“Now
to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
(Romans
4:4-5)
Faith Is Counted For Righteousness
I’m not perfect. And who knows how many times I’ve fallen short. We all fall short. That’s the amazing thing about the grace of God.—Tim Tebow
I came to see that the image of God that I had been raised with was woefully incomplete. I came to know a God who is, in the words of the psalmist, “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”1
Grace comes free of charge to people who do not deserve it, and I am one of those people. I think back to who I was—resentful, wound up tight with anger, a single hardened link in a long chain of ungrace learned from family and church. Now I am trying in my own small way to pipe the tune of grace. I do so because I know, more surely than I know anything, that any pang of healing or forgiveness or goodness I have ever felt comes solely from the grace of God.—Philip Yancey
The Christian faith is not about performance; it’s about God’s relentless tenderness and love. You are the prodigal child, the pearl of great price, and the treasure in the field, Jesus said through parables. And he instructed his followers to address God as abba, our daddy.
Christianity is not primarily a moral code, or an ethic, or a philosophy of life. It’s a love affair. Jesus takes us to the father, and they pour out the Holy Spirit upon us—not to be nicer people with better morals, but brand-new creations, prophets, lovers, human torches ignited with the flaming Spirit of the living God.
Self-condemnation and gloom block God’s way to us. The key is to let yourself be loved in your brokenness. Let the focus of your inner life rest on one truth, the staggering, mind-blowing truth that God loves you unconditionally as you are and not as you should be. Because nobody is as they should be.—Brennan Manning
The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: grace.—Max Lucado
By the law we are judged for our sins and condemned to suffer and die. Jesus came to save us by His love, by His grace, by His mercy, offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins and thereby fulfilling the law. And Jesus said that all the law and the prophets hang on love for God and love for our neighbors.
But when people are not willing to receive the freedom that God’s Spirit and salvation by grace give, they often turn back to legalism and the law to prove their points. And when they do that, they are also turning their backs on the freedom of grace and the liberty which the Lord has given us.
You’ve either got to go all the way by accepting salvation by grace or you’ve got to go all the way by attempting to earn your salvation by works and keeping the law, because if you fail to keep the law even on one point, you are held accountable for the whole law.2
So “stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free!”3—David Brandt Berg
When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award, yet receives such a gift anyway, that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.—G. W. Knight
Now I will say this to every sinner, though he should think himself to be the worst sinner who ever lived: cry to the Lord and seek Him while He may be found. A throne of grace is a place fitted for you. By simple faith, go to your Savior, for He is the throne of grace.—Charles Spurgeon
Watching a trapeze show is breathtaking. We wonder at the dexterity and timing. We gasp at near-misses. In most cases, there is a net underneath. When they fall, they jump up and bounce back to the trapeze.
In Christ, we live on the trapeze. The whole world should be able to watch and say, “Look how they live, how they love one another. Look how well the husbands treat their wives. And aren’t they the best workers, the best neighbors, the best students?” That is to live on the trapeze, being a show to the world.
What happens when we slip? The net is surely there. The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has provided forgiveness for ALL our trespasses. Both the net and the ability to stay on the trapeze are works of God’s grace.—Juan Carlos Ortiz
I do not at all understand the mystery of grace—only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.—Anne Lamott
*
A story of grace: One cold winter’s day a 10-year-old boy was standing barefoot in front of a shoe store, peering through the window and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and asked him what he was doing.
“I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” the boy replied.
The lady took him by the hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get a half dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the boy to the back part of the store, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel.
By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she then purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, “No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?”
As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words: “Are you God’s wife?”—Author unknown
***
Archaeology Hub
Archaeologists Discover Remains of Egyptian Army From the Biblical Exodus in Red Sea
Sunday, February 7, 2016 4:14 am, Posted by Admin
Egypt's Antiquities Ministry announced this morning that a team of underwater archaeologists had discovered that remains of a large Egyptian army from the 14th century BC, at the bottom of the Gulf of Suez, 1.5 kilometers offshore from the modern city of Ras Gharib. The team was searching for the remains of ancient ships and artifacts related to Stone Age and Bronze Age trade in the Red Sea area, when they stumbled upon a gigantic mass of human bones darkened by age.
The scientists lead by Professor Abdel Muhammad Gader and associated with Cairo University's Faculty of Archaeology, have already recovered a total of more than 400 different skeletons, as well as hundreds of weapons and pieces of armor, also the remains of two war chariots, scattered over an area of approximately 200 square meters. They estimate that more than 5000 other bodies could be dispersed over a wider area, suggesting that an army of large size who have perished on the site.
This magnificient blade from an egyptian khopesh, was certainly the weapon of an important character. It was discovered near the remains of a richly decorated war chariot, suggesting it could have belonged to a prince or nobleman.
Many clues on the site have brought Professor Gader and his team to conclude that the bodies could be linked to the famous episode of the Exodus. First of all, the ancient soldiers seem to have died on dry ground, since no traces of boats or ships have been found in the area. The positions of the bodies and the fact that they were stuck in a vast quantity of clay and rock, implie that they could have died in a mudslide or a tidal wave.
The shear number of bodies suggests that a large ancient army perished on the site and the dramatic way by which they were killed, both seem to corroborate the biblical version of the Red Sea Crossing, when the army of the Egyptian Pharaoh was destroyed by the returning waters that Moses had parted. This new find certainly proves that there was indeed an Egyptian army of large size that was destroyed by the waters of the Red Sea during the reign of King Akhenaten.
For centuries, the famous biblical account of the Red Sea Crossing was dismissed by most scholars and historians as more symbolic than historical.
This astounding discovery brings undeniable scientific proof that one the most famous episodes of the Old Testament was indeed, based on an historical event. It brings a brand new perspective on a story that many historians have been considering for years as a work of fiction, and suggesting that other themes like the Plagues of Egypt could indeed have an historical base.
A lot more research and many more recovery operations are to be expected on the site over the next few years, as Professor Gader and his team have already announced their desire to retrieve the rest of the bodies and artifacts from was has turned out to be one of the richest archaeological underwater sites ever discovered ( via www.dailymedia.info ).
***
Townhall
Shame on the Silent Christian Leaders Who Refuse to Stand Against Government Tyranny
Michael Brown
Posted: Feb 17, 2017 12:01 AM
There is only one thing more appalling than the Washington Supreme Court’s 9-0 ruling against religious liberty on Friday. It is the silence of Christian leaders across America, leaders who choose convenience over confrontation, leaders who would rather be popular than prophetic, leaders who prefer the favor of people over the favor of God. Shame on these silent leaders. Today is a day to stand.
There are, of course, the handful of expected Christian voices protesting the court’s outrageous decision, as these justices ruled unanimously against florist Barronelle Stutzman, claiming that she discriminated against a longtime gay customer (named Robert Ingersoll) when she told him she couldn’t make the floral arrangement for his upcoming gay “wedding,” despite the fact that she had served him for years and despite her recommending three other florists who could do the arrangements for his wedding.
Instead, the court ruled that this 72-year-old grandmother who had employed gay workers and served gay customers for years, was required by law to participate in a gay wedding, even though this constituted a direct violation of her religious beliefs – beliefs which have been consistent and almost universally held among Christians for the last 2,000 years.
Not only so, but the court upheld the attack on her personal assets as well – her house, her savings, her retirement funds – by requiring her “to pay the attorneys’ fees that the ACLU racked up in suing her,” fees which could reach as high as one million dollars.
Previously, when Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, an aggressive liberal who brought the suit against Barronnelle, “announced he would accept $2,000 in penalties, $1 in fees and costs, plus an agreement not to discriminate in the future and to end further litigation,” Barronnelle rejected the proposed settlement.
She explained, “Your offer reveals that you don’t really understand me or what this conflict is all about. It’s about freedom, not money. I certainly don’t relish the idea of losing my business, my home, and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important. Washington’s constitution guarantees us ‘freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment.’ I cannot sell that precious freedom. You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver. That is something I will not do.”
She continued, “I pray that you reconsider your position. I kindly served Rob for nearly a decade and would gladly continue to do so. I truly want the best for my friend. I’ve also employed and served many members of the LGBT community, and I will continue to do so regardless of what happens with this case. You chose to attack my faith and pursue this not simply as a matter of law, but to threaten my very means of working, eating, and having a home. If you are serious about clarifying the law, then I urge you to drop your claims against my home, business, and other assets and pursue the legal claims through the appeal process.”
