German-British Alienation

The Times wrote on January 6:

“Behind the smiles at today’s summit, the German chancellor is cooling on David Cameron. David Cameron’s faltering tango de salon with Angela Merkel has become one of European diplomacy’s most embarrassing spectacles. The British government’s increasing desperation to be delivered from its European muddle is matched only by the increasing German irritation with Britain’s tunnel vision. No wonder the German chancellor looks as if someone has trodden heavily on her corns.”

Don’t Give Merkel the Red Carpet Treatment!

The Telegraph wrote on January 6:

“Both in her own country, and on the world stage, Ms Merkel is one of the very few European leaders who still commands genuine respect. Her successes and popularity within German borders are manifest. Yet it is her supposed ability to deliver favours within the wider European context, rather than her many admirable qualities, that explains much of the deference the British government displays to this de facto, if somewhat reluctant, European monarch. If there is anyone who can engineer the new relationship with the European Union that David Cameron demands, it is the German Chancellor.

“And it is for her own country’s sake, rather than as a favour to Britain, that she needs to deliver; for in truth, the benefit to Germany of British participation in the European Union is substantially greater than any economic positives the UK derives from it. Given this service, it ought indeed, to be Ms Merkel who is beholden to us, not the other way around…

“The UK has long been far and away Germany’s largest European export market. Since the onset of the eurozone crisis, German reliance on British export markets has become bigger still. Amid the general wreckage of the European economy, it sometimes seems that Britain is indeed the only decent source of demand left…

“As non-members of the euro, we have by default become Europe’s consumers of last resort, even though we will not ultimately be able to afford the bills. So please, Ms Merkel; Germany owes Britain a good deal more than a few negotiating scraps. There is no one else to cure Europe of its sickness but you…”

It is interesting that the Bible paints quite a different picture: It is Ephraim (the UK) which first does not even see ITS sickness, but when it finally does, it will go to Assyria (modern Germany) for help, but won’t find help there.

Greece and the Euro Zone

Reuters reported on January 3:

“The German government believes that the euro zone would now be able to cope with a Greece exit if that proved to be necessary… It is still unclear how a euro zone member country could leave the euro and still remain in the European Union, but Der Spiegel quoted a ‘high-ranking currency expert’ as saying that ‘resourceful lawyers’ would be able to clarify.

“According to the report, the German government considers a Greece exit almost unavoidable if the leftwing Syriza opposition party led by Alexis Tsipras wins an election set for Jan. 25.

“The Greek election was called after lawmakers failed to elect a president last month. It pits Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ conservative New Democracy party, which imposed unpopular budget cuts under Greece’s bailout deal, against Tsipras’ Syriza, who want to cancel austerity measures and a chunk of Greek debt. Opinion polls show Syriza is holding a lead over New Democracy, although its margin has narrowed to about three percentage points in the run-up to the vote.”

“Stocks Tumble Again In Worst Start To Year Since 2008”

The Huffington Post wrote on January 6:

“Wall Street suffered more losses Tuesday as stocks fell for the fifth straight day, in the worst start to a year since 2008. Stocks fell with the price of oil, which has been plummeting for months to its lowest levels since the financial crisis and Great Recession.

“Falling oil prices hurt major oil companies, and investors fear they are a sign of weak global economic demand that could weigh on U.S. growth and corporate profits. European shares also fell amid political tumult in debt-plagued Greece.”

Is the deterioration of the economy going to continue? See the next article.

What If Greece Were to Depart…?

The Independent wrote on January 7:

“… the Greek Syriza party may well triumph in the election later this month. It is threatening to renege on the deal Greece reached with the IMF, EU and European Central Bank because it is too austere, even though it’s almost completed. Such an outcome would not be good for Greece, which would gain an even worse reputation for its ability to hold to international obligations, and her exit from the eurozone would soon follow.  A re-introduced drachma would immediately devalue, and the real-terms value of her euro-denominated debt would rise even further beyond redemption. Default would then be the only option. No one would lend to them. The Greek people would suffer more grievously than now.

