Gallup: There is a provable link between religion and well-being

Famed atheist Christopher Hitchens once wrote a book with the subtitle "how religion poisons everything," but a new Gallup polling analysis has found the opposite to be true, in that very religious people enjoy higher levels of well-being than others.

The poll was conducted by Gallup on over 550, 000 Americans, where at least a 1000 a night would be interviewed about indicators of well being and about levels of religiosity. The factors measured ranged from physical and emotional health to self-evaluations of life to perceptions of work environments.

The analysis controlled for other factors that typically influence levels of religiosity, including age, gender, race and ethnicity, region, state, socioeconomic status, marital status and child-bearing status.

Essentially, Gallup found that Americans who stated that religion is a vital part of their everyday life and who attend religious services roughly once a week or more scored an average of 68.7 on their well-being index, as compared to those who are moderately religious or nonreligious, who only scored an average of 64.2.

Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport says that even such as small difference is significant.

"It's not like some people score zero and others score 100," Newport told CNN.com. "So when we find a difference of four of five points it's not only statistically significant, it's also substantively significant."

The survey did not measure whether religiosity was the source behind well being or vice versa, but Newport speculated that religiosity was the likely driver.

"All religions have different mechanisms that would plausibly lead to higher well-being, including social networks and ways of dealing with stress, but we can't prove that," he said. "It is possible that people with higher levels of well-being choose to be religious."

According to Gallup surveys, 44 percent of Americans are very religious, 30 percent are nonreligious and 27 percent are moderately religious.

The amazing true story of Steve Saint and his flying car

The appropriately named missionary, Steve Saint, has recently built the first ever FAA certified flying car. Saint is the head of I-Tec, or the Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Center and works among the Waodani tribe who live right at the edge of the Amazon in Ecuador. In this work, Saint has found that transportation problems are one of the biggest obstacles the tribe has to overcome. His solution? Build a flying car. In an interview with Kate Bolduan and Eric Marrapodi from CNN.com, Saint explains exactly how and why he went about this project.

Bolduan and Marrapodi describe Saint as “one part Christian missionary, one part pilot, one part inventor.” Saint’s father, also a missionary pilot, was speared to death by the tribe he now lives among.

"I was just a little boy when my dad was killed, but I knew that my dad really cared enough about those people that he was willing to risk his life so that they wouldn't be killed by the oil company and the government," Saint said.

Saint’s aunt eventually broke through to the tribe and was invited to live among them, while Saint himself went back to school in the United States, forged a career and later married. When his aunt died, the tribe requested that Saint and his family return to them, which he did. One of the tribe’s requests was that Saint teach them to fend for themselves rather than having to depend on outside aid to survive. Out of this grew the small non-profit company that is now called I-Tec.

"What we're doing here at I-Tec is we're reinventing the technology so it fits the people so that they don't have to become like us," Saint said. "And it's taken a while. I retired from business 16 years ago, and people don't pay you to do this, and my wife Ginny and I just decided, 'hey let's do this.'"

The flying car is just one part of Saint’s larger work, although it has been very time consuming.

"We've been working on this particular project for six years," Saint said. "But it's just one, the bigger thing that we do is developing health care technology and tools and training systems so that we can train people that live out in the jungle areas, that don't have any formal education, and don't have access to doctors or nurses or midwives, or optometrists, or dentists, teaching them how to take care of these needs for their own people. That's really what we're doing."

Other I-Tec inventions include portable dentistry equipment that can be carried on your back through the jungle, and a specially designed hand-bike to assist the handicapped conquer difficult terrain in areas where a wheelchair won't work. But the most impressive innovation of all is the flying car, named the Maverick.

The Maverick had two main specifications in addition to being able to fly: It had to be rugged enough to drive in the jungle and cheap enough that non-profits could afford one.

The Maverick switches from drive-mode to fly-mode through deploying a mast and parachute. The chute is tucked away on the roof for the car and the mast is underneath the chassis when the car is in drive mode. The mast locks into place, the parachute is attached, and it is raised to over 25 feet. All the driver has to do then is switch the motor from drive to fly, pull back 100 yards, and take off.

Although it is rugged enough to survive jungle conditions, it is also light being only half the weight of a Smart Car. Logan Ward from Popular Mechanics was also impressed with the car’s firepower.

