Faith

Brutal female police enforce ISIS sharia vision on women of caliphate

The Islamic State’s bid to impose Dark Ages law on the women within its so-called caliphate depends on a merciless cadre of young women who roam the streets of Raqqa, terrorizing females who fall short of the standard of strict Shariah. Known as the Al-Khansa brigade, the group consists of about 60 armed women between the ages of 18 and 24 who patrol the Islamic State’s Syrian stronghold. Their job, which they are said to perform with cruel relish, is to arrest and beat women who commit such transgressions as allowing ankles or wrists to show or being seen without a male chaperone.

Which Religions Would Have The Hardest Time Accepting Alien Life?

At Scientific American, Clara Moskowitz has the transcript from a recent interview with Weintraub, in which they discuss the implications of extraterrestrial life on humanity’s assorted religious sensibilities. Here’s Weintraub on the difficulties that could be faced by religions that see humans as “the sole focus of God’s attention”: The religions that see the world through that viewpoint tend to be some of the Christian evangelicals.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Tells Pastors To Perform Gay Weddings Or Face Jail

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit and a motion for a temporary restraining order Friday to stop officials in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, from forcing two ordained Christian ministers to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples. City officials told Donald Knapp that he and his wife, Evelyn—both ordained ministers who run Hitching Post Wedding Chapel—are required to perform such ceremonies or face months in jail and/or thousands of dollars in fines. The city claims its “non-discrimination” ordinance requires the Knapps to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies now that the courts have overridden Idaho’s voter-approved constitutional amendment that affirmed marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

What Does Pope Francis Mean When He Says That ‘God Is Not Afraid Of New Things’?

Pope Francis on Sunday, as he beatified Pope Paul VI who implemented the Second Vatican Council’s vast changes, called on the church to adapt to “changing conditions of society.” His remarks took on added meaning as the bishops ended a two-week conference by rejecting landmark wording that would soften the church’s stance toward homosexuality and divorce. “God is not afraid of new things,” Francis pointedly said during the beatification Mass.

Pakistan Court Upholds Death Sentence Against Christian Woman Who Allegedly Drank Water From a Well Reserved for Muslims

A Christian woman who was given the death penalty last year for drinking water from a well reserved for Muslims in Pakistan has had her appeal against the sentence rejected by the Lahore high court. Breitbart reported on the original case last year, which arose after Aasiya Noreen, a fruit picker, stopped to refresh herself during the course of her day’s work. After she was caught drinking from the same cup used by Muslim women, the well was declared “Haram”, and Noreen was beaten for the offence, before being arrested.

Billy Graham: America is Just as Wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah Ever Were

Reverend Billy Graham, arguably the most well-known and respected evangelical preacher of the last 50 years, said in a recently published commentary that America was “founded by men who believed in prayer” and that prayer can turn “the tide of history,” adding that while “America is just as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah” and deserves “the judgment of God,” this judgment can be lessened through prayer. “Even though America is just as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah ever were, and as deserving of the judgment of God, God would spare us if we were earnestly praying, with hearts that had been cleansed and washed by the blood of Christ,” said Rev. Graham in his commentary for Decision magazine, published by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Teenage vandals swarm Brooklyn deli while yelling anti-Semitic slurs

A group of teenagers vandalized a Brooklyn deli on Saturday night after leaving a raucous party nearby, said police. Surveillance footage of the event shows the teens storming the entrance of Gourmet Butcher, a deli in crown heights at just after 9pm. The young vandals can be seen knocking over shelves in the front of the store and grabbing armfuls of candy as they threw storage on the ground.

Why Are So Many Middle-Aged Men Falling Into Adultery?

Erotic stimuli bombard us from everywhere today. There’s also the elimination of restraints and sexual taboos. Add to this lethal mix the pervasive encouragement to indulge in sexual permissiveness via TV, films, magazines and the Internet.

Vatican document challenges Church to change attitude to gays

In a dramatic shift in tone, a Vatican document said on Monday that homosexuals had “gifts and qualities to offer” and asked if Catholicism could accept gays and recognize positive aspects of same-sex couples. Roman Catholic gay rights groups around the world hailed the paper as a breakthrough, but Church conservatives called it a betrayal of traditional family values. The document, prepared after a week of discussions at an assembly of 200 bishops on the family, said the Church should challenge itself to find “a fraternal space” for homosexuals without compromising Catholic doctrine on family and matrimony.

Are The World’s Religions Ready For E.T.?

In 1930, Albert Einstein was asked for his opinion about the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. “Other beings, perhaps, but not men,” he answered. Then he was asked whether science and religion conflict.

Temple Institute Raises One Hundred Thousand Dollars For Third Temple Plans

The Temple Institute’s crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the modern architectural plans for the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem came to a close on Rosh Hashanah after surpassing its $100,000 goal in 60 days. The initiative began on the first day of the month of Av, when Jews commemorate the destruction of the ancient Holy Temples. Almost 900 pledges have come in from more than 30 countries worldwide.

Temple Institute In Israel Raises $100k for Third Temple Plans

The Temple Institute’s crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the modern architectural plans for the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem came to a close on Rosh Hashanah after surpassing its $100,000 goal in 60 days. The initiative began on the first day of the month of Av, when Jews commemorate the destruction of the ancient Holy Temples. Almost 900 pledges have come in from more than 30 countries worldwide.

Pope’s Astronomer Guy Consolmagno Says ‘Aliens Exist’

The astronomer of Pope Francis has said he believes there is life beyond Earth. Brother Guy Consolmagno, president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, made the comment in the booklet Would You Baptise an Extraterrestrial?, which he wrote with astronomer Father Paul Muller.

A Man With A Gun Stopped The Oklahoma Beheader From Murdering Another Woman

Anti-gun liberals of the world please take note – it was a man with a gun that stopped the Oklahoma beheader from beheading another woman. If a man with a gun had not been there and had not shot 30-year-old Alton Alexander Nolen, he would have finished his attack on his second female victim. And after that, Nolen would have probably kept beheading people for as long as he could before the authorities arrived.

Arizona Football Coach Suspended for Praying with Team

A high school football coach in Arizona has been suspended for two weeks for joining his team in prayer. Tom Brittain is the head varsity coach for Tempe Preparatory Academy, a state funded charter school. According to reports, Brittain recently asked one of the players on his team to lead the group in prayer, and then joined the team as they thanked the Lord following a winning game.

100 Christians, Including Children, Arrested During Major House Church Raid in China

Over 100 Christians, including children, were arrested during a major house church raid on Sunday in Foshan city in China’s Guangdong Province. Close to 200 police officers stormed in during the service, eyewitnesses said, believed to be part of a large-scale crackdown on Christians in the country. “We don’t know exactly why they raided our church,” a local believer told watchdog group International Christian Concern, which has been keeping track of the rising tide of persecution in China.

‘Shemitah’ starts at sundown: Are you ready?

The ancient principle of the “Shemitah” goes back 3,000 years to the time of Moses, but a rabbi from New Jersey is warning Americans to pull out their Bibles and take note. The year of the Shemitah, also called the Sabbath year, begins at sundown Wednesday with the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and continues through Sept. 13, 2015.

Vatican astronomer: Just a matter of time until life found elsewhere in the universe

Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, the new president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, has no doubt that life exists elsewhere in the universe and that when humanity discovers it, the news will come as no big surprise. He suggested that the likely discovery — whether next month or a millennium from now — will be received much the way that news of planets orbiting far off stars has filtered in since the 1990s. “The general public is going to be, ‘Oh, I knew that.

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