Hitchens places hope in Christian scientist's trial cancer treatment

The world renowned philosopher and atheist, Christopher Hitchens, revealed recently that a forming debating opponent, the outspoken Christian scientist Francis Collins, was the brains behind the new experimental cancer treatment that he is using.

Collins is the man made famous by his working on mapping the human genome, and has been involved alongside other scientists in developing a new cancer treatment that maps out the patient’s entire genetic make-up and targets damaged DNA.

Hitchens is the author of “God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything,” and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last year. The cancer is at stage 4, and with his typical wry humour Hitchens pointed out in the same interview:

“And the thing to note about stage four is that there is no stage five.”

Before his illness Hitchens had debated Collins over the existence of God. Collins has authored “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.” Hitchens also revealed that despite being on opposite sides of the ‘faith fence,’ he and Collins had become firm friends.

“It is a rather wonderful relationship,” said Hitchens. “I won’t say he doesn’t pray for me, because I think he probably does; but he doesn’t discuss it with me.”

He added, “He agrees that his medical experience does not include anything that could be described as a miracle cure – he’s never come across anything.”

It was partly his trust in Collins that led to him agreeing to being a guinea pig for this new genome sequencing treatment that could possibly cure cancer.

Despite his generally unflattering opinion of most Christians, Hitchens has always been polite about the idea of Christians praying for him during his illness, although he has remained firm that his cancer will not sway him towards belief in God.

Hitchens has previously stated that he will not convert on his deathbed unless he is “very ill” or “half demented, either by drugs or pain where I wouldn’t have control over what I say”.

A few months back, Collins wrote a special piece in The Washington Post for “Everybody Pray for Hitchens Day”.

“My prayer is not so much for a supernatural intervention – as a physician I have not seen evidence for such medical miracle in my own experience," he said.

“Instead I pray for myself and for Christopher along the lines of James 1:5.”

The verse James 1:5 says: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Opinion: An Idiot’s Guide to the End Times

A lot of fuss has been made recently by the predictions of a pastor named Harold Camping. Camping is claiming that based upon his years of extensive Biblical study, the world will end on May 21. Or more correctly, the rapture will occur on May 21 and then God will destroy the earth on October 21. Camping's comments are excruciatingly embarrassing to many Christians, who are tired of the crazy-eyed minority gaining headlines for all the wrong reasons (like our friend, Fred Phelps, the Koran burner). Frighteningly enough, some people have taken Camping seriously enough to cash in their life savings and spend it, figuring they won't need the money anymore after May 21.

Robert Fitzpatrick, for example, a 60-year-old, retired transit worker from Staten Island has invested his entire life savings of $140,000 into a bus advertisement campaign warning people about the end of the world.

“I’m trying to warn people about what’s coming,” Fitzpatrick told the New York Daily News. “People who have an understanding [of end times] have an obligation to warn everyone.”

Camping's predictions come in a year where there already has been a lot of fuss about the end of the world. The Mayan doom prophecies for 2012 have been pulled out and dusted off, especially in the light of the numerous natural disasters parts of our globe have suffered through. The fact that the Mayans did not actually predict the world would end in 2012, but just ended their calendar there obviously doesn’t sell as many papers, so that point is rarely added to the mix.

The only prediction I feel safe in making is that over the next year or so, we will see an increase in crazy-eyed people who claim to have inside knowledge of the exact date and time. They will receive their headlines and 15 minutes of fame and then quietly slink away when their predicted date comes and goes, and inconveniently no apocalypse has arrived. What really annoys about this is that one day, one of these intense ‘prophets’ will be right (law of averages and all that). If heaven is to hold any joy for me, there will be no one allowed to walk around saying, “See! I told you so!”

I don’t mean to belittle the whole End Times thing - the Bible clearly addresses it (although the bit about “no one knows the time our hour” seems to skip so many by). Christians have been proclaiming Christ’s imminent return ever since there have been Christians - we see evidence of this in the New Testament itself. However, we also see evidence in the New Testament of a growing realisation that there is a difference between “imminent” and “immediate.” Striving to live every day as if Christ is imminent makes complete sense to me.

Yet the fringe lunatics of our faith family still persist in casting predictions of the exact time and hour, and coming out with all sorts of theories based on a very narrow and limited reading of Scripture. I know I might ruffle a few feathers here because of its popularity, but I would include the “Left Behind” book series in this lunatic fringe. Writing for the Huffington Post, the Associate Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, Dr. Matthew Skinner, argues this point far better than I could.

“Witness the Left Behind franchise, which has made millions promulgating a theology based on the notion of a "Rapture," in which living Christians are snatched away to an otherworldly existence while the rest of earth slides fearfully into political and moral chaos. This theology comes from a very idiosyncratic view of the Bible that is popular in fundamentalist circles but has also infiltrated wider Christian discourse. Yet it represents a way of thinking about God and history that possesses, at best, dubious biblical support. Its retribution fantasies hardly align with notions of divine love and justice found in many other parts of the Bible.”

Since there are so many New Testament passages which describe the dawn of a new era, begun in Jesus’ first coming, but to be fulfilled in his second “appearing,” it would be silly to ignore the whole topic. We need more sensible, thoughtful opinion otherwise the fringe theorists will inevitably fill the void. This is why Skinner gives advice (see below) as to how we can read these many texts in a way that will not distort them to fit into our own conspiracy theories. Skinner’s advice on reading the Bible is long, but well worth working your way through.

“First, we have to note how context matters. Future hopes are given greatest attention in the New Testament usually when two other things are in view: the corrosive effects of religious hypocrisy and early Christians' experience of persecution. Biblical passages about Jesus' return therefore reiterate that God's commitment to the world is not warmly embraced by the world's business-as-usual religious, social, and political routines.

Next, "symbolic language" does not mean "not to be taken seriously." These texts are important in their ability to communicate that we don't live in the best of all possible worlds. They point toward the promise of a better future. New Testament scholar Dale Allison likens the Bible's visions of the end to its visions of the beginning:

"Genesis is no historical record of the primordial past, and the New Testament offers no precognitive history of the eschatological future ... We must interpret them not literally but as religious poetry, which means with our theologically-informed imaginations." (page 97).

Therefore, these passages prompt us to let the dimensions of our "longed-for future" be creatively informed by our "present religious experience and faith and theological reflection" (page 98). What Christians say, then, is the state of affairs Jesus promised the world has yet to come to full fruition. New Testament talks about the future issues vivid reminders that God still has work to do among us. The specifics about the future remain wholly mysterious. Still, the dominant emphasis is on promoting hope, not inciting fear.

All this could leave Christianity vulnerable to charges of escapism, but only if it leads people to ethical and social passivity. Or to paint motor homes like this.

A fourth observation pushes against passivity, however. Biblical images about Jesus' return evoke the sights and sounds of Roman propaganda. For example, caution expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 concerning seductive reassurances spoken about "peace and security" in the world refers to an imperial slogan. Also, as one might expect given Christians' occasional status as a marginalized group in the first century, these images sometimes also imitate Roman propaganda. The description of Jesus' return in 1 Thessalonians 4 depicts him with language recalling Roman dignitaries' official visits to cities.

These passages' subtle connections to imperial rhetoric allow them to subvert it, too. They thus can commit Christians to an unwillingness to rest content with the status quo of human political existence. They portray the future that God will inaugurate as showing up our inferior ideals -- exposing all that humankind settles for (and gets oppressed by) as false substitutes for true peace and true security. They speak about a world that is sick, about people who abuse power. At the same time, they call people of faith not to shun or denigrate human society but to work for the world's redemption.”

