Israel Summons all of her Ambassadors to Jerusalem

Joel Rosenberg's blog is reporting an interesting development in Israel.

According to Rosenberg, "Last week — for the first time ever — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned all of the Jewish State’s ambassadors back to Jerusalem for special briefings….why?….what’s brewing?….developing."

It will certainly be interesting to see why this event has taken place.

Jennifer Aniston may convert to Kabbalah from Buddhism

The UK's Mail Online reports today that actress Jennifer Aniston may be planning to convert from her current religion of Buddhism to Kabbalah.

According to the Mail Online piece, "Jennifer Aniston could be the next Hollywood star to convert to Kabbalah, after striking up a friendship with devotee Demi Moore. The former Friends actress turned to Buddhism following her difficult split from Brad Pitt – but now I hear she is considering making the switch to the fashionable faith, which is based on ancient Jewish mysticism."

Pew Poll: most and least religious states

A recent state-by-state "Religious Commitment Analysis" produced by the Pew Research Center's Pew Forum on Religion and Pubic Life presented some interesting results.

According to the Pew poll, more than 80% of people in Mississippi polled say that religion is "very important in their lives" making Mississippi the highest ranking state in the poll. Bottoming out the poll is New Hampshire and Vermont boasting only 36% who say that religion is "very important in their lives."

Muslim father found guilty of killing pregnant daughter in honor killing

The Muslim father of a 15-year-old pregnant girl has been found guilty of her death. Apparently the murder was an honor killing.

According to the Mail Online, "Mehmet Goren, 49, a bully who terrified his Turkish family, was yesterday found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering his 15-year-old daughter Tulay after she started a relationship with Halil Unal, man from a different Muslim sect."

Oral Roberts dies at age 91

The Associated Press reports that infamous televangelist and founder of Oral Roberts University, Oral Roberts, died yesterday at the age of 91.

Oral Roberts was a pioneer in religious television broadcasting and is one of the early proponents of the Word Faith Movement. Roberts will likely be remembered most for his proclamation in the 1980's that God would "call me home" if he didn't raise $8 million.

Jimmy Carter speaks at Parliament of the World's Religons

Former President Jimmy Carter was a recent keynote speaker at the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions. According to the Parliament of the World's Religions website, Carter addressed the topic "The Religious Imperative for the Equality of Women & Girls."

Interestingly, Carter was in the news recently for leaving the Southern Baptist Convention over the issue of the mistreatment of women. Indicting the Southern Baptist Convention, Carter stated, "The truth is that male religious leaders have had -- and still have -- an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims U.S. is blocking the return of Islam's Messiah

Fox News has a story today about the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

According to the Fox News piece, Ahmadinejad said, "We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world. They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule."

Iran successfully simulates nuclear weapon detonation

Debkafile has a chilling story today titled, "Iran successfully simulates nuclear warhead detonation."

According to the piece, "Debkafile's Iranian and intelligence sources report that this development is alarming because detonation is one of the most difficult technological challenges in the development of a nuclear weapon. Mastering it carries Iran past one of the last major obstacles confronting its program for the manufacture of a nuclear warhead."

Is Jack Van Impe predicting the Great Tribulation will begin in 2012?

As we have discussed before on this blog, evidently Jack Van Impe may again be predicting dates for end times events.

Witch School relocating to Salem, Mass.

Witch School, which is a school offering courses on Wicca and other forms of Paganism recently announced that it will be relocating to Salem, Massachusetts. Witch School opened its doors in Roseville, Illinois in 2003 boasting a student enrollment of over 120,000 and now is the most trafficked Pagan website in the world.

According to the Witch School press release regarding the upcoming move, "Witch School settled from Chicago to Central Illinois in 2003, and became the center of protest by many of the Christian Churches in the area. A well-documented spiritual battle has been waged for the last six years, with open hostilities and long quiet truces by various Christian factions. Simply put, this has not allowed Witch School the staff and resources needed to keep up with their growth. On Halloween, Witch School Rossville will close permanently, and Witch School will be moving its HQ to ‘The Witch City’, Salem Mass."

