“And the land is filled with abominations, even the works of their hands; and they have worshipped the works which their fingers made.”
(Isaiah 2:8)
Works Of Their Hands

***

MailOnline

Robopriest: Catholic church could ordain sophisticated AI ROBOTS as priests, Franciscan Sister proposes, with the church moving towards a 'post-human priesthood'

• Catholic sister suggests artificial intelligence robots could be used as priests

• Theologian Ilia Delio said robotic priests could replace or work with humans

• Benefits of AI include being incapable of sexual abuse and are gender neutral

• Robots have been used to read Buddhists funeral right in Japan for some years

By CHRIS DYER FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:01, 19 September 2019 | UPDATED: 14:11, 19 September 2019

A senior Catholic sister and theologian has suggested sophisticated robots could be used as priests.

Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio who has two PhDs and a chair in theology at Villanova University, said the priesthood should be 'reimagined' with robots working alongside, or instead of, human religious figures.

Delio, who gives talks on theology and science around the world, said robotic priests would have certain advantages, such as being incapable of committing sexual abuse and being gender neutral.

The sister, who holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair of Theology at Villanova University, added that male priests had formed a 'very patriarchal' system, something that would be challenged by artificial intelligence.

She said that Catholicism has fixed ideas of what a priest is, that would have to evolve as technology develops.

Pepper the robot has been used to perform Buddhist funeral rights in Japan for years. Nissei Eco Co. has programmed Pepper to recite sutras as part of the firm's funeral services business

Delio told Vox: 'Take the Catholic Church. It's very male, very patriarchal, and we have this whole sexual abuse crisis. So would I want a robot priest? Maybe.'

'A robot can be gender-neutral. It might be able to transcend some of those divides and be able to enhance community in a way that's more liberating.'

Her comments came after a new robot priest named Mindar held a talk at Kodaiji - a 400-year-old Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, earlier this month.

Buddhist funeral have been conducted by an AI robot in Japan for some years.

Robots can also perform a social role in ways human priests could not, according to Delio.

She added that humans should not fear robots 'replacing' them, but instead view their use as a partnership.

Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio (left) claims sophisticated robot priests (right an artificial intelligence robot) will either replace or work alongside humans

Delio said: 'We tend to think in an either/or framework: It's either us or the robots. But this is about partnership, not replacement. It can be a symbiotic relationship - if we approach it that way.

'The Catholic notion would say the priest is ontologically changed upon ordination. Is that really true?

'We have these fixed philosophical ideas and AI challenges those ideas - it challenges Catholicism to move toward a post-human priesthood.'

Other religions have use robots for religious ceremonies, with some performing funeral rites.

In Japan the option to pay a robot named Pepper to perform a funeral at a much cheaper rate has been available for years.

At Beijing's Longquan Monastery in China, an android monk called Xian'er has been used to recite Buddhist mantras and offer spiritual guidance.

But other Catholics do not see a robot as being able to perform the same spiritual role as a human priest.

Sister Mary Christa Nutt, RSM, that robots cannot be priests because they are incapable of having an intellect or a will with which to cooperate with God's grace.

She told the Catholic News Agency: 'It has to do with our Catholic understanding of the need for human mediation, cooperation with interior grace.

'We're not dualists. So we don't separate the importance of the rites and the bodily involvement of all the senses in the rites are very important.

'But they don't of themselves suffice. There has to be the interior cooperation of intellect and will.'

(Note the first few seconds of the video.)

(“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:14-15)

***

LIFE SITE

Pope Francis addresses the General Assembly during his visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York, U.S., Sept. 25, 2015.

Pope Francis invites religious, political leaders to sign ‘Global Pact’ for ‘new humanism’

Diane Montagna

September 13, 2019ROME, September 13, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — In a renewed and enthusiastic endorsement of globalism, Pope Francis has announced he is hosting an initiative for a “Global Pact” to create a “new humanism.”

The global event, set to take place at the Vatican on May 14, 2020, is themed Reinventing the Global Educational Alliance.

According to a Vatican statement issued on Thursday, Sept. 12, the Pope is inviting representatives of the main religions, international organizations and various humanitarian institutions, as well as key figures from the world of politics, economics and academia, and prominent athletes, scientists and sociologists to sign a “Global Pact on Education” so as to “hand on to younger generations a united and fraternal common home.”