“Such a turn of events would also be disastrous for the eurozone as a whole, at least in the short term, because of ‘contagion’… Panic, often irrationally, spreads from bank to bank, from bank to country, and from country to country, and something of the same is happening now, with the euro falling to fresh lows…

“Deflation is looming, something not seen in Europe since before the Second World War… After Greece, the dominos would fall – Portugal, Spain and the rest. The rout may not end until it has overcome France, in which case the euro would simply be a proxy German currency, with only the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Finland as economic satellites along for the ride. Europe would slide back into recession.

“Despite the damage it would cause, many governments must be quietly wondering whether Greece’s exit from the eurozone is simply inevitable, as Greek resistance to reform proves insurmountable…

“A Grexit and its knock-on effects would be as dramatic as anything we have experienced since 2007. It would hit European growth, and with it the chances of a continuing British recovery. George Osborne said last year that a slowdown in the eurozone was the biggest threat to UK prospects, and so it remains. Greece is a global problem, no matter what Syriza might think…”

None of these prospects look too healthy for a striving worldwide economy. The idea of the euro becoming a proxy German currency may have some validity.

PEGIDA Movement Growing in Germany

Breitbart wrote on January 6:

“The Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA) movement has now spread from its home city of Dresden, where up to 20,000 took to the streets for their first weekly ‘stroll’ of 2015, to other cities in Germany and Europe… Despite the record turnout, many mainstream news outlets have chosen to focus on the growing counter protests which have outnumbered PEGIDA in German cities like Stuttgart, Munster and Hamburg. A grand coalition of left-wing political parties and local associations of Muslim immigrants have formed in these areas and claimed 22,000 counter-protesters across the country, according to reports.

“The counter-PEGIDA movement now claims support from all sections of the German establishment, who have turned out in force to oppose the movement which threatens the pro-immigration status quo. German justice minister Heiko Maas, a member of coalition-government party the Social Democrats (SDP) was spotted marching against PEGIDA in Berlin, as churches, power companies, and factories turned off the power to their premises to deny PEGIDA supporters light during the winter night of Monday’s march.

“In Dresden the Volkswagen car factory turned off their lights, following the example of the local cathedral and state opera house. In Berlin the floodlights illuminating the Brandenburg gate and the television tower, the tallest structure in Germany, were turned off. In Cologne, the municipal power company turned out their lights and the city cathedral was also darkened. The strolling PEGIDA members appear to have responded to the blackout by marching with their mobile phone torches turned on and held in the air in a symbol of resistance.”

While the German “established” parties and their leaders, as well as most German liberal and conservative magazines and newspapers, foolishly and sometimes quite inaccurately try to find stronger and stronger words against PEGIDA, thereby ignoring the real dangers stemming from fanatical and radical Islamists and the less-than-peaceful religion of Islam, PEGIDA is finding more and more sympathy and support among “ordinary” Germans.

Mixed Reactions to Terrorist Attack in France

Reuters reported January 8:

“Anti-immigrant groups in Germany seized on Wednesday’s deadly attack in Paris, with leaders of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and PEGIDA saying it showed the threat of Islamist violence. Twelve people were killed when gunmen stormed the offices of a French satirical magazine known for lampooning radical Islam. ‘This bloodbath proves wrong those who laughed or ignored the fears of so many people about a looming danger of Islamism,’ said Alexander Gauland, a regional AfD leader. ‘This gives new clout to PEGIDA demands.’

“PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, itself reacted strongly to the Paris attack. ‘The Islamists, against whom PEGIDA has been warning over the last 12 weeks, showed in France today that they are not capable of (practicing) democracy but instead see violence and death as the solution,’ PEGIDA wrote on its Facebook page…

“German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday the attack in Paris had nothing to do with Islam. ‘Islamic extremists and Islamic terror are something entirely different from Islam,’ he said. “It is immensely important to underscore that difference on a day like today.'”

The Huffington Post wrote on January 8:

“Muslims in France and around the world banded together on Wednesday to strongly condemn the deadliest terror attack the country has seen in the past two decades.