Latest archaeological discovery could be more important than even the Dead Sea Scrolls

Biblical scholars are excited by a collection of ancient texts recently found in a Jordanian cave that they believe may shed new light on early Christianity.

If the books are confirmed as authentic, they will constitute the earliest known Christian writings. The thrilling discovery was only made after a flash flood broke away the back wall of a cave exposing two previously hidden niches.

Early estimates are that the credit-card sized books could date back to the first decades after Jesus’s Crucifixion and Resurrection.

While only fragments of text have been translated so far, the images and symbols on the books indicate they are Christian, and because many of the 70 books are sealed, scholars have surmised that they contain secret writings.

Jordan’s Head of Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, was quoted by the BBC as saying that the find could be more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

He said: “Maybe it will lead to further interpretation and authenticity checks of the material, but the initial information is very encouraging, and it seems that we are looking at a very important and significant discovery, maybe the most important discovery in the history of archaeology.”

'Facebook Depression' is adversely affecting teenagers, warns report

A report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, has warned that young people who spend lengthy periods on social media sites are at risk of "Facebook depression," according to The Associated Press.

The AAP has issued a new clinical report, “The Impact of Social Media Use on Children, Adolescents and Families,” which described both the negative and positive effects of social media use on youth and families.

Facebook currently has more than 500 million active users, and 11.1% of these are under 18 years of age. Approximately 22% of teenagers use their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day.

Gwenn O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP, co-author of the clinical report, says that for some youth their social media interaction takes precedence over face-to-face interaction.

“A large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones," she wrote in the report.

"Facebook is where all the teens are hanging out now. It's their corner store."

While there are many benefits of social media participation, the report also highlights some dangers including cyberbullying, social anxiety, severe isolation, and what O'Keeffe identifies as Facebook depression.

"Acceptance by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents," the report asserts.

The number of Facebook friends, status updates and photos of happy people are some of the factors contributing to feelings of social isolation and depression - emotions similar to sitting alone in a school playground.

Rhett Smith, a therapist and part-time pastor to youth and families, said that the latest AAP report confirms what he and many others have been thinking.

"One of the glaring paradoxes in my use of technology/social media, is that it has both the ability to make me feel connected and intimate with others, while at the same time feeling isolated, alienated and lonely," he wrote in a blog post.

"Has all the technology relationally disconnected us in a sense, replacing the processes (befriending, getting to know each other, sharing life, etc.), where instead we just value the end results (number of followers, blog traffic, etc.)?"

The AAP cautions that youths who do suffer from Facebook depression could turn to risky Internet sites for help – sites that promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.

"Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children’s online world – and comfortably parent in that world," O'Keeffe warned.

Poll finds that most American evangelicals blame disasters on end times

The results of a recent poll done in America were released last week to show that evangelical Christians, more than any other group, tend to believe that natural disasters are a sign from God.

According to the Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News Service news poll, almost six out of ten white evangelical respondents said that natural disasters were a sign from God, compared to only 31% of Catholics and 34% of mainline Protestants.

Furthermore, the PRRI/RNS poll found that 67 percent of evangelicals link these natural disasters to what the Bible describes as the “end times” compared to 58 percent of all respondents who see it as evidence of global climate change.

Daniel Cox, PRRI research director, said of the poll, “Evangelical Protestants and Republicans are much more likely to believe that natural disasters are evidence of what the Bible calls the 'end times' rather than evidence of global climate change.”

Scarily enough, the poll also found that 53% of these white evangelical respondents thought that God punished nations for the sins of its citizens.

This comes on the back of last year’s remarks from controversial televangelist Pat Robertson that Haiti’s earthquake was a curse for its voodoo history. However, none of the leading evangelical leaders in America have publicly interpreted the recent tragedy in Japan as being divine punishment.

In fact, Americans are extremely supportive of financially helping Japan, with 80% of respondents agreeing that providing financial assistance to Japan is either very important or somewhat important despite economic challenges at home.

The PRRI/RNS poll is based on telephone interviews with 1,008 U.S. adults conducted March 17-20, 2011.

PETA call for more animal-friendly Bible

PETA, or the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have been urging translators for a more animal-friendly update to the Bible.

The group is requesting translators of the New International Version (NIV) to remove what they term "speciesist" language and refer to animals as "he" or "she" instead of "it."

The NIV has recently made a move towards more gender-inclusive language, and PETA is hoping these moves will also include animals.

“When the Bible moves toward inclusively in one area ... it wasn’t much of a stretch to suggest they move toward inclusively in this area," Bruce Friedrich, PETA's vice president for policy, told CNN.

Friedrich, a practicing Roman Catholic, said, "Language matters. Calling an animal 'it' denies them something. They are beloved by God. They glorify God."

“God’s covenant is with humans and animals. God cares about animals," Friedrich said. "I would think that’s a rather unanimous opinion among biblical scholars today, where that might not have been the case 200 years ago.”

A Hebrew scholar, David Berger, the dean of Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel graduate school of Jewish studies, reacted cautiously to this call saying these shifts would be complicated because of the nature of ancient Hebrew.

“In Hebrew all nouns are gender-specific. So the noun for chair is masculine and the noun for earth is feminine. There’s simply no such thing as a neutral noun," Berger informed CNN. “It’s unusual to have a noun that would indicate the sex of the animal.”

“In Proverbs it says, 'Look at the ant oh lazy person. See its ways,' " Berger said, quoting the English transition from the book of Proverbs. "In Hebrew it’s 'see her ways.' That's because the word for ant in Hebrew happens to be female. It’s not intended to exclude male ants as far as I know. It’s just an accident the Hebrew word happens to be feminine.

"It’s a little bit misleading given the fact in English the gender of the pronoun means something. It refers to the masculinity of the person or the animal that’s being referred to. In Hebrew in most cases its just sort of an accident of the masculine or feminine of the pronoun to which it referred," Berger added.

Another scholar, David Lyle Jeffrey, the distinguished professor of literature and the humanities at Baylor University, while sympathetic to PETA’s call, was similarly cautious.

“I agree with their contention that God cares for all of creation," Jeffrey stated. "It is true that we have a responsibility to reflect that affection.

"In gender-inclusive Bible translation the generic terms for humankind, let's say, are then replaced with an emphasis on he or she. Instead of the generic he, you say he and she. I don’t quite see how that would work with animals," Jeffery said.

"Do we need to know the gender of the lion Samson slew? What would it give us there?" he continued. "You could try to specify that, but you would be doing so entirely inventively if you did. It's not in the original language. ... Nothing is made of it in the story.

"When you get to the point when you say, 'Don’t say it, say he or she' when the text doesn’t, you’re both screwing up the text and missing the main point you addressed."

There has been no official acknowledgement of PETA's call from the NIV translators yet.

The UN adopts a new resolution on religious intolerance

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a new resolution on religious intolerance that human rights groups hope is a step forward in eliminating the controversial “blasphemy laws.”

The essence of the resolution is that it protects individuals from discrimination, but does not necessarily protect religions from criticism.

Last week, the inter-governmental body adopted the “Resolution on Combating Intolerance and Violence against Persons Based on Religion or Belief,” that urged UN states to adopt policies that respect and protect the full diversity of human religious expression.

In so doing, the 47-member state body also challenged the “defamation of religions” concept, which some organisations have been lobbying the UN to incorporate into its policies.

“The resolution properly focuses on protecting individuals from discrimination or violence, instead of protecting religions from criticism,” noted the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“Unlike the defamation of religions resolution, the new consensus resolution does not call for legal restrictions on peaceful expression, but rather, for positive measures, such as education and awareness-building, to address intolerance, discrimination, and violence based on religion or belief,” the bipartisan federal body added.

