Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Rev. Schenck and Archaeologists Comment on Latest "Hoax" of Jesus' Grave

"All of Jesus' contemporaries recorded Christ rose after being dead for three days and ascended into Heaven. For 2,000 years people of faith along with countless scholars have pored over the Scriptures, confirming their veracity. A Hollywood director is the least qualified to render any determination of Biblical truth."

Dane Rose/AH (Feb. 26th, 2007)

National Clergy Council president, the Reverend Rob Schenck issued this statement following a press conference that announced a new documentary claiming proof against the Resurrection of Jesus Christ:

"Today, Hollywood director James Cameron, whose claim to fame is a fictionalized account of the sinking of the Titanic, unveiled a documentary claiming a coffin found in Jerusalem 27 years ago, once contained the remains of Jesus Christ. Cameron employed archaeologists and DNA experts to bolster his assertion [that] Jesus was buried along with his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and a supposed son, Judah.

"Over the years, Hollywood has attacked and mocked Christianity, providing only negative portrayals of people of faith. It has produced films that undermine moral culture. Hollywood's production of The Da Vinci Code sensationalized a conspiracy theory that the Catholic Church engaged in a cover up of the real story of Jesus operating in the manner of a crime syndicate.

"According to Cameron, his film is no mere speculation, but historical fact. By claiming the remains of Jesus returned to dust along with other members of his family, the Hollywood filmmaker is denying the divinity of the Son of God and his victory over death. Cameron clearly intended to drive a stake into the heart of Christianity, since without the Resurrection, Jesus was only a mortal man.

"Media outlets should exercise restraint in reporting Cameron's Hollywood fiction masquerading as scientific fact. All of Jesus' contemporaries recorded Christ rose after being dead for three days and ascended into Heaven. For 2,000 years people of faith along with countless scholars have pored over the Scriptures, confirming their veracity. A Hollywood director is the least qualified to render any determination of Biblical truth. Not only so, but the people Mr. Cameron has partnered with completely lack credibility. One has been discredited by experts as a charlatan. This is nothing more than a modern day circus sideshow. At best it is pure presumption. At worst, it is pure chicanery."

According to a WorldNewsDaily report, a similar documentary was aired on the BBC back in 1996, and archaeologists challenged the claims against Christ's resurrection even then. One archaeologist, Amos Kloner, the first to examine the site, said that the idea "fails to hold up by archaeological standards but makes for profitable television."

"They just want to get money for it," Kloner added.

Biblical scholar; Stephen Pfann, from the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, was reportedly interviewed in the BBC documentary, saying that he put little weight in the film's hypothosis.

Pfann remarked about the documentary's claims, "I don't think that Christians are going to buy into this. But skeptics, in general, would like to see something that pokes holes into the story that so many people hold dear."

Source: Christian Newswire, WND

People who sleep on their stomachs have lower night time blood pressure


People who sleep on their stomachs have lower night time blood pressure than people who sleep in other positions, according to research from Japan.


Sleeping on your stomach








Yasuharu Tabara of Ehime University School of Medicine in Ehime, Japan, noted that high blood pressure during the night can increase the risk of a night time heart attack, reports Patient Health International.

In the research, more than 270 healthy men ages 19 to 64 who were not taking blood pressure medication wore automatic blood pressure cuffs. They were first asked to lie down face up and later were told to turn over on their stomachs.

In almost all the men, their overall blood pressure dropped significantly when they were face down. And 25 of the men experienced an even more dramatic decrease of more than 15 points when they just turned over onto their stomachs.

In addition, systolic blood pressure, which is the force blood exerts on the artery walls when the heart beats, fell by as much as 15 mmHg in response to moving into the prone position, compared with the supine position, reports Patient Health International.

"These findings indicate that sleeping position could influence blood pressure," the researchers said. "Marked change in blood pressure during sleep by turning the position may need to be further studied as a possible cause of the cardiovascular events during the sleep."

HOW DO YOU SLEEP ?

HOW DO YOU SLEEP ?


You may not achieve the comfort levels and sleep position you are used to in your bed at home, but look around the cabin next time you fly to see the many different positions we adopt (or try to !) whilst asleep.

Scientists believe the position in which a person goes to sleep provides an important clue about the kind of person they are.


So .... what does your sleeping position actually say about you ?





Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service analysed six common sleeping positions - and found that each is linked to a particular personality type.




Your sleeping position

Copyright BBC



What your sleeping position says about you ...

Foetus

Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.



Log

Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.



Yearner

People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.



Soldier

Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.



Freefall

Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.



Starfish

Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.



The remainder of those in the poll said the position they fell asleep varied or did not know.



Professor Idzikowski also examined the effect of various sleeping positions on health. He concluded that the freefall position was good for digestion, while the starfish and soldier positions were more likely to lead to snoring and a bad night's sleep.



Professor Idzikowski said "Lying down flat means that stomach contents can more readily be worked back up into the mouth, while those who lie on their back may end up snoring and breathing less well during the night. "Both these postures may not necessarily awaken the sleeper but could cause a less refreshing night's sleep."



The research also found that most people are unlikely to change their sleeping position. Just 5% said they sleep in a different position every night.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Driverless Cars a Reality by 2030?

"Today we can drive about 100 miles before human assistance is necessary. By 2010 I expect this to go up to 1,000 miles, and by 2020 a million miles. By 2030 we should be able to deploy this technology on the open highway, and reliability will exceed that of humans by orders of magnitude."

