Muslim Sues Oklahoma Over Anti-Sharia Ballot Measure

Fox News reports that the Director of CAIR's Oklahoma chapter, Muneer Awad, has filed a lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma over the "ballot measure banning state courts from considering Islamic or international law when ruling on cases." There was, however, no mention of Muneer Awad or of his pending lawsuit on the CAIR Oklahoma website at the time of this blog post.

Israel energy independent and natural gas exporter soon?

As we have discussed on this blog, Israel's 2009 discovery of an historically large natural gas field -called Tamar- off its Haifa coast could position Israel to be energy independent in the near future. Natural gas production sales from the Tamar project is expected to begin in 2012.

In addition to the 8.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas discovered in the Tamar project, drilling has begun at Israel's Leviathan project. Believed to contain a massive 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and possibly nearly 40 million barrels of oil, the Leviathan project is located in the Western Negev near Gaza.

Delek Group CEO, Asaf Bartfeld, said "We may be able to supply the European market and the Far East, where demand is highest. Though, of course, at this point, we are waiting to drill and to try and confirm the gas." Delek Group owns 23% of the Tamar and Leviathan projects.

It will be interesting to see the geo-political implications of Israel's soon-to-be energy independence. Too, it will be exciting to see the Jewish state prosper from being energy independent.

Book of Mormon Teachings vs. Mormon Church Teachings

Book of Mormon Teachings vs. Mormon Church Teachings Book of Mormon Teachings Mormon Church Teachings There is only one God: Mosiah 15:1,5; Alma 11:28; 2 Nephi 31:21 There are many gods: Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 5 The Trinity is one God: Alma 11:44; Mosiah 15:5; 2 Nephi 31:21 Trinity is 3 separate gods: James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 35. 1985. God is unchanging: Mormon 9:9,19; Moroni 8:18; Alma 41:8; 3 Nephi 24:6 God is increasing in knowledge: Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 120. God is spirit: Alma 18:24,28; 22:9,11 God has the form of a man: Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 3. Eternal hell: Jacob 3:11; 6:10; 2 Nephi 19:16; 28:21-23. Hell is not eternal: James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 55. Polygamy condemned: Jacob 1:15; 2:23,24,27,31;3:5; Mosiah 11:2,4; Ether 10:5,7 Polygamy was taught and practiced: Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 266 12 Essential Mormon Teachings NOT Found in the Book of Mormon

Church organization Plurality of Gods Plurality of wives doctrine Word of Wisdom God is an exalted man Celestial marriage

Men may become Gods Three degrees of glory Baptism for the dead Eternal progression The Aaronic Priesthood Melchizedek Priesthood

President of Watchman Fellowship, James Walker, Interviewed about Mormonism and Glenn Beck

Former Mormon, James K. Walker, was interviewed today on the Dallas, TX Christian radio station, KCBI. The interview was about Mormonism.

Interestingly, the subject of conservative radio talk show and Fox News Channel show host, Glenn Beck, came up in the conversation since Beck is a committed Mormon. It is quite an interesting interview!

Evangelistic Atheists in Oklahoma City Erect Billboard

Atheists in Oklahoma City zealous for their religious faith have erected a billboard evidently in an effort to proselytize.

The atheist group that put up the billboard is called "Coalition of Reason," which of course is not only their name, but is an insult aimed at theists (i.e. theists are not a coalition of reason).

Nick Singer, coordinator of the Oklahoma City Coalition of Reason, noted the reason why the billboard was erected, "Reaching out to the like-minded isn't the only goal of the effort. 'We also want Oklahomans to know that there are many humanists, agnostics and atheists living here, contributing to the community.'"

Satanist Church Rents Oklahoma City Civic Center for Exorcism Ritual

ABC.com has a most interesting story today. According to ABC, a Satanist group known as "The Church of the IV Majesties" has decided to rent Oklahoma City's Civic Center Music Hall.

According to NewsOK.com the Satanic church's reason for holding a meeting at the Civic Cent Music Hall is, "to hold a 'satanic exorcism,'" which is a parody of the Catholic exorcism ritual.

Fox News: Baptist Minister Wins Republican Nomination for US Congress in Oklahoma

Fox News reports that James Lankford, longtime director of one of the largest Christian youth camps in the world, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District.

In November, Lankford will face Democrat nominee, Billy Coyle, and two independents for the 5th Congressional seat vacated by gubernatorial candidate, Mary Fallin.

Pew Poll: Increasing Belief that Obama is a Muslim, not a Christian than in 2009

According to a recent Pew Poll, the public increasingly believes Obama is a Muslim (up 7% from 2009) or is uncertain of his religion (up 9% from 2009).

Too, the number of people who believe he is a Christian fell by 14% from 2009.