“A global educational pact is needed to educate us in universal solidarity and a new humanism,” Francis said in a video message to launch the initiative.

A Vatican-backed website launched to promote the pact added: “Educating young people in fraternity, in learning to overcome divisions and conflicts, promote hospitality, justice and peace: Pope Francis has invited everyone who cares about the education of the young generation to sign a Global Pact, to create a global change of mentality through education.”

The Pope’s message on the ‘Global Pact’

In a strikingly secular message containing only one throw-away reference to the Lord, Pope Francis called on people to “capitalize on our best energies” and to be “proactive” in “opening education to a long-term vision unfettered by the status quo.”

“This,” he said, “will result in men and women who are open, responsible, prepared to listen, dialogue and reflect with others, and capable of weaving relationships with families, between generations, and with civil society, and thus to create a new humanism.”

Quoting Hillary Clinton’s favorite aphorism, “It takes a village to raise a child,” Pope Francis asserted the need to create an “educational village,” in which “all people, according to their respective roles, share the task of forming a network of open, human relationships.”

At a time when the right to homeschool and the right to a free choice of school are threatened, and when countries throughout the world level taxes to provide public schooling to which no Catholic parents could safely send their child, Pope Francis omitted any reference to the prerogatives of parents as the primary educators of their children.

Referencing the “Document on Human Fraternity and World Peace for Living Together,” which he signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi last February, Francis explained that, in this new global village, “the ground must be cleared of discrimination and fraternity must be allowed to flourish.”

Readers will recall that the Abu Dhabi document aroused controversy for stating that the “diversity of religions” is “willed by God.”

“In this kind of village,” the Pope also said an “alliance” must be forged “between the earth’s inhabitants and our ‘common home,’ which we are bound to care for and respect. An alliance that generates peace, justice and hospitality among all peoples of the human family, as well as dialogue between religions.”

Not everyone is convinced that peace can be achieved by promoting the Abu Dhabi document, however. Bishop Athanasius Schneider recently observed that “however noble such aims as ‘human fraternity’ and ‘world peace’ may be, they cannot be promoted at the cost of relativizing the truth of uniqueness of Jesus Christ and His Church.”

In his message, the Pope said that in order to reach these “global objectives,” as an “educating village” we must “have the courage to place the human person at the center” and to “train individuals who are ready to offer themselves in service of the community.”

He ended his message by inviting “everyone to work for this alliance and to be committed, individually and within our communities, to nurturing the dream of a humanism rooted in solidarity and responsive both to humanity’s aspirations and to God’s plan.”

Healing the Planet

Pope Francis has tasked the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education with organizing the initiative. According to a website dedicated to the global pact, the Congregation oversees “216 thousand Catholic schools, attended by over 60 million pupils and 1,750 Catholic universities, with over 11 million students.”

In explanatory note accompanying the Pope’s message, the Congregation said that the May 14 global pact initiative seeks to involve “international organizations” and the “great ones of the earth” in helping to “heal the fracture between man and the Absolute” and the separation between “reality and the transcendent.”

It also aims to heal the “horizontal fracture” between men of difficult cultures, religions and backgrounds. And it intends to heal the “fracture between man, society, nature and the environment” in the face of an “urgent need” to create an “ecological citizenship” based on sustainability and an “austere responsibility.”

“The objectives set for the next few decades aim to set up training models that take into account a constantly increasing population, diminishing resources and the fact that climate change places everyone before a serious responsibility: that of developing our planet in a sustainable way, with an eye to the needs of future generations,” the Congregation said.

“The choice of education as a ground on which to make a global pact is a priority topic in the horizon of current and future scenarios,” it added.

Conferences and events will be held throughout the coming year to prepare for the May 14 signing of the “Global Pact” on education.

In May 2019, Pope Francis made a strong push for globalism, calling for a supranational, legally constituted body to enforce United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to implement “climate change” policies.

More recently, during an inflight press conference on his return from a seven-day apostolic visit to Africa, Francis said our “duty” is to “obey international institutions,” such as the United Nations and the European Union.

***

THE CHRISTIAN POST – CP

Kim Kardashian tells 'The View' Kanye West is 'born again, saved by Christ'

By Jeannie Law

September 14, 2019

Kim Kardashian West on Kanye Sunday Service, published Sep 13, 2019 Youtube/Screenshot/TheView

Reality star Kim Kardashian West was a guest on “The View” Thursday where she spoke about her husband's religious beliefs and revealed that he sometimes hosts pop-up churches around the country through his music ministry, Sunday Service.