Ed Hubbard, founder and CEO of Witch School said of the move, "The Churches are not the cause, they are a symptom of the problems in rural areas, and that is the lack of useful educational resources......The Churches believing that they were ‘protecting’ the community, have rejected and blocked several attempts by Witch School to improve Internet Service in the area. So it has become necessary to find a place where we can get the online access and staff we need to continue our growth."

Israel to attack Iran if further sanctions not in place by Christmas

YNetNews reported a few days ago that Israel's former Deputy Defense Minister, Ephraim Sneh, made a strong and clear statement regarding a nuclear armed Iran.

According to the YNetNews piece, Sneh said if Iran were not further sanctioned by this Christmas Israel would attack the Islamic republic and that if Israel had to attack Iran on its own it would do so.

Rev. Moon turns over control of church to his sons

Wales Online reports that Rev. Sun Myung Moon has relinquished control of his Unification Church, -now known as Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity- to his three sons.

According to the Wales Online piece,

"The youngest, 30-year-old Rev Moon Hyung-jin, was tipped last year to take over as the church’s religious leader. Moon Kook-jin, 39, is in charge of business ventures in South Korea, while 40-year-old Moon Hyun-jin oversees international operations. The church said all the brothers had Harvard degrees.

Since founding the church in Seoul, South Korea, in 1954, the elder Moon has built a business empire with hundreds of ventures in more than a half-dozen countries, from hospitals and universities to newspapers and even a professional football team and ballet troupe.

These include the Washington Times newspaper and the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan, as well as an ad agency and ski resort in South Korea, and a seafood distribution firm that supplies sushi to Japanese restaurants across the US."

Nearly 25% of the world's population is Muslim

According to a recent comprehensive Pew Research study, the worldwide Muslim population comprises nearly 25% of the world's population. The Pew Research study notes, "A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion."

Televangelist Benny Hinn not permitted into the UK

Religion News Blog ran an interesting story on October 3 from the UK's Times Online which also appeared on the Times' Articles of Faith blog. According to the Times, televangelist Benny Hinn was not allowed in to the UK to conduct his October 1-3 crusade.

The Times stated that Hinn was not allowed in the UK because, " Mr Hinn has visited before without any problem but the Home Office has changed the rules for ministers of religion. He fell foul of tier five of the new points-based system for all visitors to Britain, which came into effect last November. One of the aims of the new rules was to combat extremism and prevent teachers of religious hate entering the country."

School Children Taught to Sing Praise Songs to Obama?

Is Obama Pushing Israel Toward War?

As was discussed on this blog recently, the conflict between Israel and Iran/Russia has arguably already commenced, but has not yet reached a fevered pitch. Interestingly, a recent Wall Street Journal piece titled, "Obama is Pushing Israel Toward War" discusses the Israel-Iran situation. The author of the piece, Bret Stephens, trying to reason through why President Obama is not more actively involved in the critical situation of a nuclear-armed Iran.

According to Stephens, Israel has reached the decision that Obama is not going to lift a finger to stop Iran nor will the "International Community." Stephens also notes that Israel has even been trying to "goad" the U.S. into dealing with Iran, but the U.S. isn't taking the bait. So we have to wonder why. Stephens suggests the answer to why is, "Perhaps it thinks its diplomacy will work, or that it has the luxury of time, or that it can talk the Israelis out of attacking. Alternatively, it might actually want Israel to attack without inviting the perception that it has colluded with it. Or maybe it isn't really paying attention."

Moshe Dann, in his piece, "Sacrificing Israel," on IsraeliNationalNews.com, suggests that Obama will use Israel as a scapegoat. Dann, says, "President Obama knows that, short of military intervention, nothing will prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Making Israeli concessions the key to stopping Iran, therefore, allows Obama a perfect excuse: Israel didn't do enough; it's Israel's fault."

Consider this, not only could Israel be used as a scapegoat for Obama in the Middle East as Dann suggests, but Israel could also be used as a scapegoat domestically. If Israel attacks the Iranian nuclear sites, undoubtedly oil prices will soar causing prices at the pump to soar. And since things are already bad and getting worse in the American economy, a major conflict in the Middle East could be a rather convenient tool for Obama in more ways than one. Hopefully none of these speculations are true, but it sure makes one wonder.