In a separate statement last Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added, “The United States strongly supports today’s resolution, which rejects the broad prohibitions on speech called for in the former ‘defamation of religions’ resolution, and supports approaches that do not limit freedom of expression or infringe on the freedom of religion."

“Today’s adoption of this resolution by the UN Human Rights Council is an important statement that must be followed by sustained commitment,” stated Clinton.

It was feared that endorsement of the “defamation of religions” would lead to further “blasphemy laws” such as those adopted in Pakistan, and which is used to silence minority religions, both on a community and governmental level.

China sentence Christian political dissident to 10-Year jail term

The People’s Court of Suining in China’s south-central province of Sichuan have sentenced Christian political dissident Liu Xianbin to a ten year jail term, a punishment considered harsh even by Chinese standards.

Liu will also be barred from writing, making speeches or accepting interviews for a period of two years and four months.

Liu’s sentence comes only a few weeks after an anonmyous blogger urged China’s major cities towards a “Jasmine Revolution,” in an apparent attempt to emulate the popular uprisings that overturned dictatorship rule in Tunisia.

Human rights groups have challenged the sentence, saying that its harshness is a reaction to the aborted February uprisings.

“Like what happened in Egypt, Yemen and Libya, China’s totalitarian government recently has acted with increasingly blunt disregard for its own citizens’ basic rights,” said the president of ChinaAid Association, Mr. Bob Fu. “This should further alarm the free world and vividly demonstrates how dire the consequences of appeasement and inaction are.”

The “Jasmine Revolution” failed to garner any widespread support. The only action occurred at Beijing's affluent Wafujing shopping district from a few protestors who were promptly arrested by hundreds of police officers who had been stationed there.

The Chinese government does not permit mass political gatherings and has restricted all news regarding the recent Middle East civil unrest.

Liu was arrested last year on charges of “inciting subversion” against “state power” after he had written and posted a series of internet articles urging political reform.

Liu is a Christian who for decades has challenged China’s communist government. His protest work began as a university student when he was part of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. This sentence will be the third prison term that Liu has served in his fight for freedom of political expression and religion.

Earth Hour 2011: How your church can make a difference!

At 8.30pm on Saturday 26 March 2011, hundreds of millions of people across the globe will switch off the lights of homes and businesses for one hour – Earth Hour, the world’s largest public action for the environment – acknowledging a commitment to go beyond the hour with actions that benefit the planet in the year ahead.

Your church can make a great contribution to this global pursuit of ongoing environmental change by firstly switching out the lights of your place of worship and other buildings, as well as encouraging members and the local community to also participate.

As revered institutions, all religious organisations are well positioned to be a driving force of actions beyond the hour by leading, educating and encouraging local community members to make ongoing changes to reduce their impact on the planet.

Show your community you’re contributing to global environmental change!

The following information outlines the various ways a church can make an ongoing Earth Hour commitment, be it big or small.

1. Switch off non-essential lights at 8:30pm on Saturday 26 March 2011.

2. Turn off non-essential lights in your places of worship and other buildings during Earth Hour 2011 from 8:30pm-9:30pm on Saturday 26 March 2011. Join other committed religious organisations and community groups worldwide in this action.

3. For larger buildings, plan ahead with facilities and building managers to manage the logistics of switching off non-essential lighting for Earth Hour 2011 – including neon lights – in and around your properties.

4. Show your support for Earth Hour 2011 by signing up at www.earthhour.org and sharing your ongoing actions for the planet with the people of the world. It’s free and we’ll send you regular Earth Hour updates with inspiring actions from people and communities across the globe.

5. Communicate Earth Hour to your community. Earth Hour is apolitical and non-religious with a message of hope and action for the planet that unites people of all persuasions. Encourage participation in Earth Hour 2011 and communicate any positive actions you are taking for the planet that go beyond the hour.

Here are some simple ideas you could use:

• Announce Earth Hour at religious and community gatherings.

• Display Earth Hour posters in places of worship and other buildings.

• Include a link to the Earth Hour website on your homepage or hosting an Earth Hour banner on your website;

• Include the Earth Hour logo on monthly newsletters to group members, on letterheads and in email signatures;

• Organise special activities and events for Earth Hour such as candlelight vigil.

To see how you can promote Earth Hour and your religious organisation’s active participation in this action, please see the promotional materials available on our website at www.earthhour.org, provided for your use for free.

[From the Earth Hour website. Please note that you cannot access these url’s from here, you will need to cut and paste them into your browser].

Bishop Nazir-Ali: Britain is no longer free

Speaking at the Christian Broadcasting Council’s annual conference in the U.K., Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali has stated his fears that Britain is no longer a free society where conscience is respected.

The bishop, who is considered a conservative voice in the Anglican Church, blamed “encroaching totalitarianism” as threatening respect for conscience.

“What we are facing is not a free society, but an ideology that is seeking to impose its views on us,” he argued.

“We are making the assumption that conscience will be respected because we are living in a free society.

“But we are not in that society anymore.”

The bishop said that the secular worldview was undermining absolute respect for human life, which was threatening the rights of unborn children, the ill, the disabled, the elderly and the family.

Bishop Nazir-Ali asserted that any respect for unborn children had been corroded by the "demands of science" and "huge commercial interests", as well as a “relativistic” worldview that does not support the dignity of the human person.

“If you can dispense with a person at the earliest stage of life why not do it at the later stages. Or in between? What will we do when a person does not respond to our signals? Will we turn off the machine?” he said.



“The great tragedy is, in the very age that pain can be managed, when we can be sure people who are terminally ill can be cared for, people are arguing that those who are terminally ill should have their lives ended.



“We have also abandoned the public doctrine of marriage and will go further and further away from any normative position on marriage.”

The Bishop also argued that without the recovery of a Judaeo-Christian discourse and the value of the Bible, the Big Society would not work.

“There will be no Big Society unless there is a big story that unifies people and gives them a sense of the past and of destiny,” he said.

Bishop Nazir-Ali said it would be “tragic” if Britain were to abandon the Judeao-Christian story of the Bible and become prey to a moral and spiritual vacuum.

“We must recover the Judaeo-Christian story as a way of recovering the nation’s past and story but also as a way of making legislative decisions,” he said.

“There is hardly any piece of legislation that comes to parliament which does not have a moral or spiritual aspect.”

Surfing star Bethany Hamilton talks about trusting God despite losing her arm

Bethany Hamilton has climbed to the top of the women’s professional surfing ranks, a task made doubly difficult by the fact she only has one arm and so has to battle significant obstacles in terms of balance, paddling and more.

Hamilton lost her left arm aged 13 in a horrific shark attack while surfing, and almost died as she lost 60% of her blood. Yet Hamilton’s refusal to allow this setback to prevent her from following her surfing dreams has inspired people the world over. Hamilton was back in the ocean only a month later and learnt to surf all over again. In fact, her story is so inspirational that Hollywood are currently making a movie about it. Hamilton credits her faith in God as being central to her ability to negotiate her way through the tragedy and return so successfully to the sport. In an “I am Second” video released this week, Hamilton remembers her journey from the actual shark attack and then back into the world of competitive swimming.

“From what seems like such a horrible thing, God has just brought glory to Himself,” said Hamilton, now 21, in the video. “I have been able to be just a good light to people and just share His love. I wake up every day and [try to] honor God in everything that I do and I may fall short sometimes, but all I want to do is love Him.”