"The Maverick is not only a practical flying car but it's also a beefy car," he says. "They put a Subaru engine in this thing with 250 horsepower. It goes 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds. We were really impressed they gave it that sort of on-road performance."

Popular Mechanics are so impressed with the car that they granted it one of their coveted 'Breakthrough Awards'.

"This thing is poised to hit the market. They have plans to sell it, to manufacture it. They have a price tag. This is becoming a reality where so many flying cars have just been pie in the sky toys for billionaires," Ward told CNN.

I-Tec hopes the Maverick will go into production soon now that they have secured FAA certification for flight and road certification as a kit vehicle. Saint would like to reduce the costs of building the vehicles through using the commercial market.

"The commercial market will get the quantities up to get the cost down. Plus we're a non-profit company so we don't live to make a profit, but if the commercial market is successful we'll use that for more research and development and to make these available to people in frontier markets - people who don't have the resources to buy it at a commercial rate," he said.

Saint believes there are many different commercial applications for the Maverick.

"You can take it on really rugged terrain. So with this one, you can fly over, find somebody that needs to be rescued, and you can land and drive to them," he said.

"Border patrol, pipeline monitoring, out on the gulf, BP with the big oil slick. You could take off from the back of the fishing trawler. Get the fishing trawler going 20 miles an hour, and you could take off in about 20 feet, and then you could go out, what you can't see from the surface you can see from 1000 or 2000 feet. You see a huge expanse. Ranching and extreme sports - there's just all kinds of uses. I'm sure we'll be surprised by the uses people put this to."

Court prevents parents from forcing teenage daughter to abort

A Texas district court judge has issued a temporary restraining order in favor of a 16-year-old girl whose parents tried to force her into an abortion.

The teenager who is still a high school student, is 13 weeks pregnant and has confirmed her wish to keep the baby.

"No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life – especially one that belongs to someone else – is worthless," said Stephen Casey, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund.

"The right not to have an abortion is protected by law, and this right isn’t relinquished just because someone else considers the child to be an unwanted burden," he added.

According to the motion, the student was taken by her parents to the International Health Care Solutions, an abortion facility, in Austin, Texas, earlier this month. She refused to go through with the abortion and was taken back home. But two days later, she was again taken for an abortion, this time to Planned Parenthood, and yet again she declined her personal consent to the abortion.

Recounting the experience, the teen testified that her mother was screaming at her as they returned to the car after leaving the clinic “because of my choice not to get an abortion.”

"We got into a big argument,” she continued. “She (the mother) then grabbed me by the back of my pants and started to pull me away. I tried getting her off but she dragged me behind a couple of trees and pushed me down to where I had injured my knee and there was blood dripping down it. She let go and I got back on my feet and started to run away, possibly to get help, but she caught up to me and pulled me by my pants again. When we were by the car, I tried my hardest to hold onto the bed of the truck. My arms slipped off the car and she continued to drag me until I got to the front door of the clinic."

Apparently, the parents have informed the teenager that they will continue to attempt to force her against her will into the abortion. As such, she has accused her parents of being physically, verbally and emotionally abusive and is seeking to be removed from the home. She is still living with her parents at this stage.

Her attorneys argue that under Texas and U.S. law, the young girl has a right to make her own reproductive decisions. A hearing in the case is scheduled for later this week to consider a motion to convert the temporary restraining order into a temporary injunction.

(Image is from file)

Theologian lauds Harry Potter’s 'Christ-like' qualities

The Harry Potter series has been read and re-read countless times by millions of children and adults the world over, but the books haven’t been without controversy in Christian circles with many fundamentalist Christians claiming that it promotes witchcraft. One particular church in Alamogordo in New Mexico even went so far to hold a Harry Potter book burning event claiming that “behind that innocent face is the power of satanic darkness.”

Now, a leading Christian thinker has come out in defence of the ‘boy wizard’. Theologian Rev Dr Stephen Holmes believes that Harry Potter should be seen as a "Christ-like" figure because he promotes Biblical values, and because his story has striking Christian references.

Holmes is the Acting Head of Divinity at St Andrews University, and thinks that some religious commentators had been far too quick to condemn the phenomenally successful series. Holmes read the books after hearing them being denounced and concluded that instead of being evil, they actually contain a very obvious Christian narrative.

