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Young People in America Increasingly Antagonistic Toward the Bible
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily Newsfbns@wayoflife.org. - David Cloud
Categories: Contemporary Issues

 A new study by Barna shows that a large number of young people in America have a very negative view of the Bible. According to the study "Millennials and the Bible," 27% percent of "Millennials" (ages 18-29) agreed with the statement that the Bible "is a dangerous book of religious dogma used for centuries to oppress people," and 38% label the Bible "mythology." Yet 62% of Millennials admit that they never read the Bible, meaning they have no personal knowledge of it, but are merely spouting opinions they have been taught. Only nine percent said they are curious about what's in the Bible when they see someone reading it

What's This? Pope Claims Mary Was Conceived, without Original Sin, During Feast of Immaculate
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily NewsHeather Clark
Categories: False Doctrine

In one of the feasts and celebrations marked on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar leading up to Christmas, Catholics around the world observed the Feast of Immaculate Conception on Monday, a day in which those who follow the religion commemorate their belief that Mary was born without sin.

The pontiff known as Pope Francis led Catholics in the annual observance of the holiday, delivering an Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square.

“Oh Mary, our mother, today the people of God in celebration venerates you, the immaculate, preserved from the contagion of sin from the beginning,” he prayed. “Accept the gift I offer on behalf of the church in Rome and throughout the whole world.”

“In this time that leads us to the feast of the birth of Jesus, teach us to go against the tide,” Francis continued. “The power of God’s love, which has preserved you from original sin, freed all of humanity through your intercession from every spiritual and material slavery and made the designs of God’s salvation victorious within hearts and events.”

According to the National Catholic Register, he also declared to the crowds gathered that in Mary “there was no room for sin,” because “God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus,” which resulted in her being preserved from “original sin.”

The pontiff later venerated the Statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna and invited others to join him. The statue was created in 1857 as a mark of the Roman Catholic belief that Mary was conceived without sin.

“I ask you to spiritually unite yourselves to me in this pilgrimage, which expresses filial devotion to our heavenly mother,” he said.

Francis also visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he venerated the statue known as the Salus Populi Romani.

The concept of the “immaculate conception” was declared by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1844, who issued a proclamation stating, “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”

But some state that the Roman Catholic holiday is unbiblical as there is no Scriptural basis to state that Mary was sinless, which is also noted in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

“We know from Scripture that Mary must have known she was a sinner who needed a Savior when she said, ‘My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior’ (Luke 1:47),” Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries told Christian News Network. “The infallible word of God declares that ‘all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Rom. 3:23). Mary was no exception. God’s word tells us that sin entered the world through Adam, ‘and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned’ (Rom. 5:12).”

“The doctrine of Mary’s pure conception without sin is pure heresy,” he continued, adding that Catholic doctrine not only teaches that Mary was sinless, but that she has power to save. “[The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)] teaches ‘Mary did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation.’ (CCC, para. 969). ‘The Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things. In giving birth, you kept your virginity. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.’ (CCC, para. 966).”

Gendron said that the CCC also instructs that Mary is ” to be praised with special devotion (CCC, para, 971) and that “[s]he was the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race (CCC, para. 494).”

“The Catholic Church promises that all those who seek Mary’s protection will be saved for all eternity,” he stated.

Gendron, a former Roman Catholic who now leads a ministry to evangelize Catholics, stated that these teachings are unbiblical as the Scriptures give no veneration to Mary throughout her earthly life.

“These doctrines have robbed God of His glory and have resulted in Catholics showing greater devotion to Mary than to the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. “When she appears with the other believers on the day of Pentecost, she’s not an object of worship or even a leader in the early church. There are no occasions of anyone ever praying to her, honoring her or venerating her. She is never mentioned in any presentation of the Gospel.”

“Jesus Christ alone is our Redeemer, Deliverer, Mediator and Advocate. He alone is to be worshiped, adored, honored and praised now and throughout all eternity!” Gendron declared. “May Catholics comes to their senses through repentance and faith in the only sinless Mediator!”

The CDC's Bad Year Just Got Worse
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily NewsCBS News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

WASHINGTON -- The CDC is conducting a review of the latest mistake in which a lab worker may have exposed to the Ebola virus.

A sample of the live virus may have been sent from one CDC lab to another down the hall -- one not equipped to work with the deadly pathogen. The technician who handled the sample was not adequately protected.

CDC Director Tom Frieden is promising action, the latest in a string of pledges to upgrade safety.

In a statement, he said: "No risk to staff is acceptable."

It's becoming a familiar refrain for Frieden, who made a similar statement in July after it had been revealed that CDC workers had accidentally contaminated flu samples with the deadly H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu.

