Exact replica of Noah's Ark is built in the Netherlands

A man from the Netherlands has been working hard on an identical replica of Noah’s ark, built to the exact measurements recorded in the Bible.

Johan Huibers is a construction company owner and has been working on the ark for the last few years but expects to be finished by July, according to a report in The New York Times.

This is the second time Huibers has built an ark, the last model being slightly smaller but it still managed to attract over 600,000 people to view it. Huibers told the newspaper that he desired to point people towards God through his construction and plans to use it as a live example of the story of Noah using real animals.

A small town in Netherlands by the name of Dordrecht is hoping to convince Huibers to bring the ark to the town in order to draw tourists. Dordrecht has been struggling with rising water levels causing damage to local farmlands and they desperately need funding to save the town. However, Huibers is hoping to take the ark to London for the Olympic Games next year.

Algerian Christian sentenced to five-years in prison for ‘blasphemy’

An Algerian court has handed down a five year sentence to a Christian for ‘blasphemy,’ according to a report from International Christian Concern.

Charges were laid against Siagh Krimo by his neighbour because Krimo shared his faith with him by giving him a Christian CD. The neighbour accused Krim of proselytising and making defamatory statements against the prophet Muhammad.

The court tried Krimo based solely on the complaint filed by his neighbor.

Krimo was charged under an article of the Algerian Penal Code that makes it a criminal offence to "insult the prophet" or "denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam". Krimo has ten days to appeal against the sentence.

Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, stated: "Algerian Christians have been under attack in recent weeks as laws have been increasingly enforced to discriminate against them.

"While Algeria professes that it upholds religious freedom, it also embraces a blasphemy law that, by its very nature, can be used to prosecute anyone who does not adhere to the religion of Islam.

"We urge Algeria to acquit Siagh of all charges and repeal Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code."

“He gave a CD to a neighbor, and for that he has to spend five years in prison,” said the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), Mustapha Krim, trying to contain his disbelief. “The hearing went well, and the lawyer defended well, yet in the end the judge gave him the maximum punishment.”

Krim said that if the courts start interpreting the law as it did in Krimo’s case, then the future of Algeria’s Christians is bleak.

“If they start applying the law like that, it means there is no respect for Christianity,” Krim said, “and pretty soon all the Christians of Algeria will find themselves in prison. If the simple fact of giving a CD to your neighbor costs five years in prison, this is catastrophic.”

(Image depicts Algerian church).

The Archbishop of Orissa reflects on the daily persecution his flock endures

At his induction service, the new Archbishop of Orissa, John Barwa, said that three years after the massacre in Kandhamal, Orissa, the Christian faith is thriving despite ongoing safety threats.

The persecution of Christians in Orissa still exists, but the faith of people has been growing, and "even the number of faithful is increasing", said the new Archbishop.

Barwa's archdiocese includes the Kandhamal district, where over 60 Christians were murdered and thousands forced to flee and hide in the jungles after the death of a Hindu leader in August 2008.

"Persecution exists, we face many challenges, not without concerns. But we believe that persecution is part of our Christian vocation and Christian life. We are not afraid, but we live it as a blessing from God," the Archbishop told Fides last week in an interview.

"We know that where there is persecution, faith is strengthened, and today I am proud to say that faith in my people is strengthening.

"The blood shed for the faith in Christ is always the seed for new Christians: in Orissa the number of Christians is increasing."

According to a report compiled by the All India Christian Council, over 14 of the 30 districts in the state of Orissa were impacted by the violence and 6,000 houses were burnt in 400 villages, including 296 churches and smaller places of Christian worship.

Barwa stated there was still a "subtle form of oppression and intimidation" carried out and that some Christians who fled in terror have not yet been able to return to their homes.

"At the base there is hatred and hostility against Christians that result in discrimination on behalf of some sectors of society and also by the institutions."

The Archbishop said his confidence in justice, police and civil authorities had been rocked but that the results of ongoing trials would show whether people can really have faith in these systems.

"Today we do not feel sufficiently secure and protected. Furthermore, at least so far, we have not received justice for the violence suffered," he insisted.

"Orissa is a test for the respect and administration of justice in India."

Does social media make us care more?

A new study has found that people who follow social media carefully are more likely to care about others, according to thenextweb.com.

Research done on 24,000 consumers living in the 16 biggest countries in the world has discovered that those who are on the cutting edge of the latest social media developments and who are closely connected to others through this technology are more ‘prosocial’ than average, meaning they are more likely to engage in volunteer work, offer their seats in crowded places, lend possessions out and give directions to others.

A Netherlands-based independent non-profit organisation called ‘Let’s Heal’ compiled the research as part of their goal to assist brands in becoming more prosocial - brands that assist others by doing good.

“It’s no secret that I’m especially interested in ‘Meaningful Prosocial Brands’ in particular, because rather than just helping others, they facilitate their consumers to help others and in doing this, they can mobilize a large force for good,” stated Let’s Heal founder Mark Woerde.

