Ray Comfort offers famous atheist $10k to debate him

In a recent WorldNet Daily piece, Christian apologist Ray Comfort challenged famous atheist, Richard Dawkins to a debate stating,

“I will donate $10,000 to him, or give it to any children’s charity he names. All I ask is that he goes into a studio and gives me 20 minutes on why there is no God and why evolution is scientific. Then I will give 20 minutes on how we can know God exists and why evolution is nothing more than an unsubstantiated and unscientific fairy tale for grownups. Then we both will have 10 minutes to respond. Sadly, I have found that even evolution’s most staunch believers are afraid to debate, because they know that their case for atheism and evolution is less than extremely weak. I would be delighted (and honored) if Mr. Dawkins has the courage to debate me, but I'm not holding my breath.”

Dawkins of course is not only famous for his books, but he also made a guest appearance in Ben Stein’s movie, “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” and is notorious for rejecting Intelligent Design while also suggesting that aliens may have originated life on earth and that he is 99% sure no god exists.

Israel’s natural gas discovery much larger than original estimate

In a February 10, 2009 press release, Noble Energy announced that the huge natural gas discovery just off the coast of Haifa, Israel is much larger than the original projections.

Noble Energy made this statement in its press release,

“The pre-drill gross mean resource potential for Tamar was originally estimated at 3.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas. Immediately following discovery, we estimated the gross resource potential to be at least equal to the pre-drill mean estimate. After analysis of all the post-drill and production test data, the estimated gross mean resource potential of Tamar has now been increased to 5 Tcf.”

Houston based Noble Energy owns 36% of the Tamar-1 well.

UN: Iran has enough Uranium for a nuclear bomb

The Financial Times of London reports today that the United Nations is now saying that Iran has enough Uranium for a nuclear bomb.

Peter Zimmerman, former chief scientist of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency said this,

“It appears that Iran has walked right up to the threshold of having enough low enriched uranium to provide enough raw material for a single bomb. It’s sure as hell certain that if they didn’t have it [enough] when the IAEA took these measurements, they will have it in a matter of weeks.”

If Benjamin Netanyahu does in fact become the next Prime Minister of Israel, as many expect, it will likely lead to a major conflict between Iran and Israel. As was noted a few days ago on this blog, perhaps that conflict has already begun.

Epsicopal Bishop nominee claims to be Christian and Buddhist

The headline sounds unreal doesn’t it? Well, it is accurate. As unbelievable as it sounds, Episcopal Bishop nominee, Kevin Thew Forrester, actually claims simultaneous adherence to both Christianity and Buddhism. Forrester is currently the interim Ministry Developer and Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Marquette, Michigan.

According to Christian News Wire, Forrester is not the first Episcopal clergyman to claim adherence to Christianity and a non-Christian religion simultaneously.

“Forrester is not the first Episcopal clergyman to hold dual faiths. In 2004, Pennsylvania priest Bill Melnyk was revealed to be a druid; while in 2007 Seattle priest Ann Holmes Redding declared that she was simultaneously an Episcopalian and a Muslim. Both Melnyk and Redding were eventually inhibited from priestly duties. Forrester's background was recently brought to light by the Anglican web site Stand Firm in Faith.”

As Religious Tolerance.org points out in its final section of its comparison of Buddhism to Christianity, Buddhism was originally a non-theistic religion and is now a polytheistic religion to many Buddhists . Hence, Buddhism and Christianity are fundamentally theologically incompatible. So one cannot correctly claim adherence to both Christianity and Buddhism any more than one can correctly claim to be both theist and atheist.

Mormons proxy-baptize serial killer Ted Bundy

The Mormon Church has once again gotten itself into a controversy surrounding its peculiar doctrine of baptism for the dead. The last controversy was when Mormons proxy-baptized Jews who were murdered by Hitler and his Nazi henchmen after the LDS Church’s 1995 agreement not to perform their rites for Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps.

The latest controversy involves notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy, who was the recent recipient of proxy-baptism (baptism for the dead) performed on his behalf in the Jordan River Utah Temple owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Interestingly, Bundy was baptized as a Mormon in 1975 and was later excommunicated by the LDS Church. In Mormonism baptism for the dead is performed by living Mormons for deceased non-Mormons who rejected the Mormon Gospel (a.k.a. the Restored Gospel) in mortality. Bundy, however, given the severity of his actions could be labeled a "Son of Perdition" in Mormonsim and could therefore end up in "Outer Darkness" for eternity.

On the doctrine of baptism for the dead, Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley stated,

“But there are uncounted millions who have walked the earth and who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Shall they be denied such blessings as are offered in the temples of the Lord? Through living proxies who stand in behalf of the dead, the same ordinances are available to those who have passed from mortality. In the spirit world these same individuals are then free to accept or reject those earthly ordinances performed for them, including baptism, marriage, and the sealing of family relationships. There's no compulsion in the work of the Lord, but there must be opportunity. This vicarious work constitutes an unprecedented labor of love on the part of the living in behalf of the dead.”

Clearly, the LDS Church has some explaining to do because undoubtedly the church’s actions have reopened some very painful wounds for many families traumatized by Bundy.

Iran's first spy satellite launch could signify nuclear-capable rocket in hand

DEBKAfile reports that Iran launched its first ever spy satellite on February 3, 2009. The implication of the satellite is that Iran now has the capability of launching an ICBM. Given the fact that Iran now has nuclear capabilities it is reasonable to believe that they are now capable or very near capable of launching an ICBM with a nuclear warhead.

The DEBKAfile piece makes this alarming statement,

DEBKAfile's Iranian sources report the new satellite is designed for tracking, research, telecommunications and carries digital measuring instruments. They stress that it is a feather in the hat for Iran's "Military Group" – the team of scientists and technicians working on its clandestine nuclear bomb program. They are clearly moving ahead undisturbed by UN sanctions or technical difficulties toward rapidly finishing work on nuclear warheads for their ballistic rockets.

Clearly, the Iranians are planning to use their new nuclear military power. And with Russia apparently in their corner together they present a very dangerous alliance and threat to Israel and the United States.

Most in the elite media pay little attention to the conflict between Israel and a Russian backed Iran. But in reality that conflict is under way. When Russia invaded Georgia last year they raided an Israeli air base, which they overtook and in so doing captured some Israeli military equipment. Apparently, the Israeli Air Force planned to use the air base to launch an attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities if necessary. Too, Israel assisted Georgia in fighting off the Russians to capture the breakaway capitol of South Ossedia, which greatly angered the Kremlin and will likely bring a Russian reprisal upon Israel. The conflict has commenced and the next strike will undoubtedly be much more decisive.

Austrian insurance company employs workers based on their astrological sign

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, a Salzburg, Austria insurance company placed an ad in a European newspaper in hopes of finding the best possible employees available. The ad, however, limits applicants to those who have specific astrological signs. The Daily Mail piece lists these signs as the ones the company desires of potential employees:

“We are looking for people over 20 for part-time jobs in sales and management with the following star signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Aquarius, Aries and Leo.”

The company’s rationale for the astrological limitation on applicants is,

“A statistical study indicated that almost all of our best employees across Austria have one of the five star signs. We only decided to continue with that system and hire the best workers.”

Philosophically astrology holds the view that man and the universe are connected by a spiritual force whereby man is a microcosm of the patterns of his planets at birth, and the planets reflect one’s inner self.