Anti-Semitism On The Rise In Europe

There is a recent study that reports there is growing anti-semitism in Europe and especially in France. This report was published three days after the unidentified gunman in France killed three children of a Jewish school as well a rabbi of the school. After surveys in January and February it is now known that 24% of the French population holds anti-semetic views and that is an increase to 2009s 20% view of anti-semitism in France. It is also reported that four out of ten Europeans think that violence against Jews is a direct result of anti-semitism and anti-Israel views. "Those increases are all the more disturbing in light of the shooting attack at the Jewish school in Toulouse," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director of the Monday shootings in France.

Dutch Roman Catholic Church Castrated Boys As 'Treatment' For Homosexuality

Shocking reports and new evidence has found that at least ten boys had been castrated during the 1950s in the Dutch Roman Catholic Church. Castration was used as a "treatment" for homosexuality. Henk Heithuis was one of these castration victims. He was being sexually abused by one of the priests in his church while living at the church's boarding home and reported it to the police. Although the priest was charged for the abuse, Henk was taken to the Catholic hospital to be cleansed of homosexuality by surgical castration and also as a punishment for tattling on the clergy. The reports also uncovered minutes of official meetings held in the 1950s, which revealed directors of the Catholic institutions deciding parents did not need to be involved in decisions: even with minors, Dutch News reports. They also proved government officials were present in meetings where the castrations were discussed.

Did Jesus Exist?

There is a new, small group emerging called the mythicists, claim that the most influential person in every aspect of the word, never existed. Yes, we are talking about Jesus Christ and this group of writers and bloggers are stating that Jesus was invented for evil purposes and that they stole the idea of Jesus from pagan divine men who also performed miracles and was born from a virgin. Out of the small group of maybe a thousand, only two are known to have Phds and very few have any schooling in religion, history, or the languages that the bible was originally written in. These views are extremely unconvincing and go against 99.9% of religious experts, so why is mythicism growing? This may be because going against the existence of Jesus is in turn going against the existence of religion which is becoming more popular with this day and age. There is too much overwhelming evidence that Jesus existed and even though there is no account in the Roman texts that he existed, or that there is biased and problematic information about Jesus' life, there is no denying that he actually existed.

Read the article HERE.

5 Insights From the World's Religions

Religions have so many contradicting aspects to each other. They start war, justify terrorism and discriminate against minority groups. They believe that only their way of viewing the world should be the path to salvation, but in all reality if God is ineffable, then a religion practiced by imperfect humans could never hope to portray him completely or accurately. I like how the author, Jeffery Small, used a prism as a metaphor to describe religion. When we look into a prism we might see blue or red or any of the colors of the rainbow for Ultimate Reality. They are true but they are also incomplete in infinite contradiction; each color was a part of the white light in which it was created by. Each one of us has been molded differently through culture, our upbringing and even our  genes. Maybe if we looked into the perspective of other religions we could learn a thing or two. Here is insight discussed through five major religions: Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. The short excerpts have been turned into a one sentence summarization as follows:

Judaism: Monotheism
God cannot be defined or contained.

Hinduism: View of the Soul
On the surface, we are individual, finite creatures, but our true natures are part of the ultimate divine, infinite and eternal reality.


Buddhism: Nature of Human Suffering
We are impermanent, and yet we resist this impermanence and the end of suffering comes from acceptance of this fundamental truth.


Islam: Peace Through Surrender
We find peace through a complete surrendering of every aspect our lives to this greater truth and source of the universe. 



Christianity: Love 
Agape is unselfish love. It is a love without bounds or conditions, a love that doesn't require reciprocity. 

Russian Orthodox Church Urges 'Gay Propaganda' Ban

A leading official in the Russian Orthodox Church has urged federal lawmakers to adopt a bill outlawing what he called the promotion of homosexuality among minors. Similar legislation approved late February in Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, mandated fines of up to $33,000. Father Dmitry Pershin, head of the church's youth council, said Monday in a statement that the law should be applied nationwide "without delay." Gay rights activists say the law could be used to ban any public demonstrations by Russia's embattled gay and transgender community. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but anti-gay sentiments remain strong. The Orthodox Church, which was heavily suppressed in Soviet times, has exercised a growing influence on public policy in Russia. Watch the video HERE. 

Iran Claims Youcef Nadarkhani Will Not Be Executed

Youcef Nadarkhani has been imprisoned in Iran for three years for apostasy. It was planned that he be executed for this crime. The refutation came after human rights investigator Ahmed Shaheed delivered a report to the U.N., which, in addition to citing Iran's "striking pattern of violations of fundamental human rights guaranteed under international law" and the country's "maltreatment of prisoners, dissidents, minorities and women," called for the release of Nadarkhani, FOX News reports. Iran called this report biased and manipulated by Western culture. Although Iran insists that they will not execute Christian pastor Nadarkhani, it is an ongoing legal nightmare and Iran has gone as far as to accuse him of rape and extortion. The chair of U.S. Commission International Religious Freedom states that Iran's court proceedings cannot be trusted. 

FiFA To Test Hijabs For Female Muslim Players

Female soccer players that are Muslim and wear Hijabs are extremely excited to hear that the International Football Association Board is allowing them to test out a new Hijab with velcro instead of pins. Formally, the muslim soccer players were not allowed to play with their head coverings because they were a danger on the field due to pins that held the Hijab together. FIFA has been prohibiting these scarves since 2007, but now may be overturned because of the new safety feature, velcro. Even Iran's women soccer team was banned from this Summer's 2012 Olympic games in London because the players showed up with Hijabs before a match against Jordan in the previous year. But now, they are pushing to lift the ban. Other sports do in fact allow the wearing of headscarves, such as in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Roqaya Al-Gassra reached the semifinals in the 200-meter sprint. 

Saint Laurence O'Toole's Ancient Heart Stolen From Dublin Cathedral

In Dublin, Ireland an ancient artifact was stolen from the Dublin Cathedral. In fact, it was the heart of Saint Laurence O' Toole's which was displayed inside a wooden heart shaped box and then inside a metal cage. Officials are perplexed and saddened by this mysterious robbery. It's been in the Cathedral since the 13th century and no one knows who or why anyone would want to steal it. It has no economical value, but is priceless in the Church because that Cathedral was dedicated to Saint Laurence.

Watch the Video Here.

Gay Catholic Music Teacher Fired

Al Fischer, a gay Catholic Music teacher was fired from his Music Director position in the Catholic church for rumors of him planning to marry his life partner. A priest from the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Catholic Church in Florissant, Missouri told Fischer that his soon to be marriage became "too public of an issue." Al has held the position for several years and he used this position as a second form of income as well. Not only was he fired from his job at the Church, he was also relieved from his music teaching job at St. Ann Catholic School in Normandy. Supposedly at both St. Ann and St. Rose upon taking up the position he was asked to sign a "Christian Witness Statement" that stated he should not publicly go against the Catholic church in anyway, but Fischer says he had to sign no such document at St. Rose Catholic Church. I think this is sad because he wasn't doing anything wrong, like preaching to be pro-gay or advocating it in anyway. Word happened to get around that he was getting married, but Al and his partner were already seen as a couple in the Church anyway.