“Kanye started this to really heal himself and it was a really personal thing, and it was just friends and family,” Kardashian West told host Sunny Hostin who asked about the Sunday Service events. “He has had an amazing evolution of being born again and being saved by Christ.”

“People always ask, ‘What are you worshiping?’ It is a Christian service, like a musical ministry. They talk about Jesus and God,” she said.

When asked if preachers are included, the new prison reform activist said "sometimes."

She added: “When he goes to another church, which he has, they've shown up and done these surprise little pop-up Sunday Services in other churches. Sometimes, at the [meeting] in Calabasas, he'll have friends that are pastors that are in town get up and speak. But for the most part, it's just a musical ministry.”

She also emphasized that her husband does not have a nonprofit status to make his Sunday Service an official church but said what he's doing, "is for God and it's a Christian church."

West has made a dramatic change after starting up his very own church gatherings, Sunday Service and it appears his upcoming album will reflect his gospel gatherings.

In late August, his wife posted video clips of Sunday service on her Insta story and snuck in a photo of a piece of paper next to an open Bible containing West's new album title Jesus Is King, track listing and a release date set for Sept. 27.

The tracklist for the album is completely laced with references to Jesus, God, or the Bible. “Baptized,” “Sweet Jesus,” “Garden,” “Selah” and “Water” are some of the tracks, to name a few. West and his Sunday Service choir premiered “Water” during a Sunday Service session at Coachella Easter weekend.

West began Sunday Service meetings this year. As of now, the events happen every Sunday and include gospel music, some prayer and preaching.

MailOnline

Scholar discovers a hidden message in Milton's 350-year-old 'Paradise Lost' which describes the three falls of Adam, Eve and Satan

• English poet John Milton first published the epic work of blank verse in 1667

• The poem retold the biblical tale of the Fall of Man from the Garden of Eden

• In the first letters of certain lines, three instances of the word 'fall' appear

• The scholar believes this relates to the falls of Adam, Eve and Satan in the poem

• Hidden words have been found in the work before, with one reading 'Satan'

By IAN RANDALL FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:17, 16 September 2019 | UPDATED: 12:33, 16 September 2019

Article

RT

Bibi’s out? Gantz refuses to meet with Netanyahu, says he will form unity govt without embattled PM

Published time: 19 Sep, 2019 13:42

Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White, delivers a statement before his party faction meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel September 19, 2019. © REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Benny Gantz, whose centrist bloc narrowly defeated Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party in a snap election, says he is forming a government that will exclude the current prime minister – signaling the end of Bibi’s era may be near.

The ex-IDF chief said on Thursday that he would not accept Netanyahu’s offer to discuss a unity government, keeping good on his campaign pledge to create a ruling coalition that does not include Bibi.

“I am interested and intend to form a broad and liberal unity government led by me,” he wrote in a tweet.

Speaking with reports, Gantz stressed that his Blue and White alliance “will listen to everyone, but we will not accept mandates imposed on us” – an apparent swipe at Netanyahu’s insistence that the pair should meet.

Blue and White won 33 seats in the Knesset in Tuesday’s snap election, while Likud only secured 31. Gantz said that the results pave the way for him to become prime minister, assuming that a coalition, minus Bibi, can be formed.

If Gantz fails to secure 61 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s political deadlock could continue, forcing the third election this year.

***

THE JERUSALEM POST

AVIGDOR LIBERMAN INSISTS NATIONAL-UNITY GOVT ONLY OPTION

Yisrael Beytenu leader sets out uncompromising religion and state demands which ultra-Orthodox parties will fiercely oppose

BY JEREMY SHARON

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 16:30

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman insisted on Wednesday afternoon that he would not join a narrow government of the left or right, and committed again to the establishment of a national unity government of Blue and White, Likud and his own party.
“If [Blue and White leader Benny] Gantz and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu do not come out with a declaration that this is their intention they shouldn’t bother to call me at all,” Liberman wrote firmly on his Facebook page.

