Mass arrests of Christians continue in Eritrea
   August 22, 2011 - (christiansunite.com) - Eritrean officials have arrested at least 90 Christians in recent months, including many college students. In May, authorities detained 64 believers in Adi Abeyto, a village near the capital, Asmara.
    Only six of the 90 arrested have been released. The others are thought to be held at a police station or in the notorious Mitire military prison. It is not clear why the Christians were detained, but college students have reportedly been arrested in recent weeks for refusing to take part in celebrations for the country's Independence Day (May 24).
    For example, 26 students from the Mai-Mefhi College of Technology were arrested in June and detained at an unknown location.
In 2002, the Eritrean government banned all Christian groups that do not belong to a state-approved church. Since then, thousands of Christians have been imprisoned. Sixteen are known to have died in custody.

Religion becoming extinct in NZ - study
   19 AUG - A study has reportedly found that religion is set for extinction in nine countries.
    Presented at an American Physical Society meeting in Dallas (Texas, USA), this study reportedly listed these countries as: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.
    This study titled “Modeling the Decline of Religion,” points out that societies in which the perceived utility of not adhering is greater than the utility of adhering, religion will be driven toward extinction. People claiming no religious affiliation constitute the fastest growing religious minority in many countries throughout the world. It is said that in Czech Republic, about 60% identify themselves as non-affiliated to religion.
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Tuscan Friars ask God to Deliver Diarrhoea for Basilica Bible Thief
    18 AUG - A group of Franciscan friars furious at the theft of bibles from their church in Florence have taken the unusual step of praying for the thief to be struck down by diarrhoea.
    Friars at the 15th century church of San Salvatore al Monte, which was a favourite of Michelangelo, were irritated when a rare and expensive bible disappeared from the lectern, and they flew off the handle when a replacement bible donated by a worshipper also went missing and within a few hours.
    In a note, pinned up in full view of worshippers, the friars say they hope the thief sees the error of his ways. But in case he does not, they add: "We pray to God that the thief is struck by a strong bout of the shits."
    This turn of events will, they hope, "encourage him to carry out no further thefts".
    Described by La Stampa newspaper as "the product of the Tuscan ability to be ironic about anything", the note and its unorthodox request will be forgiven, claim one of the friars. "It is not exactly clean language," the friar said, "but we couldn't put up with it any longer. The Lord and the faithful will understand."

Girl in Uganda Loses Use of Legs after Leaving Islam for Christ
   11 AUG- Nairobi, Kenya - A 14-year-old girl in western Uganda is still unable to walk 10 months after her father tortured her for leaving Islam and putting her faith in Christ, according to area Christians.
    Susan Ithungu of Isango village, Kasese district, has been hospitalized at Kagando Hospital since October 2010 after neighbors with police help rescued her from her father, Beya Baluku. He was arrested shortly afterward but quickly released, sources said.
    Susan and her younger brother, Mbusa Baluku, lived alone with their father after he divorced their mother. In March 2010 an evangelist from Bwera Full Gospel Church spoke at Susan’s school, and she decided to trust Christ for her salvation.
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Report shows rise in world restrictions on religion
    9 AUG - (Reuters) - Nearly a third of the world's population lives in countries where it is becoming more difficult to freely practice religion, a private U.S. research group reported on Tuesday.
    The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life said government restrictions and public hostility involving religion grew in some of the most populous countries from mid-2006 to mid-2009.
   "During the three-year period covered by the study, the extent of violence and abuse related to religion increased in more places than it decreased," according to the report "Rising Restrictions on Religion."
    Only about one percent of the world lives in countries that saw more religious tolerance during those years, it said.
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Notorious American cult to picket Scottish church over gay ministers
   6 AUG/Scotsman - Members of a notorious homophobic American congregation are planning to picket the Scottish church at the centre of the threatened schism within the Kirk over the ordination of gay ministers.
    The extremist Westboro Baptist Church is also threatening to stage a demonstration at the autumn ecumenical conference of Church of Scotland in Edinburgh later this year.
