WASHINGTON (BP)–A bill to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from restricting religious speech on noncommercial educational channels passed the House of Representatives by a 264-159 vote June 20.
WASHINGTON – My wife and I are seriously considering and praying about starting a Christian recovery church in the metro Washington area. Why? Because my heart cries out for people just like me, or who were just like me: 1) Christians new to Twelve Step programs 2) Christians who stay away from Twelve Step programs because they have been badly hurt by some Twelve Steppers who don’t understand Christians, or Christians who resent the fact they can’t use Jesus’ name in meetings 3) Christians who stay away from church because they have been badly hurt by some Christians who do not understand addiction 4) seekers in Twelve Step groups who are not sure if Jesus Christ is the Higher Power, but can’t get past the church’s glaring imperfections to give Jesus a try, and 5) Christians, who are Twelve Steppers, but don’t go to church.
French journalist Claude Vorilhon is known for introducing “Raelism” to the world. Mr. Vorilhon claims he was contacted by UFO’s on December 13, 1973 when his extraterrestrial visitors named him “Rael.” During this time of supposed contact, the alien life forms told “Rael” that mankind was ready to learn the truth of the mysteries of man’s origin. Vorilhon claims his alien contacts gave him a mission to prepare mankind for their return and to establish an embassy to initiate contact with mankind.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (BP)–When Daryl Orman was invited to deliver the March 9 invocation for the Florida House of Representatives, he had no idea the invitation would put him in the middle of a statewide controversy. But that’s exactly what happened when Orman, pastor of First Baptist Church, Stuart, asked Jesus to instill in the lawmakers “the desire to protect the unborn.”
(AgapePress) – A coalition of pro-family groups is staging a demonstration against a national video rental chain, in opposition to the company’s stance on hard-core pornography.
(AgapePress) – A minister has been barred from visiting Oregon students at their school during lunch breaks.
Jason Rhoads is a Nazarene pastor from Portland. Rhoads had been meeting with students in the Molalla River School District for more than a year, until he was asked to stop when a parent complained.
(AgapePress) – Army officers, disappointed with eight years of Bill Clinton, are leaving the service in droves.
According to the Army Times, the Army is losing about 300 more captains per year than the planned 1,125. The exodus means that some captain posts go vacant–and in the long term, the talent pool for future majors and senior officers shrinks.
2 May 2000 (Newsroom) – Americans across the country will meet to pray on Thursday for the 49th National Day of Prayer. Last year there were an estimated 20,000 prayer gatherings across the nation. Prayer events are scheduled in each one of the 50 states, organizers say.
An interreligious meeting held in New York 28-31 August was a significant attempt to develop a relationship between the religious community and the United Nations, according to a World Council of Churches (WCC) official who attended.
AIZAWL, India, 1 September 2000 (Newsroom) — Religious leaders in the predominantly Christian state of Mizoram have asked police to investigate recent incidents of Satan worship involving teenagers, a trend that some officials blame on television shows about the paranormal and the occult.
14 April 2000 (Newsroom) — Some 400 Coptic Orthodox Christians ended a two-day standoff with police Friday near Cairo after agreeing to abandon their occupation of a church building that had been closed down by authorities, according to an expatriate Coptic group.
INDIA, 10 May 2000 (Newsroom) – More than 60 Christians attending a two-day religious convention were beaten by a mob of suspected Hindu nationalists in a village about 100 miles northeast of Bombay. None of the injured were hospitalized.
The Palestinian weekly, Al-Manar, published an article signed by “The Palestinian Center for Information Sources-Gaza”, which stated that “serious thinking has began a while ago about obtaining biological weapons.” Following are excerpts from the article, titled “Will We Reach the Option of Biological Deterrence?”:(1)
(AgapePress) – The White House is defending a decision to investigate whether it will punish the Boy Scouts for refusing to allow homosexuals to be leaders. Indications are that the controversy could become a major campaign issue.