The attack happened within a “split second” and Hamilton’s life was changed forever. The young surfer remembers a paramedic on the way to the hospital whispering in her ear, “God will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“I didn’t have time to think much,” she said. “Right away, I knew I had to get to the beach to survive this.

“I just laid there and prayed the whole way in, asking God for help.”

Hamilton testified that she always had a “sense of peace and calmness” despite missing her left arm and losing more than half her blood because she was “able to turn to Jesus during this crazy moment in my life.”

“I think that is the one thing that just kept me alive,” Hamilton insisted.

Fully eight years later, Hamilton is sponsored by Ripcurl and competes full-time in the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Qualifying Series.

“Being out there in the ocean, God’s creation, it’s like a gift He has given us to enjoy,” is her description of surfing.

[The I Am Second movement seeks to connect those seeking answers to life’s questions with real-life testimonies of people who have found meaning in Jesus Christ. People who share their stories through the videos talk candidly about various struggles, ranging from substance abuse to selfishness, and how they found a full life in Christ.

Celebrities that have previously shared their stories in an I Am Second videos include baseball star Josh Hamilton; Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith; football star Bradie James; and former Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch].

Was 'God's Wife' edited out of Scripture?

A British scholar is claiming that the earliest worship of Yahweh, included that of a wife for God known as Asherah, a fertility goddess, reports Discovery News.

Francesca Stavrakopoulou, a senior lecturer in the department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter, and who is leading the BBC’s latest series of programs on the Bible, believes that the earliest versions of the Bible featured Asherah, but her relationship with Yahweh was later edited out of the texts, except for one particular reference in the Book of Kings which links the goddess to being housed in the temple of Yahweh.

All that remains of God’s ‘other half’ now are the clues left in ancient texts, amulets and figurines. For example, inscriptions on pottery remains unearthed in the Sinai desert reveal that Yahweh and Asherah were worshipped as a pair.

J. Edward Wright, president of The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and The Albright Institute for Archaeological Research, supports Stavrakopoulou's claim, saying that several Hebrew inscriptions mention “Yahweh and his Asherah." Wright added that Asherah was not entirely removed from the Bible by its male editors.

"Traces of her remain, and based on those traces... we can reconstruct her role in the religions of the Southern Levant," Wright informed Discovery News.

Asherah, Wright goes onto to say, was a significant deity in the Ancient Near East, known for her might and nurturing qualities. She was also recognised by several other names, including Astarte and Istar. But in English translations Ashereh was translated as "sacred tree."

"This seems to be in part driven by a modern desire, clearly inspired by the Biblical narratives, to hide Asherah behind a veil once again," Wright says.

Aaron Brody, director of the Bade Museum and an associate professor of Bible and archaeology at the Pacific School of Religion, also confirmed this opinion. Brody says that despite contrary popular opinion, the earliest Israelites were actually polytheists, with only a “small majority” worshipping God alone. Brody details how is was only through the exile and the the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C that a more "universal vision of strict monotheism" came into being.

(Image is a clay figurine representation of Asherah).

Dennis Quaid: How making a movie helped me find faith again

The Golden Globe winning actor Dennis Quaid has been in Hollywood long enough to know his fair share of ups and downs. Quaid first began garnering attention in the early 1980’s, and beside enjoying a generally successful career in front of the camera, he has also generated controversy off it with an acknowledged cocaine addiction in the 90’s as well as a high-profile divorce from Meg Ryan.

However, Quaid’s lowest point probably came in 2007 when his then week-old twins (from his third marriage with estate agent Kimberley Buffington) nearly died after a medication error. Quaid firmly believes that his twins only survived because of the prayers of people from around the world. In fact, it was while sitting with the twins by his side at home that he agreed to play Tom Hamilton, the real-life father of the world renowned professional surfer Bethany Hamilton in the upcoming movie ‘Soul Surfer’. It is a role that Quaid believes assisted him in finding faith in God again.

Hamilton made the news in 2003 when she lost an arm in a savage shark attack while surfing off Kauai’s North Shore. The attack left the then 13-year old with a severed arm, and resulted in her losing 60% of her blood. Although Hamilton survived the attack, doctors and loved ones believed she would never surf again. But through relying on her faith, strong water sense and community support, Hamilton proved them all wrong. Hamilton has since won 1st place in the NSSA National Championships and also claimed second place in the ASP 2009 World Junior Championships.

“I was watching the ‘Today Show’ and an update on Bethany was on. I had a dim memory of her story, but to see her and what an inspiration she was, I [had] tears streaming down my face with my 2-year olds next to me. Two days later they called and asked me to do it. It was a no brainer,” Quaid said.

“Of course I bring my own experiences as a father to this role. I really believe it was the prayers of people around the world that saved [my twins]. That was a real life-changing experience for me and brings me to this and what [the Hamiltons] went through.”

The winner of Pop Idols Carrie Underwood makes her film debut in ‘Soul Surfer’ as Bethany’s youth pastor. The movie will be released later this year in South African cinemas.

Christians unite against sexual violence

A new church coalition has been formed in the U.K. to actively work against sexual violence throughout the globe. The Silent No More coalition consists of the Anglican Communion, Lambeth Palace, Tearfund, Christian Aid and Restored and will unite efforts to end sexual violence against women, and also address the silence, pain and stigma faced by survivors of sexual violence.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams spoke at the launch of the coalition:

“It is of the first importance that churches and all communities of faith continue to hold before the world’s eyes the absolute priority for justice and dignity for all.

“We need to equip people to become agents of change and agents of hope.

“I hope this is the beginning of the church being what it ought to be and should be.”

The launch of the coalition coincides with the release of a damning report on sexual violence against women, which shows that worldwide, one in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.

The report also detailed how women and children become especially vulnerable to sexual assault in countries torn apart by war or political strife. For example, in the DRC, rape has been used as a weapon of war in the South Kivu conflict between the government and rebels.

The UN humanitarian news agency IRIN has said that around 8,000 rapes were recorded in South Kivu in 2010. Since the beginning of 2011, the charity ‘Medecins sans Frontiers’ has indicated it has treated more than 200 women, men and children for rape in the region.

The executive director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibe, said the organisation was keen to work more closely with faith-based organisations to ensure the dignity and protection of women and girls, who account for the largest proportion of the victims of sexual violence.

Lyn Lusi, co-founder of Tearfund partner HEAL Africa, said the church should follow the example of anti-slave trade campaigner William Wilberforce in pursuing justice for all people.

She said: “Attitudes to women need to change if a woman’s lot is to get better. It’s about partnership as God intended, and understanding one another’s roles. The church needs to be a model for this partnership.”

You are able to show your support by signing the Silent No More pledge at wewillspeakout.org - please note you cannot click on this link, rather cut and paste it into your browser.

75 Percent of world-wide religious persecution targets Christians

A new report compiled by a U.K. Catholic organization has found that 75% of religious persecution throughout the globe targets Christians.

The British branch of Aid to the Church in Need included 33 countries in its study and concluded that the majority of religious persecution was occurring in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The obvious countries were named as major persecutors, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia, but it was also found that countries such as Venezuela, Zimbabwe and even the Holy Land are guilty of religious persecution.

Christians have endured increased persecution in 22 countries among those it studied, with Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, and Pakistan being among the worst countries for believers to live in. Approximately 100 million Christians worldwide are facing persecution.

"The proportion of countries with a worsening track-record of anti-Christian violence and intimidation would be higher were it not for the fact that in many cases the situation could scarcely have been worse in the first place," the report stated.