Liberman also decisively ruled out sitting with the Arab parties of the Joint List.
And he laid out his demands on religion and state issues for entering a unity government.
“We will not concede on passing the ultra-Orthodox enlistment law, in its original format, we will not concede on [the demand to] repeal the mini-markets’s law, we will not concede on [demands for] public transport on Shabbat, we will not concede on [demands for] civil marriage, and we will demand the inclusion of core curriculum studies into the ultra-Orthodox education system,” he wrote.
“These are out preconditions and until we hear words in this spirit there is nothing to talk about,” he averred.
He also accused the ultra-Orthodox parties of engaging in incitement towards him, noting that senior United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni had compared him to Amalek, the ancient enemy of the Jewish people.
“We want a normal country in which the citizens will live in accordance with the principal of live and let live. I don’t ask to open grocery stores on Shabbat in [the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city of] Bnei Brak, and I am not prepared for stores to be closed on Shabbat in Ashdod, period.
Repeated demands for the establishment of civil marriage in Israel, and the mandatory teaching of core curriculum studies in ultra-Orthodox primary schools as conditions for entering any new government.
The Yisrael Beytenu leader also called on President Reuven Rivlin to take ‘active role’ in bringing about national unity govt.
Speaking outside his home in the Nokdim settlement early Wednesday morning after Yisrael Beytenu looks to have nearly doubled its Knesset representation, Liberman repeated his assertion that his party would only enter a national unity government without sectoral parties.
“A national unity government, a broad liberal government. We will not join any other option. From our point of view no other option exists,” said Liberman, adding that Yisrael Beytenu would not sit in a government with the Joint Arab List, an idea he describe as “absurd.”
“What is clear is that we will not concede on the repeal of the mini-markets law, we will not concede on public transport on Shabbat, and not on civil marriage,” insisted Liberman.
“A precondition for our entry into the government is also core curriculum studies in the ultra-Orthodox education system. We will give only full governmental support to the ultra-Orthodox education system with the introduction of core curriculum studies.”
The independence of the ultra-Orthodox education system is an extremely sensitive issue and possibly more explosive even than that of enlistment to military service, since the ultra-Orthodox leadership sees the education system as the critical tool for transmitting an ultra-Orthodox identity to its youth.
Asked if he could still sit in a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bearing in mind the rancour between the two, Liberman said there was “no personal issue,” and that “we don’t rule anyone out.”
He added “The key at the moment is with the president. He has to take a much greater active role than in the last round [of elections].”
Shas leader Aryeh Deri described Liberman’s list of demands as “arrogance.”

***

End Of The American Dream

AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN IS ISRAEL’S NEW “KINGMAKER”, AND HE WILL USE THAT LEVERAGE TO MAKE SURE ISRAEL GOES TO WAR WITH HAMAS

For Hamas, the Israeli election could not have gone any worse

Michael Snyder

September 18, 2019

IMAGE CREDITS: KUDUMOMO / FLICKR.

Last November, Avigdor Lieberman resigned as Israel’s defense minister when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to reject Lieberman’s plan for a military operation in Gaza and agree to a ceasefire with Hamas instead. At the time, Lieberman called the ceasefire a “surrender to terrorism”, and of course it didn’t last very long at all. Hamas has continued to bombard Israel with rockets in the months since then, and this has once again brought Israel and Hamas to the brink of war. But everything was on hold until Tuesday’s election, and it appears that the outcome of that election is going to make war with Hamas much, much more likely.

According to the exit polls, the Blue and White party led by Benny Gantz and Netanyahu’s Likud will win about the same number of parliamentary seats. But neither of them will be able to come close to forming a majority without Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, and that makes Lieberman Israel’s new “kingmaker”. The following comes from the BBC…

“Exit polls following Israel’s second general election in five months suggest the result is too close to call.

The centrist Blue and White alliance of former military chief Benny Gantz is projected to win between 32 and 34 seats, and PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party 30 to 33 seats.

Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman may end up being kingmaker.

This gives Lieberman an extraordinary amount of leverage, and he has already stated that he plans to use that leverage to force Likud and the Blue and White party into “a national-unity government”. The following comes from the Jerusalem Post…

“Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman promised on Tuesday night that his party would fulfil its campaign vow to ensure the establishment of a national-unity government without the ultra-Orthodox and religious-Zionist parties.

“We have only one option. A liberal, national, broad unity government made of Yisrael Beytenu, Likud, and Blue and White,” said Liberman speaking above raucous cheers of jubilation at the party’s election party late Tuesday night.