“‘Meaningful Prosocial Brands’ go beyond social responsibility. These brands use their marketing power and engage target groups to the max and facilitate them to help other people by tackling small or big societal issues.”

Woerde illustrated his point by citing the nappy company Pampers as an example of a prosocial brand, saying it has committed to ending the threat of tetanus by the year 2013. For every Pampers pack that is bought, one child is vaccinated against tetanus.

The study found that 72% of keen social media adherents prefer to purchase prosocial brands, compared to 61% of people who are less involved in social media networking. Similarly, 81% of keen social media adherents prefer to work for prosocial brands compared to 61% of those who are less involved.

Whether this is because socially orientated people who feel burdened by the concerns of others are likely to want to connect through social media anyway, or because social media actually does promote positive and healing interaction with others remains to be decided.

You can make up your own mind after reading the full study at LetsHeal.org.

Russian teenager killed herself ahead of predicted Rapture

A teenager from the Republic of Mari El in Central Russia committed suicide on the morning of May 21st, allegedly because she was deeply afraid of the end of the world, which had been predicted by preacher Harold Camping to occur later that day.

Camping’s prediction was all over the news, and the 14-year-old Nastya Zachinova believed it to be true, her family has said. After returning from school on the Saturday in which the rapture had been predicted to occur, she took her life.

Zachinova’s personal diary reveals her fears that she and her family would only suffer during the apocalypse.

"We are not righteous; only the righteous will go to heaven, and we'll stay on earth and face terrible suffering," she wrote.

Zachinova also sent a farewell text message saying she did not want to die with everyone else and so was taking her life in advance.

"She took this date too close to heart," Zachinova’s mother told the press.

Police suspect that there may be something more behind the story, however, and are currently gathering reports from the teenager’s friends. They believe someone may have been behind the terror the girl lived with in her last days.

After Camping’s prediction did not come true, the preacher said he misunderstood the date as a ‘spiritual rapture,’ and that the physical end of the world would now come on October 21.

(Image is not factual but stylistic).

British MP complains that Christians in the UK are being persecuted

A British MP has challenged the treatment of Christians in the United Kingdom in a debate in the House of Commons this week.

MP David Simpson told fellow ministers that if they wanted to see examples of Christian persecution they need do no more than “simply look to our own back door”.

“In the United Kingdom, the policy seems to be that people can do whatever they like against Christianity – criticise it or blaspheme the name of Christ – as long as they do not insult Islam,” he argued.

“It is sad because this country is based on civil and religious liberty for all. When Queen Victoria was on the throne, the secret behind England’s greatness was its open scriptures and open Bible.

“Today, that policy is being hammered into the ground, and that concerns me greatly for the years and months that lie ahead.”

The debate in Commons arose out of the case of a Christian driver ordered to remove a small cross from the dashboard of his company van over concerns it would cause offense to people of other faith. This despite the fact the same company allowed a Muslim employee to display a verse from the Koran in her company car.

Mr Simpson also raised his concern for the plight of Christians in other parts of the world such as Nigeria where he said there was “wave upon wave” of violent attacks against Christians in post-election violence, and Pakistan, where the controversial blasphemy law has been used to imprison minority faiths. He said Britain had a responsibility to use its influence to help establish democracy in places like Egypt and Tunisia.

“Although the current situation for Christians in many Middle East countries is difficult, it could become increasing dangerous in the coming months and years,” he warned saying Britain had a responsibility to assist in establishing democracy in these countries.

“We, as a Parliament and a nation, should not be like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan and simply pass by on the other side.”

Although many of these countries were important trading partners, Mr Simpson stressed the correct response by the British government to human rights violations is not “silence”.

“I urge the Government not simply to chase the financial bottom line in our dealings with neighbours and partners,” Simpson added.

“As one of the great economies of the world and one of the beacons of democratic freedom, we have a duty to use all of our influence to help those who suffer injustice around the world.

“There is a rising tide of affliction that is swelling around Christians across the world.

“This nation and this Parliament should be more to the fore in the campaign against that and for civil and religious liberty. I urge the Government and all hon. Members to rise to that challenge.”

Bill Gates pleads the case of the poor before Capitol Hill

Bill Gates, the famed founder of Microsoft now spends his time as one of the world’s most active philanthropists in his capacity as co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This week Gates traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington to plead with the United States Congress to continue funding aid programs aimed at alleviating global poverty even during the present fiscal crisis that America is struggling with.

Gates challenged his listeners to take "courage" despite the enormous Federal debt and to continue investing in the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, saying it was the right thing to do.

"Yes, we have to watch the deficit," Gates admitted. "But a financial crisis should become a crisis of courage – and it should not force cuts in programs that pay huge returns."

The multi-billionaire also mentioned the importance of increasing aid to assist poor African farmers in becoming more productive. Farmers in these situations do not have access to the resources they need to make the most of their farms, and also struggle to afford to transport their produce to markets.

World Vision's international news manager, Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz, said that Gates was an extremely valuable ally in spreading a "very important message."