic sites against potential attack. The RIA news agency reported Wednesday night, Dec. 18: "Moscow has earlier met its obligations to supply Tor-M1 (short-range) systems to Iran and is currently implementing its contract to deliver S-300 systems." DEBKAfile's military sources disclose the S-300 deliveries began two weeks ago. Their installation, coinciding with the return home of members of Iranian air defense officers from training in Russia, means that air or missile attacks on Iranian sites will henceforth be extremely difficult and carry a high price. DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report that after Iran, Moscow will install the S-300 in Syria, focusing on securing the Russian naval bases going up in the Mediterranean port of Tartous. By selling these countries top-line weaponry, Moscow is strengthening its military presence and influence in two Middle East countries of especial interest to the United States and Israel – a tactic Soviet Russian employed in the Cold War.. .................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity
Many beliefs, many paths to heaven? Christians swing to UniversalismMost American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Christ as their savior, a new survey finds.Of the 65% of people who held this open view of heaven's gates, 80% named at least one non-Christian group — Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists or people with no religion at all — who may also be saved, according to a new survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. This means 52% of Christians do not agree with the doctrines many religions teach, particularly conservative denominations. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, calls the findings "a theological crisis for American evangelicals. They represent at best a misunderstanding of the Gospel and at worst a repudiation of the Gospel." Christian believers who named at least one non-Christian faith that could lead to salvation included 34% of white evangelicals, even though evangelical doctrine stresses that salvation is possible only through Jesus. Higher levels of church attendance made some difference, particularly among white evangelical Protestants. But an overall majority (54%) of people who identified with a religion and who said they attend church weekly also said many religions can lead to eternal life. This majority included 37% of white evangelicals, 75% of mainline Protestants and 85% of non-Hispanic white Catholics. Pew's new survey also found that many Christians (29%) say they are saved by their good actions; 30% say salvation is through belief in Jesus, God or a higher power alone, which is the core teaching of evangelical Protestantism; and 10% say salvation is found through a combination of behavior and belief, a view closer to Catholic teachings. The number of those who said actions determine who attains heaven, was lowest (11%) for white evangelicals, highest for white Catholics (47%). Overall, the new findings are "an indictment of evangelicalism and evangelical preaching," said Mohler. "The clear Biblical teaching is that Jesus Christ proclaimed himself to be the only way to salvation." Mohler sees behind the statistics the impact of pluralism and secularism in U.S. society and the challenge of facing family and friends with "an uncomfortable truth." "We are in an age when we want to tell everyone they are doing just fine. It's extremely uncomfortable to turn to someone and say, 'You will go to hell unless you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus,' " Mohler says.............. read more
Anglicans Add Hindu Snowmen, Chinese Dragon to Christmas DisplaysSome Anglican clergy have added a multicultural twist to Christmas decorations, adding Hindu snowmen, a Chinese dragon and a Jewish temple to the lawn where the traditional scene of a baby Jesus, angels, and the three wise men used to be displayed alone. “We’ve done this as it creates a good opportunity for Christians to meet and hear about the stories of people of other faiths,” said the Rev. Jane Hedges, a canon of Westminster Abbey, according to U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper. The Abbey’s canon pointed out that the story of Christ’s birth is included in the Koran, and noted that the Hindu snowmen is meant to convey that Hindus have something to celebrate during Christmas too. “Strictly speaking, the message of Christmas is about the birth of Christ, but it has a much broader message of peace and goodwill,” said Hedges. Westminster Abbey will showcase life-size snowmen with turbans and bindi dots on their foreheads that is meant to express that Christmas is not exclusively for Christians. The Diocese of Liverpool, part of the Church of England, will stage a nativity that features a Chinese dragon and lantern procession. But the additions to the Christmas landscape have drawn criticism from those who argue that the multicultural effort is undermining the Christian message. An evangelical leader in England expressed his disapproval of the nativity scene spin. “People want Christians to celebrate Christmas without compromise,” said the Rev. Rod Thomas, chair of Reform, according to the Telegraph. “It’s only by doing this that people of other faiths respect what we stand for, not by attempting to introduce something that is sub-Christian.” The multicultural Christmas displays come as British society has become more secular as well as multi-religious, particularly with the population of Muslims growing rapidly. Church attendance in England is expected to fall from 3 million to 700,000 in England, and 550,000 to 140,000 in Scotland by 2050, according to Christian Research. Meanwhile, the study predicts that the number of practicing Muslims will outnumber worshipping Christians in Britain by 2035. By then there will be an estimated 1.96 million active Muslims in Britain, compared with 1.63 million church-going Christians, according to the think tank.............. read more
6. The Rise of Islam
Online Jihadists Plan for 'Invading Facebook'Online jihadists have already used YouTube, blogs and other social media to spread their propaganda. Now, a group of internet Islamic extremists is putting together a plan for "invading Facebook." "We can use Facebook to fight the media," notes a recent posting on the extremist al-Faloja forum, translated by Jihadica.com. "We can post media on Facebook that shows the Crusader losses." "We have already had great success in raiding YouTube," the poster adds. "American politicians have used Facebook to get votes, like the house slave Obama." Groups like al-Qaida were pioneering users of the internet — to train, share ideas and organize. But some observers, like George Washington University professor Marc Lynch, see a reluctance to embrace Web 2.0 tools like Facebook. "One of the biggest problems for a virtual network like AQ today is that it needs to build connections between its members while protecting itself from its enemies. That's a filtering problem: How do you get your people in, and keep intelligence agents out?" he asks. But as Jihadica.com author and West Point Combating Terrorism Center fellow William McCants notes, the proposed Facebook invasion "is not an attempt to replicate [existing] social networks." Instead, "the members of the campaign want to exploit existing networks of people who are hostile to them and presumably they will adopt new identities once they have posted their material." The al-Faloja poster suggests seven "brigades" work together within Facebook. One will distribute videos and writing of so-called "martyrs." Another will spread military training material. Most of them will work in Arabic, presumably. But one of the units will focus just on spread English-language propaganda through Facebook. .. ................ read more
U.S. lawmakers scold AIG over Shariah financeTwo conservative U.S. lawmakers have put the nation's largest insurer on notice for marketing Islamic financial products in America, warning that they "support a radical political ideology." American International Group earlier this month announced it will be offering Shariah-compliant homeowners insurance in the U.S. Hit hard by the financial crisis, AIG is looking for new revenue sources, and sees Muslim finance as a high-growth segment of the insurance market. But two Republican leaders in Congress say it's a bad idea, and scolded the federally subsidized insurer for promoting a "Stone Age" legal code "championed by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden." Teetering on bankruptcy, AIG has benefited from $153 billion in tax-supported bailout money. In a blistering letter sent today to New York-based AIG CEO Ed Liddy, Reps. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., and Frank Wolf, R-Va., warned that a portion of the proceeds from their Shariah offerings could end up financing jihad. Myrick co-chairs the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, and Wolf co-chairs the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. "Under Shariah finance, your company must contribute Zakat, the Third Pillar of Islam, which is a 2.5 percent donation to Muslim charity," the lawmakers wrote in their 3-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by WND. "While this may sound honorable, al-Qaida was able to receive between $300 (million) and $500 million from Zakat contributors who used a web of non-transparent charities and front companies to funnel money through Islamic banks." "We have also seen this in the U.S.," they added, "as Zakat was sent to a front group, the Holy Land Foundation, which was recently convicted by a federal court for sending funds to the terrorist organization, Hamas." Moreover, they point out that a noted Shariah finance adviser, Yusuf Qaradawi, is a leader in the worldwide jihadist movement known as the Muslim Brotherhood, and chairs some 50 Islamic charities. Qaradawi once called Zakat "jihad with money." The lawmakers warned Liddy that the charitable transfers made by Shariah finance advisers are notoriously opaque, and his company could potentially be held liable for terrorist money-laundering. They also asserted in their letter that, far from being "socially responsible," complying with the tenets of Shariah law promotes a culture that "enshrines horrific human-rights abuses." .................. read more
Islamic anti-defamation plan suffers setback at UNThe Islamic nations whose leaders want Christianity criminalized sustained a severe blow at the United Nations today when the momentum on their religion "anti-defamation" proposal suddenly shifted. WND previously reported on the plan that has been in the works since 1999, sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The "anti-defamation" law was proposed ostensibly to protect religions from criticism and attack. However, the plan mentions only Islam as needing protection. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, has assembled a petition opposing the plan that has been signed by about 400,000 people already. He said today's U.N. General Assembly vote, which was 86 yes, 53 no and 42 abstentions, was a dramatic shift from the vote from one year ago, which was 108 yes, 51 no, and 25 abstentions. Because of the circuitous route to adoption in the labyrinth of the U.N., a General Assembly vote such as today's does not automatically mean adoption. Nor does it mean the proposal will disappear. But Sekulow told WND that the change was "huge." The 57 member nations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference have lobbied for the plan, which is based on the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, since 1999. The Cairo declaration states "that all rights are subject to Shariah law, and makes Shariah law the only source of reference for human rights." The ACLJ, in promoting its petition to raise awareness of the campaign, said, "The fact is this: The proposal, while purportedly to protect against 'defamation of religions,' is frequently used as a weapon to silence religious minorities, including Christians in many countries. "The resolution actually targets anyone who speaks negatively in any way about Islam. Sharing your faith would become an international crime punishable by imprisonment – or death," the ACLJ said. Fox News religion contributor Lauren Green continued, "But you say, 'That can’t happen,' or 'that would be ludicrous.' The fact is, it's already happening. Christians and other minority religions in predominantly Islamic areas or countries are being persecuted to barbaric levels. Reports from Nairobi, Kenya, say that one aid worker was beheaded in September for converting from Islam to Christianity; the Iranian government has already passed a bill calling for execution on the basis of apostasy (anyone converting from Islam to another religion), and of course we've seen the violence that erupted over the Danish cartoon of the prophet Mohammed." .................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
Consumers give thumbs up to fingerprintsConsumers have given the thumbs up to the use of fingerprint scanning as a preferred way of using biometric identification to verify their identities with banks, government agencies and other organisations. Analysis of data collated by Unisys Corp alongside the latest instalment of its bi-annual Security Index concludes that people felt reassured by fingerprint scanning more than any other biometric. Some 67% of consumers surveyed around the globe said they trusted fingerprint scans, which is far higher than any other type of biometric identification method, the company said. To date the technology has made only slow inroads at the enterprise level and is being variously deployed as a replacement for swipe cards in time and attendance applications, to secure entry to hospital wards and airports, and at banking ATMs to verify chip-and-PIN based transactions. But the global market for biometric products is projected to surpass $7 billion by 2012, according to Business Intelligence. One of the key areas for growth is non-automated fingerprint identification biometrics systems, driven by government ID management programmes, criminal ID and surveillance and private sector initiatives such as employee ID. Unisys reported that acceptance of such ID schemes was found to be higher in regions where governments and other organisations already embrace biometrics such as Malaysia and Australia, and in the UK with its proposed national ID card. ......................... read more
3D TV revolution: Sky promises images that leap out of the screenSky is promising to 'blow away' viewers by introducing 3D television to millions of living rooms within the next year. The satellite broadcaster demonstrated the technology this week - showing images shot at rugby and football matches which made the action appear to leap out of the screen. Viewers will need to wear special glasses which allow the brain to process images so that they appear to be in your living room. Gerry O'Sullivan, Sky's product development director, said the proposed service would be piped to the firm's existing high-definition (HD) set-top boxes. 'Lots of people have seen a 3D film - we want to bring that experience into the living room,' he said. 'Everyone who has seen the 3D service has been blown away by it.' Filming in 3D involves using two separate cameras which are placed close together as they mimic the behaviour and alignment of the human eye focusing on the left and right angle of an image. The images are then edited and converted into a 3D picture through a processor. Brian Lenz, the company's head of product design and innovation, added: 'We're just exploring right now but the next step is going to be to find out whether 3DTV is something people are going to be interested in.'......................... read more
The Bill Nobody Noticed: National DNA DatabankIn April of 2008, President Bush signed into law S.1858 which allows the federal government to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. This was to be implemented within 6 months meaning that this collection is now being carried out. Congressman Ron Paul states that this bill is the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database. S.1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, is justified as a "national contingency plan" in that it represents preparation for any sort of public health emergency. The bill states that the federal government should "continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening" and "maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening... ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the Internet and is updated at least quarterly". Sections of the bill also make it clear that DNA may be used in genetic experiments and tests. Twila Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care warns that this new law represents the beginning of nationwide genetic testing. Brase states that S.1858 and H.R. 3825, the House version of the bill, will:• Establish a national list of genetic conditions for which newborns and children are to be tested.• Establish protocols for the linking and sharing of genetic test results nationwide.• Build surveillance systems for tracking the health status and health outcomes of individuals diagnosed at birth with a genetic defect or trait.• Use the newborn screening program as an opportunity for government agencies to identify, list, and study "secondary conditions" of individuals and their families.• Subject citizens to genetic research without their knowledge or consent.Brase states that under this bill, "The DNA taken at birth from every citizen is essentially owned by the government, and every citizen becomes a potential subject of government-sponsored genetic research." All 50 states are now routinely providing results of genetic screenings to the Department of Homeland Security and this bill will establish the legality of that practice plus include DNA.. ......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues
Obama planning billion-dollar 'bailout' for abortion industryA pro-life group in Washington has launched a campaign to oppose what it calls president-elect Barack Obama's planned $1.5 billion "bailout" of the abortion industry. Last week, the Obama-Biden Transition Project posted a report on its website that calls for dramatic policy reversals on abortion, including $1 billion in taxpayer money for international abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. The report, titled "Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration," also calls for a 133-percent increase in funding for the Title X program, which funds Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, is hoping a Republican-led effort in the Senate will block Obama's plan to substantially increase taxpayer funding of the abortion industry. "This billion-dollar bailout of the abortion industry comes at a time, number one, when the economy is suffering dramatically with true need. And number two, it communicates an incredible depth of arrogance, especially when you consider that the vast majority of Americans -- men and women, no matter who you talk to -- they don't believe that people who don't believe in abortion should be funding it," she contends. "Most Americans don't believe that we should be funding abortions, especially in a time of economic crisis." The Susan B. Anthony List has started a "Stop the Abortion Bailout" campaign designed to recruit thousands of activists to send letters to their senators "with the goal of securing the 41 votes necessary to sustain a Senate filibuster of the abortion bailout."................... read more
Poll Finds No Boost in Church Attendance during Economic Crisis While tens of thousands of Americans have been laid off in recent months and religious leaders have blamed corporate greed for the economic crisis, churches have not seen a jump in attendance numbers as many might have expected, according to a new poll. Over the last three months, about 42 percent of Americans reported that they attended church, synagogue, or mosque weekly or almost every week, which the Gallup Poll found to be the same percentage reported earlier in the year. History has shown that a significant crisis usually results in fuller pews, as was seen after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. During this latest crisis of economic challenges, some reports have indicated that houses of worship have drawn larger crowds. But while some churches have seen higher numbers, the recent Gallup Poll found "absolutely no change" in church attendance after reviewing almost 300,000 interviews Gallup conducted throughout this year. Since mid-February, the percentage for church attendance has remained the same – around 42 percent. And the latest poll, conducted Dec. 4-7, showed that only 39 percent said they attended church or synagogue in the last seven days.. ............. read more
State law could bar some registered sex offenders from attending church The Rev. Ben Robertson believes church doors should be open to everyone - even registered sex offenders. Congregations are grappling with a new state law that prohibits certain sex offenders from being within 300 feet of child care centers, which include church nurseries and playgrounds. If worship services are held in close proximity to church child care, the law could prevent some from attending. "As a church that preaches Jesus Christ as our savior, we at the same time preach resurrection and that Christ welcomes all people, regardless of what they have done, regardless of what demons they are dealing with," said Robertson, the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Gastonia. The father of a 1-year-old girl, Robertson said the church doesn't tolerate child sex abuse. All employees and volunteers undergo sexual misconduct prevention training. "While we welcome all, we are also vigilant of all, especially regarding our children," he said. "If someone is going to try to abuse one of our children, they will be identified and they will be prevented." Included in a batch of tough new laws for North Carolina's registered sex offenders that took effect Dec. 1, the boundary rule applies only to offenders whose victims were under 16. Those affected can't go "within 300 feet of any location intended primarily for the use, care or supervision of minors when the place is located on premises that are not intended primarily for the use, care or supervision of minors." The law provides examples, including children's museums, nurseries and playgrounds located in malls and shopping centers. Churches are not specifically mentioned. Deputy Shane Farmer of the Gaston County Sheriff's Office said more than a dozen sex offenders asked for clarification on the law, fearing it would prevent them from attending church. The Sheriff's Office quizzed the N.C. Department of Justice. "That's the general consensus of the way they're interpreting the law," Farmer said. "If he or she is within 300 feet of that nursery or that day care, then he or she is in violation." Farmer said the Sheriff's Office can't provide sex offenders with specific legal advice, but he makes it clear that the 300-foot law contains no exception for churches. About a fifth of registered sex offenders and a sixth of offenders who haven't been caught attend United States churches, according to Smyna, Tenn.-based Keeping Kids Safe Ministries. The Christian group helps churches safeguard children by setting clear expectations for accountability among attendees who are sex offenders................. read more
Obama’s Pick for Education Secretary Pushed For Gay High SchoolObama’s new pick for Education secretary is Arne Duncan, head of Chicago Public Schools. He’s been pushing for Chicago to start their first gay high school. Not kidding. Obama is going to get a lot of flack over this pick from social conservative groups and it wouldn’t surprise me if Republican Senators raise a fuss about this during his confirmation hearing. Mark my words. Read below from The Chicago Tribune: The Chicago Public Schools' first high school designed for gay, lesbian and transgender teens is among 20 new schools recommended to the school board today by CPS Chief Arne Duncan. The proposed schools range from technology-focused high schools to the School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials said would cater to but not focus exclusively on gay youth. Supporters have said the Pride Campus would help students find a safe school environment because studies have shown that gay youth are at a greater risk of dropping out of school and abusing drugs and alcohol, and are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide. A 2003 district survey shows that gay and lesbian youths are three times more likely to miss school because they don't feel safe. Opponents have called the move a misuse of public funds. At a recent public hearing on the proposal, some gay rights advocates have said the move would segregate these students and said the district should work more on fostering acceptance by mainstream students, teachers and other school officials. Look, I know how this will be spun. Some will say this isn’t really a “gay high school.” It’s really more a safe place and an educational environment that will cater towards gays and lesbians. But folks, let’s be real here. It’s a high school for gay students. Plain and simple. While the idea of a gay high school may be troubling for some, the problem for Obama is that a pick like this doesn’t portray him in such a centrist way. It gives the impression that he’s nominating wild liberals to his Cabinet. Arne Duncan may have the total package and be a great Education secretary, but pushing ideas like a gay high school will make social conservatives wonder what he will be pushing next.................. read more