Don’t be misled by Lieberman’s use of terms such as “liberal”, because the truth is that he is the number one war hawk in all of Israeli politics.

In fact, he makes Netanyahu look like a dove in comparison. When Netanyahu refused to go to war with Hamas last November, Lieberman promptly resigned as defense minister. And since that time, he has been telling anyone that would listen what needs to be done in Gaza.

For example, he made the following statements in March…

“Today, when the military enters Gaza, it will have significantly better capabilities than the Second Lebanon War. But in the end, when you embark on such a campaign, you want to ensure the safety of the soldiers,” he said. “Terror always has a bottom. In order to dry out terror, we must reach the critical mass. You have to kill thousands, arrest thousands more, and the rest will disperse.”

But, he said, “The reality in Gaza is that the group has terror infrastructures with military capabilities, and this is a very problematic situation. We have to destroy the military infrastructure in Gaza, and it will not be by a political move or only by airstrikes.”

And he has been very outspoken about the fact that Netanyahu “personally torpedoed” his plans “to deal with Gaza”…

Former Defense Minister MK Avigdor Liberman said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally torpedoed plans to strike Gaza during a significant escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas in November.

“Netanyahu personally torpedoed the plans,” the Chairman of Yisrael Beytenu told Ben Caspit at the Maariv Security Conference on Wednesday. “We have enough tools to deal with Gaza and I had a full plan.”

In this election, it looks like Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party will roughly double the number of seats they hold in parliament, and I guarantee you that Lieberman will not join any coalition unless he is assured that Israel will invade Gaza.

In the days leading up to the election, I think that Netanyahu realized that he was losing votes to Lieberman, and that may be why he said that it looks like Israel has “no other choice” other than to invade Gaza. In the end, that didn’t stop many Israelis from voting for Lieberman instead, and now Lieberman has more political power than ever.

If Netanyahu had moved to crush Hamas earlier, he might not be fighting for his political future now. The Israeli people have grown very weary of rockets constantly being fired at them from the south, and an increasing number of Israelis want someone that will take decisive action. So it is not exactly a surprise that someone like Lieberman has experienced a surge in popularity.

So what should we expect next?

After the formation of a government, we should expect Israel to launch a military operation inside Gaza at some point after the upcoming Jewish holidays. Of course this would have the potential of sparking a much wider regional conflict, but the Israeli people are simply not going to put up with the endless rocket attacks coming from Gaza any longer.

And of course all of this is happening at the same time that a military conflict between the United States and Iran is potentially looming. World War 3 could literally erupt at any time, and once it starts, the Middle East will never be the same again.

For Hamas, the Israeli election could not have gone any worse.

If either Likud or the Blue and White party had won a landslide victory, there would have been a slight possibility that war could have been avoided.

But now Lieberman is in the catbird seat, and that means that Gaza is about to get flattened.

***

BPTNEWS.org

BBC Tells Kids ‘People Can Go to Prison’ For Disrespecting ‘More Than 100’ Gender Identities

September 16, 2019

PJ Media: This month, the BBC released a series of instructional videos for British teachers called “The Big Talk.” The videos cover all sorts of sexual topics and gender identity. One video claims there are more than 100 gender identities and another warns children that “people can go to prison” for being perceived as disrespectful

In the short film “Respecting Myself and Others,” a teacher tells kids that “people can go to prison if it’s shown they’re disrespecting or being hateful to people because of a difference that person perceives.”

The teacher also claims that those who disagree with transgender identity “just don’t know any better yet.” (This despite the fact that endocrinologists have warned that doctors are actually giving kids a disease in the name of affirming their transgender identities.)

Another video — “Understanding Sexual and Gender Identities” — teaches that there are more than 100 gender identities.

***

RT

BBC accused of pushing ‘PC agenda’ with rainbow flag-waving rendition of ‘Rule, Britannia’

Published time: 16 Sep, 2019 10:40

Screenshot courtesy of the BBC

The BBC has been accused of spoiling an annual music festival, after a singer swapped the Union Jack for a rainbow flag in a rousing rendition of ‘Rule, Britannia’. The stunt sparked a storm of furious tweets.

