Recent Religious Conflict in Malaysia Results in the Formation of an Interfaith Panel

A Malaysian government official said on Wednesday that an interfaith panel had been created to advise the government on trouble-some religious issues.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism was established in response to recent tensions between the Muslim majority and minority faiths. The role of this group would be to help Malaysian leaders better understand these issues and make more informed decisions.

In December around 12 churches were attacked or firebombed after a judge ruled in favour of non-Muslims using the word Allah for God. For centuries now Arabic speaking non-Muslims have traditionally employed the phrase Allah in reference to God.

Although the government had banned non-Muslims from using the word Allah for God, the judge had ruled this ban as unconstitutional which fueled considerable tension between adherents of various religions. Retaliation attacks were made on several mosques and Muslim prayer halls.

The Malaysian government had banned the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims but the judge ruled that the ban was unconstitutional. The ruling sparked considerable tension between the Muslim and Christian communities in Malaysia.

60.4 percent of Malaysia is Muslim with Buddhists at 19.2 percent and Christians at 9.1. The recent religious discordance surprised many because the different faith groups had co-existed peacefully for generations.

(Read the full story at http://christianpost.com)

Christian Scientists Excited by the ‘Genesis Machine’

On Tuesday of this week, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) directed two proton beams into each other to bring scientists one step closer to seeing how the universe may have looked like after its creation. This experiment is part of CERN’s search for the Higgs Boson, a theoretical particle also known as the God particle that scientists believe might give mass to other particles and thus to other objects and creatures.

Guido Tonelli, spokesperson for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment said that “We’ll address soon some of the major puzzles of modern physics like the origin of mass, the grand unification of forces and the presence of abundant dark matter in the universe, I expect very exciting times in front of us.”

Christian scientists were largely very excited by how this week’s milestone experiment by the informally nicknamed ‘Genesis Machine’ might lead to noteworthy insights into the creative work of God.

“This experiment is one of the most significant of this third millennium,” stated Dr. Karl W. Giberson of the BioLogos Foundation. Giberson believes that the experiment was an amazing event because it might well lay the foundation for further investigations that could answer some of our deepest questions regarding the universe around us.

Giberson added that “What is most exciting in this experiment is that it lets us push back a bit closer to that mysterious moment almost 14 billion years ago, when our universe emerged in the Big Bang. What the LHC might demonstrate is a piece of the grand puzzle: where does mass come from? If Christians can embrace the Big Bang theory, instead of inventing odd and implausible reasons to reject it, they will be drawn into a most wonderful world of grandeur that will greatly enlarge their concept of God."

Giberson, who is also a professor at a College in the States, is a theistic evolutionist – in other words he believes that classical religious teachings about God can be harmonised with modern scientific understandings.

BioLogos, was founded in 2007 by renowned geneticist (and committed Christian) Francis Collins, and the organization seeks to emphasise the compatibility of Christian faith with scientific discoveries about the origins of the universe and life.

Over the next 2 years, CERN plans to run further experiments with the aim of assembling enough data to make significant advances in some of these key issues. A vital part of their work will be the systematic search for the Higgs boson with the anticipation of learning far more about the nature and interaction of matter in the early Universe. CERN believes that these experiments might give them insight into the composition of around a quarter of the universe, said the Christian Post.

(Read the full story at http://christianpost.com)

Obama Speaks of Christ’s Sacrifice at Easter Prayer Breakfast

On Tuesday Obama personally testified how much the sacrifice of Christ inspired him.

"We are thankful for the sacrifice he gave for the sins of humanity, and we glory in the promise of redemption in the resurrection," the President stated at the traditional Easter prayer breakfast hosted by the White House.

"Such a promise is one of life's great blessings," Obama continued. "As I am continually learning, we are, each of us, imperfect. Each of us errs, by accident or designs. Each of us falls short of how we ought to live. Selfishness and pride are vices that afflict us all."

Obama's words gave rare insight into how he viewed his own faith. He shared how he was particularly struck by Christ’s final words on the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

"These words were spoken by our Lord and savior," Obama said, "but they can just as truly be spoken by every one of us here today. Their meaning can just as truly be lived out by all of God's children. So on this day, let us commit our spirit to the pursuit of a life that is true."

Around 90 prominent Christian leaders were invited to the event, including Bill Hybels of Willow Creek. In the past President Obama has also hosted events to honour both the Muslim and Jewish faiths, said the Christian Post.

(Read the full story at http://christianpost.com).

'Footnote' Tells the Painful Stories behind the Porn Industry

Pornography is one of the biggest media industries worldwide. As the accompanying graphic reminds us, every second 28, 258 internet users are watching porn. Porn is also exceptionally popular in the mobile media industry.

Sadly, Christianity and porn all too often share the exact same headlines. Either because the church is denouncing the latest sex scandal or because some high profile Christian has been caught in some unsavoury incident related to porn. The media delights in jumping all over the perceived judgementalism or the hypocrisy of these kinds of scenarios.

This type of focus on porn means that too often the church loses sight of the real people involved in the industry. We forget their stories, their lives – the reasons why they find themselves involved in such an intrinsically denigrating industry. No little girl dreams of being a porn star growing up – so how exactly do so many young woman (and men) end up posing nude before a camera?

