US SENATOR CALLS ON FELLOW DEMOCRATS TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD

[Yahoo ! News, June 28, 2006] US Senator Barack Obama chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to "acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people," and said the party must compete for the support of evangelicals and other churchgoing Americans. "Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation. Context matters," the Illinois Democrat said in remarks prepared for delivery to a conference of Call to Renewal, a faith-based movement to overcome poverty. "It is doubtful that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance feel oppressed or brainwashed as a consequence of muttering the phrase `under God,'" he said. "Having voluntary student prayer groups using school property to meet should not be a threat, any more than its use by the High School Republicans should threaten Democrats." Obama, the only black in the Senate, drew national notice even before arriving in Congress last year, and has occasionally used his visibility to scold members of his own party. Widely sought as a fundraiser for other Democrats, Obama responded with a noncommittal laugh this spring when asked whether he wants a spot on the national ticket in 2008. His speech included unusually personal references to religion, the type of remarks that usually come more readily from Republicans than Democrats. "Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me," he said of his walk down the aisle of the Trinity United Church of Christ. "I submitted myself to his will and dedicated myself to discovering his truth." Obama said millions of Christians, Muslims and Jews have traveled similar religious paths, and that is why "we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse. ... In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons will continue to hold sway." Obama coupled his advice with a warning. "Nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith: the politicians who shows up at a black church around election time and claps — off rhythm — to the gospel choir." At the same time, he said, "Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square." As a result, "I think we make a mistake when we fail to acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people and join a serious debate about how to reconcile faith with our modern, pluralistic democracy." Obama mentioned leaders of the religious right briefly, saying they must "accept some ground rules for collaboration" and recognize the importance of the separation of church and state.

UP-TO-THE-MINUTE RELIGIOUS NEWS

FEWER AMERICANS ATTEND CHURCH EACH SUNDAY

[AgapePress May 15, 2006] A new study concludes the number of Americans attending church every Sunday is a whole lot less than what has been reported. One of the researchers suggests that the success of mega-churches across the country could be one reason for the misperception about how many Americans actually spend Sunday morning in a worship service. Christianity Today notes that for years, Gallup pollsters have reported that 40 percent of Americans -- roughly 118 million people -- attend a church every Sunday. But a new study done by an Episcopal Church researcher, Kirk Hadaway, and Penny Marler of Samford University concludes the actual number is much less than that. They did a "count-based" estimate of church attendance -- in other words, actual attendance figures -- and concluded that only about 20 percent of Americans go to a church on Sunday. That lower figure, says Hadaway, may come as a surprise to many. But he believes part of the problem may be that people see or hear about the big crowds attending the mega-churches and get the impression that church attendance overall is increasing. "You have Joel Osteen's church with 20,000 or 30,000 people worshipping on an average weekend, and it just seems like religion is going great guns," the researcher says. Other mega-churches like Saddleback Church (Orange County, California), Willow Creek Community Church (near Chicago), Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, Kentucky), and Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano, Texas) report attendance well over 10,000 on a typical Sunday. "I think it is creating a false impression of what is happening in the church," Hadaway says of the huge numbers being attributed to such congregations. "There are more giant churches now than there used to be -- but at the same time, the average church is quite small." He adds that a decline in the number of small congregations has resulted in the "death" of a lot of churches. "The have declining numbers and rising costs -- insurance rates, pastors' salaries, utilities -- making it really tough for many churches across America," he says. The National Congregations Study in 2000 estimated there were more than 330,000 churches in the United States -- yet only 10 percent of those churches have more than 350 regular participants. As CT points out, that means those 10 percent compose nearly half of those attending religious services in America.

