Noah's Ark visits Cologne

A floating amusement park with a Biblical theme has docked in Cologne. It is a life-size version of Noah’s Ark, in the midst of a tour of Europe.

The owner of the Ark is Dutch television entertainer and puppeteer Aad Peters who aims to use it to test people’s knowledge of the Bible while exploring the life-size stuffed animals, models and puppets on board.

The ship includes four different stories from the Old and New Testaments, including Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the story of Noah, as well as David and Goliath.

"The Bible is an interesting book, even for people who have never read it," said Peters. "Everyone should be familiar with its stories."

The ship has seen a wide range of visitors so far on its tour, including Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, as well as Christians.

"Noah's tale is also present in other religions," Peters observed. "I've met Muslims who know the story better than Christians."

The exhibition is not just to expand people’s Bible knowledge but is art for art’s sake, insists Peters, who added he is not actually a church-goer.

Protestant pastor Mathias Bonhoeffer, who visited the exhibition said he found it interesting but noted that "some of the theological subtleties are missing and much does not correspond with what's actually in the Bible."

"Still, it's impressive for young people and a good way for them to get a glimpse of Christian traditions and culture," he added.

Has the Apostle Philip's tomb been discovered?

Italian archaeologists believe they have discovered what may be the tomb of Philip, one of Jesus' 12 apostles

The archaeologists made the find while working in the ancient Asia Minor city of Hierapolis in Turkey's Aegean province of Denizli, and are planning to excavate the unopened grave soon.

Tradition teaches that Phillip came to Hierapolis - known today as Pamukkale - to preach the Gospel but he was crucified upside down by the Romans.

"As we were cleaning out the new church we discovered a month ago, we finally found the grave," said Francesco D'Andria, director of the Institute of Archaeological Heritage, Monuments and Sites at Italy's National Research Council in Lecce.

"With close examination, we determined that the grave had been moved from its previous location in the St Philip Church to this new church in the fifth century, during the Byzantine era.

"Until recently, we thought the grave of St Philip was on Martyrs' Hill, but we discovered no traces of him in the geophysical research conducted in that area. A month ago, we discovered the remnants of an unknown church, 40 metres away from the St Philip Church on Martyrs' Hill. And in that church we discovered the grave of St Philip," D'Andria said.

"We are extremely happy and proud to have discovered the grave of a saint whose name appears in the bible - this surely is an important discovery for religious tourism, archaeology and Christendom."

Over 29,000 Somali children killed by famine

A recently released U.S. report estimates that the devastating drought and famine in Somalia have killed over 29,000 children under the age of 5. The Horn of Africa crisis is the worse drought in the area in 60 years. Added to this, the U.N. estimates that 640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished.

Out of Somalia’s population of 7.5 million people, the U.N. says that 3.2 million are in need of immediate lifesaving assistance.
Complicating matters is that aid efforts are being stymied by al-Qaida-linked militants who control much of the country's most desperate areas. This group has denied a famine is taking place, and won't give access to the World Food Program.

This has caused tens of thousands of refugees to flee the area in hopes of finding food at camps in Ethiopia, Kenya and in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

While hundreds of millions of dollars have already been contributed to fight the famine, the U.N. says it requires hundreds of millions more, according to the Associated Press.

Religion does not preach violence, say faith leaders

A group of British faith leaders have issued a joint statement condemning the Norway terrorist attacks and dismissing suggestions the killer was inspired by Christianity.

Anders Behring Breivik is still in custody and being questioned about his self-confessed attacks on a government building in Oslo and a youth camp on the island of Uteoya.

Some newspapers labelled Breivik as a 'Christian fundamentalist' after the attacks, although he has described himself as a ‘cultural Christian’ with no personal relationship to God.

Leaders of the Christian Muslim Forum, the Three Faiths Forum and other faith groups in the UK condemned all acts of violence or terrorism committed in the name of religion.

"We take this opportunity to reiterate that no religion, whatever the practices of those who claim to follow a religion, preaches violence or encourages attacks on the innocent," they said.

"Terrorism is terrorism and violence is violence, neither of these are religious or religiously-motivated.

"We thoroughly repudiate any suggestion that in his attacks Anders Breivik was inspired by Christianity; Christianity and all religions teach respect for human life."

The leaders clarified they were fully supportive of the victim's families and the ongoing legal process against Breivik. They also urged all Europeans to hold dialogues on peace, reject violence, and work for harmonious relations with all people, regardless of their religious or political stance.

They group challenged all Europeans to "avoid scapegoating or reinforcing negativity towards minority communities, especially in the mass media".

"We remain committed to dismantling myths and prejudices, sharing similarities and differences and modelling genuine good relations," they said.