Not Much Behavior Change during Christmas, Survey Finds Dozens of Christian organizations that have been providing social services, ministry and other help inside Russia are being targeted for "liquidation" by the nation's Ministry of Justice, according to a new report. The information comes in a newsletter from a leader with an American Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, who reported he found a declaration recently on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing the pending "liquidation" of 56 religious organizations. The American ministry leader was out of the country and unavailable today, but his wife, contacted by WND, explained the pressure on evangelical groups is coming from a combination of resurging Russian hatred for the West, and pressure from Orthodox churches to ban outside organizations. She told WND all of central Asia is seeing an increasing level of persecution of Christians, since there are Muslim majorities in many locations. "Russian authorities definitely want Christians out. They are targeting them," she said. "They are allowing only three-month visas, and then you have to leave. Obviously you can't do long-term ministry there." "Aat least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations," the newsletter said. "These include the humanitarian 'World Vision' and 'Youth with a Mission." At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the 'Billy Graham Evangelistic Association' and three regional districts of the 'Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists,'" he said. "Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the 'Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians' and the 'Assemblies of God.' Even the 26-congregation-strong 'Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians' is scheduled for elimination," the newsletter said.................. read more
Doomsday: U.S. report warns of 'strategic shock' leading to massive unrest The United States could be sleep-walking into its next crisis, a military report said. The report by the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Institute, said that a defense community paralyzed by conventional thinking could be unprepared to help the United States cope with a series of unexpected crises that would rival the Al Qaida strikes in 2001, termed a "strategic shock." The report cited the prospect of the collapse of a nuclear state leading to massive unrest in the United States, Middle East Newsline reported. "Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security," the report, authored by Ret. Lt. Col. Nathan Freir, said. "Deliberate employment of weapons of mass destruction or other catastrophic capabilities, unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters are all paths to disruptive domestic shock." The report cited the prospect of a breakdown of order in the United States. Freier said the Pentagon could be suddenly forced to recall troops from abroad to fight domestic unrest. "An American government and defense establishment lulled into complacency by a long-secure domestic order would be forced to rapidly divest some or most external security commitments in order to address rapidly expanding human insecurity at home," the report said.. .................. read more
What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the worst that could happen? That’s a question that James Rickards spends a lot of time pondering these days, as he sifts through the national security implications of the financial crisis facing the United States. Rickards will lay out his worst case scenarios in a lecture sponsored by the Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy tonight. And his forecasts aren’t for the faint of heart. Rickards calls it the “A to Z” problem: What are the threats that could make the U.S. economy look less like America and more like Zimbabwe? He sees them everywhere – in the Chinese ownership of vast amounts of American debt, in Russia’s increased centralization of its economy, in Al Qaeda’s long-established fascination with damaging the U.S. economy. In many ways, Rickards is the ultimate bear. He’s not just thinking about whether the stock market will decline, but whether or not the stock market will survive. All that puts Rickards decidedly outside mainstream economic and political thinking in America. But he does have an influential audience: the United States intelligence and defense communities. Rickards is a regular adviser on financial issues to the office of the Director of National Intelligence, and he lends his financial advice to the national security community. His lecture comes as part of an annual “Rethinking Seminar” produced by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Rickards argues that government is not doing nearly enough to prepare for the worst. “Here’s the policy problem for the United States,” he said in an interview. “We have experts in defense and intelligence, and huge depth in capital markets experience at the Fed and at Treasury. But they’re separated by the Potomac River. And they’re not talking to each other.” Rickards came by his economic experience the hard way. He was the general counsel at Long Term Capital Management, the hedge fund that collapsed in spectacular fashion in the late 1990s and nearly took the global economy along with it. That near-economic death experience gave him a healthy appreciation for risk. Today, he’s the senior managing director for research at Omnis, an applied research firm. Four of the following scenarios keep him up at night..................... read more
IMF warns of economic riots, police ready for civil unrestPentagon resources and U.S. troops may be used if needed to quell protests and bank runs during an economic crisis, the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Institute reported. "Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security," the War College study states. Incidents of economic collapse, terrorism and disruption of legal order could require deployment of forces within the U.S., it said. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has warned that advanced nations could face civil unrest during distressful economic times "Social unrest may happen in many countries – including advanced economies" if the economic crises are not properly dealt with, Strauss-Kahn said. "He added that violent protests could break out in countries worldwide if the financial system was not restructured to benefit everyone rather than a small elite," London's Guardian reported. In a recession where consumer spending is plummeting, foreclosures are rampant, workers are losing jobs, credit is tight and markets are strained, some are warning about a worst-case scenario. Last month, trends forecaster Gerald Celente told Fox News that America will morph into the first "undeveloped" nation of the world by 2012. He said there will be a tax revolution marked by "food riots, squatter rebellion, tax revolts and job marches." He also said by 2012, the holidays will be more about getting food rather than gifts. According to the Phoenix Business Journal, U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson considered the prospect of civil unrest while he pushed for September's Wall Street bailout – even suggesting martial law might be essential. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Barack Obama's pick for secretary of Homeland Security, would not provide comment to the Business Journal on the possibility of civil unrest during economic crisis. But state and local police indicated that they have trained for such an event...................... read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece
New bombs change Middle East dynamicsA new bomb technology developed by Australia and the U.S. will allow Israel's jet fighter pilots to strike inside Syria or Lebanon without ever leaving their own airspace should there be another conflict in the region, changing the dynamics of the Middle East conflict, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. It is called the JDAM-ER, or Joint Direct Munitions-Extended Range, and essentially takes a dumb bomb and turns it into a smart bomb. Among the modifications is the addition of a set of folding wings that extend the range to more than three times the range of a baseline JDAM, or Mk-84 2000-pound bomb, reportedly increasing the range from 15 to some 55 nautical miles. Another modification converts existing unguided bombs into bombs directed to their targets using GPS technology. Even before the JDAM is released, it begins to receive data while still attached to the computer inside the aircraft. Upon release, a satellite then guides the bomb to its target. The aircraft and crew then don't have to remain in enemy territory to "ride the bomb down" to its target, according to officials. This enhanced capability allows the bomb to hit its target accurately regardless of weather conditions, day or night.................... read more
US - Israel on Collision CourseWith the election of Barack Obama, the United States has moved dramatically to the left in its foreign policy at just the time that Israel, which seems likely to return Bibi Netanyahu to office in early February, is moving to the right. A collision is almost inevitable. Caroline Glick, the highly astute conservative columnist for the Jerusalem Post, writes that the “international community” believes that Obama “will move quickly to place massive pressure on the next Israeli government to withdraw from Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in the interests of advancing a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians and the Syrians.” She notes that “people who have been in close contact with Obama’s foreign policy transition team have privately acknowledged that the widespread belief that Obama will move swiftly to put the screws on Israel is fully justified. According to one source who has spent a great deal of time with the transition team since last month’s U.S. elections, Obama’s people are ‘scope-locked’ on Israel.” Meanwhile, in Israel, there is a growing consensus, reflected in public opinion surveys, that trading land for peace is a chimera. Netanyahu points out that “we do not have a viable partner with whom to negotiate peace.” The Palestinian Authority does not speak for the people of either Gaza or the West Bank, and Hamas, which probably does (it won the election), does not want to be a party to any peace agreement. Recent experience suggests that Hamas will quickly install rocket launchers on any territory Israel concedes, using it not as a basis for peace, but as a platform from which to kill more Jews. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the candidates of the left, Labor’s Ehud Barak and Kadima’s Tzipi Livni, are deeply committed to land for peace. Their rejection by the Israeli electorate — the anticipated outcome of the Feb. 10 election — will signal a bold departure in the political consensus of the Jewish state, a consensus that flies directly in the face of Obama’s likely policy. The result is likely to be the most significant divergence between Israeli and American policies since 1956, when President Eisenhower sided with the Arabs to halt the British-French-Israeli invasion of Suez. The United States has tremendous leverage over Israel — military, financial and political. And Obama’s ability to carry the Jewish vote by a wide margin despite his likely Middle East policy makes him largely immune to the kind of political pressure that has disciplined American presidents in the past and forced them to incline toward accommodating Israeli views on the Middle East. But Israel probably has the military capacity to bomb Iran and to win the Middle East war against Syria, Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah that is likely to result. Unlike Olmert, Netanyahu will use ground troops right off the bat and will fight such a war to win and to win big. But they may have to do it without their strongest ally: the United States.................... read more
Hamas says won't extend truce with IsraelTwo Hamas officials said the Islamic group would not extend a six-month truce with the Israelis as militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at southern Israel and Israel hit back with airstrikes Thursday. Hamas said previously that the cease-fire ends Friday, but Israel maintained the unwritten truce did not have an expiration date. Violence has already resumed, although at a lower level than before the truce took effect. On Thursday, Gaza militants fired 11 rockets and six mortar shells toward Israel. Israel's military launched at least two airstrikes on rocket squads. "There is no chance of extending the calm," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in Gaza. He blamed Israel for the breakdown. In Lebanon, Hamas official Osama Hamdan told The Associated Press the truce would end Friday. It was not clear whether this was Hamas' final word, however. The group, which rules Gaza, has been issuing contradictory statements this week about extending the truce...................... read more
Israeli-Palestinian peace process is irreversible The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Tuesday stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process initiated by the United States last year is irreversible and urging intensified efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East. The vote was 14-0, with Libya abstaining. The resolution — co-sponsored by the United States and Russia — backs "the determined efforts" by Israel and the Palestinians to conclude a peace treaty and fulfill the vision that they can live peacefully side by side as independent democratic states. The negotiating process launched by President George W. Bush at Annapolis, Md., in November 2007 called for the Israelis and Palestinians to try to reach a final peace deal by the end of 2008. That goal would have given Bush a diplomatic victory just before leaving office — but it was not to be, despite months of intense negotiations. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said all council members regret an agreement won't be reached this year, but said "a serious process is under way" and the international community must ensure the talks achieve results. The sides have failed to bridge disagreements over the so-called core issues, including their final borders and the competing claims to the holy city of Jerusalem. Political uncertainty on both sides has also clouded the picture. Israel is headed toward elections in February, and the front-runner, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been cool to the Annapolis process. The Palestinians, meanwhile, disagree over when the term of Israel's negotiating partner, President Mahmoud Abbas, is to end. Hamas says he must step down in January, though he has vowed to stay in office. .................... read more
Top Israeli officer says Hizbullah will be destroyed in five days 'next time' Israel is developing plans to "destroy" Hizbullah in an armed onslaught of such severity that it would require no more than five days to complete, a senior Israeli military officer has said. The commander of Israel's artillery division, which fired an average of 5,000 shells a day into Lebanon during the summer war in 2006, said that in any future conflict his men would "fire to destroy." "No village will be immune," Brigadier General Michael Ben-Baruch told The Jerusalem Post newspaper. "We will give them about a 12-hour warning and then strike back." His comments are the latest in a series of saber-rattling interviews in which senior Israeli military figures have outlined their plans for the next assault on Lebanon. The tone of the rhetoric coming out of Israel became so severe during the summer that Prime Minister Fouad Siniora complained to the United Nations about the threats. "In the last war, we made a distinction between Hizbullah targets and Lebanese national targets," an anonymous general in Israel was quoted as saying, contradicting overwhelming evidence to the contrary. "Now that Hizbullah is in the government - with veto power in the cabinet - there is no longer a reason to make this distinction, since a Hizbullah attack against Israel is essentially a Lebanese attack against Israel." Last week, the Israeli military conducted a major training exercise in the Golan Heights in a practice run for a potential war against the combined forces of Syria and Hizbullah. Israel's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, has reportedly recommended that the Israeli cabinet rubberstamp plans to launch an all-out assault on Lebanon's infrastructure in case of another conflict. During the 2006 war, which has been described as a "missed opportunity" by Israel's top brass, hundreds of roads and bridges were targeted. The Israeli military claimed this was because they were used by Hizbullah. In any future war there will be no such justification required because the Jewish state now considers the Shiite party to be a part of the Lebanese government. The newspaper also revealed that some senior military figures in Israel are pushing for an unprovoked "preemptive" assault on Hizbullah. But it says this is not "likely," given that others seem willing to bide their time until Hizbullah launches an attack of its own, something which many in Israel consider to be inevitable. . .................... read more
Messianic Jews still face persecution in Israel A director of the US Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and his wife were detained Sunday at Ben-Gurion Airport by Interior Ministry officials amid allegations he is involved in illegal Christian missionary activity. It is illegal in Israel to proselytize among minors. It is also prohibited to engage in missionary activities among adults when economic incentives are offered. After over eight hours of detention, Jamie Cowen, a former president of the union, and his wife, Stacy, were permitted to enter Israel only after they agreed to sign a document that they would not engage in missionary activities during their stay. The Cowens are in Israel to visit their two daughters, one of whom is an Israeli citizen. The other is in the process of obtaining citizenship after she and a group of other Messianic Jews won a Supreme Court case against the state. The Cowens and their daughters all identify as Jews but believe that Jesus is the messiah. "This type of religious discrimination would be expected of Iran, not Israel," said Jamie Cowen, a US immigration lawyer, a few hours after he was released by immigration police. The Interior Ministry, which directed the police to arrest the Cowens, said they had classified information regarding missionary activity. "The Immigration and Population Authority has reliable information that the Cowens were involved in missionary activity prohibited by Israeli criminal law during their last visit to Israel," a ministry spokesman said. Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel of The Jerusalem Institute, which provides legal advice and representation to messianic Jews, said the Interior Ministry was filled will clerks who identified with a strictly Orthodox definition of who is a Jew. The Supreme Court has ruled that Jews who embraced Christianity are not eligible for Israeli citizenship. However, the court has also ruled that people who are not Jews according to Orthodox standards, but who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return do not forfeit this right if they adopt Christian beliefs. . .................... read more
4. The Gog/Magog War
Russia provides 10 MiG fighter jets to Lebanon for freeRussia gave Lebanon ten MiG fighter jets yesterday in a deal to boost defence cooperation. The MiG29 Fulcrum fighters would be provided free to Lebanon under an agreement on military-technical assistance, the head of Russia’s defence cooperation service said. Mikhail Dmitryev said that the jets would come from Russia’s existing stock. He said that Moscow was also in talks to supply Beirut with heavy armour, adding that supplies of such weaponry were “now possible after the situation in this nation has stabilised”. The MiG29s, one of Russia’s best fighter jets, will provide considerable additional firepower for the Lebanese air force, which currently has only five outdated Hawker Hunter jets and 16 helicopters. The gift is certain to strengthen Russian influence in the Middle East as Moscow seeks to restore a position that was lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The agreement is likely to prompt concern in Israel and the United States, given the continuing power and influence of the Islamic militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Ria-Novosti news agency reported that Lebanese officials were also seeking tanks, antitank rockets, air defence systems and helicopters. Russia is already a major weapons supplier to neighbouring Syria, which is keen to acquire the latest MiG29s and was reported to be seeking the latest Sam S300 air defence missiles earlier this year... ................. read more
Return to Soviet era continues - Russian authorities to label any government critic a traitorNew legislation backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would allow Russian authorities to label any government critic a traitor—a move that rights activists said Wednesday was a chilling throwback to times of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The bill, which is expected to become law, would expanded the definition of treason to include damaging Russia's constitutional order, sovereignty or territorial integrity. That, rights activists said, would essentially let authorities interpret any act against state as treason—a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Activists said that would catapult Russia's justice system back to the times of Stalin's purges, calling it "legislation in the spirit of Stalin and Hitler." "It returns the Russian justice to the times of 1920-1950s," the activists, which included Moscow Helsinki Group head Lyudmila Alexeyeva and Civic Assistance director Svetlana Gannushkina, said in a joint statement. Existing law defines state treason as actions harming external security by passing information to "foreign organizations." Putin's bill would add non-governmental organizations based anywhere in the world that have an office in Russia to the list of banned recipients of state secrets. The government has repeatedly accused foreign spy agencies of using NGOs as a cover to foment dissent. But critics warned the loose wording will give authorities ample leeway to prosecute those who cooperate with international rights groups. As for the rest of the proposed bill, the activists believe each additional phrase deliberately targets potential threats to the Kremlin. "Constitutional order," for example, would outlaw opposition protests, they said. "Territorial integrity" would forbid regional calls for independence, an issue of particular concern in Russia's volatile North Caucasus, where Chechnya is located. Lev Ponomaryov, an outspoken government critic, said the legislation creates "a base for a totalitarian state." In a separate development Wednesday, the Russia's upper house of parliament passed legislation that would end jury trials for those facing charges of terrorism and treason. Instead they would face judges. .................. read more
Russian S-300 anti-air weapon already delivered to Iran Despite the efforts of US and Israeli leaders, Moscow has begun delivering the highly sophisticated medium-range air defense S-300 system to Iran for securing its nuclear and strategic sites against potential attack. The RIA news agency reported Wednesday night, Dec. 18: "Moscow has earlier met its obligations to supply Tor-M1 (short-range) systems to Iran and is currently implementing its contract to deliver S-300 systems." DEBKAfile's military sources disclose the S-300 deliveries began two weeks ago. Their installation, coinciding with the return home of members of Iranian air defense officers from training in Russia, means that air or missile attacks on Iranian sites will henceforth be extremely difficult and carry a high price. DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report that after Iran, Moscow will install the S-300 in Syria, focusing on securing the Russian naval bases going up in the Mediterranean port of Tartous. By selling these countries top-line weaponry, Moscow is strengthening its military presence and influence in two Middle East countries of especial interest to the United States and Israel – a tactic Soviet Russian employed in the Cold War.. .................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity
Many beliefs, many paths to heaven? Christians swing to UniversalismMost American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Christ as their savior, a new survey finds.Of the 65% of people who held this open view of heaven's gates, 80% named at least one non-Christian group — Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists or people with no religion at all — who may also be saved, according to a new survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. This means 52% of Christians do not agree with the doctrines many religions teach, particularly conservative denominations. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, calls the findings "a theological crisis for American evangelicals. They represent at best a misunderstanding of the Gospel and at worst a repudiation of the Gospel." Christian believers who named at least one non-Christian faith that could lead to salvation included 34% of white evangelicals, even though evangelical doctrine stresses that salvation is possible only through Jesus. Higher levels of church attendance made some difference, particularly among white evangelical Protestants. But an overall majority (54%) of people who identified with a religion and who said they attend church weekly also said many religions can lead to eternal life. This majority included 37% of white evangelicals, 75% of mainline Protestants and 85% of non-Hispanic white Catholics. Pew's new survey also found that many Christians (29%) say they are saved by their good actions; 30% say salvation is through belief in Jesus, God or a higher power alone, which is the core teaching of evangelical Protestantism; and 10% say salvation is found through a combination of behavior and belief, a view closer to Catholic teachings. The number of those who said actions determine who attains heaven, was lowest (11%) for white evangelicals, highest for white Catholics (47%). Overall, the new findings are "an indictment of evangelicalism and evangelical preaching," said Mohler. "The clear Biblical teaching is that Jesus Christ proclaimed himself to be the only way to salvation." Mohler sees behind the statistics the impact of pluralism and secularism in U.S. society and the challenge of facing family and friends with "an uncomfortable truth." "We are in an age when we want to tell everyone they are doing just fine. It's extremely uncomfortable to turn to someone and say, 'You will go to hell unless you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus,' " Mohler says.............. read more
Anglicans Add Hindu Snowmen, Chinese Dragon to Christmas DisplaysSome Anglican clergy have added a multicultural twist to Christmas decorations, adding Hindu snowmen, a Chinese dragon and a Jewish temple to the lawn where the traditional scene of a baby Jesus, angels, and the three wise men used to be displayed alone. “We’ve done this as it creates a good opportunity for Christians to meet and hear about the stories of people of other faiths,” said the Rev. Jane Hedges, a canon of Westminster Abbey, according to U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper. The Abbey’s canon pointed out that the story of Christ’s birth is included in the Koran, and noted that the Hindu snowmen is meant to convey that Hindus have something to celebrate during Christmas too. “Strictly speaking, the message of Christmas is about the birth of Christ, but it has a much broader message of peace and goodwill,” said Hedges. Westminster Abbey will showcase life-size snowmen with turbans and bindi dots on their foreheads that is meant to express that Christmas is not exclusively for Christians. The Diocese of Liverpool, part of the Church of England, will stage a nativity that features a Chinese dragon and lantern procession. But the additions to the Christmas landscape have drawn criticism from those who argue that the multicultural effort is undermining the Christian message. An evangelical leader in England expressed his disapproval of the nativity scene spin. “People want Christians to celebrate Christmas without compromise,” said the Rev. Rod Thomas, chair of Reform, according to the Telegraph. “It’s only by doing this that people of other faiths respect what we stand for, not by attempting to introduce something that is sub-Christian.” The multicultural Christmas displays come as British society has become more secular as well as multi-religious, particularly with the population of Muslims growing rapidly. Church attendance in England is expected to fall from 3 million to 700,000 in England, and 550,000 to 140,000 in Scotland by 2050, according to Christian Research. Meanwhile, the study predicts that the number of practicing Muslims will outnumber worshipping Christians in Britain by 2035. By then there will be an estimated 1.96 million active Muslims in Britain, compared with 1.63 million church-going Christians, according to the think tank.............. read more
6. The Rise of Islam
Online Jihadists Plan for 'Invading Facebook'Online jihadists have already used YouTube, blogs and other social media to spread their propaganda. Now, a group of internet Islamic extremists is putting together a plan for "invading Facebook." "We can use Facebook to fight the media," notes a recent posting on the extremist al-Faloja forum, translated by Jihadica.com. "We can post media on Facebook that shows the Crusader losses." "We have already had great success in raiding YouTube," the poster adds. "American politicians have used Facebook to get votes, like the house slave Obama." Groups like al-Qaida were pioneering users of the internet — to train, share ideas and organize. But some observers, like George Washington University professor Marc Lynch, see a reluctance to embrace Web 2.0 tools like Facebook. "One of the biggest problems for a virtual network like AQ today is that it needs to build connections between its members while protecting itself from its enemies. That's a filtering problem: How do you get your people in, and keep intelligence agents out?" he asks. But as Jihadica.com author and West Point Combating Terrorism Center fellow William McCants notes, the proposed Facebook invasion "is not an attempt to replicate [existing] social networks." Instead, "the members of the campaign want to exploit existing networks of people who are hostile to them and presumably they will adopt new identities once they have posted their material." The al-Faloja poster suggests seven "brigades" work together within Facebook. One will distribute videos and writing of so-called "martyrs." Another will spread military training material. Most of them will work in Arabic, presumably. But one of the units will focus just on spread English-language propaganda through Facebook. .. ................ read more
U.S. lawmakers scold AIG over Shariah financeTwo conservative U.S. lawmakers have put the nation's largest insurer on notice for marketing Islamic financial products in America, warning that they "support a radical political ideology." American International Group earlier this month announced it will be offering Shariah-compliant homeowners insurance in the U.S. Hit hard by the financial crisis, AIG is looking for new revenue sources, and sees Muslim finance as a high-growth segment of the insurance market. But two Republican leaders in Congress say it's a bad idea, and scolded the federally subsidized insurer for promoting a "Stone Age" legal code "championed by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden." Teetering on bankruptcy, AIG has benefited from $153 billion in tax-supported bailout money. In a blistering letter sent today to New York-based AIG CEO Ed Liddy, Reps. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., and Frank Wolf, R-Va., warned that a portion of the proceeds from their Shariah offerings could end up financing jihad. Myrick co-chairs the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, and Wolf co-chairs the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. "Under Shariah finance, your company must contribute Zakat, the Third Pillar of Islam, which is a 2.5 percent donation to Muslim charity," the lawmakers wrote in their 3-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by WND. "While this may sound honorable, al-Qaida was able to receive between $300 (million) and $500 million from Zakat contributors who used a web of non-transparent charities and front companies to funnel money through Islamic banks." "We have also seen this in the U.S.," they added, "as Zakat was sent to a front group, the Holy Land Foundation, which was recently convicted by a federal court for sending funds to the terrorist organization, Hamas." Moreover, they point out that a noted Shariah finance adviser, Yusuf Qaradawi, is a leader in the worldwide jihadist movement known as the Muslim Brotherhood, and chairs some 50 Islamic charities. Qaradawi once called Zakat "jihad with money." The lawmakers warned Liddy that the charitable transfers made by Shariah finance advisers are notoriously opaque, and his company could potentially be held liable for terrorist money-laundering. They also asserted in their letter that, far from being "socially responsible," complying with the tenets of Shariah law promotes a culture that "enshrines horrific human-rights abuses." .................. read more
Islamic anti-defamation plan suffers setback at UNThe Islamic nations whose leaders want Christianity criminalized sustained a severe blow at the United Nations today when the momentum on their religion "anti-defamation" proposal suddenly shifted. WND previously reported on the plan that has been in the works since 1999, sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The "anti-defamation" law was proposed ostensibly to protect religions from criticism and attack. However, the plan mentions only Islam as needing protection. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, has assembled a petition opposing the plan that has been signed by about 400,000 people already. He said today's U.N. General Assembly vote, which was 86 yes, 53 no and 42 abstentions, was a dramatic shift from the vote from one year ago, which was 108 yes, 51 no, and 25 abstentions. Because of the circuitous route to adoption in the labyrinth of the U.N., a General Assembly vote such as today's does not automatically mean adoption. Nor does it mean the proposal will disappear. But Sekulow told WND that the change was "huge." The 57 member nations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference have lobbied for the plan, which is based on the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, since 1999. The Cairo declaration states "that all rights are subject to Shariah law, and makes Shariah law the only source of reference for human rights." The ACLJ, in promoting its petition to raise awareness of the campaign, said, "The fact is this: The proposal, while purportedly to protect against 'defamation of religions,' is frequently used as a weapon to silence religious minorities, including Christians in many countries. "The resolution actually targets anyone who speaks negatively in any way about Islam. Sharing your faith would become an international crime punishable by imprisonment – or death," the ACLJ said. Fox News religion contributor Lauren Green continued, "But you say, 'That can’t happen,' or 'that would be ludicrous.' The fact is, it's already happening. Christians and other minority religions in predominantly Islamic areas or countries are being persecuted to barbaric levels. Reports from Nairobi, Kenya, say that one aid worker was beheaded in September for converting from Islam to Christianity; the Iranian government has already passed a bill calling for execution on the basis of apostasy (anyone converting from Islam to another religion), and of course we've seen the violence that erupted over the Danish cartoon of the prophet Mohammed." .................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
Consumers give thumbs up to fingerprintsConsumers have given the thumbs up to the use of fingerprint scanning as a preferred way of using biometric identification to verify their identities with banks, government agencies and other organisations. Analysis of data collated by Unisys Corp alongside the latest instalment of its bi-annual Security Index concludes that people felt reassured by fingerprint scanning more than any other biometric. Some 67% of consumers surveyed around the globe said they trusted fingerprint scans, which is far higher than any other type of biometric identification method, the company said. To date the technology has made only slow inroads at the enterprise level and is being variously deployed as a replacement for swipe cards in time and attendance applications, to secure entry to hospital wards and airports, and at banking ATMs to verify chip-and-PIN based transactions. But the global market for biometric products is projected to surpass $7 billion by 2012, according to Business Intelligence. One of the key areas for growth is non-automated fingerprint identification biometrics systems, driven by government ID management programmes, criminal ID and surveillance and private sector initiatives such as employee ID. Unisys reported that acceptance of such ID schemes was found to be higher in regions where governments and other organisations already embrace biometrics such as Malaysia and Australia, and in the UK with its proposed national ID card. ......................... read more
3D TV revolution: Sky promises images that leap out of the screenSky is promising to 'blow away' viewers by introducing 3D television to millions of living rooms within the next year. The satellite broadcaster demonstrated the technology this week - showing images shot at rugby and football matches which made the action appear to leap out of the screen. Viewers will need to wear special glasses which allow the brain to process images so that they appear to be in your living room. Gerry O'Sullivan, Sky's product development director, said the proposed service would be piped to the firm's existing high-definition (HD) set-top boxes. 'Lots of people have seen a 3D film - we want to bring that experience into the living room,' he said. 'Everyone who has seen the 3D service has been blown away by it.' Filming in 3D involves using two separate cameras which are placed close together as they mimic the behaviour and alignment of the human eye focusing on the left and right angle of an image. The images are then edited and converted into a 3D picture through a processor. Brian Lenz, the company's head of product design and innovation, added: 'We're just exploring right now but the next step is going to be to find out whether 3DTV is something people are going to be interested in.'......................... read more
The Bill Nobody Noticed: National DNA DatabankIn April of 2008, President Bush signed into law S.1858 which allows the federal government to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. This was to be implemented within 6 months meaning that this collection is now being carried out. Congressman Ron Paul states that this bill is the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database. S.1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, is justified as a "national contingency plan" in that it represents preparation for any sort of public health emergency. The bill states that the federal government should "continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening" and "maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening... ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the Internet and is updated at least quarterly". Sections of the bill also make it clear that DNA may be used in genetic experiments and tests. Twila Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care warns that this new law represents the beginning of nationwide genetic testing. Brase states that S.1858 and H.R. 3825, the House version of the bill, will:• Establish a national list of genetic conditions for which newborns and children are to be tested.• Establish protocols for the linking and sharing of genetic test results nationwide.• Build surveillance systems for tracking the health status and health outcomes of individuals diagnosed at birth with a genetic defect or trait.• Use the newborn screening program as an opportunity for government agencies to identify, list, and study "secondary conditions" of individuals and their families.• Subject citizens to genetic research without their knowledge or consent.Brase states that under this bill, "The DNA taken at birth from every citizen is essentially owned by the government, and every citizen becomes a potential subject of government-sponsored genetic research." All 50 states are now routinely providing results of genetic screenings to the Department of Homeland Security and this bill will establish the legality of that practice plus include DNA.. ......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues
Obama planning billion-dollar 'bailout' for abortion industryA pro-life group in Washington has launched a campaign to oppose what it calls president-elect Barack Obama's planned $1.5 billion "bailout" of the abortion industry. Last week, the Obama-Biden Transition Project posted a report on its website that calls for dramatic policy reversals on abortion, including $1 billion in taxpayer money for international abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. The report, titled "Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration," also calls for a 133-percent increase in funding for the Title X program, which funds Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, is hoping a Republican-led effort in the Senate will block Obama's plan to substantially increase taxpayer funding of the abortion industry. "This billion-dollar bailout of the abortion industry comes at a time, number one, when the economy is suffering dramatically with true need. And number two, it communicates an incredible depth of arrogance, especially when you consider that the vast majority of Americans -- men and women, no matter who you talk to -- they don't believe that people who don't believe in abortion should be funding it," she contends. "Most Americans don't believe that we should be funding abortions, especially in a time of economic crisis." The Susan B. Anthony List has started a "Stop the Abortion Bailout" campaign designed to recruit thousands of activists to send letters to their senators "with the goal of securing the 41 votes necessary to sustain a Senate filibuster of the abortion bailout."................... read more
Poll Finds No Boost in Church Attendance during Economic Crisis While tens of thousands of Americans have been laid off in recent months and religious leaders have blamed corporate greed for the economic crisis, churches have not seen a jump in attendance numbers as many might have expected, according to a new poll. Over the last three months, about 42 percent of Americans reported that they attended church, synagogue, or mosque weekly or almost every week, which the Gallup Poll found to be the same percentage reported earlier in the year. History has shown that a significant crisis usually results in fuller pews, as was seen after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. During this latest crisis of economic challenges, some reports have indicated that houses of worship have drawn larger crowds. But while some churches have seen higher numbers, the recent Gallup Poll found "absolutely no change" in church attendance after reviewing almost 300,000 interviews Gallup conducted throughout this year. Since mid-February, the percentage for church attendance has remained the same – around 42 percent. And the latest poll, conducted Dec. 4-7, showed that only 39 percent said they attended church or synagogue in the last seven days.. ............. read more
State law could bar some registered sex offenders from attending church The Rev. Ben Robertson believes church doors should be open to everyone - even registered sex offenders. Congregations are grappling with a new state law that prohibits certain sex offenders from being within 300 feet of child care centers, which include church nurseries and playgrounds. If worship services are held in close proximity to church child care, the law could prevent some from attending. "As a church that preaches Jesus Christ as our savior, we at the same time preach resurrection and that Christ welcomes all people, regardless of what they have done, regardless of what demons they are dealing with," said Robertson, the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Gastonia. The father of a 1-year-old girl, Robertson said the church doesn't tolerate child sex abuse. All employees and volunteers undergo sexual misconduct prevention training. "While we welcome all, we are also vigilant of all, especially regarding our children," he said. "If someone is going to try to abuse one of our children, they will be identified and they will be prevented." Included in a batch of tough new laws for North Carolina's registered sex offenders that took effect Dec. 1, the boundary rule applies only to offenders whose victims were under 16. Those affected can't go "within 300 feet of any location intended primarily for the use, care or supervision of minors when the place is located on premises that are not intended primarily for the use, care or supervision of minors." The law provides examples, including children's museums, nurseries and playgrounds located in malls and shopping centers. Churches are not specifically mentioned. Deputy Shane Farmer of the Gaston County Sheriff's Office said more than a dozen sex offenders asked for clarification on the law, fearing it would prevent them from attending church. The Sheriff's Office quizzed the N.C. Department of Justice. "That's the general consensus of the way they're interpreting the law," Farmer said. "If he or she is within 300 feet of that nursery or that day care, then he or she is in violation." Farmer said the Sheriff's Office can't provide sex offenders with specific legal advice, but he makes it clear that the 300-foot law contains no exception for churches. About a fifth of registered sex offenders and a sixth of offenders who haven't been caught attend United States churches, according to Smyna, Tenn.-based Keeping Kids Safe Ministries. The Christian group helps churches safeguard children by setting clear expectations for accountability among attendees who are sex offenders................. read more
Obama’s Pick for Education Secretary Pushed For Gay High SchoolObama’s new pick for Education secretary is Arne Duncan, head of Chicago Public Schools. He’s been pushing for Chicago to start their first gay high school. Not kidding. Obama is going to get a lot of flack over this pick from social conservative groups and it wouldn’t surprise me if Republican Senators raise a fuss about this during his confirmation hearing. Mark my words. Read below from The Chicago Tribune: The Chicago Public Schools' first high school designed for gay, lesbian and transgender teens is among 20 new schools recommended to the school board today by CPS Chief Arne Duncan. The proposed schools range from technology-focused high schools to the School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials said would cater to but not focus exclusively on gay youth. Supporters have said the Pride Campus would help students find a safe school environment because studies have shown that gay youth are at a greater risk of dropping out of school and abusing drugs and alcohol, and are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide. A 2003 district survey shows that gay and lesbian youths are three times more likely to miss school because they don't feel safe. Opponents have called the move a misuse of public funds. At a recent public hearing on the proposal, some gay rights advocates have said the move would segregate these students and said the district should work more on fostering acceptance by mainstream students, teachers and other school officials. Look, I know how this will be spun. Some will say this isn’t really a “gay high school.” It’s really more a safe place and an educational environment that will cater towards gays and lesbians. But folks, let’s be real here. It’s a high school for gay students. Plain and simple. While the idea of a gay high school may be troubling for some, the problem for Obama is that a pick like this doesn’t portray him in such a centrist way. It gives the impression that he’s nominating wild liberals to his Cabinet. Arne Duncan may have the total package and be a great Education secretary, but pushing ideas like a gay high school will make social conservatives wonder what he will be pushing next.................. read more
Not Much Behavior Change during Christmas, Survey Finds Dozens of Christian organizations that have been providing social services, ministry and other help inside Russia are being targeted for "liquidation" by the nation's Ministry of Justice, according to a new report. The information comes in a newsletter from a leader with an American Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, who reported he found a declaration recently on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing the pending "liquidation" of 56 religious organizations. The American ministry leader was out of the country and unavailable today, but his wife, contacted by WND, explained the pressure on evangelical groups is coming from a combination of resurging Russian hatred for the West, and pressure from Orthodox churches to ban outside organizations. She told WND all of central Asia is seeing an increasing level of persecution of Christians, since there are Muslim majorities in many locations. "Russian authorities definitely want Christians out. They are targeting them," she said. "They are allowing only three-month visas, and then you have to leave. Obviously you can't do long-term ministry there." "Aat least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations," the newsletter said. "These include the humanitarian 'World Vision' and 'Youth with a Mission." At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the 'Billy Graham Evangelistic Association' and three regional districts of the 'Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists,'" he said. "Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the 'Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians' and the 'Assemblies of God.' Even the 26-congregation-strong 'Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians' is scheduled for elimination," the newsletter said.................. read more
Friday, December 12, 2008
Verse of the Week!