“Three masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine that has become notorious for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the men reportedly shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ as they unleashed a barrage of bullets that left at least twelve dead. Muslim leaders and activists immediately denounced the terrorists actions, reiterating the verse in the Quran that tells Muslims when one kills just one innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity.”

CNS reported on January 8:

“In the wake of the terrorist attack on the offices of French satirist paper Charlie Hebdo, one Muslim cleric justified the murders under Islamic law. USA today published a column by avowed ‘radical Muslim cleric’ Anjem Choudary. The piece titled ‘People know the consequences’ asks why France would allow the paper to mock Islam, and further excused the systematic murders as justified under Islamic law:

“’Muslims consider the honor of the Prophet Muhammad to be dearer to them than that of their parents or even themselves. To defend it is considered to be an obligation upon them. The strict punishment if found guilty of this crime under sharia (Islamic law) is capital punishment implementable by an Islamic State. This is because the Messenger Muhammad said, “Whoever insults a Prophet kill him.” However, because the honor of the Prophet is something which all Muslims want to defend, many will take the law into their own hands, as we often see.’

“The contention that mass murder is in any way an appropriate response to being personally offended is a dangerous slope on which to tread. There is no doubt that some of these cartoons can be seen as offensive to certain people, but that same sentiment can be asserted on nearly any form of speech, especially in politics. Hence, the reasoning behind and the sanctity of the Constitution’s first amendment. Choudary then reversed the blame for the attack away from the three terrorists themselves and onto the French government.”

Does France Reap What It Has Sown?

Newsmax wrote on January 8:

“While France is reeling from the terrorist massacre of 12 people at the Paris offices of a satirical magazine, the country is also ‘one of the worst … when it comes to rewarding terrorism,’ lawyer and author Alan Dershowitz [said]… ‘They’ve never been part of the international campaign against terrorism. They are part of the problem, not part of the solution.’…

“France has endured a string of small-scale attacks since joining the military campaign against the Islamic State. But the violence level surged on Wednesday, when gunmen stormed the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo shortly after it tweeted a cartoon of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The magazine, which was firebombed in 2011, has mocked radical Islamists in the past, but has also belittled some critics of Muslim religion and culture as Islamophobes and fearmongers.

“Dershowitz said that the attack should come as no surprise, given Europe’s history of tolerating Islamic terrorism. ‘We have tolerated extreme Islamic terrorism from the very beginning,’ he said, describing the Palestinian state as ‘born in terrorism,’ with the assent of governments including France and Germany. ‘When the Israeli athletes were murdered in Munich [in 1972], most European countries freed them when they came to their country,’ said Dershowitz. ‘Germany let them go, and most European countries have freed terrorists. It shouldn’t surprise anybody. In Europe, they’ve never fought terror.’…

“Dershowitz also said that radical Islam enjoys support from ‘millions of people’ in the Muslim world ‘who support terrorism, who will be applauding what happened today… The reason it has so many supporters is because it works. Terrorism works. It achieves the goals and results. Palestinians would not be getting a state today if it wasn’t for their terrorists.’”

EU to Become Partner with EAEU?

The EUObserver wrote on January 2, 2015:

“Russia’s EU ambassador has urged Brussels to launch talks with the newly born Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) despite the Ukraine crisis… He described the new Russia-led bloc as a better partner for the EU than the US, with a dig at health standards in the US food industry…

“The treaty establishing the Eurasian Union entered into life on Thursday (1 January). It includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, with Kyrgyzstan to join in May… Ukraine was originally to join, but a popular revolt last year overthrew its Russia-friendly president and the new government signed a free trade treaty with the EU instead…”

The relationship between Russia and Europe may become even better for a short while—with the USA finding itself on the outside—but it will ultimately end up in outright hostility and war.