Last week, Ann Widdecombe, a British politician, was named as a special envoy on religious freedom for the charity Aid to the Church in Need.

Widdecombe, has repeatedly spoken of her concern over this kind of persecution and that she is "increasingly alarmed" by reports of violence and intimidation against Christians. She also highlighted the inconsistency of the British government's effort to protect the rights of religious minorities domestically and its tendency to turn a blind eye to persecution of Christians overseas.

"It is time to put our heads above the parapet and speak up in the name of Christians suffering for their faith," she said. "I am delighted to support the work of Aid to the Church in Need, which is doing excellent work to help persecuted Christians."

Don’t donate Japan relief money to “religious buffoons” says atheist group

In a move that seems somehow contrary to the universal humanitarian efforts on behalf of Japan, the group American Atheists is aggressively urging people to not donate relief money to "religious buffoons," but rather to send it to secular groups.

American Atheist President David Silverman announced on Wednesday that many atheist groups such as his are convinced that faith-based charities use the donations to distribute Bibles and disseminate their message.

"They (Christian charities) push religion rather than give food and aid which the people really need," Silverman angrily accused.

However, Jennifer Byrd, the special public relations director for The Salvation Army, denied these accusations. Byrd was not aware of any Bible distribution by her organisation in Japan, indeed, even in the United States the Salvation Army does not hand out Bibles during their relief efforts.

When questioned directly about the sharing of Christian faith during relief work, Byrd said Salvation Army policy was that workers only pray with victims if specially requested to do so, and that prayer is never forced.

"If someone feels moved to do so they can ask," she emphasised.

Byrd instead pointed out that The Salvation Army was one of first organisations to provide assistance as it was already present in Japan when the tsunami struck. On the night of the disaster, The Salvation Army provided food, water and shelter at its Tokyo headquarters to commuters left stranded by the earthquake.

In the week since the disaster, they have distributed 1,000 hot meals and drinks, and have used a total of $2.1 million so far in their relief efforts. This money will continue to be used to provide hot meals, shelter and other basic necessities to the disaster refugees.

The American Atheists have also levelled accusations against faith-based charities for saying the disaster was God's punishment for Japan's sin, but Byrd clarified that neither The Salvation Army nor its affiliates have ever said anything like this, or indeed would.

New campaign to end North Korean persecution of Christians

Release International has recently launched a new campaign urging the government of North Korea to protect the human rights of Christians.

The campaign requests people to sign a petition calling for religious freedom in North Korea - a communist country, where all forms of Christian meeting, literature and Bibles are banned.

North Korea has long been acknowledged by human rights groups as one of the worst persecutors of Christians in the world. Entire families have been imprisoned because one member has been found to be a Christian, or to be in possession of a Bible. Believers are often detained, tortured and sent to labour camps unless they renounce their faith.

One former prisoner, who was interviewed under the pseudonym of Mr Kim to protect his identity, said:

“If there is a hell in this world, then it is the North Korean concentration camps. [In the camps] there is only fear, and absolutely no connection to the outside world.

“The food crisis is bad in North Korea, but it is even worse in the camps. People die of malnutrition. If anyone was found praying they would disappear.”

Another defector, also identified in an interview with a false name - Mr Sung - said that life in North Korea was about “survival”.

“We cannot say it is about human life. There is no freedom to speak,” he said.

Mr Sung escaped to China but lost his mother and brother in the process. They were discovered by soldiers and beaten to death.

“I have forgiven those who killed my mother and brother, but I cannot help but feel the guilt of losing her,” he said.

Chief Executive of Release International, Andy Dipper, called upon Christians throughout the world to pray and take action on behalf of the North Korean Christians.

“We are urging the government of North Korea to allow Christians to worship freely without the threat of persecution,” he stated.

“Please pray that the petition will make a difference to the lives of Christians living in North Korea, whether believing in secret, or suffering in prison for their faith.”

[Image from Release International and depicts 'Mr Sung' - a North Korean defector].

Christians urged to continue to support Japan

Almost a week after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated huge swathes of Japan’s north-eastern region, the full scale of the disaster is still being revealed.

With the death toll mounting daily, and the government desperately trying to prevent a nuclear disaster at two of its plants, it has also been revealed that approximately 450,000 people have been forced into temporary shelters, while food and water shortages are becoming more dire by the day.

The Japanese Emperor Akihito recently made a rare public address to announce he was praying for the people of Japan and to say he was “deeply worried” about the nuclear situation.

Around 140,000 people living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have been ordered to remain indoors while efforts are made to cool the reactors and prevent radiation leaks. However, many people are leaving the area to try to escape being contaminated.

The International Director of the Lausanne Movement, Lindsay Brown, has also expressed his “profound sadness” over the Japan disaster.

“We grieve at the loss of life and the unimaginable devastation being experienced by the Japanese people,” Brown stated.

“Our prayers, and the prayers of the Lausanne family, are with our brothers and sisters in Japan.

“We pray for strength for them as they struggle to comprehend these enormous losses in light of the hope we have as believers in Christ.

“We stand with them in their hope for rebuilding and the renewal of their great nation and encourage Christians around the world to do all they can to offer comfort, encouragement and tangible support to our friends in Japan.”

The ACT Alliance of Christian development agencies said today that the relief supply needs at evacuation sites were only increasing as sites were reporting shortages of food, water, electricity, health and hygiene kits, and blankets.

Rapidly dropping temperatures is only adding to the suffering of the Japanese disaster refugees.

"Although Japan is considered among the most advanced countries in terms of disaster risk reduction measures, the damage caused by the unprecedented scale of this disaster is beyond imagination," said Takeshi Komino, the head of emergencies for CWS Asia Pacific.

World Vision has also sent in crisis teams with a particular mandate to care for children. They are in the process of creating child friendly areas where children can safely play and recover from their traumatic experiences.

Mitsuko Sobata, advocacy officer for World Vision Japan, described the situation in one of the worst hit cities, Sendai: “Last night, I visited one of the shelters housing some of the 340,000 people who have been evacuated around the city.

“Children are sleeping on cardboard with one blanket in freezing weather. It was very difficult for me to see that.”

Mark Bulpitt, head of emergencies at World Vision UK, has said that: “The sheer scale of this disaster is as bas as anything we’ve seen globally.

“Our experts on the ground are constantly assessing the situation and will focus on the specific needs of children, many of whom will be deeply affected by this experience.”

Rob Bell: I am no universalist

After two weeks of intense controversy, and just one day before the release of his book that began all the fuss, author and pastor Rob Bell denied emphatically that he was a universalist.

Two weeks ago, Bell became a twitter trend in the same league as the Oscar winners, because a few well-known pastors and theologians strongly disagreed with some of the points made in his latest book regarding heaven and hell. They argued that Bell's conclusions in the book made him both a universalist and heretic (although a few of them admitted to not having read the book first). Their comments exploded into the blogosphere causing a heated debate among Christians all over the world.

Bell was given a chance to respond to these criticisms and talk about his book 'Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived' at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. The event drew hundreds to the venue and a further 6,000 on the internet. The evening began when Bell was directly asked by Newsweek’s Lisa Miller, “Are you a universalist?”

"No, if by universalist we mean there's a giant cosmic arm that swoops everybody in at some point whether you want to be there or not," replied Bell.

"That violates the laws of love and love is about freedom, it's about choice, it's about do you want to be there? Because that's what would make it heaven."

Bell emphasised that he wasn't a theologian, and he didn't offer any scholarly arguments on the always difficult subjects of heaven and hell and the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. Rather, Bell insisted he was just "one more voice" in an ongoing conversation about things that matter most.