    The Kansas-based church, founded by the Rev Fred Phelps and his family, featured in Louis Theroux's 2007 television documentary, The Most Hated Family In America and in his 2011 programme America's Most Hated Family in Crisis.
    Members of the fundamentalist church have staged a series of anti-gay protests at military funerals across America, proclaiming their incendiary view that American deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
    However, the church has now announced on its website that members are planning to come to Scotland to picket Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen - the church that sparked the threatened split in the Kirk two years ago when the congregation decided to induct the Rev Scott Rennie as the first openly gay minister in the Church of Scotland.
    They plan to target the church on 30 October and to picket the Church of Scotland's autumn conference at its headquarters in Edinburgh's George Street on 28 October.
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No shame for religious killings in Indonesian town
    9 AUG- Cikeusik, Indonesia - When Dani bin Misra was released from prison last week after serving just three months for smashing in the skull of a member of a Muslim sect, this conservative Indonesian town let out a triumphant cry.
    "He's a hero!" Rasna bin Wildan said of the teenage killer.
    The ferociousness of the attack, captured on video and circulated widely on the Internet, guaranteed no one from the Ahmadiyah group would dare set foot in Cikeusik again, the 38-year-old farmer said as others nodded in agreement.
    Their reaction is part of a wider wave of intolerance against religious minorities that is challenging Indonesia's image as a beacon of how Islam and liberalism can coexist.
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Stephen Hawking bashes religion, but what does new paper say about God?
   8 AUG - CBS News - Physicist Stephen Hawking has given religion a cosmic thumbs-down, calling the idea of heaven "a fairy story" in a recent interview. But researchers say faith can have measurable psychological benefits.
    Case in point: A paper published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology indicates that people who believe in a benevolent God are less bothered by the vagaries of life than those who believe in a deity that is indifferent or punitive.
    The paper was based on two recent studies. The first, which involved 332 Christians and Jews, showed that those who trusted in God to look out for them worry less and are more tolerant of uncertainty than those who mistrusted God.
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Iran acid victim spares attacker from retribution
   31 JULY - TEHRAN - (Reuters) - An Iranian woman blinded with acid by her suitor for turning down his marriage proposal spared him at the last minute from being blinded too as punishment for his crime, Iranian media reported on Sunday.
    Ameneh Bahrami lost her sight in 2004 when Majid Mohavedi poured acid onto her face after she spurned his offers of marriage.
    In 2008, a court sentenced Mohavedi to be blinded in both eyes for taking away Bahrami's sight, using the principle of retribution permitted under Iran's Islamic law
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Church in Wales inquiry after rector burns Bible pages
   22 JULY 2011- Wales - The Church in Wales says it is investigating after a Gwynedd rector burnt some pages from the Bible.
    The Reverend Geraint ap Iorwerth of St Peter ad Vincula Church, Pennal, also cut up pages from the King James Bible to create an artwork.
    Unveiling it at a church event, he said it revealed a "cruel and vile God".
    The Bishop of Bangor said: "Destroying parts of the Bible we don't like is disrespectful and will offend many people."
    Mr ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales he had burnt scraps of cut up the passages at the public event because he had been making a statement as part of an art experiment.
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In Palestinian city, diggers uncover biblical ruin
   22 JUL 2011 - NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — Archaeologists unearthing a biblical ruin inside a Palestinian city in the West Bank are writing the latest chapter in a 100-year-old excavation that has been interrupted by two world wars and numerous rounds of Mideast upheaval.
    Working on an urban lot that long served residents of Nablus as an unofficial dump for garbage and old car parts, Dutch and Palestinian archaeologists are learning more about the ancient city of Shekhem, and are preparing to open the site to the public as an archaeological park next year.
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Ageing Church of England 'will be dead in 20 years'
   The Church of England will cease to exist in 20 years as the current generation of elderly worshippers dies, Anglican leaders warned yesterday.
