NBC Asks Meaning of Christmas- Jesus Ignored

(Newsbusters) NBC Nightly News offered two stories on Christmas in their December 25 newscast, including a show-ender about “what Christmas means to me.” Substitute anchor Tamron Hall offered this introduction: “Finally, on this special night, a question: What does Christmas mean to you? Maybe it’s the presents, the lights, the music, or getting together with family. We put the question to people around the country and discovered once against that Christmas means something a little different to everyone.”
Somehow, this perfectly pleasant three-minute segment included lot of talk about family time and presents, and even someone saying “Happy Hanukkah,” but included no one uttering the name “Jesus.”

Read more

Conservative Virginia Minister Starts Prayer Campaign for Law Enforcement; 'This Lie That Police Are Out Hunting Down Black Men Has Got to Stop'

Conservative politician Bishop E.W. Jackson, president of STAND, said he believes that police in the U.S. are not targeting black men, as some believe, and is calling for a prayer campaign in support of the country's law enforcement officers.

"I have been saying that this lie that police are out hunting down black men has got to stop," stated Jackson, who is the president of STAND (Staying True to America's National Destiny). "We now have two cops murdered in cold blood. It's time for Americans to express our gratitude to our police officers."

Officials with STAND say that in light of protests against the police since the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, Bishop Jackson is distributing prayer cards to police stations around the country as part of his Prayer For Police Campaign.

See more, here.

Christmas In the Red Light District: Indian Slums, a Bethlehem Stable, and a Savior for the World

The sights and sounds of Christmas were on vivid display as hundreds of people gathered with fascination to watch and listen to the presentation. The music was loud and jubilant, boldly declaring the birth of Jesus. The live nativity scene – complete with adorable angels and determined wise men – was comprised of excited children helping each other adjust their elaborate costumes and stick on beards that rivaled those of Duck Dynasty.

I wasn't at a megachurch or a school play or a shopping mall. It was the Sunday before Christmas, and I was in Asia's largest red light district, the notorious streets of Kamathipura in Mumbai, India.
This Christmas season I set out to explore how some of the poorest and most vulnerable in India approach the Advent, and how Jesus' birth is presented and celebrated by believers in seemingly unlikely environments in our world.

"At Christmas we have the unique opportunity to go all out with the love and hope of the Gospel," explained Tom Varghese of Bombay Teen Challenge, the group organizing the annual Christmas rally and parade in Kamathipura. "Other groups have their festivals, and this is our time to openly share what we believe."

Continued

Satanist Group Mounts Capitol Display to Little Fanfare

LANSING – Visitors to the Capitol can now can view two interpretations of the Christmas season.
The Detroit chapter of the Satanic Temple set up its "Snaketivity Scene," which features a snake offering a book called "Revolt of the Angels" as a symbolic gift, just after 7 a.m. this morning. The snake is wrapped around the Satanic cross on the 3-feet-by-3-feet display.

The group does not worship Satan, but promotes individuality, compassion and views outside Christian and many conservative beliefs, explained Jex Blackmore, Satanic Temple's spokesperson.

"I think that this holiday season is a time of year that is celebrated in many different ways. Having our government endorse one singular viewpoint or method of celebrating the season is problematic when we have a diverse community of people in Michigan," said Blackmore, who wore an upside-down Christian cross necklace. "We wanted to add to that conversation by having our representation of how we may celebrate this time of year."

Continued

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Says He Won't Share a Restroom With Women Under Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance

Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson declared Sunday night that he has no plans to share a restroom with Texas women under Houston's controversial Equal Rights Ordinance.

Robertson, who was one of several speakers at the "I Stand Sunday" event hosted by the Family Research Council and others at Grace Community Church in Houston, Texas, opened his speech with the declaration.

"For all you ladies in Texas, trust me when I tell you this, when you're seated in your restroom putting on your Maybelline, when I need to take a leak I'm not going there," Robertson said to wild applause.

The event focused of Christians having the freedom to live out their faith without government intrusion or monitoring. The event was a direct response to the sermons of five local pastors being subpoenaed in a legal dispute over the ordinance, which some say will allow men to use women's restrooms in the city. Houston's first openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, asked the city's legal department to drop the subpoenas last week.

Robertson in his speech argued that America's politicians appeared to have forgotten the tenets of the nation's founding fathers.
"America, America, it cannot be said too strongly or too often that this great nation was not founded by religionists, but by Christians — not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Patrick Henry, great orator, one of our founding fathers said that," noted Robertson.