"I never set out to be controversial," said the pastor who has been accused of moving away from traditional Christianity.

"I don't think that God honors it when people set out to be shocking, or dangerous or provocative," he added.

"My interest is in what's true and where is the life and where is the heart and what inspires. And if that happens to stir up a few things, that's something I accept."

Bell was also directly questioned on whether he believed there was a hell.

"Is there hell? If not, does that take anything away from the cross?" he was asked.

"I actually think there is hell because we see hell every day," Bell responded.

"Greed, injustice rape, abuse, we see hell on earth all around us all the time ... And we actually see lots of people choosing hell. We see oppression, we see tyranny, we see dictators using their power to eliminate the opposition, literally.

"The essence of grace is Jesus saying 'left to your own, we are all in deep trouble; we have made a mess of this place; we are all sinners; no one has clean hands.' The essence of his gospel was 'trust me, I'll take care of it."

While Bell admitted that Jesus was "unbelievably exclusive," pointing out statements like "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me," he also said Jesus was “fantastically inclusive," pointing to other statements Jesus made such as "I, if I am lifted up, ... will draw all people to myself" and there will be a "renewal of all things."

"He's like inexclusive," Bell smiled.

"I think what happens is, especially for followers of Jesus, is there are sort of his exclusive claims that are often at the expense of the other things that he says ... be careful because I'm doing something for everybody," Bell explained. "How exactly that pans out, that's God's job."

One theologian in the crowd, Dr. Ronald C. Walborn, dean of Alliance Theological Seminary in New York, again asked Bell directly about his beliefs in an eternal hell.

"Do you believe, first of all, that hell is a real place or just on earth? And if we do de-emphasize the doctrine of hell, what does that do to the motivation for Christian mission?" Walborn queried.

Once more, Bell responded by talking about the hell people create for themselves on earth.

"It's crucial that ... we come face to face with the power of our choices. We can choose the way of compassion, of forgiveness, of generosity or we can choose other paths and those have real consequences in the world," the author said.

The Great Commission, Bell added, is about announcing the good news and proclaiming God's love and "rescue effort."

"At our church, we talk about the good news is better than that, that there is a story ... and Jesus invites us into the story and to share that story with others. The real challenge for Christians when it comes to witnessing, evangelism is 'do you actually think this is a great story?'"

The pastor from Michigan honestly expressed his struggles with the concept that only a select few would make it to heaven and that billions of people would burn forever in hell.

Bell noted that the normal way most were told about Jesus, was something along the lines of "God loves you, God has a wonderful plan for your life, He loves you so much that he sent Jesus because God wants a relationship with you. All you have to do is accept, trust, believe."

"If tonight, you reject what I'm saying to you and you were hit by a car on the way home, God would have no choice but to punish you eternally with torment and fire in hell. God would, in that split second, become a totally different being," he said.

"If there was an earthly father who was like that – this one moment, this the next – we would call the authorities, correct?

"My experience as a pastor is lots of people have really toxic, dangerous, psychologically devastating images of God in their head, images of a God who's not good.

"In some sense, God being good is such a fresh, radical, new idea."

Christians, Bell argued, need to return to sharing about God's love.

"I believe there are moments when we have to return to our roots and we have to acknowledge that perhaps in some ways we've lost the plot along the way and that we need to return to the simplicity of God is love and God sent Jesus to show us this love that we might know this love, that we might extend this love to others."

Yet "can God be both loving and just?" another audience member asked him.

"Yes," Bell quickly responded.

"There has been this human longing and desire for God to fix the world essentially. ... There has been this longing for justice, for a day [with] God saying 'if you want to do that, out.'"

"You also have this side by side [with] God's endless affirmation; God wants everybody to be saved," he said, citing Psalm 22.

"So you have the possibility of every single person being rescued – you have this longing. And then you have this longing for justice. And they sit side by side. And if you get rid of that tension, the modern mind loves 'it's either this or [that],' ... the Hebrew mind is okay with these things being true."

Bell described how in Revelation there is a description of a restored city, heaven and earth coming together and the dwelling of God being with the people. And there are people who aren't in it, Bell admitted.

Yet, "there's this beautiful thing, it's almost like the writer [saying] ... wink wink, there's a gate in the city and it never shuts."

"It just doesn't get resolved. It sits there. I think it's important that we let it sit there side by side."

Bell also strongly warned against turning speculation about heaven and the afterlife into dogma.

"I think it's very important for people of faith to yes, I believe in heaven; yes, I believe it's real; yes, I believe that it's somehow intermingled with this reality and yet separate in some sense in this reality. How exactly all of that works out, I don't know."

"What I find really fascinating is Jesus turns the whole discussion upside down because he comes from a very first century Jewish worldview and he keeps insisting [that] actually God is interested in restoring and renewing this world," he highlighted. "He speaks of it as sort of a real place and yet it's always heaven and earth becoming one. As opposed to how do we get there, his interest is how do we bring there here?"

New York City was Bell's first stop in the Love Wins book tour. He will visit eight other cities through April.

Updated NIV Bible will debut amidst some controversy

The latest version of the NIV Bible will debut amidst some controversy over its updated, gender-inclusive language.

This has not stopped Zondervan from printing 1.9 million copies of the updated NIV Bible in the first run, up from the 1.4 million they had originally planned.

"This laydown of the NIV update is bigger than we imagined," said Chip Brown, senior vice president of Bibles for Zondervan. "A couple of retailers came in a little higher after seeing the marketing and products."

This is the first update of the NIV in 25 years, although there was a failed attempt to update in 2005 with the TNIV which was pulled from production in 2009 due to a fallout from the American evangelical community over its overt "gender inclusive" language.

There has been a mixed early reception of the new NIV from these critics, although many have promised to first read it carefully before weighing into the debate. Brown was clearly hopeful that there wouldn’t be the same storm of controversy with this translation.

"We're at a place in time where as long as people aren't being unbiblical with their translation, people can agree to disagree on the rendering of certain verses. That's just the way it goes," argued Brown.

"If you did your homework on other translations, the alternative is actually more heavier on gender neutrality than the NIV," he added.

Brown also said he was a firm believer that there is room for more than one translation in the market and hopes that the updated NIV will continue to hold the rank and respect of its predecessor, especially in seminaries.

The new NIV Bible is a good choice for those torn between "word-for-word" and "thought-for-thought" translations, according to Brown.

"The NIV straddles both those and looks at each verse and renders it in a way where it is close to the original manuscript as possible but ensures that it is in the English of the day," he asserted.

"I think that's probably why the NIV has the market share that it has. People love it. It sounds like the way they talk but it's pastor-recommended."

Japan’s worst disaster since WWII says PM

The earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan on Friday is now estimated to have killed over 10,000 people, according to the police chief of Miyagi prefecture (state) on Sunday.

Reacting to this news Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan said: "This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago."

Millions of Japanese have been without clean water, food and electricity since the tsunami struck with such devastating force, according to The Associated Press.

The Japanese government has announced that it has sent over 100,000 each of blankets, bottled water, and liters of gasoline in addition to instant cup noodles, rice balls, diapers and bread to the affected areas.

Amid this disaster, several Christian aid agencies are already providing emergency relief, with the Salvation Army Japan sending a team to the worst-affected city Sendai.

"We combat natural disasters with acts of God," the group, which has been operating in Japan since 1895, stated. "We are a part of Japan's communities and dedicated to their recovery."

World Vision are assessing the damage to identify the most urgent needs to survivors and has set aside an initial budget of $400,000 to provide care.