Ukraine Prepares for War… while France Is Unstable as Water

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 6:

“Germany and France cast doubt on next week’s planned peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan on Monday… Despite these talks, Ukraine has beefed up its heavy weaponry… Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko himself was on hand to deliver fighter jets, howitzers, and armored cars to the military in Zhytomyr in the north of the country. The delivery of heavy weapons is in direct violation of the Minsk agreement, which both sides accuse the other of violating on multiple occasions…

“The French leader took a less hard line on Russia and its president than other Western leaders have of late…

“Moscow has continuously denied that it backed the conflict in the eastern part of the former Soviet republic that has left 4,700 dead. The crisis has also proven disastrous to cash-strapped France, as it is prevented from completing the delivery of two high-tech

Mistral class warships to Russia. Breach of the 1.2-billion euro ($1.5-billion) contract could make France liable to hefty fines.”

The EUObserver added on January 6:

“French leader Francois Hollande has dangled the prospect of lifting EU sanctions on Russia ahead of the year’s first Ukraine summit… ‘[Russian president] Mr Putin doesn’t want to annex eastern Ukraine. He’s told me that … what he wants is to remain influential. What he wants is for Ukraine not to fall into the Nato camp’, he added, referring to his impromptu meeting with Putin at a Moscow airport in December…

“Russian media said his remarks mean Moscow is off the hook for annexing Crimea and that France is keen to resume delivery of two warships. Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, and the German centre-left SPD party have also said they want to re-engage with Russia…

“For his part, Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics – whose country took over the rotating EU presidency on 1 January – urged EU leaders not to break ranks.  Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania – former Soviet republics which host Russian-speaking minorities – fear that if Putin gets away with partitioning Ukraine he will cause trouble in the Baltic states in future.”

Is Mr. Hollande really that naïve, or do national interests play a major role for his unconscionable words? The answer should be rather obvious.

Bad News for Hillary Clinton?

On January 6, 2015, The Daily Mail published an article with the following headlines:

“Bill Clinton was also apparently friends with a woman who collected naked pictures of underage girls for Epstein to choose from. He hasn’t cut ties with that woman, however, and invited her to Chelsea’s wedding… friends now fear that if Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016, all of their family’s old scandals will be brought to the forefront. Epstein has a host of famous friends including Prince Andrew who stayed at his New York mansion AFTER his arrest.”

The article continued:

“A new lawsuit has revealed the extent of former President Clinton’s friendship with a fundraiser who was later jailed for having sex with an underage prostitute. Bill Clinton’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who served time in 2008 for his illegal sexual partners, included… multiple trips to the onetime billionaire’s private island in the Caribbean where underage girls were allegedly kept as sex slaves…

“Flight logs pinpoint Clinton’s trips on Epstein’s jet between the years 2002 and 2005, while he was working on his philanthropic post-presidential career and while his wife Hillary was a Senator for their adopted state of New York…

“At least one woman on the compound was there unwillingly, as the suit identifies a woman as Jane Doe 102. She ‘was forced to live as one of Epstein’s underage sex slaves for years and was forced to have sex with… politicians, businessmen, royalty, academicians, etc,’ the lawsuit says…

“Epstein’s sexual exploits have been documented since 2005…

“The claim prompted a nearly year-long investigation that led to the eventual charge of soliciting prostitution which came as part of a plea deal. He spent 13 months of a 18-month sentence in jail and remains a registered sex offender.”

But before Republicans begin to cheer too much, note the next set of articles.

John Boehner Survives—For Now—Despite Big Rebellion

On January 6, 2015, the Huffington Post published an article with the following headline: “Biggest Rebellion in 90 Years.”

The article continued:

“The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to once again make John Boehner its speaker, handing the Ohio Republican the gavel for the third time despite a late challenge by dissatisfied members of his own party. Tuesday’s vote saw the most votes against a sitting speaker since 1923. In the final tally, Boehner received the votes of 216 House members, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) got 164 votes. More than two dozen discontented Republicans, however, voted for other candidates… They argued that the current GOP leadership had turned its back on the principles of the voters who chose to seat a Republican House and Senate for the first time in eight years…

“While the insurrection gained little traction, it does signal that Boehner could be in for a rough couple of years. The members who opposed him comprise a larger bloc than the dozen who opposed him two years ago at the start of the 113th Congress. And during the four years that Boehner has led the House, he lost control of his caucus a number of times, finding himself forced to pull key bills from the floor when he failed to muster votes that he thought he could deliver.