Nic Fleming/TN (Feb. 21st, 2007)

A report in The Telegraph UK says driverless cars that can predict the actions of other vehicles and negotiate busy city traffic will be commonplace by 2030...and they'll be far safer too. (Photo: Driverless Car "Stanley"–developed at Stanford University—CNET News)

The report noted that, at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco, designers unveiled "Junior," a "modified blue VW Passat that will enter a £1 million contest later this year to navigate its way autonomously through a simulated urban environment including other robot vehicles and traffic laws."

Prof Sebastian Thrun, one of the car's designers, is quoted as saying, "Today we can drive about 100 miles before human assistance is necessary. By 2010 I expect this to go up to 1,000 miles, and by 2020 a million miles. By 2030 we should be able to deploy this technology on the open highway, and reliability will exceed that of humans by orders of magnitude."

The prototype reportedly "has had its steering, throttle and brakes modified to be completely computer-controlled. It has a spinning array of 64 lasers to provide it with 360 degree "vision" for a range of 150 ft., six video cameras, bumper-mounted lasers, global positioning receivers and movement sensors. Junior's computer reads maps and chooses routes from information collected from the car's instruments 200 times per second."

Source: The Telegraph UK

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

DNA Is a Musical Decoding—You Actually Have a Song That is Uniquely Yours!

Ray Hughes ~ "DNA Is a Musical Decoding—You Actually Have a Song That is Uniquely Yours!" Have you ever heard a song and actually been affected at a level that made no sense to you? We read in scripture that "all creation declares the glory of God"—well you will be thrilled to hear this fantastic revelation by Ray Hughes (which is scientifically supported) at how music is actually far more complex then the words or sounds you hear! You'll discover that there is actual DNA coding involved in music that makes music a "living thing!"

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

French Pastor Who Led Team to Top of Everest, Buried Bible at Summit—the "Furthest Reaches of the World"

"Taking off the oxygen mask, he began singing a hymn of praise. After being joined by the rest of his team, he made a symbolic gesture that, for him, was the sole purpose of the expedition."

Good News Staff/TN (Feb. 19th, 2007)

At 52 years of age, with a wife and four children, Frenchman Philippe Martinez was uncertain whether he should accept an offer to guide a French expedition to the summit of Everest. According to a report in Good News, he had been a mountain guide since 1981, but had later become a Christian and subsequently a pastor and was no longer as reckless as he had been in his youth.

Resisting the call at first, through prayer he gradually came to believe that God was indeed calling him back to Mt. Everest, a mountain that the people of the Himalayas call "The Earth Goddess." Ultimately, however, it was his wife Brigitte, who had just finished treatment for cancer, who convinced him to follow God's call.

After spending a year in rigorous training, Martinez and the team set off in April of 2006 to scale the mountain. As they neared the summit, the report states: "The weather conditions were favorable and Philippe knew that God was leading the way. Indeed, he was so strong, both physically and spiritually, that he arrived at the summit 20 minutes ahead of the others.

Taking off the oxygen mask, he began singing a hymn of praise. After being joined by the rest of his team, he made a symbolic gesture that, for him, was the sole purpose of the expedition. He buried his small Bible in the snow. In this way he wanted to show that God's Word must be proclaimed to the furthest reaches of the world. He also added a personal touch in the form of photos of his wife and children and a message: "Thank you, Lord, that You have protected me so far. I place into Your care those whom I love and I ask that my children will serve You one day."

Source:Good News/American Bible Society

Study of Top Movies in 2006 Shows Moviegoers Prefer Morally Uplifting Movies

"...not only were none of the Top 10 movies in 2006 rated R, we found that only two of those movies are completely unacceptable viewing for families with traditional moral values...."

Dr. Ted Baehr (Feb. 19th, 2007)

An annual study of the Top 10 and Top 25 movies at the box office, as determined by Nielsen EDI, reveals that moviegoers prefer family-friendly movies with traditional values reflecting Judeo-Christian worldviews.

"Family friendly movies with strong moral messages are more likely to please moviegoers," said Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman and founder of the Christian Film & Television Commission which sponsored the study of the top movies.

For example, none, or 90 percent, of the Top 10 Movies had strong or very strong moral, Biblical or even Christian content. Furthermore, none of the Top 10 movies, and only three of the Top 25, were rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

"We don't just look at the MPAA ratings, however," Baehr said. "We also examine the sexual content and kinds of values presented in the top movies, as well as the amount of nudity and foul language. Thus, not only were none of the Top 10 movies in 2006 rated R, we found that only two of those movies are completely unacceptable viewing for families with traditional moral values, especially people with a Biblical faith in God or Jesus Christ."

Baehr's group rated 80 percent of the Top 10 as acceptable for either older teenagers and adults or families with younger children. It rated 19 of the Top 25, or 76 percent, in that category, sometimes with a caution for children age 2-7, a caution for children age 8-13, or an extreme caution for older teenagers and adults.

The Commission's comprehensive analysis of the content in Top 10 and Top 25 movies includes more than 100 separate major findings. Dr. Baehr will give a presentation of the highlights of his Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry to top decision-makers and celebrities in Hollywood at the 15th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala, to be held Tuesday night at the glamorous Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Source: ASSIST News Service