    12 JULY - The average age of its members is now 61 and by 2020 a “crisis” of “natural wastage” will lead to their numbers falling “through the floor”, the Church’s national assembly was told.
    The Church was compared to a company “impeccably” managing itself into failure, during exchanges at the General Synod in York.
    The warnings follow an internal report calling for an urgent national recruitment drive to attract more members.
    In the past 40 years, the number of adult churchgoers has halved, while the number of children attending regular worship has declined by four fifths.
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New Bible gives Jesus a 'Human' touch
   13 JULY - In the newest English-language Bible translation to hit bookshelves, e-readers and online sites, Jesus is no longer the "Son of Man."
    He's "the Human One."
    The Tennessean religion reporter Bob Smietana tours the text, pointing out notable changes in the freshly published Common English Bible starting in the beginning. Except that "In the beginning..." is gone, too. This Bible begins, "When God began to create the heavens and the earth..."
    And Adam is simply lower case "human" until Eve comes along in Genesis 2:23. “The human said, "This one finally is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called a woman because from a man she was taken."”
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Christian Pastor Facing Execution in Iran
   14 JULY - A 32 year-old Iranian Christian Pastor is reportedly facing execution in Iran unless he is willing to recant his faith in Jesus Christ. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani became a Christian as a teenager, and has been under arrest since 2009 for his faith. In Iran – dominated by Islam – there is apparently no room for him to practice and share his faith.
    Iran’s Supreme Court says an evangelical pastor charged with apostasy can be executed if he does not recant his faith, according to a copy of the verdict obtained by a religious rights activist group.
    Christian Solidarity World says Iranian-born Yousef Nadarkhani, who was arrested in 2009 and given the death sentence late last year, could have his sentence suspended on the grounds that he renounce his faith.
    Those who know him say he is not likely to do that, for if he were disposed to giving it up, he would have done it long ago.

Jesus baptism site along Jordan River now open daily
    13 JULY - QASR EL-YAHUD, West Bank (AP) — Israel opened the traditional baptism site of Jesus to daily visits Tuesday, a move that required the cooperation of Israel's military and the removal of nearby mines in the West Bank along the border with Jordan.
    The location, where many believe John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the waters of the Jordan River, is one of the most important sites in Christianity
    Until now, it was opened several times a year in coordination with the Israeli military, but because of its sensitive location, it had not been regularly open to the public since Israel captured the site from Jordan, along with the rest of the West Bank, in the 1967 Mideast war.
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Austrian Pastafarian dons colander for driver's licence
    15 JULY - Pasta strainers are now considered suitable religious headgear in Austria ... at least as far as the transport authorities are concerned.
    Three years after applying for a new driver's licence, an Austrian man has finally received the laminated card. And the picture shows him sporting an upturned pasta strainer on his head.
    Nothing to worry about: the authorities ruled the kitchen utensil was a suitable religious accessory for a Pastafarian.
    Niko Alm, an entrepreneur, told the Austria Press Agency he had the idea when he read that headgear was allowed in official pictures only for "confessional" reasons.
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For doomsday believers, this is the only place that will survive Dec. 21, 2012
    6 JULY 2011 - A tiny remote village in southern France is being billed as a haven against the end of the world by Apocalypse devotees.
    Hundreds of websites suggest that the rocky outcrop – or the upside-down mountain, as it is known – that soars above the village of Bugarach harbours a series of caverns and tunnels that have magical power and may even serve as a base for aliens.
    It seems Bugarach, with its tiny population of fewer than 200, may be the place to be on Dec. 21, 2012, when some suggest the world is going to end based on calculations of the Mayan calendar. The date supposedly signals the end of a 5,125-year cycle and the end of the world as we know it.
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Christians tortured and killed in South Sudan
   11 JULY - Government agents and Islamic militants recently launched deadly attacks on Christians in Sudan's South Kordofan state. On June 8, a Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Intelligence unit detained a seminary student, Nimeri Philip Kalo, near the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in the capital city of Kadugli.