Television viewers across the UK tuned in to watch the Last Night of the Proms – the climax of the eight-week classical music festival – in what has traditionally been a showcase of British patriotism and culture. But this year’s concert featured a provocative twist: The mezzo-soprano who accompanied the orchestra hoisted a rainbow ‘pride’ flag as she sang the British classic, ‘Rule, Britannia.’

Jamie Barton, an American singer and self-professed “queer girl with a nose ring,” said that she unfurled the flag during her performance because she wanted to make “a very clear statement of Pride.”

"We are witnessing something rather remarkable," Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawney said during Barton’s performance. “That moment an audience falls in love with a singer.”

But judging from reactions on Twitter, the concert was deeply divisive, with many of the furious comments being directed at the event’s organizer – the BBC.

One disappointed viewer wrote that Last Night used to be a “celebration for the British people,” but has now been “hijacked by politically motivated virtue signalers.”

Others lamented that the BBC’s “PC agenda” ruined the event, and said they would not be tuning in next year. A handful of particularly enraged netizens vowed to never again pay their TV license fee.

This wasn’t the concert’s only flag-related controversy, however. Remain campaigners urged audience members to wave EU flags during the event – leading to more finger-pointing at the BBC.
“Brussels Broadcasting Corporation doing what it does best,” one Twitter user joked.

***

CHARISMANEWS (This is a disturbing article. Some may choose not to read it.)

Is Planned Parenthood Trafficking Baby Parts?: Why Not Even Jezebel Carried Out This Horrific

Michael Brown

September 17, 2019

Queen Jezebel was the most wicked woman in the Bible. She was an ardent idol-worshipper and murderer. She intimidated people by fear and was associated with sexual immorality and sorcery. And, as part of her idol worship, she was likely involved in the sacrifice of babies.

But not even Jezebel sold baby parts for profit.

Author and national radio host Dr. Michael Brown writes in a new article that the alleged medical benefits of this ghastly practice and the so-called humanitarian purpose behind this horrific trade do not make it right.

"It is downright evil to market the hearts and heads and limbs and lungs of babies slaughtered in the womb," Brown says. "It is wrong. It is wicked. It is woeful."

Brown points to these recent headlines, which sound like they have been taken straight from a horror movie:

In his new and popular book, Jezebel's War With America: The Plot to Destroy Our Country and What We Can Do to Turn the Tide, Brown says the spirit of Queen Jezebel, an incredibly evil and demonically controlled woman from the Bible, is still operating in America today and is evident through a militant pro-abortion agenda.

According to LifeSite, "The CEO of StemExpress essentially admitted in court ... that her biotech company supplies beating fetal hearts and intact fetal heads to medical researchers. She also admitted at the preliminary hearing of David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress that the baby's head could be procured attached to the baby's body or 'could be torn away.'"

"And this is done for profit?" Brown asks. "People are making money off the body parts of butchered babies?"

In Jezebel's War With America, Brown cites texts from the ancient world that described the horrific practice of sacrificing babies to the idol Moloch. He then compares this to a late-term abortion, as described by Brenda Pratt Shafer, a registered nurse from Dayton, Ohio. She testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1995 about what she witnessed when she assisted in a partial-birth abortion on a 26½-week (over 6 months) pre-born baby boy. Read more about her ghastly and disturbing testimony here.

"But the latest reports of selling intact baby heads and even beating hearts take things one step further," Brown writes. "As noted by Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, which is representing Daleiden in the current hearings, 'That is an especially gruesome admission, but it begs the question: how did they get these fully intact human children?' Indeed, 'If you have a fetus with an intact head and an intact body, and intact extremities, that is something that would indicate that child was born alive, and then had their organs cut out of them, or that that child was the victim of an illegal partial-birth abortion.'

"Reading this leaves me almost speechless," Brown continues. "And yet these babies need a voice, and you and I must be that voice. They cannot cry out for themselves. That means that all of us must do something, whatever that 'something' may be. It could mean praying regularly for God's merciful intervention, donating to a pro-life organization, getting your friends to watch the film Unplanned, working with a pro-life ministry, writing to your elected officials, adopting an unwanted child into your home, volunteering your legal services or taking time to educate your children on the sanctity of life.

"But please, let all of us do something until this ghastly practice is ended and babies can feel safe in their mother's wombs."