Signatories of the statement included Julian Bond, Director of Christian Muslim Forum, Stephen Shashoua, Director of Three Faiths Forum, and Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, Co-Chair, Christian Muslim Forum.

Shakira and Barcelona FC collaborate to help 28,000 children

Pop star Shakira and the Spanish soccer team Barcelona announced this week a joint effort to benefit over 28,000 Hispanic children based in Miami and Colombia.

The collaboration will see educational programs offered to children in the Hispanic community in Miami, and also the construction of sports and recreational facilities in the Colombian city of Cartagena and Miami.

The aim of the project is to assist children from vulnerable communities at risk of social exclusion.

Shakira is dating FC Barcelona’s soccer star Gerard Pique, and has been previously honoured for her artistic and humanitarian work.

Shakira used the opportunity at the launch to throw a spotlight on the Hispanic community, saying: “Not only do we represent the largest minority in the country [US], but the fastest growing; our community is in urgent need to provide all the necessary tools so that our children can develop their maximum potentials, talents, and intelligence.”

“The Hispanics in the United States have all the talent and desire; what we need now is more education and more sports to keep the ball on our side and to achieve the best play," the pop star added, according to her website www.shakira.com.

The launch of Soccer for Youth Development and Healthy Living was attended by Shakira and FC Barcelona superstars Piqué, Puyol, Busquets and Affellay at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Commissioner Steve Bovo, FC Barcelona Foundation vice-president Ramon Pont and YMCA of Greater Miami Board Chairman Brian Mormille also all attended.

(Image from shakira.com).

U.N estimates world population to reach 7 billion in 2011

The latest United Nations reports predict the world population to reach seven billion during the course of this year.

Further projections estimate growth will continue to nine billion by 2050 and 10 billion by 2100.

Developing countries will contribute a massive 97% of this growth, with Africa expected to contribute 1.1 billion people (49%) to the growth. With a population doubling almost every 20 years, established infrastructures will be placed under incredible strain.

In contrast, the developed world is expected to only contribute 3% of the growth. Wealthy countries such as Japan or Germany will either see no growth or a decline in their population statistics, creating another problem in that they will not have enough people to replace their established work forces.

Major population growth began in 1750 with the Industrial Revolution, reaching one billion in 1800 and two billion in 1920. The population then further jumped to 3.5 billion in the 1960’s and has grown steadily at a rate of approximately 2% a year.

“In the 1960’s and 1970’s people expected a population bomb. Now we have mini-bombs going off in the most fragile parts of the world. Issues of inequality and poverty may spill over from less-developed countries, which will not be good for their neighbors or the rest of the world,” David Bloom, a professor of economics and demography at Harvard School of Public Health, informed Bloomberg.

“The demographic picture is indeed complex and poses some formidable challenges. Those challenges are not insurmountable, but we cannot deal with them by sticking our heads in the sand,” Bloom added.

Experts find it difficult to predict exactly what the effect such a large population will have on the planet, although all agree that resources will be strained to the limit.

“Every billion people we add to the planet makes life difficult for everyone and will do more damage to the environment,” John Bongaarts, a demographer for New York’s Population Council said.

“Can we support 10 billion people? Probably. But we would all be better off with a smaller population.”

Rob Bell’s 'NOOMA' developed into App

The popularity of Rob Bell’s ‘NOOMA’ film series has seen Christian publishing company Zondervan develop it into an app.

‘NOOMA’ is a series of short films by Bell, the author of ‘Love Wins,’ which have sold over 2 million copies. The app has been developed for iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system, and Android, Google’s mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel for smartphones.

“Having video content wherever you go and whenever you want it is probably the future, so why not have a NOOMA everywhere you go?” John Raymond, vice president and publisher of curriculum at Zondervan, informed The Grand Rapids Press newspaper.

There are 24 short films in the “NOOMA” series, each about 10 to 14 minutes long, and they blend everyday life with discussion about God. The first film in the series, ‘Rain,’ is free with each download of the new app while the other 23 films can be purchased for $2.99 each.

“The iPad and the iPhone are continuing to set record sales, so that’s definitely the place to be,” Raymond added. “But there are also an enormous number of smartphones being used, plus several new Android platforms available for smartphone and tablets.”

‘NOOMA’ is the first app to have been developed by Zondervan.

“To have ourselves positioned in both platforms is a healthy way to watch how users acquire their content,” Raymond said, before adding the company would look to bring out additional apps once it understands the market better.

“We’re trying to figure out what makes the most sense to an end user,” he said. “Once we’re pretty clear on what that is, that is the direction we’ll go in.”