Pakistan Shia Mosque Blast in Shikarpur Kills Dozens

At least 40 people have been killed in a bomb blast at a Shia mosque in southern Pakistan, officials say.

Dozens were wounded in the attack after Friday prayers in Shikarpur district of Sindh province, and the death toll is expected to rise.
Sunni militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban said they carried out the attack.

Local media reports suggest that the blast could have been a suicide attack, but police are investigating.

There has been rising sectarian violence in Pakistan in recent years. Sunni militant groups have targeted the Shia minority in the past.
The Jundallah militant group claimed that they had carried out the attack. The group has been linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and announced allegiance to Islamic State (IS) last year.
A number of people were trapped after the roof of the mosque collapsed due to the force of the explosion, local media said.

Witness Zahid Zoon told AFP news agency that hundreds of people rushed to the scene after the blast to try to dig out survivors from the rubble.
"It is chaos," he said.

Continued, here.

Boko Haram Close in on Regional Capital: Two Million Under Threat

Breitbart.com reports: “Boko Haram jihadists have reportedly closed in on the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, which has an estimated population of two million, along with another 200,000 who are currently taking refuge within its borders.

Residents have said that the Boko Haram terrorists warned them that they are readying ‘a big grave’ for Maiduguri’s residents and that ‘there will be no mercy.’

A local resident told the CBC regarding Boko Haram, ‘They kept saying they were chasing us so that we can all run into the big grave they are preparing for us in Maiduguri.’

Residents are said to be too afraid to leave the city, but also fearful that the militants may imminently launch an offensive into Maiduguri.

Two local state legislators, Adamu Kamale and Emmanuel Kwache, have begged the Nigerian military to send troops into the area to protect its residents. ‘They don’t spare anything: they slaughter people like rams and they burned down our houses after looting food,’ said Kwache. ‘There’s no presence of troops, some residents are hiding on top of hills, while those that could not run were abducted, particularly youths and women,’ he added…”

Source

Why Doesn't God Heal Everyone? What Does the Bible Say About Healing?

One of the names of God is Jehovah-Rapha, "the Lord who heals." In Exodus 15:26, God declares that he is the healer of his people. The passage refers specifically to healing from physical disease:

He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you." (NLT)

The Bible records a considerable number of physical healing accounts in the Old Testament. Likewise, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, healing miracles are prominently highlighted. And throughout the ages of church history, believers have continued to testify of God's power to divinely heal the sick.

So, if God by his own nature declares himself Healer, why doesn't God heal everyone?

Why did God use Paul to heal the father of Publius who was ill with fever and dysentery, as well as many other sick people, yet not his beloved disciple Timothy who suffered from frequent stomach illnesses?

Why Doesn't God Heal Everyone?

Perhaps you are suffering with a sickness right now. You've prayed every healing Bible verse you know, and still you're left wondering, Why won't God heal me?

Maybe you've recently lost a loved one to cancer or some other terrible disease. It's only natural to ask the question: Why does God heal some people but not others?

The quick and obvious answer to the question rests in God's sovereignty. God is in control and ultimately he knows what's best for his creations. While this is certainly true, there are several clear-cut reasons given in Scripture to further explain why God may not heal.

Continued, here.

American Women More Pro-Life Than Men, Says Boston Cardinal in Message Against 'Irresponsible' Men 'Threatening' Women Into Abortions

American Women More Pro-Life Than Men, Says Boston Cardinal in Message Against 'Irresponsible' Men 'Threatening' Women Into Abortions

Fox News Host Calls Out Duke University's Hypocrisy for Considering Muslim Call to Prayer While Silencing Evangelical Christian Voices on Homosexuality, Abortion

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Duke University was only pretending to be inclusive by offering to allow Muslim students to have Muslim call to prayer in the chapel, challenging the school to also allow pro-life messages or criticism of homosexuality to show "true" inclusiveness.

"There's nothing inclusive about Duke," Carlson said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" morning show.
Duke University decided to cancel its Muslim call to prayer, which would have begun Friday, Jan. 16, after receiving public backlash and citing a threat to students. The call to prayer, known as an adhan, would have aired for three minutes every Friday, encouraging Muslim students to gather and attend a traditional prayer service in the chapel.

"Notice they're not giving equal time to, say, evangelical pro-life messages," Carlson added. "They're not broadcasting those over the loudspeakers on the chapel. If you got in the middle of the Duke quad and read sections of the Bible that criticized homosexuality, you'd be dragged away by school security."

Continued, here.