He said: "What do you need to succeed at Hogwarts? Courage, self-sacrifice, careful logic and to be unselfish. It's almost a classical list of Christian values.
"The behaviour that is recommended in the Potter books is profoundly Christian."

Dr Holmes believes that the Biblical motif becomes most obvious in the final book, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, the film version of which is due to released next month. Holmes referred to the final confrontation between Harry Potter and his arch-enemy Lord Voldemort as being a prime example.

"What happens gives the strong impression that Harry dies, discovers an afterlife in a place called King's Cross - a striking reference from a Christian perspective - and comes back to life.

"The effect of his death has been to render impotent the power of evil. That is a Christian narrative which is almost impossible not to recognise,” Holmes added.
The author of the book series, JK Rowling, while being a regular churchgoer, continually insists that the books have no particular religious themes at all.

She said in 2007: "I did not set out to convert anyone to Christianity. I wasn't trying to do what CS Lewis (author of the Chronicles of Narnia) did. It is perfectly possible to live a very moral life without a belief in God, and I think it's perfectly possible to live a life peppered with ill-doing and believe in God."

The Church needs a ‘Second Reformation’

On Saturday at the historic Lausanne Conference meeting in Cape Town, one of the keynote speakers strongly urged the Church towards a ‘Second Reformation.’

Dr. Chris Wright, a theologian who is respected throughout the globe and who is also the International Director of Langham Partnership International and retiring Chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group, delivered the day’s boldest statement: ‘Evangelicals worldwide have a lot to be ashamed of . . . we need a second reformation.’

Though hard-hitting, Dr Wright’s words touched a note among the crowd as applause immediately broke out and heads nodded in approval.

He further compared the plight of today’s Church to the pre-Reformation Church of the 16th century. ‘What hurts God the most,’ continued Dr Wright, '[is] the failure, disobedience, and rebellion of those he has redeemed.’ In other words, the 'idolatry of the Church.'

Wright pointed out the three idols that are ‘especially seductive, even for evangelical Christians: the idol of power and pride; the idol of popularity and success; [and] the idol of wealth and greed.’

What should the Christian response be to these idols? ‘Reformation is once again the desperate need,’ urged Dr Wright. ‘It needs to start among those who claim the name ‘evangelical,’ but who are characterized by these and other failures and abuses.’ Before Christians go out into the world, they must clean up their own backyard.

Wright called for ‘Humility, integrity, and simplicity’ and ‘a radical return to the Lord - as the prophets called for in all the generations of Old Testament Israel, as Jesus called his hearers to do. “Repent, and believe the gospel.” It was a word that came, not to pagan unbelievers, but to those who already claimed to be God’s covenant people. So it comes to us.’

During a press conference Saturday afternoon, Wright explained that his address was inspired by a friend and scholar who visited his home country in Latin America. The friend reported that he attended ten different churches that claim to be evangelical, but not one of them preached the Bible. Furthermore, the pastors of the churches wielded great power with no accountability, and were considerably wealthy.

After hearing his friend’s story, Wright realized that the evangelical movement needed a “reformation” because it was facing similar problems to that of the medieval church before the Reformation.

“This is not just something casual. This is a deep-seated corruption in the Church of Christ,” said Wright. “And of course this is not just in Latin America, but all over the world.”

To learn more about the Lausanne Conference you can go to www.lausanne.org.

Want to read the Dead Sea Scrolls? Well, just Google them!

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered over sixty years ago in a cave by a Bedouin shepherd in the West Bank, and are now counted as among the most important archeological finds of the modern era. The scrolls consist of 30,000 separate fragments making up 900 manuscripts of biblical texts and religious writings from the time of Jesus.

The fragile parchment and papyrus fragments have been intensely studied by scholars from the world over in an attempt to understand the full significance of some 30% of the writings which were previously unknown to us. It is hoped that they will provide fresh insight into the development of early Christianity, Second Temple Judaism and the practices of the Essenes, the sect believed by many to have written the scrolls.

The scrolls include the earliest known copy of the Ten Commandments, an almost complete Book of Isaiah and many of the Psalms.

New invented technology such as infra-red and multi-spectral multi-wavelength imaging have recently revealed previously hidden words and passages not visible in natural light, much to the excitement of scholars.

The scrolls have previously been damaged unintentionally by attempted restoration projects and by photographing which is why they have now been scanned and will be placed online in a new digitized format by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Google.