These are issues that the church should not lose sight of and they are exactly the kind of issues that ‘Footnote’ – a Christian TV show that tries to capture the funny, the sad and raw stories of real people - is concerned with dealing with.
Donny Pauling, an ex-porn producer, recalls seeing young women get started in the porn industry. They would be paid $500 a day just for having some photos taken of them, which sounded better than a $200 paycheck every two weeks at Starbucks.

But the women would be led into "harder stuff" once they got used to the pay. And Pauling would eventually see "the lights go out in their eyes" and their lives fold.
"The industry breaks them," Pauling says in the first episode of "Footnote," "They're just people who have bought into a lie and it's so easy to get caught up in."

One porn star, who calls herself Kyanna Lee, states, "Pornography is my boyfriend. It actually hurts but we have to make it look good because we have to sell the product."

"Footnote" is a project launched by Back to the Bible which is producing episodes in conjunction with Brad Knull and Cooke Pictures. Producers hesitate to call "Footnote" a "ministry" because of some of the stigmas associated with the word and because of their desire to reach audiences that would never get involved with a ministry.

The show is also targeted to people like them who grew up in the church but went through and continue to go through times of "disillusionment and cynicism towards the usual idea of what a 'Christian' should be." They say their aim was to produce something that they themselves would want to see on TV and something that actually starts conversations, says the Christian Post.

(To read the full article please go to www.christianpost.com)

Scientists Discover Link between the Plagues and Natural Causes

The Hebrew Testament tells the story of Ancient Egypt being torn apart by a succession of plagues. Scientists now claim that there is evidence linking these plagues to global warming of the period and a local volcanic eruption.

Rather than explaining these plagues as the result of supernatural intervention, scientists explain that a chain of natural phenomena triggered by climate change and environmental disaster explain the fall of the Egyptian capital of Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta, near the end of the reign of Pharaoh Rameses the Second.

A paleoclimatologist, Professor Augusto Magini, said: "Pharaoh Rameses II reigned during a very favourable climatic period. There was plenty of rain and his country flourished. However, this wet period only lasted a few decades. After Rameses' reign, the climate curve goes sharply downwards. There is a dry period which would certainly have had serious consequences."

The scientists believe this drastic climate change triggered the first of the plagues. Rising temperatures could have caused Burgundy Blood algae or Oscillatoria rubescens, which stains water red. The arrival of these algae could also result in an overpopulation of frogs, lice and flies. This overpopulation, could well have led to the fifth and sixth plagues – diseased livestock and boils.

Meanwhile, 400 miles away volcano Thera erupted spewing tons of ash into the air which scientists believe could be responsible for the hail (by mixing large quantities of ash with thunderstorms above Egypt). This event could also have caused higher precipitation and humidity forming ideal conditions for locusts. Furthermore, this event could easily have been the cause of the widespread darkness related by Scripture. Scientists recently found physical evidence that the ash fallout from this volcano reached Egypt.

In responding to these findings, Dr Robert Miller, associate professor of the Old Testament, from the Catholic University of America, stated: "I'm reluctant to come up with natural causes for all of the plagues. The problem with the naturalistic explanations, is that they lose the whole point. And the whole point was that you didn't come out of Egypt by natural causes, you came out by the hand of God."

(For the full article please read www.telegraph.co.uk)

Many Catholics Find Loyalty Tested by Cover-up Crisis

As Catholics fill their churches during this Holy Week, many are experiencing profound difficulties with how the church is being led through the latest crises amidst new revelations of clerical abuse and also implications that Pope Benedict may have been involved in cover ups.

There is a growing chorus amidst the faithful, and not just the secular press, that the Catholic church should embrace full transparency and take a much stronger stand against pedophile priests. Many are also fervently arguing that the church should reconsider the whole issue of priestly celibacy.

Experts believe that the Catholic church is facing one of its biggest crises throughout its long history. Paul Collins, an Australian church historian and former priest said that while the controversy was not addressed by his local priest, the congregation discussed the issue after the service.

"People are outraged really, they're furious with the complete failure of the church's leadership, and their view would be that we are led by incompetent people," Mr. Collins said. That view has been repeated by many Catholics interviewed around the world, the Washington Times said.

(For the full article please read www.washingtontimes.com).

From Prison to Tourist Site – What will happen to the world’s oldest church?

Four years ago the world’s oldest Christian place of worship was discovered during the course of routine renovations in Megiddo prison. Some of the prisoners were allowed to participate in an extensive archaeological dig, and now plans are being put together to relocate the prison all together so as to allow the church to be opened to tourists.

Megiddo prison is normally surrounded by tough looking prison guards on horseback and with guard dogs which ensure that even tougher looking prisoners stay put. Normally Megiddo prison is a place that ordinary folk stay well away from but if these plans come to fruition then the prison could become a tourist attraction that could draw people from all over the world.

During the dig a stunningly beautiful mosaic floor inscribed with references to Christ was found, along with a building foundation dated from the 3rd or 4th century C.E. Scholars believe that a Roman army was encamped there at this time and this was the base of communal Christian activity. Remains of an altar were also found at the site.

The head of the regional council, Hanan Erez, said that: “the discovery of the finds created great excitement in the Christian world and among researchers of early Christianity. The discovery was even a main topic of a conference of researchers in Washington three years ago.”

Plans to build a tourist site are awaiting local government approval, Haaretz.com says.

(For the full article please read www.haaretz.com, image is of the mosaic floor found in Meggido prison).