Fox News: John Bolton on why Russia is giving green light to launch Iran's first nuclear reactor

Debkafile: Huge Iranian energy plant explosion coincides with bid on Ahmadinejad's life

Debakfile reports a most important story today, "Huge Iranian energy plant explosion coincides with bid on Ahmadinejad's life".

Most commentators think the conflict between Iran and Israel is something that is likely to happen. It is arguable, however, that -as we have postulated on this blog- the conflict is already underway and we just have not yet seen a major decisive strike by either Iran or Israel.

If in fact Israel is responsible for the attempt on Ahmadinejad's life and for the explosion at the Iranian plant then this could be the beginning of the next and more deadly phase of the conflict. It will be interesting to see how Iran responds to these incidents.

Planned Mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Sparks Protests

CBS and Other US Media Outlets Refuse to Air Ad Opposing Ground Zero Mosque

Examiner.com reports that this ad produced by the GOP Trust will not be shown by some major U.S. media outlets.  According to Examiner.com, CBS stated, "CBS Standards & Practices has determined the Ad you submitted is not within CBS Broadcast Standards.”

Famous Pastor, Dr. Charles Stanley, Warns of Socialism in the U.S.

Minister Louis Farrakhan: Jews are "our worst enemy"

Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrkhan, has once again made some explosive racist comments. Ynetnews reports that Farrakhan stated in a letter to Jewish leaders and the director of the Anti Defamation League, 

"We could charge you with being the most deceitful so-called friend, while your history with us shows you have been our worst enemy."

Australia's New Prime Minister Grew up Baptist and now is an Atheist

Politics Daily has an interesting story today about Australia's new Prime Minister, who is the first woman to hold that position and apparently she is also an atheist.   

According to the Politics Daily piece, Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated, "'No, I don't,' she told an interviewer at Australia's national radio, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corp.) who asked her point blank if she believed in God. 'I'm not a religious person.'"

"I was brought up in the Baptist Church, but during my adult life I've, you know, found a different path. I'm of course a great respecter of religious beliefs, but they're not my beliefs."  

The piece goes on to say, "Gillard was a studious Christian as a child, winning prizes for catechism lessons and for memorizing Bible verses. But, she noted, "I've made decisions in my adult life about my own views."

Egyptian Foreign Minister: Obama admits he is a Muslim

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Aboul Gheit, made an explosive statement on Nile TV in January that is just now making news amongst some in the established media.  Nile TV's Facebook page has some interesting discussion about this story.

 

Israel Today in its May 2010 edition broke the story about the Egyptian Foreign Minister's statement.  According to Israel Today the Egyptian Foreign Minister said, "The American President told me in confidence that he is a Muslim."

Is Osama bin Laden Hiding in Iran?

Debkafile has a stunning piece today. According to the Debkafile piece Osama bin Laden has been hiding in Iran for the last 5 years.

The Debkafile piece, states, "Osama bin Laden's hiding place was pinned down for the first time Monday, June 7, by the Kuwaiti Al-Siyassa Monday, June 7, as the mountainous town of Savzevar in the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan, 220 km west of Mashhad. He is said to have lived there under Tehran's protection for the last five years, along with Ayman Al-Zawahiri and five other high-ranking al Qaeda leaders. Debkafile's intelligence sources disclosed Monday night that Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan and his intelligence chiefs are well aware that Bin Laden and Zawahiri are hiding in Iran. The leak to the Kuwait paper was intended to show the Obama administration that the Turkish leader's ties with Iran had grown intense enough for him to be fully in the picture of Iran's secret sanctuary for the authors of the 9/11 attacks on the United States."

Baptist Press: Israel now facing 'new anti-Semitism,' Sibley says

Baptist Press has an interesting story today. The Baptist Press piece titled, "Israel now facing 'new anti-Semitism,' Sibley says " makes the point that Israel is now facing global political attacks as a result of taking action regarding the attempted breach of its blockade by the so-called peacekeeping flotilla.

Jewish studies expert and Director of the Pasche Institute for Jewish Studies, James Sibley, said, "What we see in the reaction of much of the world in the wake of Israel's enforcement of its blockade of Gaza is what is called the new anti-Semitism. The old anti-Semitism was largely founded on a racial basis, while the new anti-Semitism is politically based. Nevertheless, it is still anti-Semitic in that it is a hatred of Israel simply because it is a Jewish state."

The Evolution of Atheism: Atheist Church in Dallas

The world of atheism is certainly one that has changed or should I say evolved a great deal over the last several years. As long as I can recall atheists routinely were opposed to and outspoken against religion, yet now it seems that atheism has evolved into a religion itself. Actually, atheism has always been a religion just a godless religion because not only is atheism a theological position, but it now has even created a church.

A church for atheists or "a fellowship of unbelievers" now exists. Actually, it was created in 1994. It is the North Texas Church of Freethought located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It's pastor is Dr. Tim Gorski, an Ob/Gyn in Arlington, TX.