This not only means that the scrolls will become available online to everyone who wishes to study or read them, but it also means that the originals will not have to be exposed again.

'We are establishing a milestone connection between progress and the past to preserve this unique heritage for future generations,' said Israel Antiquities Authority Director Shuka Dorfman, announcing the launch of the project in Jerusalem this week.

'We have succeeded in recruiting the best minds and technological means to preserve this unrivalled cultural heritage treasure which belongs to all of us, so that the public with a click of the mouse will be able to freely access history in its fullest glamour.'

Google said it was helping with the project as part of its mission to democratise access to human knowledge.

'This project will enrich and preserve an important and meaningful part of world heritage by making it accessible to all on the Internet,' said Professor Yossi Matias, director of the Google-Israel R&D Centre.

'We shall continue with this historical effort to make all existing knowledge in archives and storages available to all.'

World's largest Jesus Christ statue to be built in Poland

Swiebodzin, a small Polish town of just 21,000 is trying to stamp its mark on the global tourist map by building the world's largest statue of Jesus.

The statue will be 33-metres in height, and with its 2-metre crown and a 16-metre mound will easily eclipse Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer in size.

The statue is due for completion in November, and should beat out the world's current record holder, Bolivia's Cristo de la Concodia statue, by some nine metres, and be larger by far than the world famous statue in Rio de Janeiro, which stands just 30 metres tall minus its plinth.

Although the main reason for the statue is to show gratitude to God, town officials are not denying their hopes that having the massive statue will bring tourists into a community that has lain off the beaten track for most of its existence.

"If we had opened a racetrack or a golf course here, tourists would have come only for the season. But with a statue of Jesus the season will last the whole year," a local official told Wprost, a weekly news magazine.

Freed Chilean miners attend celebratory mass

Thirteen of the 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped underground for 69 days returned with family, friends and local officials to the scene of their entrapment for a private thanksgiving mass.

Other miners had planned on attending as well but were still recovering physically and mentally from their ordeal. About 20 planned to attend another Mass held at a later date.

At the mass the vice-president of the Chilean Bishops’ Conference thanked the miners and their families for their example of strength, solidarity, unity and drive to live.

"The men have been very moved, particularly today,” said Bishop Gonzalo Duarte, who spoke at the mass.

“They almost couldn’t take the emotion,” he added, according to the U.K.-based Daily Mail.

The story of the Chilean miners and their over two months spent trapped underground before eventually being rescued has inspired countless people around the globe. During their time underground, the miners were sent food, water, supplies, and even items to pass the time – including MP3 players containing the New Testament and “The Story of Jesus.”

Many consider their dramatic rescue in the "Phoenix" escape capsules to have an element of the miraculous to it.

"It was 75 percent engineering and 25 percent a miracle," topographer Macarena Valdes commented, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Only one miner, Victor Zamora, remains in the care of doctors and he is expected to remain under medical observation until at least Tuesday after undergoing serious dental surgery.

(Image is a poster made of all the miners who were trapped).

Tony Blair to debate Christopher Hitchens on religion

Two topics of discussion that are generally ruled out of discussion in polite company are politics and religion because they potentially stir such strong feelings, but former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will play the defender of faith next month at a debate in Toronto.

Opposing him will be journalist and author Christopher Hitchens, a famed atheist who recently developed cancer of the esophagus.

The debate will take place at the sixth semi-annual Munk Debate at Roy Thomson Hal on November 26, and organizers says the topic is not whether God exists, but whether religion is a force for peace or conflict in the world.

Blair will argue for the benefits of religion. Hitchens is the author of a number of books, including ‘God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.’

When Blair was in office he was famously warned off making too much of his developing faith by spin doctor Alistair Campbell, but in the months after his resignation from politics, Blair converted to Catholicism.

Blair is the creator of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which according to its website “aims to promote respect and understanding about the world's major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world.”

The Third Lausanne Congress Opens

The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization opened in Cape Town yesterday. In a media release, the Lausanne Conference organizers stated that:

“It (the Lasuanne Conference) draws together 4,000 invited participants from 197 nations, and extends through GlobaLink sites to 90 countries. The Congress theme is 'God in Christ, reconciling the world to himself' (2 Corinthians 5:19) and how to bear witness to Jesus Christ and all his teaching in every region of the world and every sphere of society.

