All posts filed under: z437

Montana completely bans TikTok across the state

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Montana became the first US state to completely ban the downloading of the social media app, TikTok, for all its citizens, Fox News reports. The government had previously banned TikTok from being downloaded on government phones over concerns that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is closely connected to the Chinese Communist Party. Fox News explains the reason behind the ban: “Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information on American citizens or push pro-Beijing misinformation that could influence the public. TikTok says none of this has ever happened.“ The new law would fine any business and/or TikTok $10,000 each day that they allow people in the state to download the app. Users themselves would not be penalized for downloading the app. TikTok says it plans to challenge the legislation in court. Fox News adds that over half of the US states have banned the app on government-owned phones. READ: Montana becomes …

1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible sells for $38.1 million

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The Codex Sassoon is over 1,000 years old and is considered the world’s oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible, which is the Old Testament in Christian Bibles. Dated to around the 9th Century, the ancient Bible recently sold for $38.1 million at a Sotheby auction in New York City on May 17, 2023, the New York Post reports. The Bible is composed of 792 pages written on animal skins and is almost fully intact as it is only missing 12 pages. According to the New York Post, it set the record for the most expensive manuscript ever auctioned. It was purchased by American Friends of ANU, with a large donation from former US ambassador Alfred Moses, on behalf of the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, where it will be put on permanent display. READ: World’s oldest, most complete Hebrew Bible sold for $38.1M at auction

Judge rules that it is not illegal to attend a house Church in Iran

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Morning Star News is reporting a surprise turn of events in Iran, when a judge overturned the conviction of Homayoun Zhaveh, 64, and his wife, Sara Ahmadi, 45, who had been found guilty of attending a home church in 2020. Despite persecution, Iran has one of the fastest-growing Christian populations in the world In 2019, Iran’s Intelligence Minister, Mahmoud Alavi, warned Muslim clerics at a gathering of Islamic leaders about the growth of Christianity in their country, Iranwire reported. He told the group that Muslims are converting to Christianity because they wanted peace and were tired of the violence being propagated by Islamic clerics. In an effort to hinder Christianity’s growth, the country’s intelligence agencies claimed that participation in house churches was a political threat to the country’s security. However, in overturning the conviction of the two Iranian Christians, the Appeals Court judge ruled that it was not illegal to attend a house church in Iran. He even suggested that it was ‘natural’ for people with a common faith to gather together. “The reports by …

Will the ‘New York Times’ and ‘Washington Post’ return their Pulitzers?

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The release of the Durham report on Monday, May 15, 2023, confirmed what everyone already knew that any accusations Donald Trump colluded with the Russians were based on a lie. Breitbart provides more details: Now that the Monday release of the Durham Report has debunked every facet of the Russia Collusion allegation and proved the whole thing was a politically-motivated smear campaign invented by Hillary Clinton, blessed by Barack Obama, and furthered by the FBI, there have been numerous calls for these left-wing outlets to return their fake Pulitzers. Why should someone be rewarded for spreading a hoax? the thinking goes. Well, I will and have argued that these corporate news outlets knew all along it was a hoax. Yes, the New York Times and the Washington Post both won Pulitzer prizes for their coverage of the Russian collusion, and now many are stating these awards should be returned. And it’s not just Breitbart suggesting this. Apparently, the Daily Mail contacted both the New York Times and Washington Post asking if they planned to return their …

California’s government can’t force churches to provide abortion coverage Federal court rules

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When the State of California decided to force churches to provide abortion coverage for their employees, four churches successfully fought back against this infringement on their religious freedom guaranteed under the First Amendment. Two federal courts have consequently ruled that the government can’t force churches to provide abortions and required the state to cover $1.4 million in attorney fees for the victorious churches. In both cases, the churches were represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The first case involved Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego and in the second case ADF successfully represented three churches, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch and Foothill Church in Glendora. In its news release, ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus said, “The government can’t force a church or any other religious employer to violate their faith and conscience by participating in funding abortion.” But there was more going on here than just that. “For years, California officials, in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, have unconstitutionally targeted faith-based organizations,” Galus added. “This is …

Healing the Brokenhearted

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By Rick Renner

Although Christmastime was a joyous time for our family, Christmas Day itself reminded me about the pain of broken families. My grandfather had been married four times; two of my grandmothers had been married twice; a great-grandmother had been married five times; an uncle had been married three times; and the list seemed to go on and on.