Today, on my radio show, shortly after the ruling was announced and with the full weight of the state’s ruling hanging over her head, she told me would do the same thing again (stating that when God changes His Word, she will change her mind), also stating without the slightest trace of bitterness that she would gladly serve Robert Ingersoll should he come into her store today.
Friends, what we are witnessing today is a breathtaking abuse of power, an extreme overreach by the government, a shocking example of LGBT activism out of control, yet over the next 7 days, church services will come and go without a word being spoken, and over the next 48 hours, the Christian blogosphere will remain relatively quiet. How can this be?
In the aftermath of the Holocaust, courageous Christian leader Basilea Schlink rebuked the silence of Christians immediately after Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass (November 9, 1938), when the Nazis set synagogues on fire and vandalized Jewish places of business, also killing and beating some Jewish victims as well. And while I am not comparing gay activists and their allies to Nazis and I am not comparing the Washington court’s ruling to Kristallnacht, I am comparing the silence of Christians then and now.
Please stop and read these words carefully.
Schlink wrote, “We are personally to blame. We all have to admit that if we, the entire Christian community, had stood up as one man and if, after the burning of the synagogues, we had gone out on the streets and voiced our disapproval, rung the church bells, and somehow boycotted the actions of the S.S., the Devil’s vassals would probably not have been at such liberty to pursue their evil schemes. But we lacked the ardor of love – love that is never passive, love that cannot bear it when its fellowmen are in misery, particularly when they are subjected to such appalling treatment and tortured to death. Indeed, if we had loved God, we would not have endured seeing those houses of God set ablaze; and holy, divine wrath would have filled our souls. . . . Oh, that we as Germans and as Christians would stand aghast and cry out ever anew, ‘What have we done!’ At every further evidence of our guilt may we repeat the cry.” (From her book Israel, My Chosen People: A German Confession Before God and the Jews.)
What adds to the tragic irony of the moment is that in recent weeks, designers have said they will no longer work with Melania Trump and stores have dropped Ivanka Trump product lines, not because of deeply held religious beliefs, which are explicitly protected by the First Amendment, but because of political differences. And these companies and individuals are being praised by liberal Americans for standing on their convictions. But when a Christian florist politely declines a gay couple’s request to design the floral arrangements for their “wedding” ceremony, she is taken to court and threatened with the loss of her business and all her personal assets.
Where is the righteous Christian indignation? And where are the bleeding-heart liberals who claim to care about the persecuted underdog? (Remember: The ACLU with its massive resources is leading the charge against Barronnelle.)
I can respect Christian leaders who try to stay out of the culture wars because they don’t want to drive their LGBT neighbors and friends away from the gospel – as long as they speak up at times like this, when our fundamental liberties are being trashed and when a gracious Christian grandmother is being savaged by the state. But should they remain silent at a time like this, the next time they raise their voices on behalf of the LGBT community (and against the conservative evangelicals they so frequently attack) they will be shouting one message to the world: “I am a hypocritical coward!”
Let me urge you, then, to do three things: 1) share this article with others to help spread the word; 2) make a statement about this gross injustice however you can (on social media; to your family; from your pulpit – I’m urging every pastor reading this column to say something to your flock the next opportunity you have); 3) go to this website to stand with Barronnelle and her team; 4) pray for God to awaken the Church of America.
Will you take a stand today?
***
CNN
Norma McCorvey, plaintiff in Roe. v. Wade abortion case, dies
By Ellie Kaufman and Shawn Nottingham, CNN
Updated 2325 GMT (0725 HKT) February 18, 2017
Story highlights
Norma McCorvey later regretted her role in Roe v. Wade, a priest says
The 1973 Supreme Court decision legalized the right to an abortion
(CNN)Norma McCorvey, known as "Jane Roe," the anonymous plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court case that established a constitutional right to abortion, died on Saturday, a priest close to her family said. Multiple media sources said she was 69.
McCorvey died at 12:07 p.m. ET in the Houston area with her daughter, Melissa, and several grandchildren present, the Rev. Frank Pavone said on Facebook.
Pavone did not give the cause of death but said McCorvey had been a heavy smoker and had respiratory problems. She'd been in and out of assisted living facilities over the past year.
McCorvey once supported the pro-choice movement but switched sides in 1995. She converted to Christianity, joined anti-abortion activists and started an outreach group called Roe No More.
"I am dedicated to spending the rest of my life undoing the law that bears my name," McCorvey said in an anti-abortion TV advertisement.
Landmark ruling
McCorvey began her association with one of the nation's most contentious and volatile sociopolitical issues in 1970 when she became the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit challenging the Texas law that prohibited abortions except to save a pregnant woman's life. The defendant was Henry Wade, the longtime district attorney in Dallas County.
Norma McCorvey, "Jane Roe" in Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court case that established a constitutional right to abortion, has died, a priest close to her family said in a statement Saturday, February 18. She later became active in the anti-abortion movement after the landmark Supreme Court ruling. Here, in 1989, McCorvey and attorney Gloria Allred leave the Supreme Court after listening to arguments in a Missouri abortion case.
A federal court declared the Texas law unconstitutional and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which handed down its ruling on January 22, 1973.
The 7-2 ruling affirmed the legality of a woman's right to have an abortion in the United States under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and sparked a political debate that remains charged to this day.
"Prior to Roe, whether one could obtain a legal abortion in the face of an unwanted pregnancy was a crapshoot," David Garrow, author of "Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade," told CNN on the ruling's anniversary in 2013. "For 40 years now, it's been a constitutionally guaranteed right."
'I Am Roe'
McCorvey, who was on her third pregnancy when the case was filed, never had an abortion.
She gave birth to a girl, who was given up for adoption. The Supreme Court ruling came several years after the birth.
In the 1980s, she went public with her identity and wrote a book titled "I Am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice."
In the book, McCorvey, a ninth-grade dropout, describes a tough life, explaining that she suffered physical and emotional abuse as a child, spent some time in reform school in Gainesville, Texas, and was raped as a teenager. A husband whom she married at 16 later beat her. She also tells of her alcohol and drug abuse and experiences with lovers of both sexes.
Her first child, Melissa, was raised by her mother; her second child was raised by the father, and the couple agreed that McCorvey would never contact her.
She drifted through a series of dead-end jobs, including work as a bartender and a carnival barker. Once she went public with her story, she worked in several clinics where abortions were performed and did some public speaking, garnering publicity and a bit of celebrity.
Converts to Christianity
In 1995, McCorvey was working at a Dallas women's clinic when the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue moved its offices next door.
The Rev. Philip Benham, Operation Rescue's national director, described her as being "super hard-core" in her support of abortion rights. "She couldn't stand us. She hated us," he said.
She got to know Benham during smoke breaks outside her office and accepted an invitation from the daughter of the group's office manager to attend church. That night, she converted to Christianity.
She was baptized in August 1995 in a swimming pool at a Dallas home. The baptism was filmed for national television.
McCorvey then began working for the anti-abortion movement.
In 1997, when interviewed by CNN on the 25th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, she said: "I'm very sad (about the anniversary). But this year, I've got so much to do, I don't have time to sit down and be sad."
Lawyers for McCorvey filed a motion with the US District Court in Dallas in 2003 to have the decision overturned and asked the court to consider new evidence that abortion hurts women. An appeals court dismissed the motion in 2004.
'Learn my story'
Pavone said McCorvey lived much of her life in Dallas but moved to the Houston area to be close to her daughter Melissa, who was with her when she died.
He didn't know the names of her two other children or where they lived.
"Norma has been a friend of mine, and of Priests for Life, for more than 20 years," Pavone said, referring to a Catholic anti-abortion group he works with. He said she later came "to be genuinely sorry" for her role in the famous abortion decision.
"I know what she would want to say to people. ... Simply learn my story," he said. "I think this is a great opportunity for the American people to reflect on the Roe v. Wade decision. It's one of those issues you just can't get out of the headlines after all these years, and she would say listen everybody, just learn my story."
CNN's Eugene Scott and Ralph Ellis contributed to this report.