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”- Galatians 4:4-5
Prophecy News Watch Headlines - December 11
1. Where is the United States in Prophecy?
And now for a world governmentI have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible. A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.So could the European model go global? There are three reasons for thinking that it might. First, it is increasingly clear that the most difficult issues facing national governments are international in nature: there is global warming, a global financial crisis and a “global war on terror”. Second, it could be done. The transport and communications revolutions have shrunk the world so that, as Geoffrey Blainey, an eminent Australian historian, has written: “For the first time in human history, world government of some sort is now possible.” Mr Blainey foresees an attempt to form a world government at some point in the next two centuries, which is an unusually long time horizon for the average newspaper column. But – the third point – a change in the political atmosphere suggests that “global governance” could come much sooner than that. The financial crisis and climate change are pushing national governments towards global solutions, even in countries such as China and the US that are traditionally fierce guardians of national sovereignty. Barack Obama, America’s president-in-waiting, does not share the Bush administration’s disdain for international agreements and treaties. In his book, The Audacity of Hope, he argued that: “When the world’s sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following.” The importance that Mr Obama attaches to the UN is shown by the fact that he has appointed Susan rice, one of his closest aides, as America’s ambassador to the UN, and given her a seat in the cabinet. A taste of the ideas doing the rounds in Obama circles is offered by a recent report from the Managing Global Insecurity project, whose small US advisory group includes John Podesta, the man heading Mr Obama’s transition team and Strobe Talbott, the president of the Brookings Institution, from which Ms Rice has just emerged. The MGI report argues for the creation of a UN high commissioner for counter-terrorist activity, a legally binding climate-change agreement negotiated under the auspices of the UN and the creation of a 50,000-strong UN peacekeeping force. Once countries had pledged troops to this reserve army, the UN would have first call upon them. These are the kind of ideas that get people reaching for their rifles in America’s talk-radio heartland. .................. read more
Terrorists Look West for New RecruitsThe deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai are raising many questions about the safety of Americans here and abroad. It is clear that al Qaeda and its allies are still plotting against the U.S. and other democratic nations. And they're turning to some fresh recruits to help make it happen. The overwhelming majority of Islamic terrorist attacks over the past 30 years have been carried out by young men of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent, leading Western authorities to pay closer attention to these particular groups while assessing possible terrorists. Al Qaeda and other terror groups are well aware of this profile and are looking to adapt. Among their newer tactics is the use of women and even the mentally handicapped as suicide bombers. But the most common untraditional jihadist to emerge is the white convert to radical Islam. At first glance, these pale-skinned jihadists of European descent can pass for the average small town guy-next-door. And that's exactly the point. Intelligence experts see this as an emerging trend: white converts being transformed into soldiers of jihad--and working to destroy a country from within. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is a terrorism analyst with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington. "Having operatives from the societies you are trying to strike is extremely beneficial," he said. "They're much less prone to being caught and being disrupted," Gartenstein-Ross explained. "And I do think we'll see more of an attempt to use them." Gartenstein-Ross has studied homegrown Islamic terrorism closely. "Even though most Western governments have the position that they don't profile, al Qaeda doesn't believe that," he said. "They want people who have passports, who have Western passports, who understand Western society, and therefore have a much easier job of blending in and going wherever they need to go to carry out their mission." Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, Romania, Russia and Australia have all seen white converts convicted in recent years for their involvement in major terrorist plots. For example, the 2006 plot to blow up 10 transatlantic airliners traveling from Britain to the U.S. involved two white British converts. In 2007, a major plot to strike Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany involved white German converts. Perhaps most disturbingly, the U.S. military stepped up its drone missile strikes in the tribal regions of Pakistan earlier this year after seeing white jihadists at terrorist training camps there. The fear was that the men would return to the West and carry out attacks inside the United States prior to the November presidential election.................... read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece
New Israeli radar to pinpoint rocket launchers in preparation for conflict with HamasWith an eye to a future conflict with Hamas and Hizbullah, the IDF's Artillery Corps is preparing to integrate a new radar system that will help locate and destroy rocket launchers more quickly than ever before, Chief Artillery Officer Brig.-Gen. Michel Ben-Baruch has told The Jerusalem Post. The radar will be operational within a few months. Under production by Elta Systems - a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries - the new radar will be able to provide artillery cannons with a 360-degree view of a battlefield and detect the exact location of rocket launchers. The location will then be transmitted digitally to the cannons or rocket systems deployed nearby, which will be able to fire at the launchers and destroy them. "There is no radar like this in the world," Ben-Baruch told the Post. "It can pinpoint the location of the launch and then find the range the cannons will need to aim at to fire."................... read more
Gaza Jihad: Calm before the StormMembers of Islamic Jihad may be driven by hate for Israel and the US, but there's an element of respect as they train for war. Israeli Defense Ministry officials know that Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip are continually upgrading their capabilities and threat to Israel. They also know that Iran is providing the lion's share of funding and weaponry to these groups. "It [Islamic Jihad] is a very good client from the Iranian point of view because it's completely in the pocket of the Iranians, completely financed and run by the Iranians," Israeli Middle East analyst Jonathan Spyer told CBN News. "What we're seeing as a result of the [six-month] cease-fire is that you're having more and more Palestinian operatives -- not only from Islamic Jihad, but from other groups too -- going out of Gaza via the southern tunnels into Sinai and then going and taking part in training activities facilitated by the Revolutionary Guards in Iran," Spyer said. Islamic Jihad terrorists are amassing an upgraded weapons cache, which includes heavier and more powerful roadside bombs meant to target tanks and heavy machinery weighing more than 60 tons. The deadly, 175-pound bombs can penetrate nearly a foot of armored steel. Iran has also equipped Islamic Jihad with longer-range rockets, dubbed "Jerusalem rockets," which can target populations five to seven miles away. Rockets now reach the coastal city of Ashkelon and will soon threaten areas not far from Tel Aviv, and they're working on extending the range from 11 to 13 miles. While the world presses Israel for an illusive two-state solution for Arabs and Jews, the jihadists embrace no such vision. To them, all the land from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Jordan River is an Islamic Waqf [religious trust], and the Zionist enemy [Israel] must find itself a different place to exist.................... read more
Netanyahu on course for Israeli election win -pollsBenjamin Netanyahu could coast to victory in Israel's election two months from now, opinion polls showed on Wednesday, and he plans to take a detour on what Palestinians had hoped would be a U.S.-paved road to statehood. Economic proposals could yield dividends for the former prime minister and head of the right-wing Likud party -- tipped to take up to 36 seats in the 120-member legislature in the Feb. 10 ballot, more than enough to form a ruling coalition. Netanyahu's widely praised stint as finance minister in 2003 to 2005, when he pushed free market reforms that spurred growth, could translate into votes in a contest coinciding with the global downturn affecting Israel, his advisers believe. Israelis will be asking: "Who can manage the Israeli economy in times of crisis?" one said. But his strategists acknowledge that Palestinians are likely to be reluctant, at least publicly, to embrace a Netanyahu proposal to focus U.S.-led peace efforts on bolstering their frail economy rather than on a statehood deal any time soon. The former front-runner in the Israeli electoral race, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the centrist Kadima party, has been Israel's chief negotiator in talks with the Palestinians that Washington had hoped would result in a deal this year. Wide differences remain over issues at the core of the conflict such as the future of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. A Netanyahu adviser said "Bibi" wants the United States, Israel and Palestinians "off a track that's not going anywhere"..................... read more
Israelis and Palestinians reach secret peace deal, says BlairInternational Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair told the largest Palestinian newspaper this week that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas have reached a unsigned secret peace agreement. Blair was quoted by the Jerusalem-based daily Al Quds as saying that "continuous meetings between Abbas and Olmert...have produced an agreement," though he said he would abide by an decision by both leaders to keep the details of the agreement secret for the time being. The agreement remains unsigned because Israeli law forbids Olmert to make significant policy changes or decisions while he is head of a transition government. However, anything Olmert and Abbas agreed to will be expected by the international community to form the basis for peace negotiations going forward, regardless of who wins Israel's upcoming general election.................... read more
4. The Gog/Magog War
Report: Iran rocket arsenal tripled in 2008In a sign that Iran is taking military measures to ward off the threat of an attack on its nuclear facilities, the country has tripled the number of long-range rockets in its arsenal, Channel 10 reported on Monday. According to the report, Iran possessed 30 Shihab-3 missiles at the beginning of 2008. Currently, the country claims to have over 100 over long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel. While the ability of the Islamic Republic to strike any point in Israel has long been known, this latest build-up potentially points to an Iranian intent to launch a protracted counter-strike against those who seek to destroy its nuclear program. Last summer, Iran held a massive missile exercise during which it claimed to have launched an improved version of the Shihab-3, known to have a range of 1,300 kilometers. The Iranian Fars News Agency Web site reported that the Shihab-3 had recently been equipped with an advanced guidance system that significantly improves the missile's accuracy and can correct its flight plan in midair.. ................. read more
Russia's Putin hints at 2012 return to KremlinRussian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has hinted that he may return to his old job in the Kremlin, but not before his ally President Dmitry Medvedev's term expires in 2012. Asked by a reporter whether he would rule out returning to the presidency next year, Putin said: "The next elections in the Russian Federation are in 2012 ... we will have to get through to that time, then we will see." Medvedev prompted speculation about an early Putin return to the Kremlin last month when he unexpectedly proposed lengthening the presidential term to six years. The move, widely seen as intended to benefit Putin, was rushed through parliament. But Putin told reporters he was satisfied with the "tandem" style of government. This has seen the two men collaborating closely, albeit with Putin perceived to hold the upper hand. "We have formed a very effective tandem with President Medvedev," Putin said. .................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity
Liberal Episcopals vote for more homosexual clergyThe Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has joined seven other dioceses in passing a resolution asking the church to let lesbians as well as homosexual men become bishops. The vote at the diocesan convention rejected the Episcopal Church’s de facto moratorium on electing homosexual bishops since its 2003 consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who lives with his same-sex partner. The resolution will be considered at the Episcopal Church’s national convention next July. The Los Angeles diocese also expressed support for homosexual "marriage" with the creation of the "Sacramental Blessing for a Life-long Covenant.".............. read more
6. The Rise of Islam
Iraq To Be Center Of New EU-Style Middle East Union Of Muslim Nations?Iraq has unveiled plans for the creation of a regional economic and security union for the Middle East explicitly modelled on the European Union. Official government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh announced the proposal on Tuesday in Washington at the Institute of Peace, a US government-linked think-tank, saying that talks on the plan with the country's neighbours were already underway. Mr al-Dabbagh said there was "great interest" in the project, according to AFP. Informal discussions on "Regional Economic Partnership" have reportedly been launched with Kuwait, Syria and Turkey, though not yet Iran. The aim would also to be to bring on board Jordan and Saudi Arabia and - in a subsequent phase - the Gulf states of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, but not Israel. "The new Iraq could convert the region into the EU model," the UK's Daily Telegraph quotes the Iraqi official as saying at the meeting. "Iraq is going to play a major stabilising factor," he added. Iraq sees a "necessity for regional security and economic co-operation," Mr al-Dabbagh said. The proposal is the latest in a long line of regional groupings modelled on the European Union. The African Union, a confederation of 53 African states was established in 2002, growing out of the earlier Organisation of African Unity. The grouping is still at the very earliest stages of approaching anything like the EU's level of joint governance and integration.. ................ read more
Obama plans major address in Islamic capitalPresident-elect Barack Obama plans to give "a major address" in an Islamic capital soon after taking office as he seeks to mend America's image in the Muslim world, a Chicago Tribune interview said. "I think we've got a unique opportunity to reboot America's image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular," Obama said in the interview published late Tuesday on the Tribune's website. Obama promised an "unrelenting" desire to "create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership in countries and with peoples of good will who want their citizens and ours to prosper together." The world "is ready for that message." Obama also said he would be sworn on January 20 using his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. During the presidential campaign, some of Obama's political opponents would refer to his middle name in an attempt to portray him as a secret Muslim. But the Christian president-elect said he would follow tradition for the inauguration ceremony. "I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition," Obama told the paper. "I'm not trying to make a statement one way or another. I'll do what everybody else does.".. .................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
Cyber cops on their way? Obama urged to establish new office for regulating InternetA panel of web experts from government, private and the military sectors released a report yesterday urging the next president to establish a new office of cyberspace security and begin federal regulation of the Internet. The report, "Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency," from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank established during the Cold War, alleges the Department of Homeland Security has failed to secure the Internet and new measures are needed – despite inevitable concerns about online privacy – to keep America safe. "We still have an industrial-age government that was organized a century ago," said Jim Lewis, one of CSIS's directors, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. "The DHS has a 1970s-style solution to a 21st century problem." "The United States must treat cybersecurity as one of the most important national security challenges it faces," the CSIS panel asserts in its report. "This is a strategic issue on par with weapons of mass destruction and global jihad." To back its claim, the panel cites a litany of cybersecurity breaches that it claims hit sensitive areas in 2007 alone: "The unclassified e-mail of the secretary of defense was hacked, and DOD officials told us that the department's computers are probed hundreds of thousands of times each day," the panel reports. "A senior official at the Department of State told us the department had lost 'terabytes' of information. Homeland Security suffered break-ins in several of its divisions, including the Transportation Security Agency. The Department of Commerce was forced to take the Bureau of Industry and Security off-line for several months, and NASA has had to impose e-mail restrictions before shuttle launches and allegedly has seen designs for new launchers compromised. "Recently the White House itself had to deal with unidentifiable intrusions in its networks," the report continues. "Senior representatives from the intelligence community told us that they had conclusive evidence, covertly obtained from foreign sources, that U.S. companies have lost billions in intellectual property." To counter the reported attacks, the panel recommends steps that, by the CSIS' own admission, may raise privacy concerns for American citizens. While acknowledging the benefit of online anonymity, the report nonetheless contends there must be better systems in place to authenticate Internet users' digital identities. "Creating the ability to know reliably what person or device is sending a particular data stream in cyberspace," the panel states, "must be part of an effective cybersecurity strategy." ......................... read more
The GPS as dashboard snitch In their cocoons of leather upholstery, soothing high-tech sound systems, and automatically activated personal seat settings, drivers have come to regard their car interiors as mobile extensions of the homes that are their private refuges. The courts have tended to disagree. Global positioning systems and factory-installed “black box” event data recorders effectively keep late-model vehicles under surveillance 24/7, providing evidence that can place a suspect at a crime scene, undermine an alibi, expose a cheating spouse, or prove liability in an accident. Although privacy rights advocates warn that the devices augment an already intrusive network of security cameras, speed-monitoring radars, and instantly available databases, police and prosecutors hail the technologies as powerful investigative and forensic tools. GPS tracking records introduced at trial put a Yolo County, Calif., man at the scene of arson fires, leading to his conviction in October for setting a dozen blazes in 2006. A Commerce, Calif., man suspected of robbery was tracked by police detectives who planted a GPS unit in his car, mapping his movements and using the evidence to convince a jury he was guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. The evidence is sometimes the product of unwitting self-surveillance. GPS units keep positioning tracks that, if not erased, create a record of a person’s movements. Event data recorders are standard equipment in most new cars. They record speed, braking, signaling, and other driving behaviors, and can show investigators vital details about what led to a crash. Wisconsin attorney David A. Schumann, who did some of the earliest legal analysis of GPS potential, points out its usefulness in tracking suspects, locating victims, and monitoring released convicts. “There are cases where people have gotten hung by their own GPS, bought for purposes of evading the law only to have it used against them,” Mr. Schumann says of drug traffickers and migrant smugglers caught with evidence they unknowingly gathered against themselves. In the privacy debate, courts so far have come down on the side of taking advantage of the crime-solving value of the technologies. The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a landmark ruling last year that GPS tracking of a suspected methamphetamine manufacturer didn’t constitute unreasonable search or seizure as proscribed by the Fourth Amendment. In “It’s Already Public: Why Federal Officers Should Not Need Warrants to Use GPS Vehicle-Tracking Devices,” attorney John S. Ganz wrote in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology three years ago that since 1967, courts consistently have upheld that citizens can’t expect privacy when traveling on public roads......................... read more
Scientists develop software that can map dreams A team of Japanese scientists have created a device that enables the processing and imaging of thoughts and dreams as experienced in the brain to appear on a computer screen. While researchers have so far only created technology that can reproduce simple images from the brain, the discovery paves the way for the ability to unlock people's dreams and other brain processes. A spokesman at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories said: "It was the first time in the world that it was possible to visualise what people see directly from the brain activity. "By applying this technology, it may become possible to record and replay subjective images that people perceive like dreams." The scientists, lead by chief researcher Yukiyaso Kamitani, focused on the image recognition procedures in the retina of the human eye. It is while looking at an object that the eye's retina is able to recognise an image, which is subsequently converted into electrical signals sent into the brain's visual cortex. The research investigated how electrical signals are captured and reconstructed into images, according to the study, which will be published in the US journal Neuron. Dreams were the focus of a scientific survey conducted by the Telegraph last year in which it was concluded that dreams were more likely to be shaped by events of the past week than childhood traumas. ......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues
Bush Not A Bible Literalist; Talks of Belief in God President George W. Bush said his belief that God created the world is not incompatible with scientific proof of evolution. In an interview with ABC's "Nightline" on Monday, the president also said he probably is not a literalist when reading the Bible although an individual can learn a great deal from it, including the New Testament teaching that God sent his only son. Asked about creation and evolution, Bush said: "I think you can have both. I think evolution can — you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president. But it's, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution." He added, "I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully explain the mystery of life." Interviewer Cynthia McFadden asked Bush if the Bible was literally true. "You know. Probably not. ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is 'God sent a son,'" Bush said. "It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my life," he said. "All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help. ... I was a one-step program guy." The president also said that he prays to the same God as those with different religious beliefs.................... read more
Media Misconceptions on Bible, Homosexuality In the aftermath of the passage of California's Proposition 8, Newsweek and Hollywood are the latest players to launch their attacks on traditional marriage supporters and the biblical case against homosexuality. And Christians are taking issue with the misconceptions, factual errors and holes in the arguments being presented in popular public spheres. "It doesn’t surprise me. Newsweek has been so far in the tank on the homosexual issue, for so long, they need scuba gear and breathing apparatus," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, according to Politico. "I don’t think it’s going to change the minds of anyone who takes biblical teachings seriously." Land's comments were directed at Newsweek's current cover story, "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage," written by religion editor Lisa Miller. In the story, Miller says "examples of 'the traditional family' are scarcely to be found" in the Old Testament and that the Bible does not explicitly define marriage as between one man and one woman. She further argues that the modern married couple would not look to the Bible as a guide while citing polygamy in the Old Testament. "Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition," Miller writes. "The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours." Rejecting Miller's arguments, Land said the Bible clearly prescribes marriage as heterosexual, citing passages in Genesis, where God pairs Adam and Eve, and Ephesians in the New Testament when the apostle Paul compares the relationship between husband and wife to the relationship between Jesus and the Church, according to Politico. Newsweek's story reflects the confusion that many people have regarding Scripture and homosexuality. And the media isn't the only one to blame for it. "Part of that confusion is skillful misrepresentation, and part of it is the failure of the church to faithfully and diligently promote biblical apologetics and exegesis," according to Bob Stith, who heads the Ministry to Homosexuals Task Force in the Southern Baptist Convention.. ............. read more
Survey: 9 in 10 Americans Believe in Miracles Nearly 9 in 10 Americans believe miracles have occurred in the past and can still occur today, according to a new national survey. While only 48 percent of those surveyed by N.J.-based HCD Research said miracle stories presented in religious texts should be taken as literally true, 86 percent said they believe that miracles have occurred in the past and 85 percent believe that they can occur today. The new survey also found a slight majority (56 percent) of Americans claimed to have seen situations and circumstances with themselves, friends and/or family members which they consider to be “miraculous” or “unexplainable by science.” “Modern people believe in miracles, but only more subtle ones,” commented the Rev. John McNeil, a Methodist minister and a blogger for HCD Research’s website MediaCurves.com. “Perhaps many of us believe in divine interventions about attitudes and other psychological states, but not in large changes of matter,” he explained Tuesday – one day after the survey’s results were released. “Thus prayers for a friend to have hope or courage seem plausible, but prayers for a family member to re-grow a limb or be cured of a fast-progressing fatal illness seem pointless.” When asked how much of the outcome of medical or surgical treatment they believe is related to forces totally outside of human control, 55 percent of responders said either very little or none of the outcome should be attributed to non-human forces such as the supernatural or "acts of God." Only 45 percent said either all or most of medical outcomes are influenced by non-human forces. Still, 76 percent of responders said they pray for individual friends and family members and 71 percent encourage family and friends to pray................. read more
Protecting Baby Jesus with GPSWhen Baby Jesus disappeared last year from a Nativity scene on the lawn of the Wellington, Fla., community center, village officials didn't follow a star to locate him. A GPS device mounted inside the life-size ceramic figurine led sheriff's deputies to a nearby apartment, where it was found face down on the carpet. An 18-year-old woman was arrested in the theft. Giving up on old-fashioned padlocks and trust, a number of churches, synagogues, governments and ordinary citizens are turning to technology to protect holiday displays from pranks or prejudice. About 70 churches and synagogues eager to avoid the December police blotter jumped at a security company's offer of free use of GPS systems and hidden cameras this month to guard their mangers and menorahs. Others, like the Herrera family of Richland Hills, Texas, took matters into their own hands. Upset after their teeter-totter was stolen, the family trained surveillance cameras on their yard and was surprised when footage showed a teenage girl stealing a baby Jesus worth almost $500. Police have obtained the tape. For two consecutive years, thieves made off with the baby Jesus figurine in Wellington, a well-off village of 60,000 in Palm Beach County, Fla. The ceramic original, donated by a local merchant, was made in Italy and worth about $1,800, said John Bonde, Wellington's director of operations. So last year, officials took a GPS unit normally used to track the application of mosquito spray and implanted it in the latest replacement figurine. After that one disappeared, sheriff's deputies quickly tracked it down. Sensing opportunity in that kind of success story, New York-based BrickHouse Security is offering up to 200 nonprofit religious institutions a free month's use of security cameras and LightningGPS products it distributes................. read more
Russia plans 'liquidation' of Christian ministriesDozens of Christian organizations that have been providing social services, ministry and other help inside Russia are being targeted for "liquidation" by the nation's Ministry of Justice, according to a new report. The information comes in a newsletter from a leader with an American Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, who reported he found a declaration recently on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing the pending "liquidation" of 56 religious organizations. The American ministry leader was out of the country and unavailable today, but his wife, contacted by WND, explained the pressure on evangelical groups is coming from a combination of resurging Russian hatred for the West, and pressure from Orthodox churches to ban outside organizations. She told WND all of central Asia is seeing an increasing level of persecution of Christians, since there are Muslim majorities in many locations. "Russian authorities definitely want Christians out. They are targeting them," she said. "They are allowing only three-month visas, and then you have to leave. Obviously you can't do long-term ministry there." "Aat least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations," the newsletter said. "These include the humanitarian 'World Vision' and 'Youth with a Mission." At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the 'Billy Graham Evangelistic Association' and three regional districts of the 'Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists,'" he said. "Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the 'Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians' and the 'Assemblies of God.' Even the 26-congregation-strong 'Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians' is scheduled for elimination," the newsletter said.................. read more
