Haiti: Where faith really matters ...

Port-au-Prince - There is not much left of the city's numerous churches, beside crosses and the occasional surviving stained glass window. Even the cathedral suffered irreparable damage.

But that doesn't deter hundreds of Haitians who congregate daily outside the ruined churches at improvised Masses to pray, giving thanks for being alive, begging mercy for the souls of their dead or, simply to seek an oasis of peace amid the chaos wrought by the quake that destroyed so many lives in the impoverished nation.

Some days, the religious hymns can be heard non-stop from sunset until the fist light of dawn.

The church of St Pierre is one of the few still standing in the capital city. But although not readily apparent, it suffered enough structural damage that nobody now dares to enter.

Since the quake, priests have celebrated regular Masses in a small patio outside the nave.

More than 100 people congregate at the afternoon vigil, seated on benches or old chairs, facing an improvised altar with a small crucifix that is brought out each day with utmost care.

Those who can't fit in remain to worship outside the iron bars, and passersby pause at least long enough to make the sign of the cross.
"Courage and mutual respect," the priest exclaims in prayer. All gathered there know exactly what he is referring to.

CHAOTIC REFUGEE CAMPS

Outside, life continues in its chaotic frenzy. The plaza of St Pierre, in Perionville, has become one of the hundreds of refugee camps that have cropped up in the city.

Thousands of people rush as dusk falls to bathe or gather water from a donated tank to cook whatever they can find to eat. Children run and play wildly as the adults listen attentively to a man giving instructions on how to receive coupons for food rations.

Cars pass by, some with the music blaring. Vendors make a final sweep with their carts of drinks or food.

But all of that all seems unheard on the other side of the portal where the Mass is celebrated.

There, a woman's sweet voice intones a hymn that renders the chaos outside distant. Another woman passes the collection basket, and some have a few coins to contribute. All hold hands, and manage a hint of a smile despite the numerous personal tragedies suffered.

Peace, if only for a brief space in time, returns to this corner of the city.
"I pray for God to help us and give us strength," explains one of the many women who say they attend every afternoon. "Prayer helps us," says another.

(For the full article go to http://www.news24.com/Content/World/Haiti_Quake)

The Pope and Blogging for God

For God's sake, blog! Pope Benedict told priests Saturday, saying they must learn to use new forms of communication to spread the gospel message.

In his message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Communications, the Pope, who is 82 and not known for a love of computers or the Internet, acknowledged that priests must make the most of the "rich menu of options" offered by new technology.

"Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources -- images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites -- which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis," he said.

Priests, he said, had to respond to the challenge of "today's cultural shifts" if they wanted to reach young people.

But Benedict warned priests not to strive to become stars of new media. "Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart," he said.

After decades of being wary of new media, the Vatican has decided to dive in head first.

Last year, a new Vatican website, pope2you.net, went live, offering one application called "The pope meets you on Facebook," and another allowing the faithful to see the Pope's speeches and messages on their iPhones or iPods.

(For the full article, please go to http://www.canada.com/technology)

Controversial Superbowl Ad Creates Heated Religious Debate

God and football, together again -- and always. The Super Bowl is getting, in addition to some Saints, a controversial dose of the culture wars: Florida quarterback prodigy Tim Tebow will appear in a 30-second ad purchased by the conservative group Focus on the Family that is scheduled to air during the nation's biggest football game on Feb. 7 on CBS.

Never one to be shy about touting his Christian beliefs (starting with those Bible chapter-verse references inscribed in white letters on black smudges under his eyes during games), Tebow will appear in the commercial with his mother, Pam, who reportedly will tell one of the Tebow family's favorite stories: How, after severe complications arose in her 1987 pregnancy, she declined medical advice to have an abortion. Her fifth child -- Tim -- was born and went on to win the Heisman trophy in 2007 (and is rarin' to go for the 2010 NFL draft.

Although various reports about the ad have not determined to what degree it conveys an antiabortion message, Focus on the Family said in a news release that it's part of a "Celebrate Life, Celebrate Family" campaign. The group's chairman said this is a "meaningful message about family and life [that] comes at the right moment in the culture."

CBS's acceptance of the advocacy ad seems to mark a shift in network policy against airing Super Bowl commercials with divisive political or social content.
The Tebow spot will be a blip in that uniquely American four-hour barrage of beer ads, computer ads, car ads, "Iron Man 2" ads, GoDaddy.com ads, Pepsi ads, and, almost incidentally, four quarters of the New Orleans Saints versus the Indianapolis Colts (and halftime with the Who), but abortion rights groups aren't having it. Last year, more than 98 million viewers -- the most to date -- watched the game.