***
Charisma News
Famous Singer: I Was Dead for 8 Hours; Then Jesus Touched My Body
7:00AM EST 2/13/2017 KRISTY ETHERIDGE/BGEA
When Daniel Calveti and his wife, Shari, aren't onstage, they are actively involved in the fight against human trafficking. Daniel works with SOS International as an ambassador to Latin America. (Courtesy/BGEA)
When Daniel Calveti was just 6 months old, his parents made a promise to God. Their baby boy was deathly ill with bacterial meningitis, and some neighbors had been talking with them about Jesus.
"They prayed and they said, 'Jesus, we don't know how to walk with You, but if You heal Daniel, we promise You we're going to dedicate Daniel to Your service, and we're going to give You all of our family in service," Calveti explained in a recent interview with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
A few weeks after his parents' desperate prayer, they got the worst news imaginable: Their little boy had died.
His body was wrapped in a white sheet and taken to the hospital morgue. But then something amazing happened.
"I was dead for eight hours," Calveti said. "And after eight hours, God touched my body."
The terrified cleaning crew noticed little arms and legs moving under the sheet.
"And the doctor, he was so scared—they called my parents again telling them, 'Hey, I don't know what happened, but Daniel, he's back to life ... and we cannot find any meningitis in his body. He's healed."
Calveti's parents considered it a miracle from God, and they kept their promise. They dedicated their lives—and their son's life—to serving Christ.
After selling their businesses and leaving their home in Venezuela, the family eventually settled in Puerto Rico, where Calveti lived for 22 years and where his parents are still serving the Lord through their church, Fruto de la Vid (Fruit of the Vine).
"My heart is very connected with Puerto Rico," Calveti said. "My wife is from Puerto Rico. My children are from Puerto Rico."
Calveti recently moved his family to Dallas, Texas, but he's planning to take them to San Juan this week for the Festival de Esperanza (Festival of Hope) with Franklin Graham in Puerto Rico. Calveti is one of several musicians taking part in the Festival, which is aimed at sharing the hope of Christ with people across the island.
"Oh, I'm so excited," Calveti said. "This is prayer answered for Puerto Rico."
The island is about 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, with 3.5 million people calling it home. Calveti said many Puerto Ricans consider themselves Christians but have fallen away from the faith. The upcoming Festival has already helped unite believers around a common goal: reaching their neighbors with the hope of the gospel.
"Christian radio stations in Puerto Rico, the churches, all the pastors from different denominations—they are working together, and that's not very common in Puerto Rico, so I'm glad to see that unity," Calveti said.
The Festival will be Calveti's fourth event with BGEA. He led worship at Franklin Graham Festivals in Los Angeles, California (2011); La Paz, Bolivia (2013); and El Paso, Texas (2014).
"Every time, it was such a blessing for me and for our band," Calveti said. "And my favorite part of the Festival is when they do the altar call to receive Jesus."
Next weekend, he'll have the chance to share that moment with his entire family—including his wife, Shari, his three children and his parents, who are still living out the promise they made almost four decades ago.
Calveti believes Jesus saved him that day in the depths of the hospital. And he believes Jesus is still saving people today, including those who are spiritually dead.
"Let me tell you, right now in the world, they're trying to put away mentioning the name of Jesus," Calveti said. "So to me, what gives credibility to Franklin Graham's ministry is that he's always preaching about Jesus.
"That's what we need right now, and that's why I'm very excited, because in Puerto Rico, everybody's going to hear the name of Jesus as a Savior, as a healer, and that gets me excited."
***
WND
CHRISTIAN'S MUSLIM ATTACKERS 'TORMENTED BY VISIONS OF BLOOD'
Teen convert suffered forced genital mutilation
Published: February 18, 2017
BOB UNRUH
Muslims who carried out forced female genital mutilation on a Christian teen in Northern Africa say they were tormented by visions of blood after the near-fatal attack, according to the Christian group Bibles for Mideast.
WND reported last week a 14-year-old girl in the undisclosed country was left in a coma after being attacked and mutilated by Muslims upset with her conversion to Christianity.
After at least two physicians had declared her dead, she stunned doctors and hospital workers by getting up from her bed and going home.
The case of Lydia, the daughter of Yoonus, is being monitored by Bibles for Mideast as Yoonus is a missionary with the underground group that distributes Bibles and offers other help to people in the Muslim-majority Middle East.
The names of the daughter and her father were changed for this report to protect them from retaliation, according to the group’s director, pastor Paul Ciniraj.
He told WND the background: The girl was attacked by “fanatic Muslim men and woman” while walking home from school, dragged to a nearby home and subjected to “brutal female genital mutilation.”
She was left in a coma.
After local physicians had given up and declared her dead, she suddenly sat up.
The girl described how her soul “left my body and I was dead.”
“Angels came to receive me to heaven. But Jesus appeared before me and said, ‘I cannot turn back from the prayers of my children. My eyes are upon my children and ears are open to their prayer. So I give you your life back, for the issues of death belong to me. You go, and be my witness.’ Then he put his face right against and right into mine. He breathed into my nostrils, and my soul went in. Then he moved his nail-scarred hands over my body and healed me completely!”
Now the ministry is reporting Muslims who carried out the attack were frantic.
The ministry learned of the circumstances when the attackers visited Lydia and her father, pleading for help.
“The visitors explained that for the last three days and nights, all of the women who had been involved in the procedure seemed to have gone mad. Some shrieked that they saw blood everywhere, even when sitting alone. Attempting to prepare meals, they would scream, again seeing blood, and throw the food out. Given water, they would do the same. Knives in hand, some were approaching children, explaining the youngsters’ need for circumcision, and promising to do it carefully this time,” the ministry reported.
“The visitors had become convinced God’s anger was at the source of the trouble in their homes. So they invited the imam of the local mosque to come to their houses and pray for healing (shifa). Part of the ritual involves the sprinkling of water that the imam has breathed on. When one of the women responded by knocking him over, he decided he’d had enough.
“The men were faring no better, suffering nightmares, lack of sleep, and extreme anxiety. When they finally decided they must visit Lydia and Yoonus to ask their forgiveness, the imam and community leaders advised against it. In desperation, the men went anyway.”
Yoonus told the visitors that healing would come only with forgiveness from God and described the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
“You will be saved and you will also be healed if you accept Him as your savior and Lord,” he said, the ministry reported.
“They listened quietly and intently as he told his own story of coming to Christ. They then readily confessed their sins before Jesus and accepted Him as savior and Lord,” the report from the ministry said.
Following prayer, and tea served by Lydia’s mother, the “company left peacefully.”
“Upon arrival at their homes, they marveled that their wives had become completely normal, greeting them happily.”
The danger, however, remains in that the local Muslim imam and other Muslims in the community are very unhappy with the developments, the ministry reported.
Bibles for Mideast operates in nearly 20 Middle East nations where, while Islam is the largest religion, “thousands upon thousands of people secretly believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior,” Ciniraj said.
Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert and Nina Shea have collaborated to create “Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians,” which confirms that groups like Pew Research, Newsweek and The Economist also identify Christians as “the world’s most widely persecuted religious group.”
***
BREITBART
Pope Francis: ‘Muslim Terrorism Does Not Exist’
by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.17 Feb 20170
In an impassioned address Friday, Pope Francis denied the existence of Islamic terrorism, while simultaneously asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.”
“Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist,” Francis said in his speech to a world meeting of populist movements.
What he apparently meant is that not all Christians are terrorists and not all Muslims are terrorists—a fact evident to all—yet his words also seemed to suggest that no specifically Islamic form of terrorism exists in the world, an assertion that stands in stark contradiction to established fact.
“No people is criminal or drug-trafficking or violent,” Francis said, while also suggesting—as he has on other occasions—that terrorism is primarily a result of economic inequalities rather than religious beliefs. “The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence yet, without equal opportunities, the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and will eventually explode.”
The Pope also reiterated his conviction that all religions promote peace and that the danger of violent radicalization exists equally in all religions.
“There are fundamentalist and violent individuals in all peoples and religions—and with intolerant generalizations they become stronger because they feed on hate and xenophobia,” he said.
While denying the existence of Islamic terrorism, Francis also seemed to condemn the denial of global warming, asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.”
“A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system,” he said.
We know “what happens when we deny science and disregard the voice of Nature,” the Pope said. “Let us not fall into denial. Time is running out. Let us act. I ask you again—all of you, people of all backgrounds including native people, pastors, political leaders—to defend Creation.”