“Indeed, the fact that so many were willing to publicly embarrass Boehner on the first day of his new term at least serves as notice that the more hard-line members of his base will not give him a free hand, and will insist on being consulted when key pieces of legislation are being passed.

“… the GOP insurgents will likely make their presence felt as soon as the end of this month, when the House will begin work on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for implementing most of Obama’s immigration policy. The conservative rebels will also be significant in the spring, when Congress must again raise the nation’s debt limit in order to be able to pay its bills…”

Breitbart added on January 6:

“Only 216 Republicans voted to re-elect a humbled Ohio Republican Rep. John Boehner as Speaker of the U.S. House on Tuesday, as many Republicans voted for alternative candidates in the second organized attempt to unseat Boehner in as many speakership elections. He wins re-election as Speaker with less than a majority of the House, something that has happened only four times since 1917.”

The Washington Post introduced its article: “John Boehner just endured the biggest revolt against a House speaker in more than 150 years.” It subsequently wrote in an update: “Boehner lost the votes of 25 House Republicans, marking the biggest defection in at least 100 years.”

And Now It’s Payback Time–Boehner’s Revenge

Politico wrote on January 6:

“He secured his third term as speaker Tuesday afternoon, losing 25 votes on the House floor to three relatively unknown members of the House Republican Conference. But he’s already punishing those who betrayed him.

“First up: Florida Reps. Daniel Webster and Richard Nugent. The pair will be booted from their spots on the House Rules Committee, according to sources familiar with the decision. Webster ran against Boehner (R-Ohio) for speaker Tuesday, and Nugent supported his fellow Floridian. The Rules Committee is a panel appointed by the speaker, and it controls the flow of legislation to the House floor. It’s a prestigious appointment for members who are loyal to leadership.

“More punishment is likely to come for others that crossed Boehner, sources say.”

Oh yes, politics is such a dirty business!!!! That is why God tells true Christians: “Get out of her, My people.” Please read carefully Norbert Link’s Editorial in this issue.

 Planned Parenthood… One Abortion Every 90 Seconds

On January 1, 2015, The Washington Times published an article with the following headline:

“Planned Parenthood’s fiscal 2014 report puts the number of abortions the organization performed at 327,653.”

The article continued:

“‘We’ve come a long way since Margaret Sanger was jailed in 1916 for opening America’s very first birth control clinic,’ the report states before thanking the organization’s advocates for their support. CNS News reported Wednesday that the tally, which ran from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, was 487 abortions more than the previous year. The website reported that the number of abortions performed works out to be 37 per hour, or roughly one every 90 seconds…”

This is so appallingly despicable. “We have come a long way” in murdering more and more innocent children!

Medical Marijuana – Legal Confusion Continues…

The Pasadena Star News reported on January 1, 2015:

“A single paragraph on the 88th page of the 701-page spending bill passed by Congress last month contains language that may signal a de-escalation of the federal government’s war on medical marijuana. The provision, tucked within a phonebook-size piece of legislation that authorizes roughly $1.1 trillion in federal expenditures, is no small detail: It forbids the U.S. Department of Justice from spending taxpayer money on operations that run counter to more than 30 states’ own medical marijuana laws.

“If the law is enforced as one of its key proponents intends, a contradiction between state and federal marijuana laws would be resolved in the states’ favor, at least until Washington’s budget year comes to a close Sept. 30. ‘In half of the country, the federal government will no longer be able to legally raid marijuana dispensaries,’ U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, said in a telephone interview.