The number of people attending in-person church services continues to rise

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According to the American Bible Society (ABS), the number of people attending in-person church services in the US is on the rise, the Christian Post reports. During the pandemic not only were many churches forced to temporarily shut down, but it also impacted attendance as people chose to stay home and watch services online. But that downward trend has stopped, and though a sizeable percentage of people are still deciding to view services online, the number of people attending church services is steadily going up according to ABS’s “State of the Bible USA 2023” report. The survey, which is taken annually, has noticed a steady increase in church attendance over the past three years. In 2021, 38% of people who answered the survey said they attended church services. This increased to 56% in 2022 and in 2023, 67% of people stated they were now attending in-person church services. There was also a corresponding decline in those watching online services over this same period. In 2021, 45% of responders said they watched services online, and in …

The Daily Mail’s ten most likely world-ending events

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There has been talk in recent months about apocalyptic events that could lead to the end of the world. Some of it has undoubtedly been sparked by COVID and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In an article for the Daily Mail, Sam Tonkin recently discussed the ten most likely scenarios that could result in the end of humanity, from a secular and scientific point of view. Of course, the Bible also warns of a series of horrific apocalyptic events that would devastate the world leading to the second coming of Christ. With that as the theme, I want to provide a Biblical perspective on Tonkin’s ten world-ending events. Giant Asteroid Hits Earth The first world-ending devastation that Tonkin had on his list was a giant asteroid hitting the Earth. Of course, many believe it was an asteroid that selectively killed off every dinosaur, but somehow spared the life of other creatures. This idea has become such a serious concern that NASA and other space agencies are now monitoring our solar system for potential asteroids and recently …

Toronto’s ‘anti-capitalist’ café shutting down

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The closure of a coffee shop in Toronto, Canada once again demonstrates the shortcomings of communism and socialism, Breitbart reports. Officially, billed as “anti-capitalist, anti-colonial cafe, shop and radical community space on stolen land,” The Anarchist Cafe opened in March 2022 with much fanfare to display of the glories of communism and anarchy. Consumers were instructed to ‘pay what you can’ for their coffee, which was supposed to be covered by more expensive items on the menu. The cafe will be officially closing its doors on May 31, 2023. In a post explaining his decision to close, owner Gabriel Sims-Fewer wrote: “It’s been an amazing experience, connecting with so many great community members, sparking desperately needed debate, raising the blood pressure of Conservatives (that includes you, “anarcho-capitalists” and “Libertarians”), fulfilling the dream of most service workers by not having to tolerate the presence of professional class-traitors (pigs and military)” […] “Unfortunately, the lack of generational wealth/seed capital from ethically bankrupt sources left me unable to weather the quiet winter season, or to grow in the …

A pair of Blue Tits hijack a Garden Center’s birdhouse

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A garden center in Newport Pagnell, England was forced to block off a display of birdhouses that it had for sale, after a pair of blue tits decided to hijack one and build a nest inside it, the Daily Mail reports. Apparently, they didn’t bother paying for it either. The store manager, Nina Konig, took it all in stride, and blocked off the aisle, so people wouldn’t disturb the nesting pair stating that it was a ‘resounding endorsement’ of their birdhouses. ‘They seem to have settled in very well,” Konig added, “and are unfazed by the hustle and bustle of a busy shop environment.” Apparently, the pair have also been stealing seeds at the garden center and are not beyond breaking into sealed bags if they aren’t particularly enamored by what is lying around. READ: Garden centre is forced to cordon off its display of bird houses … after pair of crafty blue tits make one their home

AI: Should we be afraid?

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“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” (Pogo) Have you heard the news stories about AI or Artificial Intelligence? Some people are worried. Should we be worried? AI can write for us, and soon we will have videos that seem real but are artificial creations of fake people speaking. Imagine if someone that you know sends you a video, with them asking you for money. If the voice and the appearance seem accurate, you might send the money, to help your friend. And then imagine that your actual friend contacts you. So, who got your money? Scenarios like this scare some people, as computer-generated technology becomes more sophisticated. How will we know what is real? I remember, many years ago, one person in my circle of friends was a law student at a university, and he was about to graduate. I remember that he smiled and told us, quietly, that in his entire university career, he had never written a single assignment. I didn’t ask if he wrote any exams. Of course, he …

Trust only 70% of the science?