While acknowledging that science is not “the only form of knowledge,” and that “science is not necessarily ‘neutral’” and often “conceals ideological views or economic interests,” he still insisted that people of good will should not oppose “scientific consensus” regarding global warming.
Leftist media like the liberal Guardian in the U.K. immediately politicized the speech, predictably claiming that the Pope was backing “anti-Trump protests,” despite the fact that the Pope himself denied such a claim, explicitly declaring that “I am not speaking of anyone in particular.”
“I am not speaking of anyone in particular, I am speaking of a social and political process that flourishes in many parts of the world and poses a grave danger for humanity,” he said.
Moreover, although the Guardian claimed that the Pope was “condemning populism,” in point of fact, he was speaking to populist movements and praised their commitment to democracy.
“The direction taken beyond this historic turning-point,” Francis said, “will depend on people’s involvement and participation and, largely, on yourselves, the popular movements.”
Nevertheless, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Monday that the Holy See is concerned over growing populist and nationalist movements, both in Europe and in the United States.
In an interview for the Italian evening news on the state-owned RAI network, the Cardinal was asked whether the Vatican is worried about what the interviewer called “the spread of nationalism and populism not only in Europe but also in the United States with Donald Trump.”
“I think so, I think so,” Parolin said. “Certainly these closings are not a good sign,” since many of them “are born of fear, which is not a good counselor.”
In his address Friday, the Pope denounced “the guise of what is politically correct or ideologically fashionable,” which he described as a “hypocritical attitude,” while urging real solutions to unemployment, corruption, the identity crisis, and “the gutting of democracies.”
“The system’s gangrene cannot be whitewashed forever because sooner or later the stench becomes too strong,” he said.
***
BREAKINGISRAELNEWS
Temple of Ba’al Arch Erected for World Government Summit in Dubai
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz February 16, 2017 , 12:30 pm
A model of the arch from the Temple of Ba’al was erected in Dubai for the World Government Summit. (Screenshot)
A replica of a Roman arch that once stood in front of the pagan Temple of Ba’al was erected for the World Government Summit in Dubai this week, creating a scene that one rabbi claims symbolizes the dangerous fusion of Ishmael and Edom against Israel.
The original Roman Victory Arch stood for 1,800 years in Palmyra, Syria, until it was destroyed by ISIS in October 2015. A full-size 28-meter tall replica of the arch was created last year by the Institute for Digital Archeology, a joint project of Oxford and Harvard universities, and has been displayed twice before.
The replica was erected for the opening of the World Government Summit that opened on Sunday in Dubai. Based in the United Arab Emirates, the summit is an international organization for global dialogue where leaders in government, business, and technology discuss how governments operate and how policies are made.
The first summit, held in 2013, was attended by former US President Barack Obama, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and other world leaders.
Though a Roman artifact recreated in a modern Arab metropolis may seem incongruous, Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific author and End of Days scholar, saw a deeper meaning in it that is incredibly relevant today.
Though Rome and the Arab Emirates appear in different parts of the world and at different points in history, Rabbi Winston sees them as connected ideologically and spiritually.
“Tradition tells of four exiles, the last being the Roman exile. Israel is being assailed by the Arabs but nowhere do we hear of a fifth, Arab or Ishmael exile,” explained Rabbi Winston. “This Roman arch in Dubai symbolically ties them both together: Ishmael, the Arabs, and Edom, which was epitomized by Rome.”
The original arch in Palmyra, built by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, stood in front of a preexisting temple that was used by the Mesopotamians to worship the pagan god Bel, mentioned often in the Bible as Ba’al.
“For he built again the high places which Chizkiyahu his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal.” II Kings 21:3
“Just like the Romans, the Arabs are trying to control the world, and succeeding,” said Rabbi Winston. “Even though it is the Arabs against the Jews, it is really the Arabs continuing the mission of Edom to conquer the world. This connection between Dubai and Rome is showing that Edom never ended. It just put on a different mask.”
The first century Jewish sage Jonathan ben Uzziel wrote about how this Biblical alliance between Ishmael and Esau and would reappear at the End of Days. Clear evidence of the spiritual connection between these two seemingly disparate worlds can be found in the growing political cooperation between Rome and the Muslim/Arab world.
The bond has manifested in the strengthening of ties between the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority, as well as Pope Francis’ meeting with the President of Iran.
Though Edom and the desire to rule the world is personified by Rome, Rabbi Winston explained that the archetype has Biblical roots.
“The push for one world government goes back to the Tower of Babel, trying to put the power in the hands of the wealthy, the powerful, and the arrogant,” he said.
“And they said: ‘Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:4
“The Arab desire to rule the world is part of their religion and that is also very Roman,” continued Rabbi Winston. “World rule is also the religion of the rich and powerful.”
The motive behind world rule can sound altruistic, but Rabbi Winston noted a critical distinction.
“The desire to fix the world and to make it a better place resembles a Messianic movement,” the rabbi said. “But unless it is based in God, it is twisted and turns destructive because it is based on ego. It has always attracted secular academia because it aggrandizes Human Intellect over the One who rules over us all.”
The reproduction appeared for the first time in London on April 19 during the UNESCO Heritage Week, which coincided disturbingly with Beltane, a major pagan festival for worshiping Ba’al. The arch appeared again in New York City’s City Hall Park in September.
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WND
WITCHES TARGET TRUMP WITH MASS OCCULT RITUAL
Christian leaders urge prayer to protect president against 'demonic realm'
Published: February 23, 2017
It’s not just a political battle anymore. It’s spiritual warfare now.
Exorcists, witches and occultists “in a number of magical groups” are announcing plans for a ritual designed to “bind Donald Trump and all who abet him.”
It’s to happen Friday at midnight at a variety of locations across the nation, and again every month until Donald Trump is no longer in office.
The rite, requiring a stub of a candle, a pin, salt, matches, a tarot card, a feather and other odds and ends, calls on spirits to ensure President Trump will “fail utterly.” It also includes burning a picture of the commander in chief, visualizing him “blowing apart into dust or ash.”
Participants apparently have the option of using a baby carrot instead of an orange candle.
Among the various spirits invoked are the “demons of the infernal realms.”
There is even a Facebook page networking those who want to participate in the ritual. Some media outlets are also looking to film whatever happens.
It’s not the first time anti-Trump occultists have tried to use black magic against the president.
The far-left feminist blog Jezebel, named after the biblical queen who mandated the worship of Baal and Asherah instead of God, published a gushing story in September 2015 about “Brooklyn Witches” of immigrant descent cursing Trump because they “wholeheartedly believe that Trump and the rest of the GOP are garbage.”
Trump evidently overcame the curse, along with everything else in his way, to win the presidency a year later.
Still, Christian leaders believe these kinds of spiritual threats should be taken seriously, condemned and countered.
Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries said the left’s open embrace of demonic imagery is revealing.
“It shows that the level of hatred against Donald Trump is generated by Satan himself,” she said. “Donald Trump is not a perfect man. But he is trying to stop the runaway freight train of evil that has existed for eight years emanating out of Washington and the Democratic Party.
“The left is mesmerized by issues that tear down and that grieve the heart of God. Donald Trump doesn’t have the power to neutralize these people and their agenda, but he is trying to make significant inroads to stop the tremendous slide to the dark side in America. He has some solid Bible-believing Christians at his side. Together they can make a huge difference and repair some of the damage done by evildoers.”
PNW
Trump And The Third Temple
The Jewish Temple Mount movement are excited over the recent election of Donald Trump. They know very well that rebuilding the Jewish temple in today's world would be a dangerous and politically incorrect task.
In their view, if there is any modern political leader with the guts and determination to stand behind such a project, it could be President Trump.
Biblically, many Christians affirm that the Jewish temple will be rebuilt at some point in the End Times.
Could President Trump's strong pro-Israel stand be the game changer which could help lay the groundwork? What role would President Putin play in the mix?
The Cyrus Mandate
A number of Christian leaders have been comparing Trump to the Biblical King Cyrus. They point out that King Cyrus was a leader called and appointed by God.
Despite the fact that this Persian King did not know the God of Israel, God appointed him by name with the mandate to fulfil God's divine purposes concerning the nation of Israel.