“Rohrabacher, along with Northern California Democrat Sam Farr, pushed for the amendment’s inclusion in the new spending bill, which President Barack Obama signed. The Justice Department has not determined how it will adapt to the new legislation, which does not repeal the federal prohibition of marijuana. So it remains to be seen whether it will lead to major changes in the coming year in the way federal authorities maintain the prohibition against marijuana in the face of growing acceptance of the drug inside individual states…

“The recent legislation is officially only on the books for the 2015 budget year and does nothing to alter Washington’s ban against marijuana. The law simply prevents the Department of Justice from spending taxpayer dollars in ways that interfere with individual states’ medical marijuana laws. A Justice Department spokesman said the legislation is still under review. Officials there have previously outlined its policy of being willing to ignore small-time marijuana providers while reserving the authority to prosecute large-scale, medical marijuana operations, which in Washington’s eyes may be fronts for illegal drug trafficking or other crimes…

“California’s tolerance of medical marijuana does not mean cannabis can be legally obtained in all parts of the state. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that individual cities have the power to ban dispensaries. Different cities have since taken different paths. Los Angeles, for example, governs dispensaries under the terms of Measure D. The voter-approved measure passed in May 2013 and limits the state’s largest city to 135 dispensaries, but Angelenos’ limited support for medical marijuana did not prevent a federal crackdown shortly after the measure passed…

“Long Beach, by contrast, has banned medical marijuana collectives involving more than three people since February 2012. The City Council is set to consider a new city law to regulate up to 18 dispensaries within the near future. David Hendricks, deputy chief of the Long Beach Police Department, said city police have relentlessly enforced the local ban against dispensaries, but most cases against dispensary operators are prosecuted as misdemeanor violations of local law…”

This is just one of so many examples presenting the typical picture of political uncertainty and even hypocrisy… and showing the utter confusion of our federal, state and local governments.

Suicide and the Church of England

The Daily Mail wrote on January 5, 2015:

“The Church of England is embroiled in a row over proposals to sweep away laws that forbid a full Christian funeral to people who have taken their own lives. Most clergy now regard suicide with far more sympathy than when ‘self murder’ was still a crime, and the move will be seen as reflecting a growing acceptance as more Britons choose to end their lives… But some critics within the Church say the reforms will ‘legalise’ suicide, which should still be regarded a serious sin…

“Under centuries-old Church rules, it is technically illegal for clergy to use official funeral services to bury those who have ‘laid violent hands’ upon themselves, particularly while of ‘sound mind’, although in reality the law is almost universally ignored…

“But former Government Minister Lord Tebbit, a vocal opponent of assisted suicide, said that by changing its laws the Church might suggest it had diluted its principles.  He said: ‘The Church is in danger of getting into a muddle because we can take a merciful view of people who kill themselves while the balance of their mind is disturbed. ‘But we are now looking at cases in which people who appear to be quite sane want to take their own lives. The Church should think again.’”

Suicide is a sin. Taking somebody’s life—including our own—is violating God’s command not to kill. The same applies to abortion (see article above regarding Planned Parenthood) or killing in war. All of this is transgressing and breaking the Sixth Commandment.

Inseparable Relationship between Jesus, Mary and the Church?

Zenit wrote on January 2:

“Pope Francis made [a] strong statement during his homily given Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, in St. Peter’s Basilica, when warning faithful of what happens when one undermines the beautiful relationship and inseparability between Jesus, Mary, and the Church… He pointed out that Mary ‘is the one who opens the way to the Church’s motherhood and constantly sustains her maternal mission to all mankind.’ The Pope further reflected on Mary, as ‘the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus, the model of the pilgrim Church,’ and discussed what her acceptance of God’s will has accomplished… Francis stressed how closely united Mary is to Jesus and how Jesus cannot be understood without his Mother.

‘‘Likewise inseparable,’ the Pope continued, ‘are Christ and the Church.’ He noted the salvation accomplished by Jesus cannot be understood without appreciating the motherhood of the Church. ‘For the Church is herself God’s great family, which brings Christ to us’… the Pontiff said the Church resembles a mother ‘who tenderly holds Jesus and gives him to everyone with joy and generosity’… Without the Church,  he continued, ‘Jesus Christ ends up as an idea, a moral teaching, a feeling. Without the Church, our relationship with Christ would be at the mercy of our imagination, our interpretations, our moods.’”