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ANGLICANS and CATHOLICS REACH AGREEMENT on ROLE of MARY

[May 17, 2005] After decades of bickering, an international ecumenical body devoted to bridging the gulf between the Anglican and Catholic churches has reached a historic agreement about the role of Mary, Mother of Jesus: she is the Lord's handmaiden and sinless, but not the source of eternal salvation. The committee of 18 bishops, clergy, religious and lay people from 10 countries has found common ground in reconciling the place of Mary in Christian devotion, a critical issue of disagreement between the faiths. In a long-awaited statement, issued in Seattle early today Sydney time, the committee says certain papal teachings governing the Assumption -- Mary's ascension to heaven "body and soul" -- and the Immaculate Conception -- Mary's state of original sinlessness -- can be seen as consistent with scriptural teachings. Mary is Christ's foremost disciple, with a distinctive place in the history of salvation. She is the mother of God incarnate, a model of holiness, faith and obedience for all Christians and a prophetic figure of the church. But while she can be asked to pray for us she is not a way to salvation in her own right, according to the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, whose agreement, Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ, represents the first international bilateral dialogue between the two churches on this contentious aspect of Christian devotion. Historically, Anglicans have seen Mary as an inspiration and disciple but say Catholics excessively exalt Mary's role and powers, giving her an honour they say is Christ's alone. The commission has sought to reconcile the portrayal of Mary in the scriptures with ancient Christian traditions that saw her evolve as God-bearer and a worker of miracles and gave rise to feast days, and with that of the Reformation of the 16th century, which aimed to reduce her influence. It says the practice of asking Mary and the saints to intercede does not divide churches. However, it stops short of endorsing "private revelations", the most famous of which are the apparitions at Fatima, in Portugal, and Lourdes, in France. Devotional expression enriches worship of God and should be respected provided it does not undermine the pre-eminent place of Jesus in the church and is not compulsory. "The crowds gathering at some places where Mary is believed to have appeared suggest that such apparitions are an important part of this devotion and provide spiritual comfort," it says. "We agree that doctrine and devotion which focuses on Mary must be moderated by carefully expressed norms which ensure the unique and central place of Jesus Christ in the church and that Christ alone together with the Father and the Holy Spirit is to be worshipped in the church." The commission's findings appear consistent with Catholic teachings and practices but may departs from some of the emphases of Pope John Paul II, who encouraged devotion to Mary. The commission admits the agreement does not resolve all differences, and there remains lingering questions about the authority and force of papal dogma and its relevance to scriptural teaching. The dialogue was officially sponsored by the Anglican Consultative Council and by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity but is not binding. The retired Australian Anglican Primate, Dr Peter Carnley, who co-chaired the commission, hopes it will be a starting point for reconciliation. "We are breaking new ground, and I hope, myself, it will trigger quite a lot of interest because its a popular topic and people in the pews are conscious of the difference in approach," he said.