"For this to happen, and put our workers potentially at risk is totally unacceptable," Frieden said in July.

And in June the agency admitted that lab workers may have been exposed to live Anthrax after it wasn't properly deactivated. Those samples had even been transferred between labs in Ziploc bags -- a breach of protocol.The mishaps prompted Congressional hearings, during which Frieden promised "sweeping measures" to change the lax safety culture. The CDC put together a panel of outside safety experts, and even temporarily shut down some labs.

But CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook says the CDC may not have done enough.

"Human error is always going to be present, you cannot get rid of it," Dr. LaPook told me. "But the question is can you change the culture, can you change the protocol so that when human error does occur it doesn't have disastrous consequences."

The materials that potentially contained live Ebola in this latest accident were destroyed before officials even discovered the problem. The CDC never got to test the actual specimen so we may never know how big a mistake this actually was.

Russian 'ABM Killer' Intercontinental Missile to Enter Service in 2016
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily NewsRT
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

RS-20 Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) intercontinental ballistic missile (RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko)

RS-20 Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) intercontinental ballistic missile (RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko)

Russia’s newest RS-26 missile system, dubbed the ‘anti-missile defense killer’, will join the ranks of the country’s defenses in less than two years, Russia’s Strategic Missile Force commander said.

“We are continuing the test program for RS-26 and plan to finish it next year, with the missile to be put on combat duty in 2016,” Lt. Gen. Sergey Karakayev is cited as saying by RIA Novosti.

Currently, there is hardly any information available about the new missile system because it was developed in secrecy.

Reportedly, the RS-26 is a solid-fuel missile with an advanced splitting warhead, which is launched from a mobile platform.

It was designed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, apparently under the codenames Rubezh (Frontier), or Avangard (Vanguard).

Previously, the Russian deputy prime minister in charge of defense, Dmitry Rogozin, referred to the RS-26 as “the ABM killer.”

“Neither modern nor prospective American missile defenses will be able to prevent this missile from being able to hit the bull's eye,” Rogozin explained.

According to RIA Novosti, the new missile has been test-fired previously on at least four occasions, with three tests registered as successful.

However, there was no official information on any new RS-26 tests carried out after 2013.

Karakayev also said development of the new silo-based heavy ballistic Sarmat missiles will be completed by 2020.

“This heavy rocket will be deployed in Uzhur [in the Krasnoyarsk Region] and Dombarovsky [in the Orenburg Region],” the Strategic Missile Force commander said.

Sarmat is said to weigh around 100 tons and has an operational range of some 5,500 kilometers.

It’s seen as a replacement for the Russian military’s current SS-18 Satan intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In mid-December, Karakayev also announced that Russia is building a new railway missile system called Barguzin.

Topol-M ground missile complex launcher (RIA Novosti/Ramil Sitdikov)

Topol-M ground missile complex launcher (RIA Novosti/Ramil Sitdikov)

The draft project for “the missile train has been completed; design documentation is now being developed, with the industry already working hard on preparing a model for testing,” he said.

The Soviet army used to have a railway missile system, but it was outlawed by the 1991 START treaty.

However, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov stressed the 2010 New START treaty doesn’t forbid the construction of missile trains.

Barguzin, which is expected to stay in service till 2040, will far exceed its Soviet predecessor in terms of accuracy, range of missiles and other characteristics, Antonov said.

Russia’s Strategic Missile Force will return to three service groupings, which includes silo, mobile and rail-based missiles.

Russia: Ukraine's Pursuit of NATO Membership 'Poses Danger to European Security'
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Telegraph
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov   
Russia said on Thursday that Ukraine's pursuit of Nato membership posed a danger to European security and threatened to sever its remaining ties to the Atlantic military alliance.

Ukraine's parliament renounced the country's neutral status on Tuesday in a significant step towards joining Nato.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said the West was using Ukraine's Nato bid to fuel confrontation between Russia and its neighbour.

"There are a few Western countries that want to maintain the crisis in Ukraine and to maintain and boost the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, including through provocative efforts towards membership in the Atlantic alliance," he said.

"The very idea of Ukraine's efforts to join Nato are dangerous, not only for Ukrainian people, because there is no unity over that issue, it is dangerous for European security,"

"Should Ukraine decide to apply for Nato membership, Nato will assess its readiness to join the alliance in the same way as with any candidate. This is an issue between Nato and the individual countries aspiring to membership," the official said.

Nato has already boosted its military presence in eastern Europe this year, saying it has evidence that Russia orchestrated and armed a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine that followed the overthrow of a Kremlin-backed president in Kiev.

Representatives from the Ukraine government and pro-Russian separatists concluded "difficult" talks on Thursday without agreeing the date of a new round aimed at ending the uprising that began in April and has so far left over 4,700 people dead.