"Our prayers and that of the partnership are for the survivors as well as everyone impacted by the calamity," said Kenjiro Ban, World Vision's humanitarian and emergency affairs manager in Japan.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has offered prayers for the people of Japan.

Williams said: “The news of the horrific earthquake in Japan has shocked us all.

“We await further and more detailed news with apprehension, but I want to say immediately that our hearts and our prayers go out to all who have been affected and that we as a church will do what we can to offer practical as well as spiritual support at this time of great suffering and great anxiety for so many.”

(Image shows workers searching for survivors in the aftermath of Friday's disaster).

Pope 'deeply saddened' by Japan's double tragedy

In a telegram sent by the Pope to Japan's bishops, Benedict XVI said he was "deeply saddened" by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated parts of Japan on Friday, with a death toll expected to be close to a 1,000 people.

The telegram read that the pope was "deeply saddened by the brutal and tragic consequences of the severe earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern coastal regions" of Japan.

Benedict assured all those who were affected by the disaster that he was "close (to them) in these difficult moments".

Prince of Wales celebrates King James anniversary with YouTube reading

2011 marks 400 years since the first ever edition of the King James Bible was completed in 1611, and as such has been declared a year of celebration by the King James Bible Trust.

The YouTube Bible is one of the ways this anniversary is being celebrated, and the King James Bible Trust is encouraging people of all ages and walks of life to read passages from the Bible while being filmed for YouTube. As a patron of the Trust, Prince Charles recently offered to participate in this reading.

The Prince of Wales read from John 14.1 - 14, a passage in which Jesus comforts his followers and tells them not to let their hearts be troubled.

His reading was recorded in the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace. Prince Charles will host a reception at Clarence house for members and supporters of the King James Bible Trust on March 17.

(You can access the Prince’s reading via the following link www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tjDdz-yRw4 - please note it is not clickable here, you will need to copy and paste into your phone’s browser).

Twitter leads the globe in prayers for Japan

Citizens from around the world immediately mobilised themselves to send out prayers and messages of support for the victims of the massive quake which struck Japan on Friday afternoon.

A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake shook the east Asian country destroying buildings, roads, bridges and taking lives. Japan’s phone systems and a sizable amount of its power supply were also knocked out.

The quake triggered a massive Tsunami, reputed to be up to 10 metres high at points, which struck the coastline causing further devastation, including starting a fire at a nuclear plant. Japanese media are reporting a governmental declaration of a nuclear power emergency situation, which occurs if there is confirmation of radioactivity leaks from a nuclear power plant or a reactor cooling system breaks down.

Only hours after these terrible incidents, the hashtag #prayforjapan was first on Twitter's top trending topics worldwide.

"Praying for the people of Japan, especially my brother's girlfriends, father and family over there," said one tweet.

Another wrote, "Because they'd do the same for us, times like these, band together. God bless anyone affected by the earthquake."

Celebrities also joined in this call to pray for Japan via Twitter, with Black Eyed Peas man Will.i.am being one of the first to react, saying simply: "Pray for Japan" later adding that he is struggling to sleep with worry.

Hayley from Paramore also urged prayer in Tweeting: "Praying so hard for Japan right now. And also for Hawaii," as did Nicole Scherzinger who said, "My heart goes out to all those affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. Pls keep Japan in ur prayers. God bless and be with them."

Overall, Japan’s tweet-o-meter is currently extremely high with 1 200 tweets per minute reporting on the disaster, while Google has also posted a link to a Japanese person locator just as they did during the Haiti quake, for loved ones to find each other.

On a non-digital level, international aid groups such as Red Cross are already swinging into action to provide practical assistance to quake victims and their families.

(Image is the special Twibbon released by Twitter in response to the quake in Japan).

Cord blood stem cells preserve life of girl after brain tumour

A four-year-old girl has become the first person in Spain to recover from brain cancer with the aid of stem cells from her own umbilical cord blood, reports the Catholic News Agency.

The girl developed a rare form of brain cancer aged two, and an operation removed the majority of the tumour from her brain. She then underwent chemotherapy effectively reducing and eventually eliminating what was left of the tumour.

However, her blood system was destroyed by the aggressive final round of chemotherapy, thus requiring a transplant of cord blood stem cells. The stem cells assisted in accelerating the production of platelets, and restored her blood system to normal.

The procedure was carried out in by Dr. Luis Madero of the Department of Oncology and Hematology at the Nino Jesus Hospital in Madrid, who called her case unique in Spain.

“The use of stem cells to regenerate the blood system is an extended treatment for this form of cancer,” he said, before adding this was “the first time in our country, the stem cells came from a patient’s own umbilical cord, preserved from birth.”

“In recent years, transplants of cord blood stem cells have become increasingly common. In the case of siblings, these stem cells are the best therapeutic option that exists,” he added.

The little girl’s parents had stored the blood from her umbilical cord with a company called Crio-Cord and called it the “best investment” they ever made.

Guillermo Munoz, the head of Crio-Cord, said his organisation was “proud to have participated in Alba’s healing process.”

Munoz also said that cases like these confirm “that umbilical cord blood is an excellent source of stem cells. Being the youngest cells of their kind in the human body, they have great potential to cure.”

(Image taken from the site www.stemcellumbilicalcordblood.com).

Study finds that Christian leaders have vastly differing beliefs about the End Times

A recent poll undertaken among Christian leaders in the United States shows that beliefs vary greatly about the End Times.

A majority of these leaders, or 65%, follow an End Times theology called premillenialism which believes that Jesus Christ will return to earth and then reign with his followers for 1,000 years.

The poll found that 13% of those surveyed were amillennialists, in other words they believe that the non-literal millennial reign of Christ is happening now as Christ reigns at the right hand of the Father. Only 4% believe that Christ’s second coming will happen only after the 1,000-year period during which nations and peoples will be progressively converted to Christianity. This belief system is known as postmillennial theology.

17% of those surveyed felt they did not fit into any of these more established positions, and instead chose to identify with "other" end times theology.

However, one matter that most of these leaders agreed upon was that focusing on the specifics of the End Times is distracting to living faithfully in the present. Roy Taylor, a representative of the Presbyterian Church in America, stated this position best when he said, "As far as predicting the approximate time of Christ’s Second Advent is concerned, I have resigned from the Planning Committee and have joined the Welcoming Committee."

13 killed in Christian-Muslim clashes in Egypt

According to Egypt’s state-run television station, 13 people lost their lives in a Christian-Muslim conflict in Cairo on Wednesday, while another 90 were injured.

The conflict began when hundreds of Christians protested the burning of a church in a village outside of Cairo by Muslims. The Muslims in this village had burnt the church down after they discovered a local Christian man had been involved in a romance with a Muslim woman.

The Christian protestors were met by thousands of Muslims who reportedly threw stones at them, and then began firing on them. The army then arrived and allegedly also fired upon the Christians. Homes and local businesses were also torched.

Attorney Wagih Anwar Abou Saad, who was an eye witness of the conflict, informed the Free Coptic Voice that, “the army is protecting the Muslims, who sought shelter behind the army tanks.”

A representative of the Coptic Church, Father Abdelmaseeh Baseet also claimed in an interview with the CNN that only Christians were killed in the clash. Of the property destroyed, only Coptic owned factories were torched.

The Egyptian military, who now control the country after the successful ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak, promised to find out who is behind “the acts of violence” and to hold them liable “to the full extent of the law.”