After learning of the ad late Monday, Women's Media Center (speaking on behalf of the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority Foundation and other organizations) asked CBS to pull the ad. It also questioned how and why the network, which used to forbid "advocacy" advertising, agreed to air Focus on the Family's spot, which is valued at $2.5 million to $3 million.

"An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year -- an event designed to bring Americans together," Jehmu Greene, president of the Women's Media Center, said in a statement.
The media center also noted that as recently as 2004, CBS had rejected an ad from the United Church of Christ, which wanted to use the Super Bowl as a chance to tell people it welcomes gay members. The center says CBS also has rejected ads in the past from MoveOn.org and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The network says it changed its mind about advocacy ads a while back. "We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms," spokesman Dana McClintock told the Associated Press. "In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time."

"I'm stunned that any of the networks would risk one of the few, last great franchises of broadcast television for an ad that could polarize viewers," said Bob Garfield, ad critic for the magazine Advertising Age. "I'm not expecting America, or even half of America, to throw their large screens out the window. Most years after the Super Bowl, the winning quarterback thanks Jesus . . . but that doesn't seem to depress the appetite for sports championship. I don't think this Tebow situation is going to be that big of a deal."

But, Garfield added, "this is a multi-hundred-million-dollar franchise that networks have historically protected by avoiding controversy, especially in the ads. I'm surprised that anybody's going to take a risk by accepting an ad with an explicit religious message."

Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, told the Associated Press that funds for the Tebow ad were donated by a few "very generous friends. . . . There's nothing political and controversial about it. When the day arrives, and you sit down to watch the game on TV, those who oppose it will be quite surprised at what the ad is all about."

(For the full article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/faith)

Ancient Jerusalem Wall Confounds Archaelogists

An archaeological dig in Jerusalem has turned up a 3,700-year-old wall that is the largest and oldest of its kind found in the region, experts say.
The wall is built of enormous boulders, confounding archaeologists as to how ancient peoples built it.

Standing 8 meters (26 feet) high, the wall of huge cut stones is a marvel to archaeologists.

"To build straight walls up 8 meters ... I don't know how to do it today without mechanical equipment," said the excavation's director, Ronny Reich. "I don't think that any engineer today without electrical power [could] do it."

Archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority added, "You see all the big boulders -- all the boulders are 4 to 5 tons."

The discovered section is 24 meters (79 feet) long. "However, it is thought the fortification is much longer because it continues west beyond the part that was exposed," the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a news release.

It was found inside the City of David, an archaeological excavation site outside the Old City of East Jerusalem on a slope of the Silwan Valley.

The wall is believed to have been built by the Canaanites, an ancient pagan people who the Bible says inhabited Jerusalem and other parts of the Middle East before the advent of monotheism.

"This is the most massive wall that has ever been uncovered in the City of David," Reich and Shukron said in a joint statement about the find. It marks the first time "that such massive construction that predates the Herodian period has been discovered in Jerusalem."

It appears to be part of a "protected, well-fortified passage that descends to the spring tower from some sort of fortress that stood at the top of the hill," according to the joint statement.

The spring "is located in the weakest and most vulnerable place in the area. The construction of a protected passage, even though it involves tremendous effort, is a solution for which there are several parallels in antiquity, albeit from periods that are later than the remains described here."

Such walls were used primarily to defend against marauding desert nomads looking to rob the city, said Reich, a professor at the University of Haifa.
(For the full article, go to http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD)

Aftershocks and Aftermath – Keeping Haiti in your prayers

By now you would have heard that a preliminary 6.0 magnitude quake hit at 6:03 a.m. Wednesday about 56km northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The quake struck at a depth of 22km, and tremors caused widespread panic sending scores of people fleeing into the street.

We are also continually hearing reports of the struggle to get aid into Haiti, and that the aid being offered by numerous nations and organizations is just not happening quickly enough to help those suffering a great deal.

We have also been hearing good news reports of rescue teams managing find people trapped beneath mountains of rubble. Just yesterday it was reported that rescuers have pulled a 3-week-old baby girl alive from the rubble of a house more than a week after it was destroyed in Haiti's devastating earthquake.

With all this in mind, please take the time to say the following prayer for Haiti. It has been written by Marth St. Jean, a Haitian-American journalist living in New York. She has distributed it on Twitter for public use.