MailOnline

Will Donald Trump unleash hell on Iran? Oil prices soaring, threats of 'full-on war' from the Ayatollahs, and the US saying it's 'locked and loaded' - are we on the brink of war in the Gulf?

By MICHAEL BURLEIGH FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:10, 16 September 2019 | UPDATED: 23:09, 16 September 2019

The events in this obscure town rocked world oil prices and dramatically raised the stakes in the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran

Article

SPUTNIK

Video: Spain Floods Death Toll Rises to Six as Country Hit by 'Worst Storm in Century'

September 14, 2019

Meteorologists have already called the recent rainfalls in the country' southeastern regions the heaviest on record. Public transport, including train and air services, has been disrupted for a third day.

Article

RT

War in Syria ended, hotbeds of tension remain in areas uncontrolled by govt – Lavrov

Published time: 13 Sep, 2019 10:29 Edited time: 13 Sep, 2019 11:06

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. © Reuters / Shamil Zhumatov

Syria is returning to peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, adding that only hotbeds of tension remain in the country.

“The Syrian war has ended indeed. The country is returning to normal peaceful life gradually. Separate hotbeds of tension only remain on the territories uncontrolled by the Syrian government, for example, in Idlib and the eastern bank of Euphrates,” he told Russia’s Trud newspaper.

The formation and launch of a committee, aimed at devising constitutional reform, will become an important stage of promoting the political process implemented by the Syrians themselves with the UN’s assistance, he said. The move will provide the Syrian government and opposition with an opportunity “to start a direct dialogue on the country’s future for the first time ever,” TASS quoted him as saying.

Russia favors restoration of Syria’s sovereignty, the fight against the consequences of terrorism, the return of all Syrians to their native land, and of the country itself to the ‘Arab family’, the minister said.

ACTIVIST POST

Switzerland Sick Of and Sick From 5G — Nationwide Revolt Planned for September 21

September 18, 2019

By B.N. Frank

Swiss opposition to 5G is not new and not just from residents. In 2017, Swiss doctor Bertrand Buchs launched a petition asking for a moratorium on its installation and since then doctors and scientists worldwide have signed it. Research has determined that exposure can cause undesirable symptoms and conditions – to say the least.

Earlier this year, Vaud Switzerland adopted a 5G moratorium. Regardless, 5G was installed in Geneva where some residents immediately started suffering from exposure. Now opponents are planning a nationwide revolt.

***

Irish Examiner

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney record version of lost Lennon song

September 13, 2019

Sir Ringo Starr has teamed up with Sir Paul McCartney to record a version of a lost demo written by John Lennon less than a year before his death.

Lennon penned Grow Old With Me during the sessions for Double Fantasy, the final record he made before he was shot and killed outside his Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980.

The former Beatles drummer, 79, was introduced to the song by record producer Jack Douglas, who produced the Grammy-winning album, which is also credited to Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono.

Sir Ringo enlisted the help of Sir Paul, 77, to play bass on the track, which he admitted had brought him to tears when he first heard it.

He said: “Jack asked if I ever heard The Bermuda Tapes, John’s demos from that time. And I had never heard all this.

“The idea that John was talking about me in that time before he died, well, I’m an emotional person.

“And I just loved this song. I sang it the best that I could. I do well up when I think of John this deeply. And I’ve done my best. We’ve done our best.”

He added: “The other good thing is that I really wanted Paul to play on it, and he said yes. Paul came over and he played bass and sings a little bit on this with me. So, John’s on it in a way. I’m on it and Paul’s on it.

“It’s not a publicity stunt. This is just what I wanted. And the strings that Jack arranged for this track, if you really listen, they do one line from Here Comes The Sun.

“So in a way, it’s the four of us.”

The track features on Sir Ringo’s 20th solo album, What’s My Name, out on October 25.

Sir Ringo recorded the album in his home studio, known as Roccabella West, enlisting a number of regular contributors and members of his touring All-Starr Band.

The record also features a cover of Barrett Strong’s Motown hit Money (That’s What I Want), famously covered by the Fab Four.

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DEADLINE

Jeff Fenholt Dies: Broadway’s Original ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Was 68

By Greg Evans

September 11, 2019

Jeff Fenholt

Jeff Fenholt, who played the title role in the original Broadway production and tour of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical Jesus Christ Superstar and later became a TV evangelist, died Tuesday. He was 68 and apparently ailing, and though his son and friends in the faith community confirmed his death, details were scarce.