The five-hour preliminary discussion in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, had been tentatively due to be followed by a second meeting on Friday at which a final accord was to be signed.

But rebel representatives stressed that they could not yet promise whether the negotiations would resume as planned.

"We had a difficult preliminary meeting," Denis Pushilin, the Donetsk separatist region mediator, told a pro-rebel news site. "The date and time of the next meeting is still up in the air. It is under discussion."

A truce agreed in September has been regularly flouted by both sides, but violence has lessened significantly in December.

Preachers Running in Herds
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily Newsfbns@wayoflife.org. - David Cloud
Categories: Commentary

Most preachers run in herds, and they are simply not going to go against the grain. I was impressed anew with that fact after reading One in Hope and Doctrine: Origins of Baptist Fundamentalism 1870-1950 (Kevin Bauder and Robert Delnay, Regular Baptist Press, 2014). Most independent Baptists came out of denominationalism (American Baptist, Southern Baptist) and they either immediately formed another denomination or denomination-like organization to join (Baptist Bible Union, GARBC, Conservative Baptist) or they formed strong fellowships (Baptist Bible Fellowship, Southwide Baptist Fellowship) and/or they rallied around a strong leader (J. Frank Norris, John R. Rice, Lee Roberson, Jack Hyles) and/or school. For the most part, the independent Baptist movement has been based on the old fundamentalist philosophy of "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty." That was the philosophy of the aforementioned leaders. There was a time when I mistakenly thought that most independent Baptist preachers, regardless of their various "issues," were stalwart warriors for the truth, but I was ill-informed. Standing alone for the whole counsel of God has never been the heart and soul of the movement. Fundamental Baptist history isn't a history of individual preachers taking a bold and lonely stand for truth, and the past is very informative of what is happening today. What about you, dear preacher? I thank the Lord for those who serve Christ and His truth preeminently and are not afraid to stand with a small minority or even to stand alone with the faithful Lord. I count it a privilege to know many of these choice servants of Christ personally. The Psalmist describes the zeal for truth that produces such a stand. "Therefore I esteem ALL thy precepts concerning ALL things to be right; and I hate EVERY false way" (Psalm 119:128). We're not going to be judged in herds. Each preacher will stand before Christ and give account for himself.

Let the Headlines Speak
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

 

Can Russia's Vladimir Putin help deliver a Palestinian state?
Out of total desperation given the near-zero chance of gaining UN Security Council approval of a draft mandating an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Abbas has now turned to Russia.  

New Russian military doctrine says NATO top threat
Russia named NATO's military buildup near its border as the main military threat and raised the possibility of using precision conventional weapons as a "strategic deterrent," according to the nation's new military doctrine signed by President Vladimir Putin Friday.  

Rick Perry Praises 'Front Runner' Jeb Bush
Texas Gov. Rick Perry tipped his hat to a likely rival this week, calling former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush "probably the front-runner" in the 2016 race for the White House, The Washington Times reports.  

Video: Pope Francis Reclaims Vatican's Role as Diplomatic Mediator
The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis wrote to President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in recent months, and invited them to resolve their differences over humanitarian issues, including prisoners. In addition, the Vatican said it hosted U.S. and Cuban delegations in October "and provided its good offices to facilitate a constructive dialogue on delicate matters, resulting in solutions acceptable to both parties."  

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

Arsonist sets fire to Swedish mosque, injuring five
An arsonist set fire to a mosque in the Swedish town of Eskilstuna on Thursday, injuring five people, police said, an incident which comes amid an intense debate over immigration.  

The Obama Administration And Race-Baiting Pundits Are Paving The Way For National Policing
how can you create a national force when we already have local agencies? Easy, you sow distrust in the local cops until the divide is so great, people start clamoring for the feds to come to the rescue. It sounds like the backstory to some cheesy movie of a dystopian future — only problem is, this is exactly what we are seeing happen right now, right here.  

Pope warns Vatican officials of spiritual ills
Pope Francis' Christmas greeting to the Vatican bureaucracy this year was an extended warning against a host of spiritual ills to which he said Vatican officials are prone, including "spiritual Alzheimer's," "existential schizophrenia," publicity-seeking, the "terrorism of gossip" and even a poor sense of humor. The pope made his remarks Dec. 22, in a biting half-hour speech to heads of the Roman Curia, the church's central administration, and to cardinals resident in Rome.  

Protesters' next stop: Fox News, New York Post
“This Die-In Shutdown and Boycott is but the first part of a larger upcoming campaign for justice … to expose the racist lies and bias of mass media starting with but NOT limited to the NY POST!”  