The Lausanne Movement, founded by Billy Graham, is uniquely placed to gather evangelicals for a common purpose. The Congress will reaffirm the primary truths of biblical Christianity, and engage with critical issues set to face the Church over the next decade. These issues have been identified through consultations around the world. Doug Birdsall, Chairman of The Lausanne Movement, said: ‘We have worked to engage evangelical leaders on all continents. This is the first Congress of its kind in the digital age, and we’re praying it will herald a new moment for the Church.’

In this information age, traffic on the eight-language Congress website is expected to be high, and radio networks will relay programmes across Africa and Latin America, on the themes of the Congress.

The 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization produced The Lausanne Covenant, widely regarded as one of the most significant documents in recent church history. Reflecting on this, Archbishop Henry Orombi, Chair of the Africa Host Committee, declared: ‘Under God, the legacy of The Third Congress is up to us!’ The Cape Town Commitment: a statement of belief and a call to action, will be published out of the Congress. Dr Chris Wright, Director of Langham Partnership International, is the chief architect of the new statement, working in partnership with senior theologians from all continents.

Each of the six days of the Congress will begin with a study in Ephesians, led by pastor-theologians from around the world. ‘We will be studying Ephesians as a global community,’ said Blair Carson, Congress Director. ‘We want it to be a grounding for a whole new movement of communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ.’

John Stott and Billy Graham have sent personal greetings, assuring the Congress of their daily prayer. Both are now becoming frailer, but have lost none of their passion for Christ and his gospel. Billy Graham, reflecting on the huge scale of changes in the world, wrote from his home in North Carolina, ‘One of your tasks during Cape Town 2010 will be to analyze those changes, and to assess their impact on the mission to which God has called us in this generation.’

John Stott expressed his particular pleasure that the Congress is being hosted in Africa: ‘I pray that you will be able to share richly in the blessing God has poured out on the Church in that continent, as well as sharing in the pain and suffering of his people there.'"

You can find out more about the Congress on their website at www.lausanne.org

A relationship of convenience? Hollywood’s fascinating flirtation with Christianity.

Hollywood studio executives are reeling from recent big budget flops and are desperately looking for ways to boost box office numbers. Hence the reason they are turning to what they term “faith-based audiences” – vast and tightly connected communities that are easily socially networked.

The latest example is the movie Secretariat, the true life story of an American thoroughbred race horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973. Although the world of horse racing may not initially seem like an ideal bet for church-going communities, the movie opens and closes with a quote from the Book of Job, and at a key moment the gospel hymn "Oh Happy Day" serenades the audience. It is, the makers say, the ultimate feel-good movie - about the miracle of life itself.

More specifically this Disney production is being aggressively marketed to Christian audiences, to the extent that the director, Randall Wallace, who is himself a Christian, even promoted the film on a website called HollywoodJesus.com, where he discussed how the story of the horse's triumph against the odds "affirms and celebrates the idea of faith and hope."

Other films that embrace Christian themes, like forgiveness and redemption, are in the works. They include next year's Soul Surfer, starring Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt, which tells the story of American surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost an arm in a shark attack but eventually returned to her sport.

Hollywood's pursuit of Christian audiences is nothing if not thorough. There are websites for pastors to download trailers and film clips for use in sermons, along with suggested Biblical quotations to link them to. Screenings are held for religious leaders months before official release dates, and promotional materials are produced for Bible study groups. Movie marketing moguls recognize the extreme power of the local church communities who have built-in tightly knit and loyal social networks.

Hollywood’s eyes were fully opened to the extreme potential of the Christian audience by the success of The Blind Side, which was the surprise US hit of last year. It is believed this success came largely on the back of faith communities who responded to the movie in droves. Clips of the movie were provided to 22,000 "mega-churches" across the US before it was released, along with suggested Bible passages for pastors to discuss in their sermons.

For Hollywood executives, the figures that resulted from the campaign were enough to have them yelling ‘hallelujah!’. Each church had an average congregation of 400, meaning the clips reached an estimated audience of 8.8 million. Many of those went straight from their pews to the cinema resulting in the film grossing $309 million and propelling its star, Sandra Bullock, to an Oscar for Best Actress.