I've actually written a Profile on the North Texas Church of Freethought.

And atheism has even evolved to the point of having an atheist evangelist as well. Perhaps it is more accurate to refer to him as an Avangelist though.

Here are some interesting things to note about atheism's evolution:

• 21% of atheists believe in God (Pew Research Poll)
  
  
• the creation of atheist churches (North Texas Church of Freethought, Houston Church of Freethought)
  
  
• famous atheist Richard Dawkins says aliens may have originated life on Earth, says he is 99% sure there is no God, and supports ad for agnostcism
  
  
• Well known atheist journalist says Africa "needs God"
  
  
• Atheist Church pastor explains the religion of Freethought
  
  
• Atheists create billboards advertising atheism
  
  
• Apple comes out with Iphone app for Atheists
  
  

The point is that it is odd to me why atheists are so intent on proselytizing others to their religion. It looks to me like if atheism were true that it shouldn't matter to atheists what anyone else believes much less try to win converts.

Atheist app for Iphone

Apple has come out with an interesting app for its Iphone. It is the mAtheist for Iphone by Perception Health.

The Itunes description for the mAtheist says,

"An unbeliever, agnostic, atheist, rationalist, or not quite sure; but looking for rational inspiration? mAtheist is a database of over 700 quotes from most of the world's best known freethinkers through the centuries. Dawkins, Ingersoll, Voltaire ... authors, scientists and rationalists who challenged the status quo. You'll find a random quote at every launch; but for more in-depth study, you can browse through the quotes categorized by author, source, or year. With mAtheist, you can also manage your own list of favorite quotes for ready reference. The developer has made every attempt to verify the authenticity of the quote and the accuracy of the data; but if you find errors, please point them out to us so that we can correct them in a future release. Enjoy and be inspired!"

Major General Paul Vallely: Iran-Israel War Likely in Summer 2010

U.S. Government: Israel has 122 Trillion Cubic Feet of Gas and 1.7 Billion Barrels of Oil Offshore

Joel Rosenberg has a most interesting piece on his blog today!

Rosenberg points out that "'The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil and a mean of 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Levant Basin Province using a geology based assessment methodology,' stated the report’s executive summary."

This is amazing news! And potentially it could be one day -especially given the current global economy - that Israel could emerge as one of the most stable if not one of the strongest economies in the world, which could be used as an excuse by many to aggressively oppose if not attack Israel.

Episcopal Church To Begin New Church Service For Pets

Calvary Episcopal Church in Danvers, Massachusetts will start a new church service for its parishioners on May 16. That sounds pretty normal. The service, however, is anything, but normal. The service the Calvary Episcopal Church plans to begin is for people and pets. It also sounds like a joke, but apparently it's true.

The Service Schedule on the church's website states:

SUNDAY SERVICE SCHEDULE:

• FALL, WINTER, SPRING (through June 1) 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.
  
  
• Holy Eucharist and Sermon
  
  
• SUMMER 9:00 a.m.Holy Eucharist and Sermon
  
  
• Starting May 16, 2010 -- and every 3rd Sunday thereafter --CALVARY PEOPLE-AND-PETS SERVICE 5 - 5:30 p.m. in Parish Hall All leashed dogs are welcome.

Mormon Missionaries Call Home on Mother's Day and Christmas Only

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting story on Mormon moms. In particular, Mormon moms whose son's are LDS Missionaries.

The significant part of the story relates to how often Mormon Missionaries are allowed by the LDS Church to call their families while on their mission. The Chicago Tribune piece notes, "young Mormon missionaries can talk to their families only twice a year. The cherished semiannual ritual falls on Christmas and Mother's Day.....The semiannual telephone calls are usually limited to 45 minutes or an hour."

The piece also notes, "More than 50,000 full-time missionaries — mostly men — ages 19 to 30 serve as missionaries for the Latter-day Saints. Young men can serve 24 months beginning at age 19. Young women can serve 18 months beginning at age 21."

UN Security Council Voice Support for Nuclear-Free Middle East

Haaretz reported yesterday that the UN Security Council is backing a move to make the Middle East free of nukes. This sounds good, but it is a direct move against Israel.

The Haaretz piece stated, "The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China on Wednesday voiced support for making the Middle East a nuclear-arms-free zone, which would mean Israel would have to scrap any atomic bombs in its possession."

Joel Rosenberg notes on his blog, "What makes the new U.N. announcement so dangerous is that it does nothing to stop Iran from continuing to build its own nuclear weapons. Rather, it turns the world’s attention away from stopping Iran from getting offensive nukes and towards pressuring Israel to give up its defensive nukes. The world will now ramp up unbearable pressure on Israel first to disclose and second to dismantle all of its nuclear arsenal, and claim that no more action can be taken to stop Iran until the “double standard” of Israel is dealt with. "