IRANIAN BELIEVES HE HAS LOCATED THE GARDEN OF EDEN

[Dan Wooding, ASSIST News Service, April 10, 2006] Iranian poet, writer, and filmmaker Ata Servati says that he has come to believe Eden was located by the city of Tabriz. While researching his book, "In Search of Heaven," about an American missionary, Howard Conklin Baskerville, the latter made a startling discovery when in 1907 he went to the city of Tabriz in Iran. Baskerville, who sacrificed himself for Iranian freedom, after Russians had bombed and destroyed the Iranian parliament and killed all its representatives, may have discovered the original Garden of Eden. Ata Servati, who was forced because of the circumstances to leave his homeland and now lives in Los Angeles, told ANS in an interview that he now believes that close to Tabriz is where the original "Garden of Eden" was located. "When I was done with the second draft of the book, a TV documentary called 'In Search of Eden' which was written and directed by David Rohl and aired by The Learning Channel (TLC) about the discovery of the Garden of Eden called 'In Search Of Eden' was shown,” he said. "It was then that my belief became much stronger that it was fate that led Howard Baskerville to arrive in Tabriz. After many years of in-depth inquiry, and after examining numerous documents, biblical references, archeological findings, and various holy texts and sources, the producers of the show had finally concluded that all signs pointed toward the city of Tabriz being the actual Garden of Eden. "Next to Tabriz is the city of Orumiyeh (Rezaiyeh, 1926-1980) which they concluded, was the home of Adam and Eve. It was also the birth place of messenger Zoroaster. In fact the reasons that the researcher were attracted to look in Iran were that many of the old buildings there are designed like the Garden of Eden, as portrayed in the Holy Bible; historical building like Massq of the Shah in Esfahan, Baghe Fen in Kashan and the Taj Mahal in India, which was designed and built by an Iranian architect. “Tabriz is located on the northwestern edge of Iran and is the capital of Azerbaijan, which neighbors Iran within the recently formed of Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia." Ata Servati then shared why he has become so fascinated with the story of Howard Baskerville. "First of all, I have discovered that someone else's life can become more important than your own; that it shows a caring beyond human desire, and an understanding more than average man can arrive at," he said. "This man has shown me that he had such love for people he had never met before he went to Iran. He was willing to sacrifice his own life at such a young age because of that love, which is beyond human imagination. "One needs to go through everything Howard went through to be filled with the truth that Howard finally arrived at. And getting to that point one must read the book to feel and imagine what caused Howard to land at such an honorable place -- heaven." When asked what he hoped the book would achieve, he said: "That we really have to look at each other as human beings. We must learn to love and respect for who we are and who others are. One should and must treat others as one wishes to be treated. And finally with love, respect and understanding we can arrive at a place we would wish this world to be: a peaceful and safe environment. With violence, destruction, bloodshed and hate we never get anywhere. Jesus Christ said that we should love our enemy more than you love your friend, and then you can be full of love. In fact, if we love our enemy we do not have an enemy to be worried about, do we?" Ata Servati then said that he hoped that present-day all those who believe in violence will learn from the example of Howard Baskerville that "the answer is not in violence." "Iranian people can also learn that they have to rise and get their destiny back in their own hand; and claim their God-given freedom back from the radicals. And I believe this important will accomplish by younger generation and brave women of Iran. And let's not forget this transformation must and will be achieve with a non-violent means. So the world would distinguish between the peaceful Iranian people and the small group of radicals presently in power in Iran, who use the language of killing and torture, to quiet any voice or ideology on the same people that supposedly should serve. "They must show the real Iranian custom and behavior, part of love, respect for others and human rights part of their spiritually, to the world; the one that Howard had felt and had been fascinated by and died for." He concluded by saying, "I want to thank the American people who have welcomed me and over 2 million other Iranians here and were so kind to us all. We all appreciate such hospitality. And thank you again. Also I am hoping they read the book, and then they will be familiar with real side of Iranian people and not what they see in the news these days." He is now working on turning his book into a movie, and I am sure this move need to be made and any help by any one must be blessing to people. Servati’s book can be obtained at IN SEARCH OF HEAVEN