President Trump, like King Cyrus, appears an unlikely champion for God's purposes. Despite the controversies swirling around him, Trump has though already taken action to re-align America with important Biblical values (such as pro-life) as well as making an unusually firm stand alongside the nation of Israel.
While several Christian bible teachers have pointed out similarities with Cyrus, few have raised the point that a primary part of Cyrus' divine calling was to order the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28, Ezra 1:2).
If President Trump really has a similar calling to King Cyrus, could it be that God would use this real estate developer turned President to facilitate the greatest property development of modern time - the rebuilding of the Temple?
A Letter from the Sanhedrin
Key figures in Israel's Temple Mount movement certainly are optimistic that Trump's victory could be the catalyst needed to bring their dream to reality.
Within days of the election victory, long time Temple Mount advocate and now prominent member of the Israeli Knesset Rabbi Yehudah Glick, issued a public call inviting Trump to visit the Temple Mount.
This call was followed days later by an open letter from the re-convened Jewish Sanhedrin. The open letter addressed BOTH Russian President Putin and the new US President Trump - asking them both to fulfill the Cyrus mandate of enabling the rebuilding of the Temple.
Rabbi Hillel Weiss, who serves as spokesman for the Sanhedrin, explained that Donald Trump's rise to power had 'made the eternal Jewish dream a very real possibility'.
Trump's strong stand in support of the Jewish claim to Jerusalem and the West Bank (Biblically known as Judea and Samaria) has led to the Sanhedrin to the belief that he could also support full Israeli rights to the Temple Mount.
Compared to President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin might seem like an even more unlikely Cyrus. Many would instead view him as a potential 'Gog' - one of Israel's great End Time enemies.
The Sanhedrin however are basing their letter to Putin on unverified positive reports concerning Putin's attitude to the Temple Mount. Visiting the Western Wall in 2012, Putin allegedly disclosed that he was personally praying for the rebuilding of the Temple.
On this basis, the Sanhedrin decided to write to both Putin and Trump - inviting them both to fulfil the Cyrus mandate.
The optimism of the Sanhedrin is palpable. Rabbi Weiss explains: "We are poised to rebuild the Temple.
The political conditions today, in which the two most important national leaders in the world support the Jewish right to Jerusalem as their spiritual inheritance, is historically unprecedented".
Cyrus or the Anti-Christ
While the Sanhedrin is looking for a Cyrus type figure to arise to help support the building of the Third Temple, many Christians tend to link the rebuilding of the Temple not with a Cyrus but rather with the anti-Christ himself.
The Scriptures appear clear that the coming anti-Christ will defile the temple, but we shouldn't necessarily equate foreign leaders who facilitate the rebuilding with the coming anti-Christ.
In his day, King Cyrus helped build a temple in Jerusalem at divine instruction, which was later defiled by Antiochus and then frequented by Jesus the Messiah.
Could it be that God will likewise in the End Times raise up a new Cyrus figure that will help facilitate the rebuilding of the temple - which will later be defiled before the Messiah finally returns to take His rightful place in the Temple?
Trump's got the numbers
Jewish leaders have pointed out that the gematria (numerical value) of Donald Trump's name equals that of the phrase 'Meshiach Ben David' (Messiah, Son of David). These same rabbis are quick to point out that they do not believe that Trump is the Messiah (just as well!).
They view the gematria of Trump's name as an indication of him playing a role in the 'redemptive process' - a role in preparing the conditions for the Messiah's arrival. What could prepare the way for the Messiah more than the rebuilding of the Temple?
It is interesting in this context to also consider Michael Snyder's calculations that Trump was born 700 days before Israel became a nation, won the election on Prime Minister Netanyahu's 7th year, 7th month and 7th day in office, and served his first full day in the White House at the age of 70 years, 7 months and 7 days old.
While we should be careful of reading too much into these numbers, it would seem that God Himself has had His hand on the unusual rise of Donald Trump and if so would have a particular purpose for his presidency.
Could these Jewish leaders be right that Trump could have a Cyrus call on his life?
Summary
There is great excitement within the Temple Movement in Israel that the time might be drawing near for the long desired rebuilding of the House of God.
While the Sanhedrin is obviously excited about the rise of Trump and rumours of Putin being supportive, it is still early days, and we have no definite statements from either leader to support these assumptions.
As believers we should none-the-less be watching these developments, praying for God's prophesied purposes to be accomplished, and checking our own spiritual lives to make sure that we are ready to meet the soon coming King.
hnzherald.co.nz
Explorers seek Ark of the Covenant, Ten Commandments, to break ground in Jerusalem
11:45 AM Wednesday Feb 15, 2017
Church of Notre Dame de l'Arche de l'Alliance near Abu Ghosh. Photo / Wikimedia
The search for the Ark that inspired the Indiana Jones blockbuster has been given a new lease of life.
The Ark of the Covenant, a wooden and gold-plated box, is believed to contain the famous stone tablets which bear the Ten Commandments.
But despite its fame, nobody has ever been able to find the sacred box.
Now, researchers from Israel and France are reigniting the quest to find the Ark by excavating a little-explored biblical site believed to have once held the lost artefact.
The ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, in west Jerusalem, will be opened up for the first time this summer.
"The place is important for several reasons," Professor Israel Finkelstein, from Tel Aviv University, told The Times of Israel.
"It's a large, central site in the Jerusalem hills that hasn't been studied until now.
"It may be the only key site in Judah that hasn't undergone a systematic archaeological excavation."
The Ark was stored at Kiriath-Jearim for two decades, according to the Book of Samuel.
The ancient site is referred to as a place of worship multiple times in the bible, and has various names including Kiryat Ye'arim, Kiryat Ba'al, Ba'alah and Ba'ale Judah.
The area is largely bare, save for a 20th century monastery dedicated to Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant, which sits atop the ruins of an earlier Byzantine edifice at the summit.
The site is rumoured to have been the inspiration behind the 1981 blockbuster, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Professor Finkelstein, who will excavate the site along with researchers from College de France, said: 'It's reasonable to assume there was a temple there.
"To follow the story, the place where they took the Ark of the Covenant wasn't, of course, just some field or under a tree, they refer to an important cult place."
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WND
LAWMAKER WANTS TO BAN FORCED MICROCHIP IMPLANTS, MARKINGS
Proposal would go further than any other in U.S. to protect privacy
Published: February 18, 2017 Updated: 02/18/2017 at 6:24 PM
LEO HOHMANN
Microchips are already being implanted in employees in Belgium and Sweden.
Nevada may become the fifth state to pass a law banning the implanting of RFID microchips in humans without their consent.
Republican state Sen. Becky Harris introduced a bill in the Nevada legislature that would make it a felony to forcibly implant the tracking devices in any human being, including the mentally impaired.
Harris said she’s worried computer chips could pose serious risks to human rights and public health.
“This is a completely new issue,” Harris said in a statement. “I just want a safety measure in place until we better understand the technology and the reasoning behind people’s desire to require implanting chips.”
While some critics say there is no need for such legislation because nobody is being forced to have a chip embedded under their skin, the practice is growing in popularity.
Some parents have purchased the kits to keep track of their children, and some companies in Belgium and Sweden use RFID chips to identify and track their employees. Parents are chipping their children and pets while nursing homes are chipping Alzheimer’s patients.
Harris said she started researching the potential for microchips to be abused after the issue was brought to her by a concerned constituent.
“It’s done under the idea to unlock doors or use copy machines or maybe pay for lunch,” Harris told the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week. “You could use your hand,” instead of a card.
“As I began to look into the issue I was surprised with the merit that I believe the issue warrants,” Harris added. “Each kit costs about $100 and includes a tag and an injection tool.”
“Imagine that,” said privacy advocate and author Patrick Wood, “a state representative actually listening to a constituent and taking them seriously.”
Wood’s book “Technocracy Rising: The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation” is about the ease with which corporate America and technocrat politicians invade Americans’ privacy by tracking them 24/7 and stealing their personal data.
At least four other states – Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California and North Dakota – have passed laws against involuntary chipping of human beings.
But the Nevada bill may be the strongest attempt yet at limiting the overreach of government and corporate America to track citizens, patients and employees, said Liz McIntyre, privacy advocate and co-author of the book “SpyChips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Purchase and Watch your Every Move.”