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While the political elite repeatedly tells us that we need to trust the science, a recent study by German researchers has concluded that 25% of the published medical research papers and 34% of the neuroscience papers they examined are bogus, The Blaze reports. The researchers attributed this to paper-mills that “use AI-supported, automated production techniques at scale and sell fake publications to students, scientists, and physicians under pressure to advance their careers.” The Blaze adds: According to the newly released study conducted by Sabel and other German researchers, which has itself yet to undergo peer review, there were an estimated 300,000 red-flagged, fake publications among the 1.3 million biomedical publications listed in the SCImago portal. Sabel estimated around 34% of neuroscience papers published in 2020 were bogus. “It is just too hard to believe,” Sabel told the journal Science, suggesting that it is as if “somebody tells you 30% of what you eat is toxic.” The researchers noted that one group of 712 papers that were classified as “problematic” had been cited in other papers …

The Apostle Paul’s run-in with the representative of the Nabatean King, Aretas IV

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Archaeologists have reported discovering a Nabatean temple dated to the time of Christ and the apostles at the bottom of the harbor of the Italian city of Pozzuoli. The discovery included two altars that were part of the worship of the Nabatean god, Dushara. You may be familiar with some of the ruins of the ancient Nabatean kingdom, which was located in the desert area east of the Jordan River and extended to Petra, Jordan, where they carved out a city inside a mountain. These particular ruins were popularized in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But what you may not be so familiar with is that during his missionary journeys, the Apostle Paul had a run-in with a representative of a Nabatean King by the name of Aretas IV: 32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket through a window [a]in the wall, and so escaped his hands. (2 Corinthians 11:32-33 NASV) …

Poll: 87% of Americans who prayed state prayers were answered in the past year

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A survey released in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer held this year on May 4, 2023, found that the vast majority of people who pray reported an answer to prayer in the past year, The Christian Post reports. This survey sponsored in part by Radiant Foundation polled 1,700 Americans and discovered that of those Americans who say they pray, 87% reported having at least one answer to prayer over the past 12 months. The survey also found that 85% of Americans said they regularly connected with what the poll described as a higher power. The most common way of doing this was through prayer, 61%, followed by meditation 39%, and mindfulness, 38%. The top three issues that people most often prayed for included: READ: 87% of Americans who pray say their prayers were answered in the last year: study AND Prayer is Everywhere

Cancel culture targets a Mother’s Day sign at Toronto school

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In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, an elementary school in Toronto Canada, Kew Beach Junior Public School, put up a cute message on their school sign to honor moms that simply read: “Life does not come with a manual. It comes with a mom.” We have one day which we set aside each year to honor the sacrifice that moms have made for us, and now it seems the perpetual ‘outrage’ mob is coming after that. Shortly after the message was put up, someone complained about the sign on social media calling it ‘harmful’ and ‘exclusionary’, the Toronto Sun reports. Well, a day or so later the school caved, and the message was taken down. We all have a mother, and it seems we can’t even set aside one day to honor them in our modern enlightened culture. As Jerry Agar explained in his Toronto Sun article, “When you are attacking Mom, you have reached the literal bottom of the barrel.” “I would not be writing about this because some socially active trouble maker took …

PETA uses AI to rewrite the Book of Genesis

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PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) just announced that it has rewritten the Book of Genesis to conform to PETA’s beliefs, Faithwire reports. In its statement released on May 3, PETA stated that it used ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence, to rewrite the first book of the Bible, “to send a can’t-be-missed animal rights message filled with vegan teachings. PETA hopes the new, cruelty-free Story of Creation will appeal to Generation Z, 73% of whom identify as animal rights activists.” Essentially, the organization is trying to recreate God in its own image. Some changes include a rewrite of Genesis 22, where God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac and at the last minute provided a Ram as a substitutionary sacrifice. In PETA’s rewrite, Abraham actually befriends a lamb instead, as PETA insists God would not permit animal cruelty, such as the sacrifice of a ram. And of course, we can’t forget about Herbie. That is the name of the dog that Abraham and Sarah apparently adopted, to push PETA’s narrative that people should …