My Prayer for Haiti
by Martha St. Jean

Father in Heaven,
We are a people well acquainted with grief, but you O Lord are still merciful
Though the earth give way and mountains be removed, you are still Lord of all
Words can not express the depths of my people’s sorrow
We weep and can not be consoled but today choose to believe that you are still faithful
We choose to believe that joy still comes in the morning
Imbue us with courage to face the day
Give us the strength to rise once more
Extend to us charity and justice, peace and truth
And allow us to always seek your face.
In the name of your son Jesus I pray. Amen.

Christians and Muslims Clash in Nigeria

MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN clashes in Nigeria's central city of Jos have displaced some 20,000 people in three days and caused water and food shortages in the city, relief agencies said on Wednesday.

'The greatest challenge which we are facing now is providing food, water and medicine to the displaced people in the camps whose number has swollen to about 20,000,' Mark Lipdo, coordinator of a local aid agency Stefanus Foundation, told AFP.

Fighting between Muslim and Christian mobs ignited on Sunday over plans to build a mosque in a mainly Christian district of the city, which has been riven by sectarian tensions. The country's vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan, ordered extra troops into the city late Tuesday after terrified residents reported shooting in the streets and smoke billowing from parts of the Plateau State capital despite a 24-hour curfew.

(For the full article go to http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_479856.html; image is from REUTERS).

Russian Churches Going to New Depths

Scantily clad Orthodox Christians braved freezing temperatures throughout Russia on Tuesday to immerse themselves in ice holes in rivers and lakes to celebrate the Epiphany religious holiday.

To Orthodox believers, water blessed by a priest on Epiphany has miraculous powers, a belief harking back to Christ's baptism in the River Jordan. Jumping into the water is optional, but is a popular ritual among the faithful.

Water blessed on Epiphany "never goes stale, sick people who touch it are healed, devils are driven out and people are given strength," Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said Monday during a trip to Kazakhstan.

Around 30,000 people immersed themselves in ice holes in Moscow overnight, the RIA-Novosti state news agency reported, citing city police.

The emergency situations ministry said it had posted over 200 lifeguards at lakes and rivers around the Russian capital to help prevent tragedies.

Just after midnight on Tuesday morning, worshippers gathered at a golf club outside Moscow, braving temperatures of minus 25 Celsius (minus 13 Fahrenheit) to leap into an ice hole, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Around 200 people followed a priest in a candle-lit procession to a nearby river, their breath throwing up clouds of steam. They then stripped to swimming trunks or wore long white shirts to complete the ritual bathing.

(For the full article and image go to http://www.mysinchew.com/node/34220)

Huge Breakthrough in Translating Ancient Biblical Texts

A breakthrough in the research of the Bible has shed new light on the period in which the Bible could have been written, testifying to Hebrew writing abilities as early as the 10th century BCE, the University of Haifa announced on Thursday.

Prof. Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa recently deciphered an inscription dating from the 10th century BCE, and showed that it was a Hebrew inscription, making it the earliest known Hebrew writing.

This breakthrough indicates that at least some of the scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates previously believed, and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time. The 10th century BCE was the period of King David's reign.

(For the full article and image please go to http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1262339428603&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull).

Archbishop dies in Haiti earthquake; relief efforts are underway

Catholic News Service is reporting that Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, the archbishop of Port-au-Prince, was killed in the earthquake in Haiti.

"The lifeless body of Archbishop Joseph Miot of Port-au-Prince was found this morning under the rubble of the archbishops' residence," L'Osservatore Romano said in a Page 1 story Jan. 13.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio in Haiti, said about 100 seminarians and priests also might have died in the quake. However, that information could not be confirmed, and Catholic leaders were hearing conflicting reports. "Port-au-Prince is completely devastated. The cathedral and the archbishop's residence, all the big churches, all the seminaries are reduced to rubble,' Auza told the Vatican missionary news agency Fides.

Meanwhile, faith-based organizations are gearing up relief efforts to help Haiti.

The survivors face "untold suffering", Dame Anne Owers, chair of Christian Aid, told Christian Today. "(Haiti) is one of the poorest places on earth. This latest disaster is going to cause untold suffering and hardship, particularly in communities with very little to fall back on," she said.

Owers said there was an urgent need for emergency supplies, including food, shelter and medicine, while in the longer-term, rebuilding would require "massive international assistance".

You can follow or connect to major relief efforts by the Red Cross, AmeriCares, Catholic Relief Services, Samaritan's Purse, Food for the Poor, the Salvation Army, and WorldVision.

(For the fully story see http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith)

They made a pact with the devil - Pat Robertson on Haiti's earthquake

Although he was soliciting funds to help Haiti, TV evangelist Pat Robertson told viewers of his belief that the country was being punished by God because it had once made a pact with the devil.