Not only would the bill forbid the implanting into humans of radio frequency identification chips, which fit inside a glass tube about the size of two grains of rice, but it also would ban any other forms of marking a human being.
“I think this bill should be a model for other states, I love that it’s so simply written but also that it includes not only microchips but others kinds of permanent marks,” McIntyre said. “We have seen electronic tattoos that could technically contain information. We think of a physical chip, but there are items that could simply be printed and marked into people, so I think her bill is very forward thinking and simple, anyone could understand and apply it. It covers the eventuality that there may be some kind of permanent device that uniquely identifies someone that could take another form we haven’t thought of yet.”
But there’s no guarantee the bill will pass. Besides the four states that have passed such laws, others have brought up bills that have “just died,” she said.
McIntyre said the most common reason lawmakers give for not voting for these bills is that they are “not needed” because reports of forced chipping is almost unheard of.
“There is definitely that concern out there. Legislators don’t want to pass it in some states because they don’t see the threat, but once you see the threat it’s too late,” she said.
McIntyre said there have already been incidents in Florida in which nursing home staffs have tried to forcibly chip people with Alzheimers, but relatives caught wind of it and stopped it.
There are some cases in which human chipping sounds reasonable, such as for prisoners and sex offenders who are released from prison.
“But once you start tracking them, you have others who will say, ‘See how effective this is, why not use it in other people?’
“It becomes commonplace, normal, people accept it,” she added. “Years ago if you said people would be tracking you with your phone you would say ‘no way,’ but now everyone knows it and accepts it. So there is very good reason for this legislation, and if lawmakers say, hey, there is no reason we’d never forcibly chip a human being, then why are they so worried about passing the bill?”
In the book “Spychips,” McIntyre and her co-author Katherine Albrecht included a whole chapter on use of chips in hospitals and the healthcare industry.
“We did that because the people trying to sell this technology are trying to find uses for it,” she said.
RFID chips have been used for years to track items.
“And that seems like a good use, but when items are tagged and tracked they tag and rack the people that use them,” McIntyre said. “So in hospitals you have attempts to put them on hospital personnel ID tags, and then the next step is to say well we’re already tagging and tracking the items in the hospital and the personnel. But sometimes they forget to wear their badges, so we need a more fool-proof method, so we need to chip the people themselves.”
In other words, it’s a slippery slope.
“People have been scared of RFID for some time, because it is a marker that can identify you as you move about town,” said Wood, the expert on the technocracy movement. “People who put these chips in their hands use it for things like opening a door, turning on a light, and my guess is corporate America would love to utilize this, because corporate America is scrutinizing its employees like never before, so I could see this used instead of a nametag.
“Your electronic name badge already likely has a chip and it tracks you within the building, so the next step is to move the chip to your hand.”
But Wood cautions against worrying too much about RFID and ignoring all the other ways a person can be identified and tracked.
“How many ways can you already be identified on the street? You have facial recognition which can be done at a distance so it’s not known that it was done, you have iris scans, license plate readers, fingerprint readers, cell phone data. And there are some other ones that are maybe a little bit more subtle like artificial intelligence sensors now that can recognize people by their gate, by the way they walk.”
Passive chips are being used virtually everywhere in retail.
“Target, Walmart and all the big box stores, the manufacturers are embedding the chips in the products, and they’re doing that for inventory control; that’s what they say,” Wood said.
“Here’s the problem. When you walk out of a store let’s say with a pair of shoes that have the chip in them, the odds are that the chip was not disabled. It wasn’t killed,” he said.
“So let’s say we’re living in a not too distant future dystopian world, and there are chip readers all over the streets. Well, if you walk within say 70 feet of a card reader that’s transmitting energy and your little chip in your shoes wakes up and the card reader says give me your data, and your data is passed and you have been identified as being in a particular place at a particular time without you even knowing it.
“If they’ve found your shoes they’ve found you. You were already positively identified when you paid for them with your credit or debit card.”
This is why the cashless society also plays a role in the removal of individual freedom. Less cash means more data collection on purchasers, he said.
McIntyre said many states took up bills to ban involuntary chipping after her book came out in 2005. Some, like Wisconsin, passed the bills into law while others let the bills languish and die.
“We mentioned in our book the next step would be human chipping, and Wisconsin picked it up,” she said.
But the momentum has died down now. That’s why she is excited to see Nevada picking up the ball and running with it.
“Now I am very pleased to see Nevada is picking this up, and hopefully it will be a model for other states, because we’ve seen with other technology they get out of hand before appropriate controls are in place,” McIntyre told WND.
“The chipping of humans is something we can’t put on the back burner, and if we don’t pass these laws the most vulnerable people in society will be the first ones targeted, people limited mental capacity, people who are watched anyway and people we need to watch, like sex offenders. But it’s human nature to see how something works in one segment of society and want to extend it to others, such as the work place.
“There’s a temptation to say after a while, this person keeps losing their ankle monitor and we need to put these chips in the people.”
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BREITBART
University of Washington Declares Proper Grammar Is Racist
Joanne K. Watson/Merriam-Webster via Getty Images
by TOM CICCOTTA22 Feb 20174,374
The Writing Center at the University of Washington is telling students that expecting Americans to use proper grammar perpetuates racism.
A press release put out by the University of Washington’s Writing Center argues that “there is no inherent ‘standard’ of English,” and that pressure to conform to proper American grammar standards perpetuate systems of racism.
“Linguistic and writing research has shown clearly for many decades that there is no inherent ‘standard’ of English,” claims the writing center’s statement. “Language is constantly changing. These two facts make it very difficult to justify placing people in hierarchies or restricting opportunities and privileges because of the way people communicate in particular versions of English.”
The university’s Writing Center Director, Dr. Asoa Inoue, suggests that racism has produced certain unfair standards in education.
“It is a founding assumption that, if believed, one must act differently than we, the institution and its agents, have up to this point,” Inoue claimed. While overt racism is usually easily identified, more elusive are microaggressions, forms of degradation which manifest on a subconscious and casual level. As the statement reads “Racism is pervasive. It is in the systems, structures, rules, languages, expectations, and guidelines that make up our classes, school, and society.”
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Jill Purdy, claimed that the Writing Center’s new statement is a great example of how academia can fight back against racism. “Language is the bridge between ideas and action,” she claimed. “So how we use words has a lot of influence on what we think and do.”
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Zero Hedge
MSNBC Anchor: "Our Job" Is To "Control Exactly What People Think"
by Tyler Durden
Feb 22, 2017 11:51 PM
During a lively discussion centered on fears that President Trump is "trying to undermine the media," MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski let slip the awesome unspoken truth that the media's "job" is to "actually control exactly what people think."
SCARBOROUGH: "Exactly. That is exactly what I hear. What Yamiche said is what I hear from all the Trump supporters that I talk to who were Trump voters and are still Trump supporters. They go, 'Yeah you guys are going crazy. He's doing -- what are you so surprised about? He is doing exactly what he said he is going to do.'"
BRZEZINSKI: "Well, I think that the dangerous, you know, edges here are that he is trying to undermine the media and trying to make up his own facts. And it could be that while unemployment and the economy worsens, he could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think. And that, that is our job."
As grabien points out, the comment failed to raise any eyebrows from her co-panelists. Instead, her co-host, Joe Scarborough, said that Trump's media antagonism puts him on par with Mussolini and Lenin...
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Natural News
Beyond fake news… How Google just became FAKE SEARCH by blacklisting independent journalism
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 by: Mike Adams
(Natural News) You’ve already heard about FAKE NEWS, the mainstream media’s repeated fabrication of false facts portrayed as real. Who can forget the Washington Post’s ridiculous fabrication of a “Russian conspiracy theory” that claimed Natural News and 200 other independent websites were secretly run by the Kremlin?
In just the last 10 days, in fact, five major fake news stories about Russia were pushed out by the corporate-run media in the United States, only to be completely discredited by real facts.
Now, Google, which aggregates fake news via its “Google News” service, has decided to up the ante and go all in for FAKE SEARCH.
NEW: Sign this White House petition NOW to halt Google’s outrageous censorship of Natural News, InfoWars and other independent media publishers.