It appears this relationship between Hollywood and the church is equally convenient for pastors, many of whom are increasingly reliant on multi-media to proclaim their message. The use of film to build sermon series around is popular because it is an opportunity to share the Gospel message using professional and well-made stories that people easily relate to.

China blocks house church reps from attending the Lausanne Congress

The Gospel Herald reports that representatives of China’s house churches have been blocked from leaving their country by authorities to attend Lausanne III, the global evangelical leadership conference which is due to start in Cape Town on the 16th.

Five volunteers from Beijing house churches had already completed boarding procedures at Beijing International Airport when they were stopped by guards. Four of them had their passports confiscated while one was detained. Authorities said that the confiscated passports would only be returned on the 25th, which is after the conference is finished.

Futhermore, a local Beijing church called Shouwang Church said on their website that several of their members who were due to attend Lausanne have faced stiff pressure from local authorities to forego attending.

The American based group China Aid Association (CAA) also reported that in Shanghai a local church representative was blocked from leaving while another was granted permission to board the plane.

The CAA urged Lausanne Congress leaders to speak out on behalf of these Chinese Christians.

In an interview with Radio Free Asia, a CAA spokesman said: “According to our understanding of the situation, all of these 200 representatives have been approached for talk or threatened in the last two months.” He hopes to see representatives from mainland China to be able to attend this year’s Lausanne Congress of World Evangelism (LCWE).

“The conference begins on the 16th; visas are just being issued now, so it is estimated that they are the first group of guests; it is unknown whether the remaining others will be able to go. Ever since September, the series of attacks towards the house churches in China have continued to escalate, and these attacks also encompass the attacks toward government-sanctioned three-self churches, which reveals whether or not there are signs of openness in the aspects of religious freedom,” he said.

Global community celebrates as first Chilean miners rescued

People the world over, from South America to Africa to Australisia have been watching the dramatic rescue of the 33 Chilean miners who spent the last 69 days trapped underground in the collapsed San Jose gold and copper mine. The rescue scenes, which may take up to 36 hours to complete, have been greeted with widespread joy as the global community blogs and tweets about it.

After the collapse of the mine on August 5, a desperate search began for survivors. By August 22 grieving had already started for these lost miners when a dramatic note, scrawled in red pen and disclosing their survival was discovered. This began an almost two month long rescue attempt that culminated in today’s efforts. Nothing has been left to chance as experts from the world over have combined their expertise providing hundreds of contingency plans. The Chilean president promising the miners would receive extensive care for the next 6 months at least.

The 69 days of survival underground is unprecedented, but the world has been stunned by the incredible solidarity the miners have displayed during their ordeal. This strength of spirit and unity has lasted right to the end with the miners good-naturedly arguing about who should be rescued first.

Janette Marin, sister-in-law of miner Dario Segovia, said the order of rescue didn't matter.

"This won't be a success unless they all get out," she said, echoing the solidarity that the miners and people across Chile have expressed.

The miners have also had their religious needs attended to while they have been trapped, with the local Catholic priest lending prayer support, hearing confessions, and even organizing Holy Communion for them.

At the scene of the rescue attempt, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said "This won't be over until all 33 are out. Hopefully the spirit of these miners will remain forever with us. ... This country is capable of great things."

"We made a promise to never surrender, and we kept it," Pinera added. Pinera also took the opportunity to acknowledge the role that God, faith and hope had played throughout the ordeal.

People all over Chile have been attending nightly prayer vigils for the miners.

U.S. President Barack Obama praised rescuers, who include many Americans. "While that rescue is far from over and difficult work remains, we pray that by God's grace, the miners will be able to emerge safely and return to their families soon," he said.

Is this the 'dawn of the stem cell age'?

Less than three months after first receiving permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed with stem-cell treatment, Geron – a privately funded firm – announced that they have begun treating their first patient.

The is the first-ever clinical trial of human embryonic stem cell-based therapy on a human patient and it involves injecting a stem-cell treatment into patients with severe spinal cord injury with the hope that it will help damaged nerve cells regrow and eventually allow patients to regain movement.

"Initiating the … clinical trial is a milestone for the field of human embryonic stem cell-based therapies," commented Dr. Thomas B. Okarma, Geron's president and CEO.

The study has been described as the "dawn" of a new age of medicine, because if it is successful it could be the "catalyst" to open up stem cell treatments for all kinds of conditions from nerve damage, to Alzheimer's disease to diabetes. Thus, the results of the procedure will be eagerly awaited around the world by doctors and scientists working in regenerative medicines.