Muslim Mobs Burn Down Churches, Pastors' Homes in Niger for Charlie Hebdo's Prophet Muhammad Cartoons; 10 People Dead in Protests

At least 10 people have been killed in violent protests in Niger over the weekend, after Muslim mobs burned down a number of churches in retaliation to French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo publishing cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Christian missionaries in the capital, Niamey, told International Christian Concern that "all of [their] churches have been burned along with the pastors' homes ... almost every church [they] know or are associated with has been attacked." The missionaries, who despite seeing smoke "around all sides of [their] house," remain in Niamey.

"Jesus said: 'I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.' We are confident that this persecution will only grow the church and the Gospel in Niger," the missionaries continued.

Continued

Jewish Patrol Cars Out in Force in London Amid Fears of Copycat Attack in Wake of Kosher Store Siege in Paris

Extra Jewish security patrol cars and police were out in force in North-West London yesterday following the kosher store siege in Paris.

The cars look very similar to police vehicles and bear the security group’s name ‘Shomrim’ – Hebrew for ‘guards’ – along the sides and back.

The Orthodox organisation, which works closely with the Metropolitan Police, tweeted from their @shomrimlondon account: ‘Following events in Paris we will have on extra patrols throughout NW London over Shabbos [ the Jewish sabbath].' 

Shomrim volunteers receive police training and uniforms, including knife-proof vests. 

Read more: Here

Children's 'Genital Song' in New YouTube Row

The video shows a cartoon penis and vagina dancing around to a song designed to introduce children aged between three and six years to the differences between boys and girls and help them understand the human body.

 

It was made for children's programme Bacillakuten, which was shown on Sunday by public television network SVT, with a preview clip going viral ahead of the broadcast.

 

After attracting some strong criticism on Facebook, as The Local reported on Friday, YouTube classified the video as "adult rated", stating it "may be inappropriate for some users" and asking viewers to confirm they were over eighteen before clicking on the song.

 

But SVT later persuaded YouTube to agree that the clip was not explicit or aimed at adults, leading the video giant to lift the adult classification.

 

Some of the video's lyrics translate as: "Here comes the penis at full pace", and: "the vagina is cool, you better believe it, even on an old lady. It just sits there so elegantly".

 

By Monday afternoon the video had been viewed almost 975,000 times on YouTube.

 

Continued

Obama Declares War On ‘Extremism’ – Are You An ‘Extremist’ According To His Definition?

Do you know what an “extremist” is?  In the wake of the horrible terror attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in France, Barack Obama is speaking very boldly about the need to win the war against “extremists”, and he has announced plans to host a major global summit on “extremism” next month.  And on the surface that sounds great.  But precisely how are we supposed to determine whether someone is an “extremist” or not?  What criteria should we use? 

As you will see below, your definition of an “extremist” may be far, far different from the definition that Barack Obama is using.  When you do a Google search, you will find that an “extremist” is defined as “a person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.” 

According to Wikipedia, “extremism” is “an ideology (particularly in politics or religion), considered to be far outside the mainstream attitudes of a society or to violate common moral standards.  Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and economic.”  Please notice that neither of those definitions uses the word violence.  In this day and age, you can be considered an “extremist” simply based on what you believe, and as you will see later in this article there are now tens of millions of Americans that are considered to be “extremists” and “potential terrorists” according to official U.S. government documents.

When you use the word “extremist”, you may have in your mind a picture of ISIS fighters or the terrorists from the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

Read more, here.

Does Science Point to God? Eric Metaxas Pens Popular WSJ Op-Ed on Topic; Critics React

Best-selling author Eric Metaxas' Christmas day op-ed about scientific evidence for the existence of God became the most popular article ever published on the Wall Street Journal's website, according to the op-ed's writer. Criticisms of the article came from many corners, including some fellow Christians.

Science increasingly supports the hypothesis that the universe has a creator, Metaxas wrote. By calculating the probability that life on Earth emerged from random events, the evidence suggests a designer. The existence of life, and the universe itself, is so highly improbable, according to recent scientific findings, disbelief in an intelligent creator has become far fetched, Metaxas argued.
With more than 200 parameters now known to be necessary for the existence of life on Earth, he wrote, "the odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing."

The probability of the universe itself coming into existence are even higher, Metaxas continued. Citing the work of astrophysicists, he noted that the odds of the universe even coming into existence is equivalent to tossing a coin and it coming up heads 10 quintillion (a one followed by 18 zeros) times. He quoted astronomer Fred Hoyle, theoretical physicist Paul Davies and mathematician John Lennox all making a similar point: credible evidence suggests that the universe has (or had) a creator.

Metaxas is a popular Evangelical author and public speaker. His previous books include biographies of William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The op-ed was drawn from Metaxas' most recent book, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life.

Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University and director of the Origins Project, had four critiques of the op-ed: 1) While scientists know the factors that led to life on Earth, life on other planets could be based upon a different set of factors. 2) The odds of life on other planets have increased, not decreased with greater scientific evidence. 3) Life is fine-tuned for the universe rather than the universe being fine-tuned for life. 4) The appearance of design in life on Earth is due to the "remarkable efficiency of natural selection."

Continued, here.

America's Fault: Radical Muslims Murder and Radical Liberals Go Mad

In the aftermath of the murder of 12 French journalists at the hand of Islamic terrorists, liberal leaders have revealed the extraordinary depth of their anti-conservative animus to the point of absurdity and beyond.

Consider the following statements, all of them made on Wednesday:

1) The Islamic terrorists are no different than Rev. Jerry Falwell!

Appearing on "Now with Alex Wagner" on MSNBC, Eric Bates, Executive Editor of First Look Media, said: "I think we also have to remember that this isn't just Islamic extremism. If you go back to the '80s – during the Reagan administration – when Jerry Falwell sued Hustler Magazine for portraying him having – I believe it was drunken incest with his mother in an outhouse – again, in a visual form – and won a $150,000 court case against Hustler for that. It was overturned by the Supreme Court, I think, eight-to-zero. So, you know, religious fundamentalists of all stripes and of nationalities have this penchant to say, we want to be able tell you what you can and can't portray."
Yes, the cold-blooded murder of satirical journalists in France is the same as Jerry Falwell taking Hustler Magazine to court. (And notice when Falwell's law suit took place: during the dark days of the evil Reagan!)
Aside from the monstrous absurdity of the comparison – countless thousands of civil-minded, freedom-loving, non-violent Americans take each other to court over various offenses and breeches – the incident with Rev. Falwell wasn't a matter of fundamentalist, religious censorship. It had to do with personal insult that went beyond the pale of propriety, which is why the court initially sided with Falwell.
Yet Bates has the temerity to appear on TV and make this charge. Extraordinary.

2) The Islamic terrorists are no more Muslims than Howard Dean is a Muslim (says Howard Dean himself!).

Appearing on "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough on MSNBC (are you seeing a pattern yet?), Democratic leader Howard Dean offered these sage remarks: "You know, this is a chronic problem. I stopped calling these people Muslim terrorists. They're about as Muslim as I am. I mean, they have no respect for anybody else's life, that's not what the Koran says. . . . I think ISIS is a cult. Not an Islamic cult. I think it's a cult. You have to treat these people as basically mass murderers. But I do not think we should accord them any particular religious respect, because I don't think, whatever they're claiming their motivation is, is clearly a twisted, cultish mind."
I wonder how many times Dean has read the Koran, let alone read it in Arabic. And I wonder what he does with the many verses in the Koran and Islamic tradition that sanction these murderous acts.
But according to Dean (and a host of others), the Islamic State is not Islam, Al-Qaeda is not Islam, Boko Haram is not Islam, Al-Shabaab is not Islam, and the Taliban do not represent Islam, nor do Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and all the other groups that base their theology on the Koran, who murder for the glory of Allah and the honor of Mohammed, and who find precedent for their actions in the life and example of their revered prophet.
If he had said, "I don't believe that this is the best and truest expression of Islam," then he might have had an argument (although many would still reject his words). But to say that the Islamic State and their kin are not Islamic is like saying that Howard Dean is not a Democrat. (Note also that the Islamic State is led by a lifetime Muslim who reportedly has a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies.)

Continued, here.

Charlie Hebdo and Newsweek: Two Magazines, Two Worldviews, Two Outcomes

The universal cover story in recent days has been the controversial covers of two magazines – one much more visible than the other.
Newsweek, a dying American journal, tried to resurrect itself by crucifying Christianity in a December twenty-third cover piece written by Kurt Eichenwald.

Charlie Hebdo, a scrappy French magazine, intensified its reputation for outrage by sometimes running scurrilous depictions of Mohammed on its cover. The magazine will not die but its primary staff did.
In the midst of this fiery journalistic confluence the striking difference between two worldviews became clearer than ever.

Newsweek titled its Christmas-week cover story "The Bible: So Misunderstood It's a Sin." Most evangelicals and many other Christians would agree with Al Mohler's view that the Eichenwald article is a hit-piece, laden with inaccuracies chronicled by Mohler.
If Charlie Hebdo was offensive in its cartoons of Mohammed and other religious figures, Newsweek's Eichenwald was repellent to many Christians in his characterization of evangelical conservatives and pro-life, pro-traditional marriage Catholics as, among other things, "God's frauds."

Thus we have two magazines, each exercising their right of free expression – however insulting. The murderers who attacked Charlie Hebdo offices to avenge their prophet revealed how some within their religion believe they should have responded to what they regarded as a provocation.




Continued, here.