Germans to include the internet in their fasting this Lent

In a study done in Germany it seems that greater numbers of Germans will be fasting from something this Lent, as more Lutherans are adopting the practice and as the ‘millenial’ generation of environmentalist young adults take a stand against materialism and greed.

The study found that 60% of those Germans polled were convinced that spending a few weeks without the normal pleasures that tended to obsessiveness was good for them.

Of those who favoured fasting, 78% indicated they would stop drinking alcohol, 69% said they would stop eating sweets, while interestingly enough, 28% confirmed they would stop all internet and computer use during Lent.

BBC’s new Bible series will be presented by an atheist

The BBC has chosen an atheist Hebrew scholar, Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou, as the presenter of its new series on the Bible, according to a report by The Telegraph.

Stavrakopoulou works as a senior lecturer in the Hebrew Bible at the University of Exeter.

In a series entitled ‘The Bible’s Buried Secrets,’ Stavrakopoulou will guide viewers through some of the latest archaeological discoveries in the Middle East and assess how these may impact the world's understanding of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Just some of the topics to be explored during the series include the origins of the story of the Garden of Eden and the historical context of King David and his kingdom.

Interestingly enough, Dr Stavrakopoulou is set to make a number of bold scholarly assertions during the series, including about Eve.

“Eve, particularly in the Christian tradition, has been very unfairly maligned as the troublesome wife who brought about the Fall,” says Stavrakopoulou.

“Don’t forget that the biblical writers are male and it’s a very male-dominated world. Women were second-class citizens, seen as property.”

During an interview with the Radio Times, Dr Stavrakopoulou said she did not think it was a problem her being an atheist becauseas an academic “you leave your faith at the door”.

“I’m aware that there are some who find it hard to understand why an atheist could possibly be interested in the Bible, and I think that does a massive disservice to a fantastic collection of ancient texts.

“The Bible is a work of religious and social literature that has a huge impact on Western culture, and for that reason it’s important that programmes like these are made.”

The director of the Church and Media Network, Andrew Graystone, agrees with Stavrakopoulou that it should not be a problem having an atheist leading a series on the Bible.

“Within the broader mix of programmes on the BBC, the personal convictions of the presenters don’t matter so much. What matters is whether or not they are an expert in the subject of the programme and are a good presenter,” he argued.

“Impartiality is always important but we can’t expect presenters to be completely impartial. Jeremy Clarkson isn’t impartial about cars, Gary Lineker isn’t impartial about football. What matters is that the presenters are intelligent and sensible and that the viewers are equally intelligent and sensible.”

Graystone also did not agree with the argument currently being employed by many Christians that Dr Stavrakopoulou’s appointment is yet another sign that the BBC is unfair in its handling of the Christian faith.

“Some headlines have described Dr Stavrakopoulou as the BBC’s ‘new face of religion’ and I think that’s over rigging it a bit because the BBC has many faces of religion. It doesn’t have a single face of religion,” he said.

“It’s hard to make the case that the BBC is being unfair to Christians when they just had a four-part prime time series on Jesus at Christmas and Radio 4 dedicated a whole day to reading the King James Bible.”

“We haven’t seen it yet so let’s see what it’s actually like. It might be great, it might be terrible but if it’s terrible it won’t be terrible because it wasn’t presented by a Christian.”

Human trafficking on the increase in post-quake Haiti

Haiti is still desperately trying to recover from the earthquake that shattered it at the beginning of last year. Sadly, and despite the best efforts of many Haitians and numerous aid agencies, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund recently released a disturbing report that illustrated in many situations Haiti’s problems are worsening, not improving.

This is particularly evident in the area of child trafficking, where experts say there has been a drastic increase since the quake. This is because parents are left desperate as they face the reality of their inability to feed, clothe or educate their children, and are then taken advantage of by traffickers who promise a better life for their children.

Unfortunately, the children are used for prostitution, or as UNICEF's report disturbingly indicates the trafficked children are also being used to supply an illegal adoption market.

Ron Sparks who works with the Baptist Haiti Mission explains, "The tragedy is only magnified because of the earthquake and so many more children being on the street and being vulnerable to predators."

Sparks explains that trafficking can be cut down if aid agencies can "continue providing a support group for the families and the children themselves” and also provide accountability measures so that children will be recorded and checked up on preventing them from simply disappearing. Aid agencies also provide a place "that people know they have a place to turn to when they are desperate, and they can get help."

Archbishop of Canterbury hails Bhatti as 'a martyr'

In an impassioned appeal, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, called upon the Pakistan Government to do more to protect its minorities even as he lauded the assassinated Pakistan Minorities Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti as a "martyr."

Bhatti was killed by gunmen in Islamabad on Wednesday due to his opposition of the controversial blasphemy law, and his championing of the case of Aasia Bibi, a Pakastani Christian woman condemned to death for allegedly falling foul of this blasphemy law. Bhatti was the only Christian minister in the Pakistan cabinet and his work resulted in numerous death threats made upon him. The Pakistan Taliban later took credit for his murder.

Writing for the London's Times, the Archbishop said that Pakistan was being blackmailed and bullied by religious extremists, and that those who supported Bhatti’s killing "inhabit a world of fantasy, shot through with paranoid anxiety.”

The Archbishop went on to say that there was a faction in Pakistan, which was "wholly uninterested in justice and due process of law, concerned only with promoting an inhuman pseudo-religious tyranny."

Dr. Williams urged for Pakistan to genuinely debate the blasphemy law, because "part of the problem is the weakening of properly traditional Islam by the populist illiteracies of modern extremism."

Bhatti died "for all practical purposes as a martyr," said Dr Williams in his conciliatory conclusion, "Not simply for his Christian faith, but for a vision shared between Pakistani Christians and Muslims."

C.S. Lewis' popularity grows by the year

C.S. Lewis would be more surprised than anyone if he knew how popular his writings would remain almost 50 years past his death. Lewis once remarked to a friend that he doubted anyone would bother to read him once he had passed on. So not only would Lewis be amazed to find that three of his seven book children’s series “Chronicles of Narnia” had been made into movies, but he would also be dumbfounded if he knew that his books were growing more popular by the year, not less so.

According to Michael Maudlin, an executive editor at HarperOne, not only are the “Narnia” books are still “huge backlist sellers that dominate everything else,” but “Mere Christianity” still sells about 150,000 copies a year, as does “The Screwtape Letters," a satirical correspondence between an uncle demon to his nephew demon about the ways and means of leading people astray.

The popularity of “The Screwtape Letters” has resulted in a play that is currently touring the United States, while “Mere Christianity” has been credited by many famous people as being central to their conversion to Christianity, including the Watergate felon Charles Colson and the National Institutes of Health Director and ‘genome’ scientist, Dr. Francis Collins. Lewis’ long-term impact as a noted academic has also been seen in a tertiary college of study recently being founded in his honour.

“I would say in the last 10 years, C. S. Lewis has sold more books than any other 10-year span since he started publishing,” Maudlin said. “He’s not only not declining, he is in his sweet spot.”

This popularity has certainly gained the attention of HarperOne, who recently released the “C.S. Lewis Bible” - a Bible annotated with various Lewis quotations from his books and letters. For example, in Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus challenges the outwardly but not sincerely religious, there is added a quote from “Mere Christianity”:

“How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious?” They are “worshiping an imaginary God.”

Maudlin, who himself says he became a Christian through the influence of Lewis’ writings, admitted the author would probably have been very uncomfortable with all this attention.

“He would be uncomfortable if it were sold as a personality cult, or him as mentor or guru,” Maudlin said of Lewis, whose name looms larger than the word “Bible” on the book’s cover. “So we had to make it dignified.”