And now for a world governmentI have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible. A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.So could the European model go global? There are three reasons for thinking that it might. First, it is increasingly clear that the most difficult issues facing national governments are international in nature: there is global warming, a global financial crisis and a “global war on terror”. Second, it could be done. The transport and communications revolutions have shrunk the world so that, as Geoffrey Blainey, an eminent Australian historian, has written: “For the first time in human history, world government of some sort is now possible.” Mr Blainey foresees an attempt to form a world government at some point in the next two centuries, which is an unusually long time horizon for the average newspaper column. But – the third point – a change in the political atmosphere suggests that “global governance” could come much sooner than that. The financial crisis and climate change are pushing national governments towards global solutions, even in countries such as China and the US that are traditionally fierce guardians of national sovereignty. Barack Obama, America’s president-in-waiting, does not share the Bush administration’s disdain for international agreements and treaties. In his book, The Audacity of Hope, he argued that: “When the world’s sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following.” The importance that Mr Obama attaches to the UN is shown by the fact that he has appointed Susan rice, one of his closest aides, as America’s ambassador to the UN, and given her a seat in the cabinet. A taste of the ideas doing the rounds in Obama circles is offered by a recent report from the Managing Global Insecurity project, whose small US advisory group includes John Podesta, the man heading Mr Obama’s transition team and Strobe Talbott, the president of the Brookings Institution, from which Ms Rice has just emerged. The MGI report argues for the creation of a UN high commissioner for counter-terrorist activity, a legally binding climate-change agreement negotiated under the auspices of the UN and the creation of a 50,000-strong UN peacekeeping force. Once countries had pledged troops to this reserve army, the UN would have first call upon them. These are the kind of ideas that get people reaching for their rifles in America’s talk-radio heartland. .................. read more
Terrorists Look West for New RecruitsThe deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai are raising many questions about the safety of Americans here and abroad. It is clear that al Qaeda and its allies are still plotting against the U.S. and other democratic nations. And they're turning to some fresh recruits to help make it happen. The overwhelming majority of Islamic terrorist attacks over the past 30 years have been carried out by young men of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent, leading Western authorities to pay closer attention to these particular groups while assessing possible terrorists. Al Qaeda and other terror groups are well aware of this profile and are looking to adapt. Among their newer tactics is the use of women and even the mentally handicapped as suicide bombers. But the most common untraditional jihadist to emerge is the white convert to radical Islam. At first glance, these pale-skinned jihadists of European descent can pass for the average small town guy-next-door. And that's exactly the point. Intelligence experts see this as an emerging trend: white converts being transformed into soldiers of jihad--and working to destroy a country from within. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is a terrorism analyst with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington. "Having operatives from the societies you are trying to strike is extremely beneficial," he said. "They're much less prone to being caught and being disrupted," Gartenstein-Ross explained. "And I do think we'll see more of an attempt to use them." Gartenstein-Ross has studied homegrown Islamic terrorism closely. "Even though most Western governments have the position that they don't profile, al Qaeda doesn't believe that," he said. "They want people who have passports, who have Western passports, who understand Western society, and therefore have a much easier job of blending in and going wherever they need to go to carry out their mission." Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, Romania, Russia and Australia have all seen white converts convicted in recent years for their involvement in major terrorist plots. For example, the 2006 plot to blow up 10 transatlantic airliners traveling from Britain to the U.S. involved two white British converts. In 2007, a major plot to strike Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany involved white German converts. Perhaps most disturbingly, the U.S. military stepped up its drone missile strikes in the tribal regions of Pakistan earlier this year after seeing white jihadists at terrorist training camps there. The fear was that the men would return to the West and carry out attacks inside the United States prior to the November presidential election.................... read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece
New Israeli radar to pinpoint rocket launchers in preparation for conflict with HamasWith an eye to a future conflict with Hamas and Hizbullah, the IDF's Artillery Corps is preparing to integrate a new radar system that will help locate and destroy rocket launchers more quickly than ever before, Chief Artillery Officer Brig.-Gen. Michel Ben-Baruch has told The Jerusalem Post. The radar will be operational within a few months. Under production by Elta Systems - a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries - the new radar will be able to provide artillery cannons with a 360-degree view of a battlefield and detect the exact location of rocket launchers. The location will then be transmitted digitally to the cannons or rocket systems deployed nearby, which will be able to fire at the launchers and destroy them. "There is no radar like this in the world," Ben-Baruch told the Post. "It can pinpoint the location of the launch and then find the range the cannons will need to aim at to fire."................... read more
Gaza Jihad: Calm before the StormMembers of Islamic Jihad may be driven by hate for Israel and the US, but there's an element of respect as they train for war. Israeli Defense Ministry officials know that Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip are continually upgrading their capabilities and threat to Israel. They also know that Iran is providing the lion's share of funding and weaponry to these groups. "It [Islamic Jihad] is a very good client from the Iranian point of view because it's completely in the pocket of the Iranians, completely financed and run by the Iranians," Israeli Middle East analyst Jonathan Spyer told CBN News. "What we're seeing as a result of the [six-month] cease-fire is that you're having more and more Palestinian operatives -- not only from Islamic Jihad, but from other groups too -- going out of Gaza via the southern tunnels into Sinai and then going and taking part in training activities facilitated by the Revolutionary Guards in Iran," Spyer said. Islamic Jihad terrorists are amassing an upgraded weapons cache, which includes heavier and more powerful roadside bombs meant to target tanks and heavy machinery weighing more than 60 tons. The deadly, 175-pound bombs can penetrate nearly a foot of armored steel. Iran has also equipped Islamic Jihad with longer-range rockets, dubbed "Jerusalem rockets," which can target populations five to seven miles away. Rockets now reach the coastal city of Ashkelon and will soon threaten areas not far from Tel Aviv, and they're working on extending the range from 11 to 13 miles. While the world presses Israel for an illusive two-state solution for Arabs and Jews, the jihadists embrace no such vision. To them, all the land from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Jordan River is an Islamic Waqf [religious trust], and the Zionist enemy [Israel] must find itself a different place to exist.................... read more
Netanyahu on course for Israeli election win -pollsBenjamin Netanyahu could coast to victory in Israel's election two months from now, opinion polls showed on Wednesday, and he plans to take a detour on what Palestinians had hoped would be a U.S.-paved road to statehood. Economic proposals could yield dividends for the former prime minister and head of the right-wing Likud party -- tipped to take up to 36 seats in the 120-member legislature in the Feb. 10 ballot, more than enough to form a ruling coalition. Netanyahu's widely praised stint as finance minister in 2003 to 2005, when he pushed free market reforms that spurred growth, could translate into votes in a contest coinciding with the global downturn affecting Israel, his advisers believe. Israelis will be asking: "Who can manage the Israeli economy in times of crisis?" one said. But his strategists acknowledge that Palestinians are likely to be reluctant, at least publicly, to embrace a Netanyahu proposal to focus U.S.-led peace efforts on bolstering their frail economy rather than on a statehood deal any time soon. The former front-runner in the Israeli electoral race, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the centrist Kadima party, has been Israel's chief negotiator in talks with the Palestinians that Washington had hoped would result in a deal this year. Wide differences remain over issues at the core of the conflict such as the future of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. A Netanyahu adviser said "Bibi" wants the United States, Israel and Palestinians "off a track that's not going anywhere"..................... read more
Israelis and Palestinians reach secret peace deal, says BlairInternational Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair told the largest Palestinian newspaper this week that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas have reached a unsigned secret peace agreement. Blair was quoted by the Jerusalem-based daily Al Quds as saying that "continuous meetings between Abbas and Olmert...have produced an agreement," though he said he would abide by an decision by both leaders to keep the details of the agreement secret for the time being. The agreement remains unsigned because Israeli law forbids Olmert to make significant policy changes or decisions while he is head of a transition government. However, anything Olmert and Abbas agreed to will be expected by the international community to form the basis for peace negotiations going forward, regardless of who wins Israel's upcoming general election.................... read more
4. The Gog/Magog War
Report: Iran rocket arsenal tripled in 2008In a sign that Iran is taking military measures to ward off the threat of an attack on its nuclear facilities, the country has tripled the number of long-range rockets in its arsenal, Channel 10 reported on Monday. According to the report, Iran possessed 30 Shihab-3 missiles at the beginning of 2008. Currently, the country claims to have over 100 over long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel. While the ability of the Islamic Republic to strike any point in Israel has long been known, this latest build-up potentially points to an Iranian intent to launch a protracted counter-strike against those who seek to destroy its nuclear program. Last summer, Iran held a massive missile exercise during which it claimed to have launched an improved version of the Shihab-3, known to have a range of 1,300 kilometers. The Iranian Fars News Agency Web site reported that the Shihab-3 had recently been equipped with an advanced guidance system that significantly improves the missile's accuracy and can correct its flight plan in midair.. ................. read more
Russia's Putin hints at 2012 return to KremlinRussian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has hinted that he may return to his old job in the Kremlin, but not before his ally President Dmitry Medvedev's term expires in 2012. Asked by a reporter whether he would rule out returning to the presidency next year, Putin said: "The next elections in the Russian Federation are in 2012 ... we will have to get through to that time, then we will see." Medvedev prompted speculation about an early Putin return to the Kremlin last month when he unexpectedly proposed lengthening the presidential term to six years. The move, widely seen as intended to benefit Putin, was rushed through parliament. But Putin told reporters he was satisfied with the "tandem" style of government. This has seen the two men collaborating closely, albeit with Putin perceived to hold the upper hand. "We have formed a very effective tandem with President Medvedev," Putin said. .................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity
Liberal Episcopals vote for more homosexual clergyThe Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has joined seven other dioceses in passing a resolution asking the church to let lesbians as well as homosexual men become bishops. The vote at the diocesan convention rejected the Episcopal Church’s de facto moratorium on electing homosexual bishops since its 2003 consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who lives with his same-sex partner. The resolution will be considered at the Episcopal Church’s national convention next July. The Los Angeles diocese also expressed support for homosexual "marriage" with the creation of the "Sacramental Blessing for a Life-long Covenant.".............. read more
6. The Rise of Islam
Iraq To Be Center Of New EU-Style Middle East Union Of Muslim Nations?Iraq has unveiled plans for the creation of a regional economic and security union for the Middle East explicitly modelled on the European Union. Official government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh announced the proposal on Tuesday in Washington at the Institute of Peace, a US government-linked think-tank, saying that talks on the plan with the country's neighbours were already underway. Mr al-Dabbagh said there was "great interest" in the project, according to AFP. Informal discussions on "Regional Economic Partnership" have reportedly been launched with Kuwait, Syria and Turkey, though not yet Iran. The aim would also to be to bring on board Jordan and Saudi Arabia and - in a subsequent phase - the Gulf states of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, but not Israel. "The new Iraq could convert the region into the EU model," the UK's Daily Telegraph quotes the Iraqi official as saying at the meeting. "Iraq is going to play a major stabilising factor," he added. Iraq sees a "necessity for regional security and economic co-operation," Mr al-Dabbagh said. The proposal is the latest in a long line of regional groupings modelled on the European Union. The African Union, a confederation of 53 African states was established in 2002, growing out of the earlier Organisation of African Unity. The grouping is still at the very earliest stages of approaching anything like the EU's level of joint governance and integration.. ................ read more
Obama plans major address in Islamic capitalPresident-elect Barack Obama plans to give "a major address" in an Islamic capital soon after taking office as he seeks to mend America's image in the Muslim world, a Chicago Tribune interview said. "I think we've got a unique opportunity to reboot America's image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular," Obama said in the interview published late Tuesday on the Tribune's website. Obama promised an "unrelenting" desire to "create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership in countries and with peoples of good will who want their citizens and ours to prosper together." The world "is ready for that message." Obama also said he would be sworn on January 20 using his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. During the presidential campaign, some of Obama's political opponents would refer to his middle name in an attempt to portray him as a secret Muslim. But the Christian president-elect said he would follow tradition for the inauguration ceremony. "I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition," Obama told the paper. "I'm not trying to make a statement one way or another. I'll do what everybody else does.".. .................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
Cyber cops on their way? Obama urged to establish new office for regulating InternetA panel of web experts from government, private and the military sectors released a report yesterday urging the next president to establish a new office of cyberspace security and begin federal regulation of the Internet. The report, "Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency," from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank established during the Cold War, alleges the Department of Homeland Security has failed to secure the Internet and new measures are needed – despite inevitable concerns about online privacy – to keep America safe. "We still have an industrial-age government that was organized a century ago," said Jim Lewis, one of CSIS's directors, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. "The DHS has a 1970s-style solution to a 21st century problem." "The United States must treat cybersecurity as one of the most important national security challenges it faces," the CSIS panel asserts in its report. "This is a strategic issue on par with weapons of mass destruction and global jihad." To back its claim, the panel cites a litany of cybersecurity breaches that it claims hit sensitive areas in 2007 alone: "The unclassified e-mail of the secretary of defense was hacked, and DOD officials told us that the department's computers are probed hundreds of thousands of times each day," the panel reports. "A senior official at the Department of State told us the department had lost 'terabytes' of information. Homeland Security suffered break-ins in several of its divisions, including the Transportation Security Agency. The Department of Commerce was forced to take the Bureau of Industry and Security off-line for several months, and NASA has had to impose e-mail restrictions before shuttle launches and allegedly has seen designs for new launchers compromised. "Recently the White House itself had to deal with unidentifiable intrusions in its networks," the report continues. "Senior representatives from the intelligence community told us that they had conclusive evidence, covertly obtained from foreign sources, that U.S. companies have lost billions in intellectual property." To counter the reported attacks, the panel recommends steps that, by the CSIS' own admission, may raise privacy concerns for American citizens. While acknowledging the benefit of online anonymity, the report nonetheless contends there must be better systems in place to authenticate Internet users' digital identities. "Creating the ability to know reliably what person or device is sending a particular data stream in cyberspace," the panel states, "must be part of an effective cybersecurity strategy." ......................... read more
The GPS as dashboard snitch In their cocoons of leather upholstery, soothing high-tech sound systems, and automatically activated personal seat settings, drivers have come to regard their car interiors as mobile extensions of the homes that are their private refuges. The courts have tended to disagree. Global positioning systems and factory-installed “black box” event data recorders effectively keep late-model vehicles under surveillance 24/7, providing evidence that can place a suspect at a crime scene, undermine an alibi, expose a cheating spouse, or prove liability in an accident. Although privacy rights advocates warn that the devices augment an already intrusive network of security cameras, speed-monitoring radars, and instantly available databases, police and prosecutors hail the technologies as powerful investigative and forensic tools. GPS tracking records introduced at trial put a Yolo County, Calif., man at the scene of arson fires, leading to his conviction in October for setting a dozen blazes in 2006. A Commerce, Calif., man suspected of robbery was tracked by police detectives who planted a GPS unit in his car, mapping his movements and using the evidence to convince a jury he was guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. The evidence is sometimes the product of unwitting self-surveillance. GPS units keep positioning tracks that, if not erased, create a record of a person’s movements. Event data recorders are standard equipment in most new cars. They record speed, braking, signaling, and other driving behaviors, and can show investigators vital details about what led to a crash. Wisconsin attorney David A. Schumann, who did some of the earliest legal analysis of GPS potential, points out its usefulness in tracking suspects, locating victims, and monitoring released convicts. “There are cases where people have gotten hung by their own GPS, bought for purposes of evading the law only to have it used against them,” Mr. Schumann says of drug traffickers and migrant smugglers caught with evidence they unknowingly gathered against themselves. In the privacy debate, courts so far have come down on the side of taking advantage of the crime-solving value of the technologies. The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a landmark ruling last year that GPS tracking of a suspected methamphetamine manufacturer didn’t constitute unreasonable search or seizure as proscribed by the Fourth Amendment. In “It’s Already Public: Why Federal Officers Should Not Need Warrants to Use GPS Vehicle-Tracking Devices,” attorney John S. Ganz wrote in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology three years ago that since 1967, courts consistently have upheld that citizens can’t expect privacy when traveling on public roads......................... read more
Scientists develop software that can map dreams A team of Japanese scientists have created a device that enables the processing and imaging of thoughts and dreams as experienced in the brain to appear on a computer screen. While researchers have so far only created technology that can reproduce simple images from the brain, the discovery paves the way for the ability to unlock people's dreams and other brain processes. A spokesman at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories said: "It was the first time in the world that it was possible to visualise what people see directly from the brain activity. "By applying this technology, it may become possible to record and replay subjective images that people perceive like dreams." The scientists, lead by chief researcher Yukiyaso Kamitani, focused on the image recognition procedures in the retina of the human eye. It is while looking at an object that the eye's retina is able to recognise an image, which is subsequently converted into electrical signals sent into the brain's visual cortex. The research investigated how electrical signals are captured and reconstructed into images, according to the study, which will be published in the US journal Neuron. Dreams were the focus of a scientific survey conducted by the Telegraph last year in which it was concluded that dreams were more likely to be shaped by events of the past week than childhood traumas. ......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues
Bush Not A Bible Literalist; Talks of Belief in God President George W. Bush said his belief that God created the world is not incompatible with scientific proof of evolution. In an interview with ABC's "Nightline" on Monday, the president also said he probably is not a literalist when reading the Bible although an individual can learn a great deal from it, including the New Testament teaching that God sent his only son. Asked about creation and evolution, Bush said: "I think you can have both. I think evolution can — you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president. But it's, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution." He added, "I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully explain the mystery of life." Interviewer Cynthia McFadden asked Bush if the Bible was literally true. "You know. Probably not. ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is 'God sent a son,'" Bush said. "It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my life," he said. "All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help. ... I was a one-step program guy." The president also said that he prays to the same God as those with different religious beliefs.................... read more
Media Misconceptions on Bible, Homosexuality In the aftermath of the passage of California's Proposition 8, Newsweek and Hollywood are the latest players to launch their attacks on traditional marriage supporters and the biblical case against homosexuality. And Christians are taking issue with the misconceptions, factual errors and holes in the arguments being presented in popular public spheres. "It doesn’t surprise me. Newsweek has been so far in the tank on the homosexual issue, for so long, they need scuba gear and breathing apparatus," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, according to Politico. "I don’t think it’s going to change the minds of anyone who takes biblical teachings seriously." Land's comments were directed at Newsweek's current cover story, "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage," written by religion editor Lisa Miller. In the story, Miller says "examples of 'the traditional family' are scarcely to be found" in the Old Testament and that the Bible does not explicitly define marriage as between one man and one woman. She further argues that the modern married couple would not look to the Bible as a guide while citing polygamy in the Old Testament. "Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition," Miller writes. "The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours." Rejecting Miller's arguments, Land said the Bible clearly prescribes marriage as heterosexual, citing passages in Genesis, where God pairs Adam and Eve, and Ephesians in the New Testament when the apostle Paul compares the relationship between husband and wife to the relationship between Jesus and the Church, according to Politico. Newsweek's story reflects the confusion that many people have regarding Scripture and homosexuality. And the media isn't the only one to blame for it. "Part of that confusion is skillful misrepresentation, and part of it is the failure of the church to faithfully and diligently promote biblical apologetics and exegesis," according to Bob Stith, who heads the Ministry to Homosexuals Task Force in the Southern Baptist Convention.. ............. read more
Survey: 9 in 10 Americans Believe in Miracles Nearly 9 in 10 Americans believe miracles have occurred in the past and can still occur today, according to a new national survey. While only 48 percent of those surveyed by N.J.-based HCD Research said miracle stories presented in religious texts should be taken as literally true, 86 percent said they believe that miracles have occurred in the past and 85 percent believe that they can occur today. The new survey also found a slight majority (56 percent) of Americans claimed to have seen situations and circumstances with themselves, friends and/or family members which they consider to be “miraculous” or “unexplainable by science.” “Modern people believe in miracles, but only more subtle ones,” commented the Rev. John McNeil, a Methodist minister and a blogger for HCD Research’s website MediaCurves.com. “Perhaps many of us believe in divine interventions about attitudes and other psychological states, but not in large changes of matter,” he explained Tuesday – one day after the survey’s results were released. “Thus prayers for a friend to have hope or courage seem plausible, but prayers for a family member to re-grow a limb or be cured of a fast-progressing fatal illness seem pointless.” When asked how much of the outcome of medical or surgical treatment they believe is related to forces totally outside of human control, 55 percent of responders said either very little or none of the outcome should be attributed to non-human forces such as the supernatural or "acts of God." Only 45 percent said either all or most of medical outcomes are influenced by non-human forces. Still, 76 percent of responders said they pray for individual friends and family members and 71 percent encourage family and friends to pray................. read more
Protecting Baby Jesus with GPSWhen Baby Jesus disappeared last year from a Nativity scene on the lawn of the Wellington, Fla., community center, village officials didn't follow a star to locate him. A GPS device mounted inside the life-size ceramic figurine led sheriff's deputies to a nearby apartment, where it was found face down on the carpet. An 18-year-old woman was arrested in the theft. Giving up on old-fashioned padlocks and trust, a number of churches, synagogues, governments and ordinary citizens are turning to technology to protect holiday displays from pranks or prejudice. About 70 churches and synagogues eager to avoid the December police blotter jumped at a security company's offer of free use of GPS systems and hidden cameras this month to guard their mangers and menorahs. Others, like the Herrera family of Richland Hills, Texas, took matters into their own hands. Upset after their teeter-totter was stolen, the family trained surveillance cameras on their yard and was surprised when footage showed a teenage girl stealing a baby Jesus worth almost $500. Police have obtained the tape. For two consecutive years, thieves made off with the baby Jesus figurine in Wellington, a well-off village of 60,000 in Palm Beach County, Fla. The ceramic original, donated by a local merchant, was made in Italy and worth about $1,800, said John Bonde, Wellington's director of operations. So last year, officials took a GPS unit normally used to track the application of mosquito spray and implanted it in the latest replacement figurine. After that one disappeared, sheriff's deputies quickly tracked it down. Sensing opportunity in that kind of success story, New York-based BrickHouse Security is offering up to 200 nonprofit religious institutions a free month's use of security cameras and LightningGPS products it distributes................. read more
Russia plans 'liquidation' of Christian ministriesDozens of Christian organizations that have been providing social services, ministry and other help inside Russia are being targeted for "liquidation" by the nation's Ministry of Justice, according to a new report. The information comes in a newsletter from a leader with an American Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, who reported he found a declaration recently on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing the pending "liquidation" of 56 religious organizations. The American ministry leader was out of the country and unavailable today, but his wife, contacted by WND, explained the pressure on evangelical groups is coming from a combination of resurging Russian hatred for the West, and pressure from Orthodox churches to ban outside organizations. She told WND all of central Asia is seeing an increasing level of persecution of Christians, since there are Muslim majorities in many locations. "Russian authorities definitely want Christians out. They are targeting them," she said. "They are allowing only three-month visas, and then you have to leave. Obviously you can't do long-term ministry there." "Aat least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations," the newsletter said. "These include the humanitarian 'World Vision' and 'Youth with a Mission." At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the 'Billy Graham Evangelistic Association' and three regional districts of the 'Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists,'" he said. "Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the 'Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians' and the 'Assemblies of God.' Even the 26-congregation-strong 'Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians' is scheduled for elimination," the newsletter said.................. read more
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Revelation
"Give me a revelation, show me what to do, I've been tryin to find my way, I haven't got a clue. Show me should I stay here, do I need to move, give me a revelation, I've got nothin left to lose, I've got nothing without you"-Third Day
And once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be...or lose that person completely. -S.C.