Iran now has enough Uranium to build 2 bombs!

Popular author and speaker, Joel Rosenberg, wrote on his blog today that Iran now has enough Uranium to build 2 bombs. Interestingly, as we discussed on this blog as early as February of this year The Financial Times reported that Iran had acquired enough Uranium for a bomb. If both reports are accurate then Iran has accumulated enough material for its second nuclear weapon since February 2009. Couple this with the fact that Iran recently test fired missiles capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases in Europe and you have something that should be a major concern to everyone.

To go along with this, Debkafile is reporting this week that the U.S. may install a missile defense system in Israel and Turkey instead of in Eastern Europe. Debkafile also reports this week that the U.S. Air Force is speeding up its production of bunker buster bombs.

Israel was also the focus of another interesting news item recently. Israel’s recent historically huge natural gas discovery is now estimated to be 16% larger than the original and subsequent revised estimates.

There is some talk of an inevitable Iran-Israel war. A credible argument can be made, however, that that conflict has already begun, but it is Israel facing not just Iran, but also Russia. If you recall, when Russia invaded Georgia last year they captured an Israeli air base in Georgia, but it was Israel and the Georgian army that stopped the advancing Russian forces from taking the capital of South Ossedia. And then not too long after that Israel destroyed an Iranian arms shipment in Sudan headed to Hamas in Gaza. Another recent development is that Russia with Iran’s assistance has established a good sized naval presence in the Gulf region. So, it appears that the conflict has begun, but it has not reached a fevered pitch yet.

Muslim leader wants the Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem!

WorldNetDaily had a fascinating story recently about an important recent meeting that took place to discuss the plans for the construction of the third Jewish Temple.

According to WorldNetDaily, "Adnan Oktar, who uses the pen name of Harun Yahya, is a controversial but highly influential Muslim intellectual and author with more than 65 million of his books in circulation worldwide. Oktar recently met with three representatives from the re-established Jewish Sanhedrin, a group of 71 Orthodox rabbis and scholars from Israel, to discuss how religious Muslims, Jews and Christians can work together on the project."

The WorldNetDaily piece included this quote from Oktar, "The Palace of Solomon is a historically important palace and rebuilding it would be a very wonderful thing. It is something that any Jew, a Christian or a Muslim should welcome with enthusiasm. Every Muslim, every believer will want to return to those days, to experience those days again and, albeit partially, to bring the beauty of those days back to life...... It could be done in a year at most. It could be built to the same perfection and beauty. The Torah says it was built in 13 years, if I remember correctly. It could be rebuilt in a year in its perfect form."

64% of Israelis want Temple rebuilt

Ynetnews.com has a very interesting story reporting that 64% of Israelis want the Temple to be rebuilt.

According to the Ynetnews.com piece that in response to the question of whether or they want the Temple to be rebuilt, "Sixty-four percent responded favorably, while 36% said no. An analysis of the answers showed that not only the ultra-Orthodox and the religious look forward to the rebuilding of the Temple (100% and 97% respectively), but also the traditional public (91%) and many seculars – 47%."

Prince Charles: 96 months to save the world!

Prince Charles of Whales with his forecast of the world's destruction apparently is now joining the chorus of environmentalist prophets like Al Gore, Ted Danson and others. Al Gore told the audience at the Sun Dance Film Festival in 2006 that we had only 10 years to save the planet from destruction.

Prince Charles said in a speech to environmentalists and industrialists at St. James Palace that due to "consumerism" the world has reached the brink of destruction. In fact, according to The Independent, the Prince the world only has 96 months to avoid "irretrievable climate and ecosystem collapse, and all that goes with it."