Embryonic stem cells are master cells found in human embryos, which give rise to more than 200 specialised types of tissue in the adult body, and can be grown into any kind of tissue to replace cells damaged by injury or disease.

However, the use of embryonic stem cells is highly controversial since they must be harvested from human embryos that are destroyed in the process. This raises moral concerns from groups who believe that embryos have the same rights as humans and see the treatment as unethical.

Geron stated that only one patient had been admitted to their program and refused to give any details regarding identity, name and sex other than to confirm the patient had suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury.

(Image is of an embryonic stem cell in an extracellular matrix).

Banning Santa

The Bonifatiuswerk of German Catholics – a church aid organisation – has begun efforts to ban Santa Claus this Christmas because of his commercial hype. They are calling for "Santa Claus-free zones."

The organisation views Santa as "an invention of the advertising industry designed to boost sales" and as "a representative of consumer society who has little to do with the historical figure of St Nicolas."

The group does not want to do away with Santa entirely, rather just the commercialized version. In fact, the organization would like to see the present Santa replaced with the more charitable, and traditional, St Nicolas.

St Nicolas, who is the patron saint of children, is described on the group's website as "a helper in need who reminds us to be kind, to think of our neighbours, and to give the gift of happiness."

Far from being on the margins of German society, this campaign is actually being supported by several German TV celebrities.

"Unlike Santa Claus, Nicolas wants to give children inner riches and not just encourage them to strive for material wealth," said Nina Ruege, a German TV presenter.

The Telegraph reports that the word Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means St Nicolas. In 1808, the American author Washington Irving created a modern version, depicting him as a jolly Dutchman.

In 1863, a German immigrant called Thomas Nast drew a short plump Santa for Harper's Weekly and gave him his traditional red clothing. The artist Haddon Sundblom then finished Santa as he is widely known today when he drew a larger-than-life grandfatherly figure for Coca-Cola.

Study finds that having faith 'helps patients live longer'

A study recently conducted and published in the journal Liver Transplantation has found that patients were up to three times more likely to survive a liver transplant if they had a “strong religious connection,” even if they didn’t attend church.

The study found that those who were actively “seeking God” had a better survival rate than those who did not hold religious beliefs, regardless of which faith they held.

This latest study adds weight to previous academic studies that illustrated how religion and faith can “influence disease progression”. Previous studies conducted by different researchers focusing on HIV, heart, as well as kidney dialysis patients have come to similar conclusions.

The leader of this study, Dr Franco Bonaguidi, said that patients with “high religious coping” who actively sought “God's help” and trusted their beliefs had a “more prolonged post-transplant survival than patients with low religiosity”.

“We found that an active search for God, (where) the patient's faith in a higher power rather than a generic destiny, had a positive impact on patient survival,” he added.

Bonaguidi said it was the “personal relationship between the patient and God, regardless of religious creed rather than formal church attendance that positively affected survival”.

Researchers focused the study on 179 liver transplant patients over a period of three years. Over that period, almost seven per cent of the actively "seeking-God" patients had died compared to more than a fifth of non religious believers.

A bittersweet day for South Africa

Today is a bittersweet one for South Africa, a mixture of contrasting emotions such as joy and sadness, pride and regret. It is joyful because today we celebrate Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 79th birthday, but sad because this is his official day of ‘retirement’ from public life.

Tutu faithfully served South Africa for decades. He was a courageous and prophetic voice of challenge to the previous NP government, and then also to the ANC government when he thought they got it wrong. Tutu's unwavering stand for truth and justice sometimes lost him friends, but always deepened the respect in which he is held throughout the globe.

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Tutu said that “the texture of our universe is one where there is no question at all but that good and laughter and justice will prevail”.

But Tutu has not just been a prophet he has also been a pastor. The Archbishop always played an integral role in reconciling division and healing brokenness within South Africa. More than that his laughter, zest for life and sheer joy have been infectious for many.

There is no doubt that South Africa will miss “the Arch” as he is affectionately known, but we can only wish him everything of the best in his retirement as he seeks to spend more quality time with his loved ones “sipping rooibos tea” and watching “cricket and rugby and soccer and tennis.”