"The Apostle Paul said the Gospel has divine power to demolish strongholds. The reason the political pundits argue ad hominem, ad infinitum on television night after night … they call each other left,  right, liberal, right wing, left wing, but there's never any Gospel there, ever," he continued.

See more, here.

Why Blacks Vote Overwhelmingly for Democrats: Pastor of Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Rev. Raphael Warnock Explains

In the state of Georgia, black churches are on track to play a huge role in the tight Senate race between Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn and Republican David Perdue. And Rev. Raphael Warnock of Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church has emerged as a major player in the battle for the hearts of Georgia voters.

Last Friday, Warnock suggested that the Republican Party in Georgia will likely pay for neglecting the interests of black voters and attempting to suppress voting rights — by requiring a valid ID before voting — in mid-term elections culminating next Tuesday.

Continuing in the footsteps of the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who served as pastors of the church founded in 1886, Warnock actively works to get minorities registered to vote in what he sees as a complex mix of spiritual and civic obligation.

"Voting for us (blacks) is not only a civic responsibility, it's is a sacred obligation. I often remind my parishioners that in a real sense our ballot is a blood-stained ballot. It's a right won and redeemed literally through the shedding of the blood of martyrs," said Warnock in an interview with The Christian Post on Friday.

Continued

New Quantum Theory is Out of This Parallel World

Griffith University academics are challenging the foundations of quantum science with a radical new theory based on interactions between parallel universes.

In a paper published in the prestigious journal Physical Review X, Professor Howard Wiseman and Dr Michael Hall from Griffith’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics, and Dr Dirk-Andre Deckert from the University of California, take interacting parallel worlds out of the realm of science fiction and into that of hard science.

The team proposes that parallel universes really exist, and that they interact. That is, rather than evolving independently, nearby worlds influence one another by a subtle force of repulsion. They show that such an interaction could explain everything that is bizarre about quantum mechanics.

Quantum theory is needed to explain how the universe works at the microscopic scale, and is believed to apply to all matter. But it is notoriously difficult to fathom, exhibiting weird phenomena which seem to violate the laws of cause and effect.
As the eminent American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman once noted: “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.”

See more, here.

Pope Francis: Evolution is Real, God Did not Wave a 'Magic Wand'

Pope Francis says the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real, and God did not wave a “magic wand” to create the universe.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church said Tuesday that current scientific theories concerning the start of the universe and the development of life are compatible with church doctrines – a landmark declaration for a religion fraught with conflict over literal translations of the Bible.

Speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Vatican City on Tuesday, Pope Francis urged Roman Catholics to embrace current scientific theories as “required” methods to understand existence. The pope’s suggestions fly in the face of more traditional views that read the Bible as a literal record of the creation and development of the world.

Continued

Australians Captured Fighting for ISIS in Iraq Could Face Death by Hanging

AUSTRALIANS captured fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq will be dealt with under Iraqi law, where the penalty for terrorism offences is death by hanging. 
 
Major General Craig Orme, who is leading the Joint Task Force that has joined the fight against ISIL in Iraq, said that any Australians captured in battle would go into Iraqi hands.
“We’re supporting the Iraqi Security Forces, so if someone was detained on the battlefield, the Iraqis are managing that process,” he said.
The Major General said the Australia military’s Rules of Engagement for the Iraq theatre related only to use the use of lethal force, not the taking of prisoners.

He said detainee management was a separate issue that would be overseen by Iraq, which last year sent a message to insurgents by hanging 42 convicted terrorists over two days and 26 on one day of January this year.
It is highly probable that some of the estimated 60 Australians fighting in Iraq and Syria will either be killed or captured on the battlefield.

See more

More Americans Say Boots Are Needed on the Ground to Fight ISIS

Many believe the air campaign is not enough, a poll finds

More and more Americans say combat ground troops need to be deployed to take the fight to the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), according to a recent poll conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal.
Approximately 41% of Americans surveyed said the military campaign against ISIS should include “air strikes and combat troops,” compared with the 35% who said the offensive should be constrained to aerial bombardments. Of the individuals polled, just 15% said they believed no military action should be taken against the radical Islamist group.
The findings represent a reversal in public opinion since a similar poll was taken in September, when 40% of those surveyed only backed air strikes and 34% were in favor of the use of aerial assaults and combat troops together.
Coalition bombers and fighter jets continued to batter ISIS positions across Iraq and Syria this week. U.S. Central Command confirmed that American aircraft and those from partner nations launched 22 strikes in Syria and at least one aerial assault in Iraq on Tuesday.

Source