Prince Charles also said, "We face the dual challenges of a world view and an economic system that seem to have enormous shortcomings, together with an environmental crisis – including that of climate change – which threatens to engulf us all. But for all its achievements, our consumerist society comes at an enormous cost to the Earth and we must face up to the fact that the Earth cannot afford to support it. Just as our banking sector is struggling with its debts – and paradoxically also facing calls for a return to so-called 'old-fashioned', traditional banking – so Nature's life-support systems are failing to cope with the debts we have built up there too. If we don't face up to this, then Nature, the biggest bank of all, could go bust. And no amount of quantitative easing will revive it."

The royal family is one of the wealthiest families in the history of the world so it is utterly absurd for someone in his position to be declaring war on "consumerism."

Mormon Apostle tells missionaries to take people to the "Gods" and ultimately to their "own Godhood"

Mormon Apostle, Jeffrey R. Holland, made some interesting remarks to over 600 Mormon missionaries at the 2009 New Mission Presidents Seminar. Those who are unfamiliar with Mormon beliefs will find Elder Holland's statements most interesting since the Mormon church works so hard to present itself as Christian. To be fair, Elder Holland was simply teaching Mormon doctrine, but the doctrine he was teaching while true to Mormonism is contradictory to the monotheism of the Bible.

Holland said, "We are charged with the responsibility of getting people out of their ruts and routines, out of their problems and their pain, out of their earthly little arguments and ignorance and sins, and take them to the Gods — to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost — ultimately we are to take them toward their own Godhood. In short, we are to take them to the divine. And the Holy Ghost is the connecting link which the Godhead has agreed to give us here in mortality for that heavenly connection."

The polytheistic theology presented in Holland's remarks is outside of biblical Christianity because the Bible is monotheistic. In fact, the polytheistic theology presented by the Apostle Holland and to which the Mormon Church currently adheres, is also contradictory to the teachings found in the Book of Mormon (Alma 11:26-31, Alma 11:44, 1 Nephi 13:41).

Joe Biden ok's Israel attack on Iran

On Sunday Vice President, Joe Biden, in an interview on ABC's This Week said, "If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice."

Biden also said this in the interview, ""Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."

Israeli officials received Biden's statement with much appreciation. According to the Taiwan News, "Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that Biden's comments were 'very logical.' He said that although the two allies sometimes have disagreements, 'at the end of the day the decision is ours.'"

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: Whites and ministers will not be protected by his proposed Hate Crimes legislation

Free Republic reported today that U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, in his testimony before the Senate said that ministers and whites are not covered by the Justice Department's hate crimes legislation. According to Free Republic, Senator Jeff Sessions presented this hypothetical situation to Holder, "Sessions presents a hypothetical where a minister gives a sermon, quotes the Bible about homosexuality and is thereafter attacked by a gay activist because of what the minister said about his religious beliefs and what scripture says about homosexuality."

In response, Holder made this statement in his testimony before the Senate, “Well the statute would not necessarily cover that. On the other hand, I think the concern that actually has been expressed is if the action was reversed. . . . We are talking about, if in fact the person, we are talking about crimes that have a historic basis. Groups who have been targeted for violence as a result of their skin color, sexual orientation, that is what this legislation is designed to cover. The fact that someone might strike somebody as a result of pure speech, again, . . . we don’t have the indication that somebody was motivated to strike at somebody because they were in one of these protected classes. That would not be covered by the statute.”

Not surprising, but Holder said on May 14 that the hate-crimes measure would not be a problem for ministers.

Mormon Missionaries go online seeking new converts

The Mormon Church has recently added a new technique to its efforts of converting new people to the Mormon religion. The church now is making some of its missionaries available for online chatting via its www.mormon.org website.

On the website, curious people can chat with Mormon missionaries in real time and ask them pertinent questions to Mormon beliefs like: Is Mormonism Christian? , What is baptism for the dead?, Was Joseph Smith a true prophet of God?, and Why have there been over 4,000 changes made to the Book of Mormon?

Ahmadinejad's election points to war with Israel?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected to another term as President of Iran on Friday, but the Islamic Republic has been busy beating down an uprising from those who supported Ahmadinejad's opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

According to an AP report on Yahoo! News Ahmadinejad said that the violent uprising was, "not important from my point of view. Some believed they would win, and then they got angry. It has no legal credibility. It is like the passions after a football match. The margin between my votes and the others is too much and no one can question it."