TRACKING DOWN SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

[Kibbutz Tzuba, Israel (CNSNews.com)] A recently discovered cave near Jerusalem could be the place where the New Testament prophet John the Baptist developed his ideas and got his start before he began baptising multitudes in the Jordan River, archaeologists said today. Although the cave's significance was discovered several years ago, it was kept a quasi-secret for scientific reasons until Monday, when archaeologists decided to go public with their findings. Dr. Shimon Gibson, a British-born archaeologist, said he believes that the find will shed new light on the life of John the Baptist and baptism itself. "By fitting together all of the new archaeological facts with the basic historical information that has been available (sometimes even buried) in scholarly literature for a long time -- I believe I am able to throw an amazing amount of light on the personality and mission of John the Baptist -- the man, the prophet," said Gibson. The cave -- actually a cistern -- is located at the bottom of a rocky cliff in the orchards of the community of Kibbutz Tzuba, near Ein Kerem where John the Baptist was born, about seven miles from Jerusalem. Although members of Kibbutz Tzuba -- the Biblical Tzova -- had known about the cave for years, it was member Reuven Kalifon who suggested that Gibson take a look at it. "We have an orchard there," said Kalifon. "Everybody at one time or another in his life would work in the orchards. In the wintertime, it would start raining, and people would look for a shelter." The opening to the cave, hidden by bushes and filled with mud, was barely big enough to scramble into, but once inside, it was very deep, he said. During a general survey that Gibson was conducting in the area in 1999, Kalifon suggested that he visit the cave. “We entered into the cave, we had to crawl on all fours, and then, behind a series of boulders against the walls -- the cave was full of soil almost up to the ceiling -- we were able to make out some drawings and move some of the boulders, and you could see the figure of John the Baptist," said Gibson. Excavations were then undertaken during the next four years on behalf of the University of North Carolina, he said. According to Gibson, the primitive cave drawings etched in the walls were probably used by Byzantine monks starting in the 4th century A.D. as a teaching tool to tell new monks about the story of John the Baptist and his significance to Christianity. Beneath the Byzantine-era finds in the cistern, Gibson and colleagues discovered a layer correlating to the time of John the Baptist. "Those installations that we uncovered there were totally different from Jewish ritual purification practices of the time, and they much fit into what we know about the rites that [John] performed, based on the description of the baptism down in the Jordan Valley." Because of these findings, the proximity of the cistern to John's birthplace and the Byzantine tradition, which lasted hundreds of years, linking the cistern to John the Baptist, Gibson said he believes it could be the desert or wilderness place described in the Bible where John spent much of his youth. John the Baptist -- a contemporary of Jesus who heralded his coming -- preached repentance and baptised people for the "remission of sins," the Bible records. Although all four Gospels indicate that John baptised in the Jordan River -- nowhere near Kibbutz Tzuba -- Gibson said that he believes John had developed his ideas and practice of baptising earlier, perhaps even in this cave. "The story of John down in the Jordan River has been highlighted in the Gospels for the obvious reason that that's the place Jesus was baptised by John, but this actually happened right at the end of his life," Gibson said. "He was born in Ein Kerem region, and one assumes that he was baptising because he comes to the Jordan River with fully fledged ideas about baptism...In the Gospels, it talks about people from the city of Jerusalem streaming down to the Jordan River to be part of the rituals undertaken by John the Baptist, which means that basically, they knew about the rituals." This particular cave contains those "archaeological features" that can be "linked to the rites as they are depicted in the Gospels," he said. Gibson, who heads the Jerusalem Archaeological Field Unit, a private research group, wrote a book on the findings, The Cave of John the Baptist, which is due to be published later this week. Egon Lass, an American archaeologist who has been part of the excavations, described the site as "terribly unusual." Lass, who described himself as a "field archaeologist" who does not indulge in theories, nevertheless said the findings at the site do not conflict with Gibson's claims. But even at a first glance, the site is extraordinary, he said. Twenty-eight "monumental steps" lead from the outside through the opening all the way down to the floor of the cistern. They are "monumental" because they span the entire width -- about four meters -- of the cistern, said Lass. As one descends the stairs, there is a large niche on the right side, which could have been used for bathers to place their clothing. "Now, that would all be perfectly fine if you could go in three meters and hit a wall. Then you would have a mikveh [Jewish ritual immersion bath]," said Lass. But there is no wall. The cistern stretches for some 26 meters (85 feet) with a water reservoir at the far end and is about four meters (13 feet) high and wide. "This is huge," he said. "That's one thing that's unusual, very unusual." According to three separate experts who dated the plaster on the walls, the cistern was dug during the Iron Age between 800 and 500 B.C. -- which preceded any of the other ritual baths in the country by a number of years. As the excavations continued, the archaeologists discovered a "huge stone" with an imprint of a large right foot. Next to it was a little basin connected by a channel that may have been used for some kind of oil or water anointing, Lass said. There was no such ritual in Jewish tradition. It was definitely connected to a ritual and not just something practical, like washing the dirt off one's feet because it only fits one foot, Lass said. They also found hundreds of thousands of pottery shards, mostly from two- to three-liter jugs, indicating that the jars were used in some kind of rite. At the bottom of the steps is a sandy pathway that would have made it easier for participants to walk through the cave to the immersion pool without hurting their feet. "This is also something that you don't find in a cave -- the pathway," Lass said. "People don't walk in water cisterns."Now you put all this together, and you have the drawings on the walls. If you want to interpret the drawings according to a logical scheme the way [Gibson] has done...I think you come up with a logical picture," he said. Lass said the archaeologists have not been in touch with the Vatican over their findings, but they were told by an Italian television reporter that thousands of people would now want to visit the site. "I hope people come and visit...it's a special site," said Kibbutz member Kalifon. "We're talking about a wonderful, wonderful site which is interesting for the Jewish public, and you can see the roots of Christianity."