Earlier today, Google delisted all 140,000+ pages of NaturalNews.com from its search engine, instantly wiping out a treasure trove of truly lifesaving knowledge about disease prevention, nutritional therapies, avoidance of toxins and the dangers of chemical medications (among other topics that also include opinion pieces, political analysis, health warnings and more).
Not surprisingly, every fake news page of the Washington Post, CNN and New York Times remains prominently ranked in Google’s search index, despite the irrefutable fact that all three news organizations now routinely fabricate fake news designed to discredit or destroy President Trump.
According to the mainstream media, any news that harms Trump is REAL news, while any news that helps Trump is FAKE news:
Google becomes “FAKE SEARCH” by eliminating Natural News from public view
Now, Google has become “fake search,” deliberately silencing NaturalNews.com content on important issues such as mercury in vaccines, the mammogram scams of the cancer industry, the criminal racketeering of Big Pharma and the toxic effects of herbicides and pesticides. Now, users of Google no longer see the “natural” side of the debate on these issues and are, instead, subjected to the barrage of official disinformation regurgitated by corporate-infiltrated news fakers that really function as nothing more than corporate P.R. fronts.
Tens of millions of people will be negatively impacted each month by Google’s blacklisting of NaturalNews.com content, denied the choice to view articles that could help them prevent cancer, avoid a medical scam or learn something amazing about superfoods and healthy eating.
But it’s actually far worse than just that: Google censored NaturalNews.com via a human decision, not an algorithm. This means that some “decision maker” at Google can, based on nothing more than their own opinion, banish any website they choose with the flick of a switch.
In this way, Google has raised digital book burning to a whole new level of efficiency only dreamed of by fascists of the Third Reich. Now, an entire library of human knowledge can be obliterated in an instant, with no justification, no warning and no recourse. By blacklisting all NaturalNews.com content, Google has just proven it is a de facto Orwellian Ministry of Truth which shall decide the fate of entire organizations based on nothing more than the internalized hatred, bigotry, biases or corruption of its own employees.
Google: Logic is an enemy and truth is a menace
The war against Natural News, you see, is not simply a war against our articles. It is a war against reason, public discourse and debate. What the egomaniacal technocratic globalists have now come to realize is that they cannot win any legitimate debate on the facts… so they have to censor real facts while inventing their own false facts to take their place.
Thus, dissenting views must be silenced. Any debate must be crushed from the outset. Only “official” science must be allowed, and it shall be worshiped as a dogma, with no questions or criticisms tolerated whatsoever.
This is now the new world of Google, a totalitarian info-monopoly that has just declared itself to be FAKE SEARCH.
Consider for a moment the simple but jaw-dropping realization that when you use Google, you can no longer trust the search results to be honest, for they may be lacking vast libraries of knowledge and know-how that some Google technocrat decided to eliminate for his or her own personal reasons… none of which need be explained to anyone or disclosed to the search user. After all, Google search results never tell you which pages they’ve deliberately eliminated from the results they’re showing you, do they?
Google has become the arbiter of “truth” and in doing so, it has really become a tower of LIES. Hence the term “Fake Search.”
Google violates both the public trust and anti-trust laws
This has all reached the level where the Trump administration clearly needs to alert the FTC to the anti-trust violations of Google, a monopolistic monster of disinformation that willfully censors entire websites for secret reasons that it need not explain to anyone. This is the very definition of anti-trust activity, and all of society suffers as a result.
We have now entered the era of extreme censorship against the most important independent voices in our society — the only ones capable of engaging in honest journalism without the twisted bias of corporate or government influence. If the independent media is to be silenced, then who will keep the fakestream media honest? Who will counter the propaganda of the CDC’s bogus vaccine science? Who will call out political corruption and financial fraud?
The corporate-controlled media is now populated by obedient prostitutes who have no ability to question anything in the status quo (without losing their jobs). It is only the independent media that can now do the job of the free press — and it is that same independent media that’s now being systematically marginalized by Google through a deliberate campaign of free speech suppression.
I can’t help but think this is all being rolled out as a prelude to a very large planned attack, false flag or attempted coup event, making sure that the independent media’s coverage of the upcoming event will be silenced so that the fake news CNN narrative can dominate. After all, as an MSNBC anchor just admitted on live TV, “Our job is to control exactly what people think.”It seems that’s also Google’s job now, too.
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RT
Robots that take human jobs should pay taxes - Bill Gates
Published time: 20 Feb, 2017 14:33
Edited time: 20 Feb, 2017 15:59
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has called for a tax on robots to make up losses due to automation.
“Certainly there will be taxes that relate to automation. Right now, the human worker who does, say, $50,000 worth of work in a factory, that income is taxed, and you get income tax, social security tax, all those things. If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think that we'd tax the robot at a similar level,” the billionaire said in an interview with news website Quartz.
Governments should tax corporations’ use of robots to at least temporarily gear down the spread of automation and to fund other types of employment, according to Gates.
The revenue from this taxation could finance areas that are still expected to rely on humans, such education and health service, as well as elderly or child care.
“If you can take the labor that used to do the thing automation replaces, and financially and training-wise and fulfillment-wise have that person go off and do these other things, then you’re net ahead. But you can’t just give up that income tax because that’s part of how you’ve been funding that level of human workers,” Gates said.
The idea promoted by the billionaire is not new. Last week, EU lawmakers considered a draft plan for a tax on robot owners. The bill was aimed to find an extra opportunity to pay for training workers who lost their jobs in the wake of robotization. However, the proposal was rejected.
“You ought to be willing to raise the tax level and even slow down the speed of automation. Exactly how you'd do it, measure it, you know, it's interesting for people to start talking about now,” Gates said.
“Some of it can come from the profits that are generated by the labor - saving efficiency there. Some of it can come directly in some type of robot tax. I don't think the robot companies are going to be outraged that there might be a tax. It's OK,” added Gates.
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RUSSIA INSIDER
Lavrov Tells It Right to Pence’s Smug Face: Russia Will End US-Led World Order
Pence told a room full of Washington lapdogs that the United States would "continue to hold Russia accountable". Then Lavrov went up to the podium and straightened him out.
Rudy Panko February 19, 2017
"Aiming to calm European fears about US-Russia ties, Vice President Mike Pence told world leaders Saturday that the United States will stand firm against Moscow while also seeking avenues for cooperation."
This is the opening line to CNN's report on the predictable saber-rattling that took place at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Pence also told the audience that Washington remained "unwavering" in its commitment to NATO as it faced a "more assertive Russia."
Shortly after Pence had finished his war liturgy, Russia's Foreign Minister took to the podium.
Sergei Lavrov phrased his comments in a very simple manner, so that his American counterparts could understand:
Lavrov said that the time when the West called the shots was over and, dismissing NATO as a relic of the Cold War, added: "I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order -- a post-West one -- in which each country is defined by its sovereignty."
Lavrov said Moscow wanted to build relations with Washington which would be "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our responsibility for global stability."
Lavrov is a career diplomat and a true gentleman. But we've noticed a subtle change in his approach to U.S. bullshittery over the last two years.
He rarely dances around issues anymore. Sure, he still refers to Washington as "our western friends" or "our American colleagues". But he doesn't hold back after that.
The crisis in Ukraine made it clear that Washington wanted blood. But the U.S.-led crimes against the people of Syria is what made Russia realize that they are not dealing with normal, reasonable people. Washington is a cabal of psychopaths.
The war in Syria has also ushered in a new era: We are witnessing a seismic shift in how international relations are conducted. Russia and Iran just proved that fighting the bully works. And other countries have taken notice.
Lavrov's comments are more than just an invitation to all nations to join Russia in the creation of a new world order based on state sovereignty and international consensus.
He was also issuing a warning to Washington: Pack your bags. It's over.
Buckle up, buttercup.
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RT
Greece says 'not a euro more' from its austerity-impoverished population
Published time: 17 Feb, 2017 11:14
European Union officials are urging Greece and its creditors to strike a financial aid deal for the country quickly to safeguard economic recovery. However, Athens has refused a demand from its creditors for more austerity measures.
The Greek government said it would not ask for “a euro more” from its impoverished citizens.
Failure to agree on debt relief and economic reforms raises doubts over the future of the €86 billion Greek bailout program, with new aid withheld until the talks move from deadlock.
To avoid a disaster, EU officials were urging speed with one German politician hinting the role of the International Monetary Fund – one of the major bones of contention - was no longer crucial.