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, today delivered a much anticipated speech in which according to The Jerusalem Post he called for "the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside Israel, but only if the Palestinians recognize Israel's nature as a Jewish state." The piece also points out that Netanyahu also "embraced President Barack Obama's vision, adding, however, that the Holocaust was not the reason for the establishment of the Jewish state."

Joel Rosenberg, author of Epicenter, commenting on the Iranian elections said on his blog, "The Supreme Leader of Iran has spoken. It’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by a 'landslide.' Now all eyes in the region shift to Israel, where Prime Minister Netanyahu will deliver a major policy address on Sunday. The battle lines are clear. It’s Netanyahu vs. Ahmadinejad….Bibi vs. Mahmoud. The big question is: Who will strike first?"

That question, however, has arguably already been answered as we have noted on this blog. The real question is who will make the next most decisive and aggressive strike?

Rev. Jeremiah Wright now backtracking on "Them Jews" comment

Rev. Jeremiah Wright is now backtracking on the anti-Semitic comments he made recently. According to The Washington Post, Rev. Wright said this on the "Make It Plain" show with Mark Thompson broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio,

"Let me say like Hillary, I misspoke. Let me just say: Zionists. I was walking from a worship service to my car, trying to talk rapidly, trying to explain, answer this guy and trying to get him off the Barack Obama kick."

The Washington Post piece also notes that Rev. Wright released this statement in all capital letters after his "Them Jews" comment in which he said he is, "EXTREMELY DISTURBED AND DEEPLY SADDENED THAT ONCE AGAIN MY COMMENTS HAVE RESURFACED THIS DIVISIVE DEBATE ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MYSELF AND PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, WHOM I LOVE AS MY SON AND SUPPORT AND HONOR AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE WAY I FRAMED MY COMMENTS. I MIS-SPOKE AND I SINCERELY MEANT NO HARM OR ILL-WILL TO THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY OR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION."

Rev. Jeremiah Wright: "Them Jews" won't let Obama talk to him

Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama's long-time pastor in Chicago, is in the news again. He said this in a recent interview with the Virginia Daily Press, "Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office. They will not let him ... talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is."

Rev. Wright also went on to say, "Ethnic cleansing is going on in Gaza. Ethnic cleansing of the Zionist is a sin and a crime against humanity, and they don't want Barack talking like that because that's anti-Israel."

Rev. Wright's anti-Semitic statements are reminiscent of another Chicago preacher, Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. Minister Farrakhan has many noteworthy anti-Semitic statements, but this one from a speech he gave in Baltimore on February 19, 1994 certainly stands out and has the same use of the "them Jews" phrase employed by Rev. Wright, "I called them [Jews] bloodsuckers. I'm not going to change that. Our lessons talk about the bloodsuckers of the poor in the Supreme Wisdom of the Nation of Islam. It's that old no-good Jew, that old imposter Jew, that old hooked-nose, bagel-eating, lox-eating, Johnny-come-lately perpetrating a fraud, just crawled out of the caves and hills of Europe, so-called damn Jew. . . and I feel everything I'm saying up here is kosher."

Newsweek editor: Obama is "sort of God"

Multi-colored frog worshiped in India

A frog that changes colors is being worshiped as a god in India. The frog referred to as a rainbow frog constantly changes colors, which apparently convinces people that it is divine. According to the UK's Sun, "hundreds" of people are making a pilgrimage to see the frog to ask it for miracles.

The owner of the frog, Reji Kumar, said of the frog, “By night the frog was dark yellow, and then it became transparent so you could see its internal organs. It seemed like a miracle to me that this frog had so many different coats. So now people come to see him and pray to him.”

IAEA: Iran will have nuclear bomb by end of this year

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) distributed its newest report on Iran to the IAEA Board of Governors on June 5 in Vienna and will convene again on June 15 to discuss the report.