I've been looking for answers to all the wrong questions. Thanks to a friend I found the question that I've needed to ask myself for the past 2 and a half years. Can't move forward until you remember who you were. I became someone else for so long I almost lost myself. Now that I am begining to remember I'm finally at peace and have a new direction. First England, then the skies the limit. Finally set free; no more confusion or weirdness or frustration or impatience with where I'm at. God it feels good. Praise God!
And once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be...or lose that person completely. -S.C.
I've been looking for answers to all the wrong questions. Thanks to a friend I found the question that I've needed to ask myself for the past 2 and a half years. Can't move forward until you remember who you were. I became someone else for so long I almost lost myself. Now that I am begining to remember I'm finally at peace and have a new direction. First England, then the skies the limit. Finally set free; no more confusion or weirdness or frustration or impatience with where I'm at. God it feels good. Praise God!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Verse of the week!
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”- John 10:14-15
Prophecy News Watch Headlines - December 03
1. Where is the United States in Prophecy?
Preparing For Domestic Trouble - Pentagon To Deploy 20,000 Troops Inside USAThe U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials. The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said. There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement. But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dedicating 20,000 troops to domestic response -- a nearly sevenfold increase in five years -- "would have been extraordinary to the point of unbelievable," Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, said in remarks last month at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the realization that civilian authorities may be overwhelmed in a catastrophe prompted "a fundamental change in military culture," he said.................. read more
Nuclear or Bioterror Attack on U.S. Likely by 2013, Panel Warns Terrorists are likely to attack the United States using nuclear or more likely biological weapons before 2013, reports a bipartisan commission in a study being briefed Tuesday to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. It suggests the Obama administration bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists. "Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing," states the report, obtained by FOX News. It is scheduled to be publicly released Wednesday. The report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism acknowledges that terrorist groups still lack the needed scientific and technical ability to make weapons out of pathogens or nuclear bombs. But it warns that gap can be easily overcome, if terrorists find scientists willing to share or sell their know-how. "The United States should be less concerned that terrorists will become biologists and far more concerned that biologists will become terrorists," the report states. The commission believes biological weapons are more likely to be obtained and used before nuclear or radioactive weapons because nuclear facilities are more carefully guarded. Civilian laboratories with potentially dangerous pathogens abound, however, and could easily be compromised. Study chairman Graham said anthrax remains the most likely biological weapon. However, he told the AP that contagious diseases — like the flu strain that killed 40 million at the beginning of the 20th century — are looming threats. That virus has been recreated in scientific labs, and there remains no inoculation to protect against it if is stolen and released. Graham said the threat of a terrorist attack using nuclear or biological weapons is growing "not because we have not done positive things but because adversaries are moving at an even faster pace to increase their access" to those materials................... read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece
International presence expected to be part of any final peace dealIsraelis have traditionally scorned the idea of international peacekeepers intruding in their region. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion once famously dismissed the U.N.—pronounced "Oom" in Hebrew—as "Oom, schmoom." Arab leaders have also shown disdain: on the eve of the 1967 Six Day War, for example, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser peremptorily expelled 1,300 blue helmets from Sinai before rolling through. And Palestinians have feared that allowing an armed international force into their territory would infringe on the sovereignty of their incipient state. It's therefore striking that a recent proposal to deploy NATO forces in the West Bank as part of an Obama peace deal is quickly gaining advocates in both Washington and the Levant. Former U.S. national-security advisers Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski both recently endorsed the idea. The president-elect's nominee to head the National Security Council, Gen. James Jones—a former NATO supreme commander—is also said to favor such a force. Israelis and Palestinians have raised tepid protests, but even they seem to be realizing increasingly that a strong international presence will be critical if any deal is to be struck—and if it's to stick. "A principle that appeared to be out of bounds I think is now in bounds," says Tony Blair, the Mideast envoy of the Quartet (made up of the United States, the EU, the U.N. and Russia)................... read more
U.S. leaned on Israel not to invade Gaza during economic crisis Israel came under what officials described as U.S. pressure to maintain restraint in face of Hamas missile strikes from the Gaza Strip. Officials said the administration of President George Bush sent several messages to Israel over the past two weeks that warned against a military invasion of the Gaza Strip. They said Bush relayed such a message to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during the latter's visit to Washington in late November. "The White House does not want to spend its last days fighting fires in the Middle East, especially our part of the region," an official said. "The administration has told us that it wants to focus on saving the U.S. economy." Officials said U.S. pressure on Israel was the primary reason that the military has been prevented from a major ground operation in the Gaza Strip. They said Olmert and his ministers were concerned that any major Israeli operation would anger Bush and harm relations with the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama. On Nov. 29, the Hamas regime escalated missile and mortar attacks on Israel. In one salvo, eight Israeli soldiers were injured in a mortar strike on a military base along the Gaza Strip. "There's no doubt we're getting closer to a wide-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, but it will be different from what took place in the past," Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said. "But we must find the right time for an operation."................... read more
Exposed: Europe's 2009 plan for IsraelThe European Union, which has been trying for decades to shoulder its way into playing a more important role in the global effort to establish a new Muslim Arab state on historically Jewish lands, is reportedly poised to unveil its latest plan for achieving this unprecedented act of state land theft. Drafted by the French foreign ministry and entitled "The EU Action Strategy for Peace in the Middle East: The Way Forward," the scheme on the agenda for discussion when the EU's foreign ministers meet in the second week of December. Describing it as "the EU's plans for advancing an Israeli-Palestinian deal in 2009," Ha'aretz said initial reaction among Israel' officials has been one of "alarm." "Inter alia, it calls for increased pressure on Israel to reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, including Orient House, which formerly served as the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in the city," the paper said, and which gave the Arabs a strategic foot in what Israel calls its "eternal and undivided capital." A central demand of the Arab world is that the central and most important parts of Jerusalem - with the Temple Mount, Israel's holiest site, at the top of the list - be included in a Palestinian state. States the EU plan: "A key part of building the Palestinian state involves resolving the status of Jerusalem, as the future capital of two states. Therefore the EU will work actively towards the re-opening of the Palestinian institutions, including the Orient House." Apart from this , a variety of other steps are proposed which the EU should pursue next year to push forward diplomatic efforts between Israel and both the Palestinian Arabs and Syria.................... read more
Is 'Operation Israeli Freedom' the Obama mettle test?While the Gentile leaders consider their economic imprisonment and ponder the possibility that a "global society" may be the only way to post bail, the Jews find themselves helplessly stuck between the proverbial rock and the familiar anti-Semitic hard place. Surrounded by ancient Arab and Persian enemies that want to destroy their fledgling Jewish state and a world spun out of financial orbit, Israel's desperate pleadings once again fall upon deaf international ears. What is on the prophetic horizon for this peculiar "Chosen People" that long ago proudly paraded about in the Promised Land? Have they survived a history riddled with genocidal attempts only to square off with a future filled with more of the same? In this post-Sept. 11 era, whereby the world wonders if the new American president is the Messiah, as Louis Farrakhan has previously suggested, or the Antichrist, as the article posted in the Nov. 15, Newsweek edition asked, the temperament of humanity has risen to fever pitch. Even the newly elected vice president, Joe Biden, chimed into the apocalyptic rhetoric on Oct. 20 when he said, "Mark my words" "gird your loins" "a generated crisis" is coming "within six months" that will "test the mettle" of an Obama presidency. He subsequently suggested that among the possible mettle-testing scenarios might be a serious conflict in the Middle East. Could he be referring to a strategic pre-emptive Israeli air strike upon Iran's nuclear facilities? The Jerusalem Post reports on Nov. 18 that according to the Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, Israel is ready, willing and able to strike Iran's nuclear facilities upon political command. To complicate matters Fox News Channel reported two days later that Iran has produced enough uranium to create at least one atomic bomb. This report did little to dispel the widely held concerns in Israel that by February 2009, Iran will have assembled its first nuclear weapon..................... read more
4. The Gog/Magog War
Russia to upgrade missiles to evade US space armsRussia's military is planning to upgrade its missiles to allow them to evade American weapons in space and penetrate any prospective missile shield, a Russian general said Monday. In comments to the Interfax news agency, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces chief, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, as saying that Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles will be modernized to protect them from space-based components of the U.S. missile defense system. The upgrade will make the missiles' warheads capable of flying "outside the range" of the space-based system, Solovtsov was quoted as saying. He didn't elaborate, but Russian officials have previously boasted about prospective new warheads capable of making sharp maneuvers to dodge missile defense systems. Solovtsov also reportedly said the military will commission new RS-24 missiles equipped with state-of-the-art systems to help penetrate a missile shield. He did not specify that Moscow intended to penetrate a U.S. missile shield, but the Kremlin has fiercely opposed the U.S. plan to deploy a battery of 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a related radar in the Czech Republic. Reflecting Russia's suspicions about U.S. intentions, Solovtsov alleged Monday that the U.S. is considering the scenario of a first nuclear strike that would destroy most Russian missiles. A few surviving Russian weapons launched in retaliation could then be destroyed by the U.S. missile defense system. ................. read more
Iran launches massive naval maneuver Iran launched a large-scale, six-day naval maneuver in the Sea of Oman on Tuesday, the official news agency reported. About 60 warships were set to participate in the maneuver, which will cover 129,500-sq. kilometers of Iranian territorial waters, the agency, IRNA, said. This type of "maneuver has been rare in the past 30 years both in its size and commissioning of new weapons," IRNA quoted the maneuver's spokesman, Adm. Ghasem Rostamabadi, as saying. Aircraft from Iran's air force will also participate in the war game, dubbed "Unity-87" in reference to the current year 1387 in the traditional Persian calendar. Iran regularly holds war games in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Linking the two bodies of water is the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where 40 percent of the world's oil passes through. Teheran has repeatedly warned that it would close the narrow strait if the US or Israel attacked it over Teheran's disputed nuclear program. In October, Iran's navy inaugurated a new naval base on the eastern part of the Strait in the port town of Jask. Ephraim Sneh, leader of the new Israel Hazaka party and former deputy defense minister said "Iran's unprecedented naval activity is actually a preparatory drill to taking over the Gulf and the world's most important oil route.................. read more
Iran to supply guns to Israel's neighbor Lebanon asked the U.S. for $800 million in financial help years ago to upgrade its army weaponry and reduce the Hezbollah terror group's need for guns, but the funds never came through and now the nation has signed a five-year pact with Iran, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The development will give Iran greater influence over the neighbor to Israel, just the opposite of what U.S. policy would have sought. Under the security agreement, signed during the visit of Lebanese President Michel Sleiman to Tehran in late November, Iran will supply the Lebanese army with weapons and equipment over the next five years. The agreement also calls for an exchange of visits between the two countries at the ministerial level. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad already has promised to visit Beirut in the near future. Under the pact's terms, weapons are to include "defensive strategic systems" which, according to Iran, include missiles. The security pact increases Iran's influence over Lebanon, given its close ties and support for Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah. From Iran, the Hezbollah has obtained some 42,000 missiles and rockets, many of which are capable of reaching neighboring Israel. Since its summer 2006 war with Israel, the Hezbollah reportedly has tripled its military capability. ................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity
Religious leaders condemn re-written songs for anti-Israel carols in churchLeading members of Britain’s Jewish and Christian communities have condemned a prominent Anglican church for holding a service where traditional carols were rewritten to attack Israel. The Rector of St James’s Piccadilly, the Rev Charles Hedley, said that he would think twice before allowing the service to take place in his church again after he received dozens of complaints. The offices of Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Carey of Clifton, his predecessor, are among those who have criticised the service. The event was organised by anti-Israel campaigners, including one Jewish group, and featured carols that had been rewritten by an unnamed Jewish parody writer. The Twelve Days of Christmas was sung as: “Twelve assassinations/ Eleven homes demolished/ Ten wells obstructed/ Nine sniper towers/ Eight gunships firing/ Seven checkpoints blocking/ Six tanks a-rolling/ Five settlement rings/ Four falling bombs/ Three trench guns/ Two trampled doves/ And an uprooted olive tree.”............... read more
Emergent church leader says 'gay' can be biblical lifestyleOne of the key leaders of today's most cutting-edge church movement has opened an Internet discussion on the issue of same-sex marriage with the bold proclamation that he believes "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and queer" individuals can and should live out their sexuality in – and blessed by – the Christian church. "I now believe that GLBTQ can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity (as least as much as any of us can!)," writes author and church leader Tony Jones, "and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state." Jones is an author and former youth pastor who holds a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is also the national coordinator of Emergent Village, a loosely-formed friendship of churches that derive their descriptive name from having "emerged" from postmodernism to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into a post-Christian culture. The "Emergent Church," as these mostly young, community- and mission-driven congregations are collectively known, is criticized by some for being "theologically liberal," praised by others as the best hope for passing the torch of Christianity to future generations. In his "The New Christians" blog, Jones opens up a discussion and debate on the issue of homosexuality with his readers and with a fellow theologian/blogger, a self-described political conservative, Rod Dreher. Jones acknowledges that detractors against the somewhat nebulous and hard-to-define Emergent churches will pick up on his statement and repeat a common refrain of criticism. "'Aha!' my critics will laugh derisively, 'I knew he and his ilk were on a continuous leftward slide!'" Jones admits. Some of the comments show he was correct in his prediction. "So, your statement is that you believe this. ... Why do you believe it? Because it seems right to you?" asks a respondent identified as Michael C. "I suppose if you re-define Biblical Christianity to mean: whatever I believe is biblical Christianity, and there is no outside authority to judge it – then yes it can be in accord. If however you mean biblical Christianity as judged by the Bible, then no it cannot be in accord," Michael C. writes. "I'm sorry to say but these arguments that I've heard from the Emergent movement seem to rely a whole lot more pleading and a lot less on Biblical exegesis (our rule and faith – especially when you say 'biblical' Christianity).".................... read more
6. The Rise of Islam
The Message From MumbaiAround the world, people have reacted with horror to the vile atrocities in Mumbai. For three days, our TV screens transmitted images of carnage and chaos as the toll of murder victims climbed to upwards of 190 people, with many hundreds more injured. Despite the fact that Western citizens were caught up in the attacks, there is nevertheless a sense that this was nothing to do with us — a horrible event happening in a faraway place. Among commentators, moreover, there has been no small amount of confusion. Were these terrorists motivated by the grievance between Muslims and Hindus over Kashmir, or was this a broader attack by Al Qaeda? If British and American tourists were singled out over Iraq — which many assume is the motive for such attacks — why were Indians targeted in the Victoria railway station? And why was an obscure outreach centre geared to Jews marked for slaughter? Such perceptions and questions suggest that, even now, Western commentators still don't grasp what the free world is facing. This was not merely a distant horror. We should pay the closest possible attention to what happened in Mumbai because something on this scale could well happen here. But because we don't understand what we are actually up against, we are not doing nearly enough to prevent this — or something even worse — occurring; and if it were to happen here, we would be unable to cope. ................ read more
Europe heading for major cultural clash with it's Muslim populationEurope is heading towards a major cultural clash with an ever-growing Muslim population that does not want to adopt European culture, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said Monday. "We can expect a major inter-cultural clash in Europe," Halevy said in an address at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies on the changing face of the world on the eve of 2009. He added that prominent European countries, as well as Russia, could be nearly 50 percent Muslim by 2050, noting that England was currently debating whether Islamic law can be applicable to British Muslims instead of British law in certain matters such as marital disputes. The former spymaster, who immigrated to Israel from the UK as a teenager in 1948, opined that how European countries reacted to such a challenge would determine their very future. "More and more we see that Muslims living in Europe are not interested in adapting to the local European culture but seek to live by their own way of life within the European framework," he said. "The demographics have significant political and cultural implications." In a wide-ranging address, the former Mossad chief said that the greatest danger facing the world at large was the merging of global Islamic terrorism and the proliferation by either state or non-state entities of non-conventional weapons. "We do not know of any such successes, but we do know that a will for such a merger exists," he said. "This is a threat which, if it materializes, will put us in a whole new world, one which is unknown and uncontrollable.".. .................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
Robot soldiers to determine who lives and dies?The US Army and Navy have both hired experts in the ethics of building machines to prevent the creation of an amoral Terminator-style killing machine that murders indiscriminately. By 2010 the US will have invested $4 billion in a research programme into "autonomous systems", the military jargon for robots, on the basis that they would not succumb to fear or the desire for vengeance that afflicts frontline soldiers. A British robotics expert has been recruited by the US Navy to advise them on building robots that do not violate the Geneva Conventions. Colin Allen, a scientific philosopher at Indiana University's has just published a book summarising his views entitled Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong. He told The Daily Telegraph: "The question they want answered is whether we can build automated weapons that would conform to the laws of war. Can we use ethical theory to help design these machines?" Airborne drones are already used in Iraq and Afghanistan to launch air strikes against militant targets and robotic vehicles are used to disable roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices. Last month the US Army took delivery of a new robot built by an American subsidiary of the British defence company QinetiQ, which can fire everything from bean bags and pepper spray to high-explosive grenades and a 7.62mm machine gun. But this generation of robots are all remotely operated by humans. Researchers are now working on "soldier bots" which would be able to identify targets, weapons and distinguish between enemy forces like tanks or armed men and soft targets like ambulances or civilians. Their software would be embedded with rules of engagement conforming with the Geneva Conventions to tell the robot when to open fire. Some are concerned that it will be impossible to devise robots that avoid mistakes, conjuring up visions of machines killing indiscriminately when they malfunction, like the robot in the film Robocop. Noel Sharkey, a computer scientist at Sheffield University, best known for his involvement with the cult television show Robot Wars, is the leading critic of the US plans. He says: "It sends a cold shiver down my spine. I have worked in artificial intelligence for decades, and the idea of a robot making decisions about human termination is terrifying."......................... read more
New genetic test asks which sport a child was born to playWhen Donna Campiglia learned recently that a genetic test might be able to determine which sports suit the talents of her 2 ½-year-old son, Noah, she instantly said, Where can I get it and how much does it cost? "I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it's good to match them with the right activity," Campiglia, 36, said as she watched a toddler class at Boulder Indoor Soccer in which Noah struggled to take direction from the coach between juice and potty breaks. "I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration," she said. In health-conscious, sports-oriented Boulder, Atlas Sports Genetics is playing into the obsessions of parents by offering a $149 test that aims to predict a child's natural athletic strengths. The process is simple. Swab inside the child's cheek and along the gums to collect DNA and return it to a lab for analysis of ACTN3, one gene among more than 20,000 in the human genome. The test's goal is to determine whether a person would be best at speed and power sports like sprinting or football, or endurance sports like distance running, or a combination of the two. A 2003 study discovered the link between ACTN3 and those athletic abilities. In this era of genetic testing, DNA is being analyzed to determine predispositions to disease, but experts raise serious questions about marketing it as a first step in finding a child's sports niche, which some parents consider the road to a college scholarship or a career as a professional athlete. Atlas executives acknowledge that their test has limitations but say that it could provide guidelines for placing youngsters in sports. The company is focused on testing children from infancy to about 8 years old because physical tests to gauge future sports performance at that age are, at best, unreliable........................ read more