Oklahoma earthquakes: USGS continues to look at increase
There have been more than 500 magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes in Oklahoma this year, up significantly from 109 in 2013 and just 35 in 2012, according to U.S. Geological Survey officials.  

Lebanon's Hezbollah detains 'Israeli spy' in its ranks
Lebanon's Hezbollah has detained a senior party official it accused of spying for Israel and "sabotaging security operations" abroad, a source close to the movement said on Thursday.  

Father asks Islamic State to treat captured pilot son as 'guest'
The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State fighters after his plane crashed in Syria said he did not consider his son a hostage and called on his captors to treat him as a "guest".  

Russia says Kiev's move to join NATO dangerous for Europe
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine's pursuit of NATO membership posed a danger to European security and that the West was using Kiev's bid to join the Atlantic alliance as a way to fuel confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.  

Israeli girl seriously wounded in WBank firebomb attack
An Israeli man and his 11-year-old daughter were wounded Thursday when assailants threw a firebomb at their vehicle in the northern West Bank, the army said. A military spokeswoman told AFP the assailants, believed to be Palestinians, threw a Molotov cocktail at the car near the Maale Shomron settlement.  

Dozens of jihadists killed fighting Syria Kurds: monitor
At least 44 members of the Islamic State group were killed in clashes with Kurdish forces in Syria on Thursday, a monitoring group said. Thirty of the jihadists were killed fighting against members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in the village of Qassiab in Hasakeh province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.  

PlayStation Network, Xbox Live offline due to attacks
Online game networks Xbox Live and PlayStation Network have been offline much of Christmas Day in an apparent DDos (distributed denial of service) attack. It caps off a rough holiday season for Sony, which saw its Sony Pictures subsidiary hit by a cyber-attack last month over the upcoming release of The Interview. A hacker group called the Guardians of Peace threatened a 9/11 type attack on theaters if the movie was shown.  

Iran Holds 'largest Military Exercise in History', in Bid to Send 'message'
Dec 26th, 2014
Daily NewsYNet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

'This is a message of peace to our friendly neighbors, but a show of force to our enemies,' Iranian general says.

Iran holds the "largest military exercise in its history," or at least that was what Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadan channel reported Thursday.

The exercise, dubbed Mohammad Rasoulallah (Mohammad, the Messenger of God) involved all branches of the Iranian military and will last for six days, spanning 2.2 million square kilometers, Iranian news television Press TV reported.

Photo: AP
General Hashma Allah Malka said it was an "Important message of peace to our friendly neighbors, but also a show of force regarding our defense abilities which sends a message to our enemies.

As part of what Iranian media are calling a massive show of force, the army will maneuver from the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf all the way to the Gulf of Aden and even the parts of the Indian ocean.  According to different reports, the Iranian Navy will be testing warships and submarines. 

Iranian top brass

As part of the exercise, the Iranian will use the more most advanced technology.

Close to 13,000 personnel will take part in the drills, which will be the first time Iran has organized military maneuvers so far from its coastline. The southeastern provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchistan will also be included in the tests, with the Iranian army, air force, navy and Revolutionary Guards participating. 

"One of the aims of these maneuvers is to increase our defensive capability... and to transfer this experience to young" personnel, army chief general Abdolrahim Moussavi told state television.

The drills will finish with a military parade on December 30.

Last week Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari called on foreign forces in the region to "leave the area" in order to avoid incidents.

The maneuvers will pose "no danger to foreign forces in the Persian Gulf," he added, in an apparent reference to the US Fifth Fleet, which is stationed in Bahrain.

Iran's navy has boosted its international presence over the past few years, in particular to help guard commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden from pirate attacks.

Christmas 2014: Just 46% Kids Live in 'traditional,' Families
Dec 26th, 2014
CommentaryPAUL BEDARD
Categories: Contemporary Issues

Norman Rockwell wouldn’t recognize today’s American families.

The latest Pew Research Center survey on families, finds that just 46 percent of children younger than 18 live in “traditional” families headed by two heterosexual parents in their first marriage. In 1960, it was 73 percent.

“Rapid changes in American family structure have altered the image of who’s gathering for the holidays. While the old ‘ideal’ involved couples marrying young, then starting a family, and staying married till ‘death do they part,’ the family has become more complex, and less ‘traditional,’ " said Pew.

And, they added, while families have changed radically, so have when children are born. Some 41 percent of children are born outside of marriage, up from must 5 percent in 1960.

The details:

• 15 percent of children are living with two parents who are in a remarriage.

• 6 percent of all children are living with a stepparent.

• 34 percent of children today are living with an unmarried parent — up from just 9 percent in 1960.

• 4 percent are living with two cohabiting parents.

• 5 percent of children are not living with either parent. In most of these cases, they are living with a grandparent.

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