Debkafile reports that according to the IAEA's newest report, "Iran will be able to produce one nuclear bomb by the end of this year, doubling that figure in 2010. DEBKAfile's military sources note that these estimates only apply to uranium enrichment at Natanz. They do not factor in the product of Iran's clandestine enrichment plants. Friday night, June 5, officials in Vienna disclosed that Iran was found to have accumulated quantities of low-enriched uranium (1,339 kilos produced since November 2008 plus 839 kilos in stock) - enough to convert into the amount of high-enriched uranium needed for making a single nuclear bomb. More than 7,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges were installed at Natanz, adding an extra 2,000 from February, the agency has found. At this rate, 10,000 centrifuges will be spinning at Natanz with a capacity to enrich enough uranium for 2 bombs by the end of the year, double the IAEA's modest estimate by its own figures."

Obama's Muslim roots discussed by deputy National Security Adviser

ABC News today is reporting that the deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications, Denis McDonough, mentioned Obama's Islamic "experience" during a conference call with the media ahead of President Obama's trip to Cairo to address the Muslim world.

McDonough said, "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."

The ABC News report concluded with these statements, "Since the election, however, with the threat of the rumors at least somewhat abated, the White House has been increasingly forthcoming about the president's roots. Especially when reaching out to the Muslim world. In his April 6 address to the Turkish Parliament, President Obama referenced how many 'Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim majority country. I know, because I am one of them.'"

Muslim convert kills 1 soldier, wounds another in Little Rock

The Associated Press reports that Muslim convert, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad also known as Carlos Bledsoe was taken into custody yesterday after the shooting of one soldier and the wounding of another soldier at a Little Rock Army Navy recruiting center.

According to KATV in Little Rock, authorities say Muhammad will face one charge of capital murder and 15 counts of terroristic acts. Authorities also said that they found an assault rifle in Muhammad's vehicle and he is believed to be acting out of "political and religious motives." The authorities also believe Muhammad was acting alone and was not a part of a broader terroristic group. One has to wonder if Muhammad will also be charged with hate crimes.

Abortion doctor shot dead at church

According to a Fox News report, "Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher."

Undoubtedly, the recent controversy over the Department of Homeland Security's description of potential domestic terrorist threats will resurface after today's ugly event. One has to wonder if Dr. Tiller's murder will now be used by the media and the DHS to proclaim that the DHS's initial report was correct and thus bring pro-life advocates, combat veterans, legal immigration advocates, gun owners and limited government proponents among others under suspicion by the DHS.

President Barack Obama responded to today's event with a statement of shock and outrage.

Israel begins 5-day nation-wide civil defense drills

With a conflict with a Russia-backed Iran arguably already underway or at least looming, Israel today began its historic 5-day national civil defense drills.

According to the Associated Press story on Fox News, "The five-day drill, code-named Turning Point III, will include simulated rocket and missile attacks on Israeli cities, including preparations for a nonconventional strike. Air-raid sirens are to sound across the country on Tuesday and for the first time, all Israeli civilians will be required to practice taking cover in shelters when the sirens go off."

Respected atheist author, journalist now believes in God

Much media attention and credence has been given to the likes of atheists Bill Maher, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. One wonders of course why such credence is given to atheism in general -of whom 21% believe in God- much less to those who make ridiculous statements like Maher has made and like Dawkins has made.

In a time when the new atheists are actively seeking to proselytize new converts by the likes of advertising campaigns on buses in Chicago and in London, it is heartening to see one renowned atheist renounce his godless faith and embrace faith in God and according to The Wall Street Journal believes in the resurrection of Christ.

A.N. Wilson, author and journalist recently wrote in the New Statesman about his recent return to his once held faith in God. It is quite an interesting story. Wilson describes his descent into atheistic faith as a Damascus Road type of experience while his return to theistic faith was a gradual process. In the New Statesman piece, Wilson writes about his reasons for abandoning atheism and embracing theism are quite interesting. One in particular is his point about human language.

"Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations' for our mysterious human existence simply won’t do – on an intellectual level. The phenomenon of language alone should give us pause. Do materialists really think that language just “evolved”, like finches’ beaks, or have they simply never thought about the matter rationally? Where’s the evidence? How could it come about that human beings all agreed that particular grunts carried particular connotations? How could it have come about that groups of anthropoid apes developed the amazing morphological complexity of a single sentence, let alone the whole grammatical mystery which has engaged Chomsky and others in our lifetime and linguists for time out of mind? No, the existence of language is one of the many phenomena – of which love and music are the two strongest – which suggest that human beings are very much more than collections of meat. They convince me that we are spiritual beings, and that the religion of the incarnation, asserting that God made humanity in His image, and continually restores humanity in His image, is simply true. As a working blueprint for life, as a template against which to measure experience, it fits."

Hawaii state lawmakers ratify "Islam Day"

The Hawaiian state Senate on May 6 overwhelmingly proclaimed September 24, 2009 "Islam Day." According to an Associated Press story in The Honolulu Advertiser, " The resolution to proclaim Sept. 24, 2009, as Islam Day passed the Senate yesterday on a 22-3 vote."

According to the piece, Republicans stated that it is important that all religions not forget about the terrorist attacks of September 11 while Democrats said that "the diversity and positive contributions of the Islamic world should be honored."

Americans United calls for IRS to review Liberty University's tax exemption

The liberal activist group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, recently sent a letter to the IRS calling for a review of the conservative Evangelical school, Liberty University.

In the letter to the IRS, Rev. Barry Lynn, President of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, wrote “Liberty University has no right to do partisan proselytizing and still retain a tax exemption, I urge the IRS to act swiftly to correct this injustice.”

Liberty University's Liberty Counsel announced today that it plans to file a complaint against Americans United for Separation of Church State on June 1.

Matt Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty School of Law said, "Liberty has complete freedom to officially recognize or not recognize any club, especially when the decision is based on its core mission,” he said. “Liberty is not endorsing or opposing political candidates. Liberty cannot and will not lend its name or funds to support causes that undermine its mission and core values, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Had Barry Lynn paid more attention to the facts rather than being absorbed in his fundraising scheme, he would have realized that the Democratic club can still meet on campus. It simply cannot use Liberty’s name or funds to promote abortion or same-sex marriage."

Tony Campolo lobbies with religious left leaders for Gay, Transexual causes

Leaders from the religious left including Dr. Tony Campolo, President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, staged a collective lobbying effort in Washington D.C. on May 5.

According to the Institute on Religion & Democracy, "The day began with a lobbying training session at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church led by Burns Strider, former Director of Faith Outreach to then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign for president.

In a kick-off press conference in upper Senate park, HRC President Joe Solmonese led over 100 religious left clergy in calling for passage of H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and the inclusion of “gender identity” (transsexuality) into the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)."

Leaders taking part in the Human Rights Campaign sponsored demonstration were ministers from various liberal churches including, Unitarian Universalist Church, Metropolitan Community Church, United Methodist Church, Temple Kol Tikvah, and others.

In his speech, Dr. Tony Campolo said, "We Evangelicals who have such a high view of scripture should want justice for gays, lesbians and transgendered persons."

Russia's first Persian Gulf naval presence coordinated with Iran

Debkafile has an interesting story today dealing with recent Russian and Iranian naval movements. According to Debkafile, "Russian warships are due to call Wednesday, May 27, at the Bahrain port of Manama, seat of the US Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf. They will be following in the wake of the Russian vessels already docked at the Omani port of Salalah, the first to avail themselves of facilities at Gulf ports."

The conclusion to the piece is also quite interesting:

"Our military analysts find Russia and Iran seizing the moment for supplanting positions held exclusively by the US and other western fleets. They are taking advantage of two developments:

1. The number of US warships maintained in the Gulf has been reduced to its lowest level in two years; President Obama quietly reduced their presence near Iran's shores in order to generate a positive atmosphere for the coming US dialogue with the Islamic Republic. Not a single US aircraft carrier is consequently to be found anywhere in the Gulf region.

2. Monday, May 25, President Nicolas Sarkozy inaugurated France's first naval facility in the Gulf in Abu Dhabi. The Russian and Iranian policy-makers see no reason why Moscow cannot set up a military presence in the region if Paris can."