New ID Scanners Can View Documents Through Your Car, Clothes Up To 50 Feet AwayThe federal government has already deployed new detection machines that can scan citizens without their knowledge from as far as 50 feet away and "read" their personal documents such as passports or driver's licenses. The Homeland Security Department touts the high-tech devices as increasing security at border crossings, but privacy advocates are raising all sorts of red flags. Critics say the new machines, which read one's personal information right through a wallet or purse, do so without consent or a warrant and may set a worrisome precedent. The devices, called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) machines, allow officials to read remotely any passports, pass cards, and driver's licenses that contain special chips with personal information. The RFIDs are so sensitive that, even before a vehicle pulls up at a border checkpoint, agents already will have on their computer screen the personal data of the passengers, including each person's name, date of birth, nationality, passport or ID number, and even a digitized photo. The new gadgets are in place, or soon will be, at five border crossings: Blaine, Wash.; Buffalo; Detroit; Nogales, Ariz.; and San Ysidro, Calif. They are slated to have a dramatically expanded presence in June. Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that the technology could make Americans less secure because terrorists or other criminals may be able to steal the personal information off the ID cards remotely. Tien and other critics warn that people up to no good can use their own RFID machines in a process called "skimming" to read the information from as far as 50 feet. Indeed, consumer privacy expert Katherine Albrecht maintains that the chips create the "potential for a whole surveillance network to be set up." Among other abuses, she says police could use them to track criminals; abusive husbands could use the technology to find their wives; and stores could trail the shopping patterns of patrons......................... read more
Bug-Sized Spies: U.S. Develops Tiny Flying Robots If only we could be a fly on the wall when our enemies are plotting to attack us. Better yet, what if that fly could record voices, transmit video and even fire tiny weapons? That kind of James Bond-style fantasy is actually on the drawing board. U.S. military engineers are trying to design flying robots disguised as insects that could one day spy on enemies and conduct dangerous missions without risking lives. "The way we envision it is, there would be a bunch of these sent out in a swarm," said Greg Parker, who helps lead the research project at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. "If we know there's a possibility of bad guys in a certain building, how do we find out? We think this would fill that void." In essence, the research seeks to miniaturize the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle drones used in Iraq and Afghanistan for surveillance and reconnaissance. The next generation of drones, called Micro Aerial Vehicles, or MAVs, could be as tiny as bumblebees and capable of flying undetected into buildings, where they could photograph, record, and even attack insurgents and terrorists.......................... read more
Minority Report comes to Britain: The CCTV that spots crimes before they happenCCTV cameras which can 'predict' if a crime is about to take place are being introduced on Britain's streets. The cameras can alert operators to suspicious behaviour, such as loitering and unusually slow walking. Anyone spotted could then have to explain their behaviour to a police officer. The move has been compared to the Tom Cruise science-fiction film Minority Report, in which people are arrested before they commit planned offences. It will also fuel fears that Britain is becoming a surveillance society. There are already 4.2million cameras trained on the public. The technology could be used alongside many of these to allow evermore advanced scrutiny of our movements. Last night, civil rights campaign group Liberty was sceptical. A spokesman said: 'Bringing expensive Hollywood sci-fi to our car parks will never be as effective as having police on the street leading the fight against crime.' The cameras, trained on public places, such as car parks, are being tested by Portsmouth City Council. Computers are programmed to analyse the movements of people or vehicles in the camera frame. If someone is seen lurking in a particular area, the computer will send out an alarm to a CCTV operator. The operator will then check the image and – if concerned – ring the police. The aim is to stop crimes before they are committed. If a vehicle is moving too fast or slow – indicating joyriding or kerb-crawling, for example – a similar alert could be given. Councillor Jason Fazackarley of Portsmouth Council said: 'It's the 21st century equivalent of a nightwatchman, but unlike a night-watchman it never blinks, it never takes a break and it never gets bored.' But the danger is that the innocent could be forced to account for their movements despite doing nothing wrong. .......................... read more
Indonesian AIDS patients face mandatory microchip implant monitoringCCTV cameras which can 'predict' if a crime is about to take place are being introduced on Britain's streets. The cameras can alert operators to suspicious behaviour, such as loitering and unusually slow walking. Anyone spotted could then have to explain their behaviour to a police officer. The move has been compared to the Tom Cruise science-fiction film Minority Report, in which people are arrested before they commit planned offences. It will also fuel fears that Britain is becoming a surveillance society. There are already 4.2million cameras trained on the public. The technology could be used alongside many of these to allow evermore advanced scrutiny of our movements. Last night, civil rights campaign group Liberty was sceptical. A spokesman said: 'Bringing expensive Hollywood sci-fi to our car parks will never be as effective as having police on the street leading the fight against crime.' The cameras, trained on public places, such as car parks, are being tested by Portsmouth City Council. Computers are programmed to analyse the movements of people or vehicles in the camera frame. If someone is seen lurking in a particular area, the computer will send out an alarm to a CCTV operator. The operator will then check the image and – if concerned – ring the police. The aim is to stop crimes before they are committed. If a vehicle is moving too fast or slow – indicating joyriding or kerb-crawling, for example – a similar alert could be given. Councillor Jason Fazackarley of Portsmouth Council said: 'It's the 21st century equivalent of a nightwatchman, but unlike a night-watchman it never blinks, it never takes a break and it never gets bored.' But the danger is that the innocent could be forced to account for their movements despite doing nothing wrong. .......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues
Wycliffe Bible Translators launch "The Last Languages Campaign" - Every language by 2025A $50 million donation is being used to kick off an effort to reach an estimated 200 million people around the world with a Bible written in their own language by the year 2025. The Last Languages Campaign is being launched by Wycliffe Bible Translators, whose leaders believe "not only do people comprehend the Bible best when it is written in the language they speak in their home, but that critical community development – literacy, the establishment of water purification systems, AIDS education, human rights, and community empowerment – often starts in the strangest place: with Bible translation." What previously was projected for 125 years of work now is being organized into a 17-year effort scheduled to conclude in 2025. Wycliffe, founded in 1942, is made up of dozens of groups involving more than 7,000 people who are trying to provide a written Gospel to every group of people around the world. The organization believes there are about 2,200 languages that still do not have a translation of the Bible................... read more
Survey: Students Lie, Cheat, Steal, But Say They're GoodIn the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey suggesting that Americans are too apathetic about ethical standards. Educators reacting to the findings questioned any suggestion that today's young people are less honest than previous generations, but several agreed that intensified pressures are prompting many students to cut corners. "The competition is greater, the pressures on kids have increased dramatically," said Mel Riddle of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "They have opportunities their predecessors didn't have (to cheat). The temptation is greater." The Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles-based ethics institute, surveyed 29,760 students at 100 randomly selected high schools nationwide, both public and private. All students in the selected schools were given the survey in class; their anonymity was assured. Michael Josephson, the institute's founder and president, said he was most dismayed by the findings about theft. The survey found that 35 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls — 30 percent overall — acknowledged stealing from a store within the past year. One-fifth said they stole something from a friend; 23 percent said they stole something from a parent or other relative. "What is the social cost of that — not to mention the implication for the next generation of mortgage brokers?" Josephson remarked in an interview. "In a society drenched with cynicism, young people can look at it and say 'Why shouldn't we? Everyone else does it.'" Despite such responses, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77 percent affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.".. ............. read more
Churches Stand to Lose Several Billion Dollars in Lost Donations Due to Economic DownturnTens of millions of Americans have already suffered substantial financial losses in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage crisis and subsequent financial challenges. A new survey from The Barna Group shows that more than 150 million adults said they have been affected by the economic turbulence, and most of them expect it to take several years before the nation fully recovers. Americans are now passing on their financial pain to churches and other non-profit organizations by cutting back substantially on their giving during the fourth quarter of 2008. Those reductions - occurring during the most important quarter of the year for donor-driven organizations - will cripple thousands of smaller and less stable donor-supported organizations. Two out of every three families - 68% - have been noticeably affected by the financial setbacks in America. Nearly one out of every four (22%) said they have been impacted in a "major way," almost four out of ten have been affected "only somewhat" and about one out of every twelve (8%) say they have not been affected too much. Interestingly, the people least affected have been those under 30 years of age - perhaps because relatively few of them have substantial retirement funds - as well as Asian households and those who describe themselves as mostly conservative on social and political issues. Overall, more than one-quarter of adults (28%) said they had lost at least 20% of the value of their retirement and 401K accounts. The same share of the public (28%) said they had lost 20% or more of the value of the stocks and bonds that they owned. During the past three months, one of the ways that adults have adjusted to their financial hardships has been by reducing their charitable giving. In total, one out of every five households (20%) has decreased its giving to churches or other religious centers................ read more
Court to decide whether campus evangelism a crimeThe so-called "free-speech code" of Yuba Community College District is under federal court scrutiny. California student, Ryan Dozier, decided to spend some time on campus sharing his faith and handing out tracts to fellow students, generating conversations about Christianity. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Heather Hacker comments on the situation. "A campus police officer came over and told him that if he continued to do so without a permit that he would be possibly expelled or arrested, and so Ryan stopped immediately," she explains. Hacker says Dozier thought the case was closed, but he was apparently mistaken. "Three weeks later he got a certified letter from the president of the college stating that his actions were the subject of a campus crime report," she adds. "Last time I checked, sharing your faith on a public college campus was not a crime."................ read more
Preparing For Domestic Trouble - Pentagon To Deploy 20,000 Troops Inside USAThe U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials. The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said. There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement. But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dedicating 20,000 troops to domestic response -- a nearly sevenfold increase in five years -- "would have been extraordinary to the point of unbelievable," Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, said in remarks last month at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the realization that civilian authorities may be overwhelmed in a catastrophe prompted "a fundamental change in military culture," he said.................. read more
Nuclear or Bioterror Attack on U.S. Likely by 2013, Panel Warns Terrorists are likely to attack the United States using nuclear or more likely biological weapons before 2013, reports a bipartisan commission in a study being briefed Tuesday to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. It suggests the Obama administration bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists. "Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing," states the report, obtained by FOX News. It is scheduled to be publicly released Wednesday. The report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism acknowledges that terrorist groups still lack the needed scientific and technical ability to make weapons out of pathogens or nuclear bombs. But it warns that gap can be easily overcome, if terrorists find scientists willing to share or sell their know-how. "The United States should be less concerned that terrorists will become biologists and far more concerned that biologists will become terrorists," the report states. The commission believes biological weapons are more likely to be obtained and used before nuclear or radioactive weapons because nuclear facilities are more carefully guarded. Civilian laboratories with potentially dangerous pathogens abound, however, and could easily be compromised. Study chairman Graham said anthrax remains the most likely biological weapon. However, he told the AP that contagious diseases — like the flu strain that killed 40 million at the beginning of the 20th century — are looming threats. That virus has been recreated in scientific labs, and there remains no inoculation to protect against it if is stolen and released. Graham said the threat of a terrorist attack using nuclear or biological weapons is growing "not because we have not done positive things but because adversaries are moving at an even faster pace to increase their access" to those materials................... read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece
International presence expected to be part of any final peace dealIsraelis have traditionally scorned the idea of international peacekeepers intruding in their region. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion once famously dismissed the U.N.—pronounced "Oom" in Hebrew—as "Oom, schmoom." Arab leaders have also shown disdain: on the eve of the 1967 Six Day War, for example, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser peremptorily expelled 1,300 blue helmets from Sinai before rolling through. And Palestinians have feared that allowing an armed international force into their territory would infringe on the sovereignty of their incipient state. It's therefore striking that a recent proposal to deploy NATO forces in the West Bank as part of an Obama peace deal is quickly gaining advocates in both Washington and the Levant. Former U.S. national-security advisers Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski both recently endorsed the idea. The president-elect's nominee to head the National Security Council, Gen. James Jones—a former NATO supreme commander—is also said to favor such a force. Israelis and Palestinians have raised tepid protests, but even they seem to be realizing increasingly that a strong international presence will be critical if any deal is to be struck—and if it's to stick. "A principle that appeared to be out of bounds I think is now in bounds," says Tony Blair, the Mideast envoy of the Quartet (made up of the United States, the EU, the U.N. and Russia)................... read more
U.S. leaned on Israel not to invade Gaza during economic crisis Israel came under what officials described as U.S. pressure to maintain restraint in face of Hamas missile strikes from the Gaza Strip. Officials said the administration of President George Bush sent several messages to Israel over the past two weeks that warned against a military invasion of the Gaza Strip. They said Bush relayed such a message to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during the latter's visit to Washington in late November. "The White House does not want to spend its last days fighting fires in the Middle East, especially our part of the region," an official said. "The administration has told us that it wants to focus on saving the U.S. economy." Officials said U.S. pressure on Israel was the primary reason that the military has been prevented from a major ground operation in the Gaza Strip. They said Olmert and his ministers were concerned that any major Israeli operation would anger Bush and harm relations with the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama. On Nov. 29, the Hamas regime escalated missile and mortar attacks on Israel. In one salvo, eight Israeli soldiers were injured in a mortar strike on a military base along the Gaza Strip. "There's no doubt we're getting closer to a wide-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, but it will be different from what took place in the past," Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said. "But we must find the right time for an operation."................... read more
Exposed: Europe's 2009 plan for IsraelThe European Union, which has been trying for decades to shoulder its way into playing a more important role in the global effort to establish a new Muslim Arab state on historically Jewish lands, is reportedly poised to unveil its latest plan for achieving this unprecedented act of state land theft. Drafted by the French foreign ministry and entitled "The EU Action Strategy for Peace in the Middle East: The Way Forward," the scheme on the agenda for discussion when the EU's foreign ministers meet in the second week of December. Describing it as "the EU's plans for advancing an Israeli-Palestinian deal in 2009," Ha'aretz said initial reaction among Israel' officials has been one of "alarm." "Inter alia, it calls for increased pressure on Israel to reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, including Orient House, which formerly served as the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in the city," the paper said, and which gave the Arabs a strategic foot in what Israel calls its "eternal and undivided capital." A central demand of the Arab world is that the central and most important parts of Jerusalem - with the Temple Mount, Israel's holiest site, at the top of the list - be included in a Palestinian state. States the EU plan: "A key part of building the Palestinian state involves resolving the status of Jerusalem, as the future capital of two states. Therefore the EU will work actively towards the re-opening of the Palestinian institutions, including the Orient House." Apart from this , a variety of other steps are proposed which the EU should pursue next year to push forward diplomatic efforts between Israel and both the Palestinian Arabs and Syria.................... read more
Is 'Operation Israeli Freedom' the Obama mettle test?While the Gentile leaders consider their economic imprisonment and ponder the possibility that a "global society" may be the only way to post bail, the Jews find themselves helplessly stuck between the proverbial rock and the familiar anti-Semitic hard place. Surrounded by ancient Arab and Persian enemies that want to destroy their fledgling Jewish state and a world spun out of financial orbit, Israel's desperate pleadings once again fall upon deaf international ears. What is on the prophetic horizon for this peculiar "Chosen People" that long ago proudly paraded about in the Promised Land? Have they survived a history riddled with genocidal attempts only to square off with a future filled with more of the same? In this post-Sept. 11 era, whereby the world wonders if the new American president is the Messiah, as Louis Farrakhan has previously suggested, or the Antichrist, as the article posted in the Nov. 15, Newsweek edition asked, the temperament of humanity has risen to fever pitch. Even the newly elected vice president, Joe Biden, chimed into the apocalyptic rhetoric on Oct. 20 when he said, "Mark my words" "gird your loins" "a generated crisis" is coming "within six months" that will "test the mettle" of an Obama presidency. He subsequently suggested that among the possible mettle-testing scenarios might be a serious conflict in the Middle East. Could he be referring to a strategic pre-emptive Israeli air strike upon Iran's nuclear facilities? The Jerusalem Post reports on Nov. 18 that according to the Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, Israel is ready, willing and able to strike Iran's nuclear facilities upon political command. To complicate matters Fox News Channel reported two days later that Iran has produced enough uranium to create at least one atomic bomb. This report did little to dispel the widely held concerns in Israel that by February 2009, Iran will have assembled its first nuclear weapon..................... read more
4. The Gog/Magog War
Russia to upgrade missiles to evade US space armsRussia's military is planning to upgrade its missiles to allow them to evade American weapons in space and penetrate any prospective missile shield, a Russian general said Monday. In comments to the Interfax news agency, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces chief, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, as saying that Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles will be modernized to protect them from space-based components of the U.S. missile defense system. The upgrade will make the missiles' warheads capable of flying "outside the range" of the space-based system, Solovtsov was quoted as saying. He didn't elaborate, but Russian officials have previously boasted about prospective new warheads capable of making sharp maneuvers to dodge missile defense systems. Solovtsov also reportedly said the military will commission new RS-24 missiles equipped with state-of-the-art systems to help penetrate a missile shield. He did not specify that Moscow intended to penetrate a U.S. missile shield, but the Kremlin has fiercely opposed the U.S. plan to deploy a battery of 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a related radar in the Czech Republic. Reflecting Russia's suspicions about U.S. intentions, Solovtsov alleged Monday that the U.S. is considering the scenario of a first nuclear strike that would destroy most Russian missiles. A few surviving Russian weapons launched in retaliation could then be destroyed by the U.S. missile defense system. ................. read more
Iran launches massive naval maneuver Iran launched a large-scale, six-day naval maneuver in the Sea of Oman on Tuesday, the official news agency reported. About 60 warships were set to participate in the maneuver, which will cover 129,500-sq. kilometers of Iranian territorial waters, the agency, IRNA, said. This type of "maneuver has been rare in the past 30 years both in its size and commissioning of new weapons," IRNA quoted the maneuver's spokesman, Adm. Ghasem Rostamabadi, as saying. Aircraft from Iran's air force will also participate in the war game, dubbed "Unity-87" in reference to the current year 1387 in the traditional Persian calendar. Iran regularly holds war games in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Linking the two bodies of water is the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where 40 percent of the world's oil passes through. Teheran has repeatedly warned that it would close the narrow strait if the US or Israel attacked it over Teheran's disputed nuclear program. In October, Iran's navy inaugurated a new naval base on the eastern part of the Strait in the port town of Jask. Ephraim Sneh, leader of the new Israel Hazaka party and former deputy defense minister said "Iran's unprecedented naval activity is actually a preparatory drill to taking over the Gulf and the world's most important oil route.................. read more