“Yesterday, my dad – Jeff Fenholt – went home to be with the Lord,” wrote son Tristan Fenholt on Facebook. “Like all of us, he was not a perfect man, but he knew the perfect Savior (Jesus), and loved to share the gospel with as many people as possible. His music and ministry literally touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. He truly loved the Lord… and still does. I love you and miss you, Dad!”

Isaac Hernandez of Faith on Film TV and a past director of Fenholt’s religious shows on TBN, tweeted, “I just learned that my friend Jeff Fenholt has gone on to be with the Lord. I had the pleasure of directing his shows on TBN for several years. He was always so much fun to be with. I spoke with him a few months ago as he shared some of his ideas for a new show.”

Although Fenholt was not the first Superstar lead — Deep Purple and Black Sabbath singer Ian Gillan recorded the role for the original bestselling 1970 concept album — Fenholt originated the role on Broadway when the groundbreaking rock opera opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Oct. 12, 1971.

The production brought Fenholt instant fame and even a Time magazine cover, his acting career fizzled. He later wrote that he’d been waylaid by substance abuse and addictions before turning to Christian evangelism. He frequently appeared on the Christian network TBN.

Fenholt also had a brief run (and run-in) with the band Black Sabbath – the group that Gillan had performed with – though just how big of a role Fenholt had with the band remains in dispute. Fenholt said he’d been a member in the mid-1980s, while original band member and guitarist Tony Iommi wrote in his memoir Iron Man that Fenholt essentially tried out for the band and didn’t last beyond the recording of some demos that later were bootlegged. “The New York Times did a thing about him being with Black Sabbath and they wrote that he saw the light, rejected evil and all this bollocks,” Iommi wrote. “We were right back in the satanism thing because Fenholt was going on about it.”

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the dodo

Wild Elephant Brings Her Newborn To Meet The People Who Saved Her

Such an incredible moment

BY LILY FEINN

September 13, 2019

To Loijuk the elephant, nothing is more important than family — especially now that she is starting one of her own.

In 2006, the orphaned elephant was found all alone at only 5 months old, and was rescued by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Kenya. She was hand-raised by SWT until she was old enough to return to the wild.

Years have passed, but Loijuk still has a close bond with her human family. She returns to the grounds of the sanctuary every month to visit. But in September, Loijuk surprised her former caretakers with a newborn elephant calf in tow.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

It was clear the proud elephant mom couldn’t wait to show off her baby. The calf, who has since been named Lili, was only hours old — likely born only the night before.

Loijuk has never forgotten the kindness of those who helped her. She even invited Benjamin Kyalo, the head keeper, to have a special moment with her newborn calf.

“Benjamin was able to get close to Lili (who nestled into his legs), stroke her delicate newborn skin and breathe into her trunk, thereby letting her know who he was via his scent,” Rob Brandford, executive director of SWT, told The Dodo. “Elephants have an incredible memory and sense of smell and our keepers will often breathe into the orphans’ trunks so they can recognize who they are.”

You can watch a video of Loijuk and Lili's touching visit here:

Lili was quite wobbly on her feet during the meeting, but over the course of the week, Kyalo watched as she got stronger and stronger.

"Loijuk has stayed close to the area around the unit, allowing our keepers to watch over her and check how she’s getting on," Brandford said. "Considering September is the peak of the dry season in Tsavo, not the most favorable of conditions for a new baby, we are delighted that Loijuk has returned close to home so that we can help supplement her diet when she visits."

In the wild, calves are raised with the help of female relatives within the herd. Loijuk has played nanny to other babies before giving birth to Lili, and now her calf has nannies of her very own — two other wild orphans named Naserian and Ithumbah.

Lili will remain with her mom's herd in the wild for life, and if she is ever in need, she now knows there is a safe place she can always return to.

Lili is the 31st calf born to female orphaned elephants raised by SWT now living wild, and she is a beacon of hope for threatened elephant populations everywhere.

“Moments like these are momentous,” Brandford said. “In saving one orphaned elephant’s life, we are not only seeing that orphan thrive but start a family.”

"Lili has a brighter future ahead of her than many elephants," Brandford added, "and we look forward to watching this little girl grow up in the wild.”

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Until next week...keep on believing.
Almondtree Productions

“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
(Acts 20:35)