The full text of his comments as follows:
"And you know Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True Story. And so the Devil said "OK, it's a deal." And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor. That island is Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On one side is Haiti, on the other side is the Dominican republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc.. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. Uh, they need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God and out of this tragedy. I'm optimistic something good may come."

(To watch Pat Robertson make this comments go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5TE99sAbwM)

Pope forgives the woman who attacked him

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict held a private meeting on Wednesday with the woman who knocked him to the ground on Christmas Eve and told her he had forgiven her, the Vatican said.

Susanna Maiolo, 25, an Italian-Swiss dual national, shocked the Catholic world and Vatican security when she jumped over a barricade, lunged at the pope and knocked him to the floor as he was about to celebrate Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican later said she was "psychologically unstable".

Maiolo, accompanied by two relatives, expressed her regret over the incident at the brief meeting with the pope, who also "expressed his interest and best wishes" for her health.

A judicial case opened against her by Vatican authorities, however, will continue its course, the Vatican said.
(© Copyright (c) Reuters)

Ancient tablet lends new shape to the story of Noah's Ark

That they led the enormous floating wildlife collection aboard two by two is well known. Less familiar, however, is the possibility that the animals Noah shepherded on to his ark then went round and round inside.

According to newly translated instructions inscribed in ancient Babylonian on a clay tablet telling the story of the ark, the vessel that saved one virtuous man, his family and the animals from God's watery wrath was not the pointy-prowed craft of popular imagination but rather a giant circular reed raft.

The battered tablet, which is about 3700 years old, was found somewhere in the Middle East by Leonard Simmons, a largely self-educated Londoner who indulged his passion for history while serving in the Royal Air Force from 1945 to 1948.
The relic was passed to his son Douglas, who took it to one of the few people in the world who could read it as easily as the back of a cereal box - Irving Finkel, a British Museum expert, who translated its 60 lines of neat cuneiform script.

There are dozens of ancient tablets that describe the flood story, but Dr Finkel says this is the first to describe the vessel's shape.
''In all the images ever made, people assumed the ark was, in effect, an ocean-going boat, with a pointed stem and stern for riding the waves - so that is how they portrayed it,'' said Dr Finkel.
''But the ark didn't have to go anywhere, it just had to float, and the instructions are for a type of craft which they knew very well. It's still sometimes used in Iran and Iraq today, a type of round coracle which they would have known exactly how to use to transport animals across a river or floods.''

(For the full story, go to http://www.theage.com.au/world)

Faith based news from around the world in the second week of January

MALAYSIA APPEALS ‘ALLAH’ FOR CHRISTIANS RULING

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's government filed an appeal Monday to fight a court ruling that allowed non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" to refer to God, a decision that triggered protests in the Muslim-majority country.
The government says Allah is an Islamic word and its use by others would mislead Muslims, implying it could be used to convert them to other religions. Allah, an Arabic word, predates Islam and is used by Arabic-speaking Christians in places such as Egypt and Syria.

Protests by Muslim groups, although peaceful, have raised fears of friction between the Malay Muslim majority and the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who mainly practice Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.
Religious minorities and some moderate Muslims have welcomed the High Court decision as a victory against what they say is institutionalized religious discrimination here.
From The Associated Press Monday, January 4, 2010)

IS BLASPHEMY A CRIME?
Atheists and others are protesting a new law in Ireland, under which a person can be found guilty of blasphemy if "he or she publishes or utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion." The penalty is a fine of up to about $35,000. Should Ireland or any nation have a law against blasphemy?
(From WashingtonPost.com/On Faith – see the website for the full article.

INTERNET REVOLUTIONISING EVANGELISM ACCORDING TO EXPERT
Walt Wilson, a former Apple Computer executive says the World Wide Web is revolutionising evangelism. “We have the technology to reach every man, woman and child on Earth. We’re the first generation in all history to have this capacity.” Wilson, founder of Global Media Outreach (GMO), partnered with Campus Crusade for Christ in 2004 to create one-page websites that present the Gospel using the ‘Four Spiritual Laws’ evangelistic resource. GMO has more than 100 websites and receive at least seven million visitors monthly from every nation on the globe.

Through partnerships with various churches, GMO has mobilised 3 600 ‘online missionaries’ to respond to questions and comments posted at the sites. The missionaries share personal stories, Scriptures and prayers. “We believe God is doing something very dramatic in these late days, and we believe everybody’s going to have an opportunity to know Jesus,” Wilson said. “Nobody will be able to say I didn’t know...We can reach the world.”
(For more see www.globalmediaoutreach.com)