Climate change will weaken poverty fight, report warns

A recent study conducted by Forum for the Future has found that strategic action is vitally needed in impoverished countries to tackle the impact of climate change alongside efforts to boost economic development. The study, which was supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) has found that climate change will undo years of work to tackle poverty unless it is urgently addressed.

International aid not only needs to assist poorer countries in adapting to the effects of climate change, but also to grab hold of the opportunities that will arise as there is a global shift to a more low-carbon economy. One example might be how investment in renewable energy could augment energy security in impoverished areas, while developing low-carbon transport options would reduce pollution and improve health.

The study assessed four different scenarios for how climate change would affect low-income countries over the next two decades, with likely dramatic impacts on societies and economies.

Just one of these consequences could come in the form of escalating conflicts over water and scarce resources which would then dominate international relations, and even directly challenge established Western society models the report said.

Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, said: "Climate change and development should be seen as complementary, not competing issues.

"By putting climate change at the forefront of development thinking we will not only help the world's poorest to avoid serious risks, but we can also help them seize new opportunities to create better lives for themselves.

"Development aid should be much more climate resilient."

Stephen O'Brien, International Development Minister, said: "Without urgent action, climate change threatens to undo years of work tackling poverty in the developing world.

"That is why the UK is now working across the globe to help the world's poorest people prepare for the potentially devastating effects of climate change and shift to the clean technologies that are so vital to a stable, successful world for us all.

"This report will act as an important tool to help poor countries plan for an uncertain future, and underlines our need to build climate change into everything we do."

Churches and porn fests

At least 50 000 people were said to have visited the annual sex and lifestyle exhibition, or ‘Sexpo’ as it is more commonly known which was held at the Midrand at Johannesburg over the last weekend.

Interestingly enough, a number of churches attended the event, and not to picket and protest it either. No, these churches decided to rent stands and use the opportunity to preach the gospel of sex within the boundaries of committed, healthy, marital relationships, reported the Sunday Times.

A senior leader at God First Church, Bruce MacKenzie, said “a lot of stuff is overboard here,” but that the Sexpo was an ideal opportunity to promote a healthy sex life “within the confines of marriage.”

“We’re here to stand for what we’re for, not for what we’re against, and we will speak about God’s message to those who ask.”

MacKenzie added: “A guy wearing nothing but a gold g-string walked past our stand, and we ended up having a fat chat. It’s great.”

Another church that booked a stall was the Hatfield Christian Church North which offered counselling books on marriage and a “sexual wholeness” manual.

This year’s Miss Nude South Africa found herself next door to the stall of the African Church of Truth manned by Rev Daniel Brits. She said she was more than happy to find him there.

“Basically, everyone’s here and no one judges anyone,” she said.

(The image is of a United States based church logo. The XXX church exist specifically to minister to people with porn addictions and to promote healthy sexuality).

Church of England designs its own Easter egg

Admittedly it is early to begin talking about Easter but the Church of England have plans for a special egg that will go on sale next year as Britain's first Easter egg to mention Jesus on the packaging.

The Real Easter Egg is made from Fairtrade chocolate and explains the Christian understanding of Easter on the box.

The recommended retail price of £3.99 will include a donation to Baby Lifeline, which supports mothers and newborn babies in the UK, and development charity Traidcraft, which aids small-scale farmers and producers.

The Church of England which has almost 8,000 church schools will encourage the schools to advertise and place orders for the product before December 1.

The hope is that teachers will use the eggs to teach children about the true meaning of Easter, the role of Fairtrade and the place of charitable giving.

The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester, said; ''The Real Easter Egg gives church schools their first ever chance to buy an Easter egg that not only tastes good but does good.

''I believe there will be widespread support for the product from the faith community with many others likely to be interested.

''We hope that all our supermarkets will stock the first and only Easter egg in the UK that explains the significance of Easter and, through the charitable donation, brings to light the Easter themes of hope and new life.''

Ramphele receives highest honour

Businesswoman and prominent social activist Mamphela Ramphele was this week awarded the highest honour that the Anglican Church of Southern Africa can bestow upon its lay members.

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba admitted Ramphele to the order of Simon of Cyrene at a church provincial synod in Benoni.

In a statement the church said that she was “one of the greatest prophetic voices.”

She had acted “with fierce determination” in the fight against apartheid, and still worked actively against injustice for the rights of women, the poor and marginalized.