“An agreement on the way forward for the Greek program is absolutely necessary. With a little effort from all stakeholders, it seems to me doable,” said European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici, hoping the deal would be accomplished before a meeting of eurozone finance ministers next Monday.
Another EU official, who asked not to be named, said it would be better to conclude negotiations soon but there was no real financial crunch.
“The liquidity situation in Greece is benign,” said the official, who has in-depth knowledge of the negotiations.
However, crisis-torn Greece remained firm, refusing to impose more austerity measures on its population than already agreed. The country is suffering from a deep recession, deflation and the highest jobless rate in the eurozone.
Greece jobless rate eases to 23%, still highest in eurozone
“The Greek government is negotiating with responsibility and resolve... but all of that must, however, be without any additional burden, and without extra cost for Greek society. Our aim continues to be an agreement with not even a euro more of additional measures” said Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said, as quoted by Reuters.
Athens has resisted the imposition of more austerity by the lenders, particularly on such groups as pensioners who have already seen 11 cuts to their income.
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Natural News
Alert: Dangerous new type of GMO being unleashed into food supply… check your APPLES
Sunday, February 19, 2017 by: Amy Goodrich
(Natural News) Few topics in the scientific world are as fiercely debated as the use of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Despite the fact that they have passed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) safety tests, nearly 40 countries around the world have banned their use due to health and environmental concerns.
With a growing population of health-conscious people, the debate over their use continues to rage. While the public has been worried about the safety of GMO foods for ages, the US, Monsanto’s favorite playground, has shown no fear and instead has welcomed a new type of GMO into the food supply.
As reported by Stat News, researchers have found a new, dangerous way to tinker with the genetic basis of the world’s food supply without clear regulatory guidance. These so-called “gene-edited” foods are set to make their big debut soon. Next-generation genetically modified food, or what some are referring to as GMO 2.0, can be altered through “editing or deleting genes, turning genes on or off, or even creating entirely new DNA sequences on a computer.”
Today’s definition of a GMO is primarily based on the insertion of genes taken from one species and transferred into another. However, now many companies have bypassed the GMO definition through “gene-silencing techniques such as RNA interference and gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR.”
Because the GMO industry has spent millions of dollars to prevent mandatory labeling and regulatory instances have not yet caught up with the latest biotechnology techniques, most of these new Frankenfoods will be labeled “non-GMO” or even “natural.”
The apple that never browns
One of the first “gene-edited” foods that has already emerged in some stores across the United States is the Arctic Apple, which is sold in stores pre-sliced and ready to eat. These altered apples do not turn brown when exposed to air, not even when rotten.
While biotech companies such as Intrexon, the company that made the Arctic Apple, believe this novel technique will lead to less food waste, Stat News noted that these foods are being released with little understanding of their potential health and environmental risks. With no required safety assessments or regulatory oversight in place, the GMO industry once again gets a free pass.
Apples turn brown for a reason, and some scientists are convinced that the natural browning enzymes play a crucial role in fighting diseases and pests, meaning farmers will probably have to up their pesticide use to grow these Franken apples. As the effects of these newly emerged GMO techniques have not yet been thoroughly investigated, they could mess up gene expression in human cells and pose a serious threat to public and environmental health.
Next to the gene-silenced apples, other gene-edited products are on their way to the market. These foods include non-GMO labeled canola oil modified to withstand more pesticides, gene-altered salmon which grow faster, and lab-made vanillin derived from a genetically modified yeast.
With little understanding of their potential risks, lack of long-term safety assessments, and no regulations, the door for unethical practices and misuses stands wide open. Therefore, the FDA quietly announced that it will give citizens a chance to express their concerns and ask questions about the new generation of genetically engineered foods.
Anti-GMO groups already successfully pushed for a ban on GMO crops in places like Boulder County, Colorado and Sonoma County, California, and several food giants have agreed to eliminate GMO ingredients from their products. Many GMO critics have recently aired their concerns about the Arctic Apple. Not only does it house questionable, altered genes, but how will people know if their apple slices are still fresh when they don’t turn brown.
“This apple is understudied, unlabeled, and unnecessary,” said Dana Perls, the senior food and technology campaigner with environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth. “It’s only a matter of time before consumers realize they’re being falsely marketed to … And then there will be an uproar.”
Sources:
NewParadigm.ws
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StatNews.com
WashingtonPost.com
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healthywildandfree.com
What Happens When You Drink Baking Soda in Water on an Empty Stomach
Monday, February 20, 2017 8:48
There are a handful of things I always like to have on hand in my home. Epsom salts, apple cider vinegar, activated charcoal, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. I like to have them on hand all for different various reasons. Some for detoxification, some for digestion, some for cleaning etc. Baking soda is one of those things that I personally like to have on hand for a few reasons. It makes a great cleaner, a great scrubbing agent to clean the sink or the bathtub.
It also has valuable health effects and at the price of about 98 cents a box, you can’t beat it!
What is baking soda exactly? Chemically it’s NaHCO3, also known as sodium bicarbonate, we call it baking soda! It’s a chemical salt that occurs in its natural form as the mineral nahcolite. Baking soda typically reacts as an acid, but in an aqueous solution such as water it is slightly alkaline. It’s an amazing cleaning agent and great for other health-related purposes as well.
Drinking Water With Baking Soda: The Benefits
pH Balancer: Many diseases and conditions including cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis and others thrive in an acidic environment. An acidic pH is necessary and normal in certain parts of the body such as the gut, where acid is needed for digestion. The skin is also acidic as an external layer between your internal and external environment. It’s a detoxifying organ. The pH of healthy blood is between 7.3 and 7.4. 7 is a neutral pH so the blood in good health is slightly alkaline. Drinking baking soda water on an empty stomach allows your body to absorb this and has an alkalizing effect. This is beneficial for blood health which helps to heal your entire body as well as keep things in homeostasis. Drink baking soda water on an empty stomach to alkalize your blood and body!
Antacid Effect: Heartburn and acid reflux are symptoms of an overly acidic body. They are also typically signs of mineral deficiencies such as magnesium or potassium. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is also not working properly. It is not properly contracting. The lower esophageal sphincter is a valve that connects the stomach to the esophagus. If it were contracting properly it would keep the acid in your stomach and not allow the acid to rise leading to heartburn. Getting magnesium and potassium rich foods such as leafy greens, avocado and bananas in your diet will help the LES work better. Simply drinking baking soda water on an empty stomach is beneficial also. Water with baking soda helps your gut to produce and benefit from hydrochloric acid. This helps your body to burp, helping subvert the issue. It also helps with heartburn and gas.
Prevention Kidney Stones: Very acidic urine is an indicator that you have an iron deficiency. If you’re too deficient in iron and your body is too acidic then kidney stones can form, causing a lot of pain. Other factors such as a mineral balance of your magnesium, calcium and potassium ratios are important also. Your CA/MG (calcium to magnesium) ratio is important also. It’s important to have plenty of magnesium and potassium rich foods in your diet. When you’re deficient in magnesium and potassium but have too much calcium then calcification will occur in the body. This will lead to the formation of kidney stones and other calcium-deposit related conditions. These include arthritis, stiff joints, even stroke or heart attack if calcium builds up in the arteries. Another cause that will contribute to the formation of kidney stones is simply being dehydrated. You need to drink more water. Drinking water with baking soda helps to keep the blood in a healthier homeostasis to carry minerals to where they need to be in the body.
Prevention Of UTI’s: Urinary tract infections (also known as a UTI) are caused by a weakend immune system. An infection needs an immune boost! Baking soda is known to prevent urinary tract infections. It has anti-septic properties. Drinking baking soda water helps to clean and purify the blood as well as the kidneys and bladder. This helps you prevent urinary tract infections. It also helps keep your bladder and kidneys in better shape in health!
How To Drink Baking Soda Water?
You can simply add a teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water and drink that twice daily, better on an empty stomach. You can measure your pH in the morning and once during the day over time. Your pH will be higher in the morning because your body is cleaning and detoxifying during sleep. During the day your pH will be higher than in the morning. Start to monitor your pH each morning and throughout the day once you start drinking baking soda water. Over time it should increase, which means you’re becoming more alkaline. You can increase the dose to (an extra glass or two) each day if you want to see more of an improvement in your ph Each day.
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