    Nimeri and other Christians were fleeing the town after Muslim militias loyal to the SAF attacked and looted at least three local churches. The agents reportedly accused Nimeri of being a Christian and suspected he was therefore opposed to the Islamic government.
    The UNMIS's mandate is to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the country's Christian and animist south, which is scheduled to secede on July 9. Nimeri was killed in front of several bystanders. "They shot him in front of our eyes and forced us not to cry, or else we would face the same fate," said one witness.
    The same day, Islamic militants aligned with SAF killed a Christian bus driver, Adeeb Gismalla Aksam (33), by sword in the Kadugli Market. That afternoon, other armed militants attacked a Roman Catholic Church building where Christians were gathered for mass, firing guns and shouting "Allahu-akbar."
    No one was injured, but SAF agents arrested Reverend Abraham James Lual in front of his congregation. They accused Abraham of preaching that people should oppose the Islamic government and took him to an unknown location. He was tortured for two days before being released.

Putin sent to Russia by God
   8 JUL - Vladimir Putin was sent to Russia by God to help it deal with its troubles in the early post-Soviet era, the Kremlin's top political adviser was quoted as saying on Friday.
   "To be honest, I think of Putin as a person who was sent to Russia by fate and the Almighty at a difficult hour," Interfax quoted first deputy administration chief Vladislav Surkov as telling Chechen television.
   Surkov serves in the administration of President Dmitry Medvedev. But he has worked there since just before Putin first entered the Kremlin for a two-year term as president in 2000 and is widely seen as one of his closest allies.
   Putin now serves as prime minister and neither he nor Medvedev have said which of them will run in presidential elections scheduled for March.
   But Putin has remained the country's most popular politician and has been forced to deal with at times peculiar signs of appreciations from his fans and political supporters.
   The Russian media in May reported that a small female sect believes Putin is the reincarnation of Paul the Apostle.
   Putin has been made the hero of pop songs and brands of vodka and even a Moscow night club party.
    Alexei Nikolsky | AFP

Tajikistan moves to ban adolescents from mosques
   18 JUN - Tajikistan has taken the first step toward banning children and adolescents from worshipping in mosques and churches, drawing criticism from Muslim leaders who oppose the Central Asian state’s crackdown on religious freedom. The lower house of parliament in the impoverished ex-Soviet republic this week passed a “parental responsibility” bill that would make it illegal to allow children to be part of a religious institution not officially sanctioned by the state.
    Authorities say the measures are necessary to prevent the spread of religious fundamentalism in the volatile republic, the poorest of the 15 former Soviet republics, where government troops have been fighting insurgents in the mountainous east. Muslim leaders said the law, the brainchild of long-serving President Imomali Rakhmon, would only increase discontent among the majority Muslim population of a nation that fought a civil war in the 1990s in which tens of thousands were killed
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Jewish court sentences dog to death by stoning
   17 JUN - A Jerusalem rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a dog it suspects is the reincarnation of a secular lawyer who insulted the court's judges 20 years ago, Ynet website reported Friday.
    According to Ynet, the large dog made its way into the Monetary Affairs Court in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, frightening judges and plaintiffs.
    Despite attempts to drive the dog out of the court, the hound refused to leave the premises.
    One of the sitting judges then recalled a curse the court had passed down upon a secular lawyer who had insulted the judges two decades previously.
    Their preferred divine retribution was for the lawyer's spirit to move into the body of a dog, an animal considered impure by traditional Judaism.
    Clearly still offended, one of the judges sentenced the animal to death by stoning by local children.
The canine target, however, managed to escape.
    "Let the Animals Live", an animal-welfare organisation filed a complaint with the police against the head of the court, Rabbi Avraham Dov Levin, who denied that the judges had called for the dog's stoning, Ynet reported.
    One of the court's managers, however, confirmed the report of the lapidation sentence to Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot.
    "It was ordered... as an appropriate way to 'get back at' the spirit which entered the poor dog," the paper reported the manager as saying, according to Ynet.
   Certain schools of thought within Judaism believe in the transmigration of souls, or reincarnation.