Iran to supply guns to Israel's neighbor Lebanon asked the U.S. for $800 million in financial help years ago to upgrade its army weaponry and reduce the Hezbollah terror group's need for guns, but the funds never came through and now the nation has signed a five-year pact with Iran, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The development will give Iran greater influence over the neighbor to Israel, just the opposite of what U.S. policy would have sought. Under the security agreement, signed during the visit of Lebanese President Michel Sleiman to Tehran in late November, Iran will supply the Lebanese army with weapons and equipment over the next five years. The agreement also calls for an exchange of visits between the two countries at the ministerial level. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad already has promised to visit Beirut in the near future. Under the pact's terms, weapons are to include "defensive strategic systems" which, according to Iran, include missiles. The security pact increases Iran's influence over Lebanon, given its close ties and support for Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah. From Iran, the Hezbollah has obtained some 42,000 missiles and rockets, many of which are capable of reaching neighboring Israel. Since its summer 2006 war with Israel, the Hezbollah reportedly has tripled its military capability. ................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity
Religious leaders condemn re-written songs for anti-Israel carols in churchLeading members of Britain’s Jewish and Christian communities have condemned a prominent Anglican church for holding a service where traditional carols were rewritten to attack Israel. The Rector of St James’s Piccadilly, the Rev Charles Hedley, said that he would think twice before allowing the service to take place in his church again after he received dozens of complaints. The offices of Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Carey of Clifton, his predecessor, are among those who have criticised the service. The event was organised by anti-Israel campaigners, including one Jewish group, and featured carols that had been rewritten by an unnamed Jewish parody writer. The Twelve Days of Christmas was sung as: “Twelve assassinations/ Eleven homes demolished/ Ten wells obstructed/ Nine sniper towers/ Eight gunships firing/ Seven checkpoints blocking/ Six tanks a-rolling/ Five settlement rings/ Four falling bombs/ Three trench guns/ Two trampled doves/ And an uprooted olive tree.”............... read more
Emergent church leader says 'gay' can be biblical lifestyleOne of the key leaders of today's most cutting-edge church movement has opened an Internet discussion on the issue of same-sex marriage with the bold proclamation that he believes "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and queer" individuals can and should live out their sexuality in – and blessed by – the Christian church. "I now believe that GLBTQ can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity (as least as much as any of us can!)," writes author and church leader Tony Jones, "and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state." Jones is an author and former youth pastor who holds a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is also the national coordinator of Emergent Village, a loosely-formed friendship of churches that derive their descriptive name from having "emerged" from postmodernism to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into a post-Christian culture. The "Emergent Church," as these mostly young, community- and mission-driven congregations are collectively known, is criticized by some for being "theologically liberal," praised by others as the best hope for passing the torch of Christianity to future generations. In his "The New Christians" blog, Jones opens up a discussion and debate on the issue of homosexuality with his readers and with a fellow theologian/blogger, a self-described political conservative, Rod Dreher. Jones acknowledges that detractors against the somewhat nebulous and hard-to-define Emergent churches will pick up on his statement and repeat a common refrain of criticism. "'Aha!' my critics will laugh derisively, 'I knew he and his ilk were on a continuous leftward slide!'" Jones admits. Some of the comments show he was correct in his prediction. "So, your statement is that you believe this. ... Why do you believe it? Because it seems right to you?" asks a respondent identified as Michael C. "I suppose if you re-define Biblical Christianity to mean: whatever I believe is biblical Christianity, and there is no outside authority to judge it – then yes it can be in accord. If however you mean biblical Christianity as judged by the Bible, then no it cannot be in accord," Michael C. writes. "I'm sorry to say but these arguments that I've heard from the Emergent movement seem to rely a whole lot more pleading and a lot less on Biblical exegesis (our rule and faith – especially when you say 'biblical' Christianity).".................... read more
6. The Rise of Islam
The Message From MumbaiAround the world, people have reacted with horror to the vile atrocities in Mumbai. For three days, our TV screens transmitted images of carnage and chaos as the toll of murder victims climbed to upwards of 190 people, with many hundreds more injured. Despite the fact that Western citizens were caught up in the attacks, there is nevertheless a sense that this was nothing to do with us — a horrible event happening in a faraway place. Among commentators, moreover, there has been no small amount of confusion. Were these terrorists motivated by the grievance between Muslims and Hindus over Kashmir, or was this a broader attack by Al Qaeda? If British and American tourists were singled out over Iraq — which many assume is the motive for such attacks — why were Indians targeted in the Victoria railway station? And why was an obscure outreach centre geared to Jews marked for slaughter? Such perceptions and questions suggest that, even now, Western commentators still don't grasp what the free world is facing. This was not merely a distant horror. We should pay the closest possible attention to what happened in Mumbai because something on this scale could well happen here. But because we don't understand what we are actually up against, we are not doing nearly enough to prevent this — or something even worse — occurring; and if it were to happen here, we would be unable to cope. ................ read more
Europe heading for major cultural clash with it's Muslim populationEurope is heading towards a major cultural clash with an ever-growing Muslim population that does not want to adopt European culture, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said Monday. "We can expect a major inter-cultural clash in Europe," Halevy said in an address at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies on the changing face of the world on the eve of 2009. He added that prominent European countries, as well as Russia, could be nearly 50 percent Muslim by 2050, noting that England was currently debating whether Islamic law can be applicable to British Muslims instead of British law in certain matters such as marital disputes. The former spymaster, who immigrated to Israel from the UK as a teenager in 1948, opined that how European countries reacted to such a challenge would determine their very future. "More and more we see that Muslims living in Europe are not interested in adapting to the local European culture but seek to live by their own way of life within the European framework," he said. "The demographics have significant political and cultural implications." In a wide-ranging address, the former Mossad chief said that the greatest danger facing the world at large was the merging of global Islamic terrorism and the proliferation by either state or non-state entities of non-conventional weapons. "We do not know of any such successes, but we do know that a will for such a merger exists," he said. "This is a threat which, if it materializes, will put us in a whole new world, one which is unknown and uncontrollable.".. .................. read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies
Robot soldiers to determine who lives and dies?The US Army and Navy have both hired experts in the ethics of building machines to prevent the creation of an amoral Terminator-style killing machine that murders indiscriminately. By 2010 the US will have invested $4 billion in a research programme into "autonomous systems", the military jargon for robots, on the basis that they would not succumb to fear or the desire for vengeance that afflicts frontline soldiers. A British robotics expert has been recruited by the US Navy to advise them on building robots that do not violate the Geneva Conventions. Colin Allen, a scientific philosopher at Indiana University's has just published a book summarising his views entitled Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong. He told The Daily Telegraph: "The question they want answered is whether we can build automated weapons that would conform to the laws of war. Can we use ethical theory to help design these machines?" Airborne drones are already used in Iraq and Afghanistan to launch air strikes against militant targets and robotic vehicles are used to disable roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices. Last month the US Army took delivery of a new robot built by an American subsidiary of the British defence company QinetiQ, which can fire everything from bean bags and pepper spray to high-explosive grenades and a 7.62mm machine gun. But this generation of robots are all remotely operated by humans. Researchers are now working on "soldier bots" which would be able to identify targets, weapons and distinguish between enemy forces like tanks or armed men and soft targets like ambulances or civilians. Their software would be embedded with rules of engagement conforming with the Geneva Conventions to tell the robot when to open fire. Some are concerned that it will be impossible to devise robots that avoid mistakes, conjuring up visions of machines killing indiscriminately when they malfunction, like the robot in the film Robocop. Noel Sharkey, a computer scientist at Sheffield University, best known for his involvement with the cult television show Robot Wars, is the leading critic of the US plans. He says: "It sends a cold shiver down my spine. I have worked in artificial intelligence for decades, and the idea of a robot making decisions about human termination is terrifying."......................... read more
New genetic test asks which sport a child was born to playWhen Donna Campiglia learned recently that a genetic test might be able to determine which sports suit the talents of her 2 ½-year-old son, Noah, she instantly said, Where can I get it and how much does it cost? "I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it's good to match them with the right activity," Campiglia, 36, said as she watched a toddler class at Boulder Indoor Soccer in which Noah struggled to take direction from the coach between juice and potty breaks. "I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration," she said. In health-conscious, sports-oriented Boulder, Atlas Sports Genetics is playing into the obsessions of parents by offering a $149 test that aims to predict a child's natural athletic strengths. The process is simple. Swab inside the child's cheek and along the gums to collect DNA and return it to a lab for analysis of ACTN3, one gene among more than 20,000 in the human genome. The test's goal is to determine whether a person would be best at speed and power sports like sprinting or football, or endurance sports like distance running, or a combination of the two. A 2003 study discovered the link between ACTN3 and those athletic abilities. In this era of genetic testing, DNA is being analyzed to determine predispositions to disease, but experts raise serious questions about marketing it as a first step in finding a child's sports niche, which some parents consider the road to a college scholarship or a career as a professional athlete. Atlas executives acknowledge that their test has limitations but say that it could provide guidelines for placing youngsters in sports. The company is focused on testing children from infancy to about 8 years old because physical tests to gauge future sports performance at that age are, at best, unreliable........................ read more
New ID Scanners Can View Documents Through Your Car, Clothes Up To 50 Feet AwayThe federal government has already deployed new detection machines that can scan citizens without their knowledge from as far as 50 feet away and "read" their personal documents such as passports or driver's licenses. The Homeland Security Department touts the high-tech devices as increasing security at border crossings, but privacy advocates are raising all sorts of red flags. Critics say the new machines, which read one's personal information right through a wallet or purse, do so without consent or a warrant and may set a worrisome precedent. The devices, called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) machines, allow officials to read remotely any passports, pass cards, and driver's licenses that contain special chips with personal information. The RFIDs are so sensitive that, even before a vehicle pulls up at a border checkpoint, agents already will have on their computer screen the personal data of the passengers, including each person's name, date of birth, nationality, passport or ID number, and even a digitized photo. The new gadgets are in place, or soon will be, at five border crossings: Blaine, Wash.; Buffalo; Detroit; Nogales, Ariz.; and San Ysidro, Calif. They are slated to have a dramatically expanded presence in June. Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that the technology could make Americans less secure because terrorists or other criminals may be able to steal the personal information off the ID cards remotely. Tien and other critics warn that people up to no good can use their own RFID machines in a process called "skimming" to read the information from as far as 50 feet. Indeed, consumer privacy expert Katherine Albrecht maintains that the chips create the "potential for a whole surveillance network to be set up." Among other abuses, she says police could use them to track criminals; abusive husbands could use the technology to find their wives; and stores could trail the shopping patterns of patrons......................... read more
Bug-Sized Spies: U.S. Develops Tiny Flying Robots If only we could be a fly on the wall when our enemies are plotting to attack us. Better yet, what if that fly could record voices, transmit video and even fire tiny weapons? That kind of James Bond-style fantasy is actually on the drawing board. U.S. military engineers are trying to design flying robots disguised as insects that could one day spy on enemies and conduct dangerous missions without risking lives. "The way we envision it is, there would be a bunch of these sent out in a swarm," said Greg Parker, who helps lead the research project at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. "If we know there's a possibility of bad guys in a certain building, how do we find out? We think this would fill that void." In essence, the research seeks to miniaturize the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle drones used in Iraq and Afghanistan for surveillance and reconnaissance. The next generation of drones, called Micro Aerial Vehicles, or MAVs, could be as tiny as bumblebees and capable of flying undetected into buildings, where they could photograph, record, and even attack insurgents and terrorists.......................... read more
Minority Report comes to Britain: The CCTV that spots crimes before they happenCCTV cameras which can 'predict' if a crime is about to take place are being introduced on Britain's streets. The cameras can alert operators to suspicious behaviour, such as loitering and unusually slow walking. Anyone spotted could then have to explain their behaviour to a police officer. The move has been compared to the Tom Cruise science-fiction film Minority Report, in which people are arrested before they commit planned offences. It will also fuel fears that Britain is becoming a surveillance society. There are already 4.2million cameras trained on the public. The technology could be used alongside many of these to allow evermore advanced scrutiny of our movements. Last night, civil rights campaign group Liberty was sceptical. A spokesman said: 'Bringing expensive Hollywood sci-fi to our car parks will never be as effective as having police on the street leading the fight against crime.' The cameras, trained on public places, such as car parks, are being tested by Portsmouth City Council. Computers are programmed to analyse the movements of people or vehicles in the camera frame. If someone is seen lurking in a particular area, the computer will send out an alarm to a CCTV operator. The operator will then check the image and – if concerned – ring the police. The aim is to stop crimes before they are committed. If a vehicle is moving too fast or slow – indicating joyriding or kerb-crawling, for example – a similar alert could be given. Councillor Jason Fazackarley of Portsmouth Council said: 'It's the 21st century equivalent of a nightwatchman, but unlike a night-watchman it never blinks, it never takes a break and it never gets bored.' But the danger is that the innocent could be forced to account for their movements despite doing nothing wrong. .......................... read more
Indonesian AIDS patients face mandatory microchip implant monitoringCCTV cameras which can 'predict' if a crime is about to take place are being introduced on Britain's streets. The cameras can alert operators to suspicious behaviour, such as loitering and unusually slow walking. Anyone spotted could then have to explain their behaviour to a police officer. The move has been compared to the Tom Cruise science-fiction film Minority Report, in which people are arrested before they commit planned offences. It will also fuel fears that Britain is becoming a surveillance society. There are already 4.2million cameras trained on the public. The technology could be used alongside many of these to allow evermore advanced scrutiny of our movements. Last night, civil rights campaign group Liberty was sceptical. A spokesman said: 'Bringing expensive Hollywood sci-fi to our car parks will never be as effective as having police on the street leading the fight against crime.' The cameras, trained on public places, such as car parks, are being tested by Portsmouth City Council. Computers are programmed to analyse the movements of people or vehicles in the camera frame. If someone is seen lurking in a particular area, the computer will send out an alarm to a CCTV operator. The operator will then check the image and – if concerned – ring the police. The aim is to stop crimes before they are committed. If a vehicle is moving too fast or slow – indicating joyriding or kerb-crawling, for example – a similar alert could be given. Councillor Jason Fazackarley of Portsmouth Council said: 'It's the 21st century equivalent of a nightwatchman, but unlike a night-watchman it never blinks, it never takes a break and it never gets bored.' But the danger is that the innocent could be forced to account for their movements despite doing nothing wrong. .......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues
Wycliffe Bible Translators launch "The Last Languages Campaign" - Every language by 2025A $50 million donation is being used to kick off an effort to reach an estimated 200 million people around the world with a Bible written in their own language by the year 2025. The Last Languages Campaign is being launched by Wycliffe Bible Translators, whose leaders believe "not only do people comprehend the Bible best when it is written in the language they speak in their home, but that critical community development – literacy, the establishment of water purification systems, AIDS education, human rights, and community empowerment – often starts in the strangest place: with Bible translation." What previously was projected for 125 years of work now is being organized into a 17-year effort scheduled to conclude in 2025. Wycliffe, founded in 1942, is made up of dozens of groups involving more than 7,000 people who are trying to provide a written Gospel to every group of people around the world. The organization believes there are about 2,200 languages that still do not have a translation of the Bible................... read more
Survey: Students Lie, Cheat, Steal, But Say They're GoodIn the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey suggesting that Americans are too apathetic about ethical standards. Educators reacting to the findings questioned any suggestion that today's young people are less honest than previous generations, but several agreed that intensified pressures are prompting many students to cut corners. "The competition is greater, the pressures on kids have increased dramatically," said Mel Riddle of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "They have opportunities their predecessors didn't have (to cheat). The temptation is greater." The Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles-based ethics institute, surveyed 29,760 students at 100 randomly selected high schools nationwide, both public and private. All students in the selected schools were given the survey in class; their anonymity was assured. Michael Josephson, the institute's founder and president, said he was most dismayed by the findings about theft. The survey found that 35 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls — 30 percent overall — acknowledged stealing from a store within the past year. One-fifth said they stole something from a friend; 23 percent said they stole something from a parent or other relative. "What is the social cost of that — not to mention the implication for the next generation of mortgage brokers?" Josephson remarked in an interview. "In a society drenched with cynicism, young people can look at it and say 'Why shouldn't we? Everyone else does it.'" Despite such responses, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77 percent affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.".. ............. read more
Churches Stand to Lose Several Billion Dollars in Lost Donations Due to Economic DownturnTens of millions of Americans have already suffered substantial financial losses in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage crisis and subsequent financial challenges. A new survey from The Barna Group shows that more than 150 million adults said they have been affected by the economic turbulence, and most of them expect it to take several years before the nation fully recovers. Americans are now passing on their financial pain to churches and other non-profit organizations by cutting back substantially on their giving during the fourth quarter of 2008. Those reductions - occurring during the most important quarter of the year for donor-driven organizations - will cripple thousands of smaller and less stable donor-supported organizations. Two out of every three families - 68% - have been noticeably affected by the financial setbacks in America. Nearly one out of every four (22%) said they have been impacted in a "major way," almost four out of ten have been affected "only somewhat" and about one out of every twelve (8%) say they have not been affected too much. Interestingly, the people least affected have been those under 30 years of age - perhaps because relatively few of them have substantial retirement funds - as well as Asian households and those who describe themselves as mostly conservative on social and political issues. Overall, more than one-quarter of adults (28%) said they had lost at least 20% of the value of their retirement and 401K accounts. The same share of the public (28%) said they had lost 20% or more of the value of the stocks and bonds that they owned. During the past three months, one of the ways that adults have adjusted to their financial hardships has been by reducing their charitable giving. In total, one out of every five households (20%) has decreased its giving to churches or other religious centers................ read more
Court to decide whether campus evangelism a crimeThe so-called "free-speech code" of Yuba Community College District is under federal court scrutiny. California student, Ryan Dozier, decided to spend some time on campus sharing his faith and handing out tracts to fellow students, generating conversations about Christianity. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Heather Hacker comments on the situation. "A campus police officer came over and told him that if he continued to do so without a permit that he would be possibly expelled or arrested, and so Ryan stopped immediately," she explains. Hacker says Dozier thought the case was closed, but he was apparently mistaken. "Three weeks later he got a certified letter from the president of the college stating that his actions were the subject of a campus crime report," she adds. "Last time I checked, sharing your faith on a public college campus was not a crime."................ read more
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