These comments are either blatantly wrong or they present a backward picture. First of all, Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, is dead. She is in her grave, awaiting the resurrection from the dead together with all of those who died in Christ. This will occur when Jesus Christ returns at the blowing of the last trumpet… not before then. Also, there is no biblical evidence to support the view that Mary was “the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus.” In addition, it is not the Church (not even the true Church of God) which carries Christ, but it is Christ who carries the Church. It is true that the true Church of God is NECESSARY for Christians, but the Bible warns against false ministers who preach a false Jesus and a false gospel.

Russia Sees NATO as the Biggest Threat

The Associated Press reported on December 26:

“President Vladimir Putin has signed a new military doctrine that describes NATO’s military buildup near the Russian borders as the top military threat amid Russia-West tensions over Ukraine.

“The document released by the Kremlin on Friday maintains the provisions of the previous, 2010 edition of the military doctrine regarding the use of nuclear weapons. It says Russia could use nuclear weapons in retaliation to the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, and also in case of aggression involving conventional weapons that ‘threatens the very existence’ of the Russian state.

“For the first time, the new doctrine says that Russia could use precision weapons ‘as part of strategic deterrent measures.’ The document doesn’t spell out conditions for their use.”

According to Die Welt, dated December 27, 2014, the document also states that Russia has enough bunkers to resist and survive a nuclear war.

NATO “Fires” Back…

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 27:

“Within hours of Russian President Vladimir Putin approving a new security doctrine, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu flatly denied that the Western military bloc was a threat to any nation. ‘Any steps taken by NATO to ensure the security of its members are clearly defensive in nature, proportionate and in compliance with international law,’ Lungescu said. ‘In fact, it is Russia’s actions, including currently in Ukraine, which are breaking international law and undermining European security,’ she added in comments posted on her Twitter account…

“The new Russian military doctrine, posted on the Kremlin’s website on Friday, lists 14 security risks to the country, beginning with NATO’s military potential and eastward expansion… However, a statement released by the Russian Security Council said that the doctrine remained defensive in nature, despite the changes.

“Relations between the Kremlin and the West have experienced a major chill since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula back in March. Ukraine and the West have also accused Moscow of stoking the fires of conflict in eastern Ukraine by supporting pro-Russia separatists with weapons and troops. Russia has denied this.”

We hear more and more of rumors from the Northeast (compare Daniel 11:44) which are making Europe very nervous.

“2014: A difficult Year for the EU”… but a Crisis Unites…

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 27, 2014

“For the European Union… the ongoing confrontation with Russia could once again bring unity.

“It was a foreseeable political disaster: discontent had long been seething, and in May it showed its force in the elections for the European Parliament. Almost everywhere, euroskeptic parties, right-wing and even parties openly hostile toward the European Union celebrated strong showings. In France, Britain and Denmark, they even won the election. Their platform: Less Europe, more nation states…

“In 2014, migration was an issue that split the EU more than ever before… The euro crisis was a ‘central factor, at least a catalyst for the feeling that the EU is either too far away or gets too involved’…

“Nowhere in the EU was the discontent as palpable as in Britain, where Prime Minister David Cameron is being pushed around by UKIP… In fact, a British exit has now become conceivable – even though the United Kingdom itself only narrowly escaped its own breakup just a few months ago when 55 percent of Scottish voters rejected independence…

“The economic crisis, with its high unemployment rates in many countries, has not only buoyed fringe parties. How to fight the crisis is still a question that continues to divide Europe…

“The crisis that overshadowed everything else in Europe this year, however, was the confrontation with Russia. In March, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and began destabilizing Eastern Ukraine, a campaign that continues to this day. Several EU states that once belonged to the Soviet Union, including the Baltic countries and Poland, now fear that they, too, may fall victim to Russian aggression.

“Over the course of the year, the EU imposed increasingly harsh sanctions on Russia – but the conflict is anything but solved. As 2014 comes to a close, a return to the former partnership with Russia seems to be more distant than ever. The peaceful European order that has lasted since the end of the Cold War has cracked, and no one knows what’s next.

“At least this bitter experience has taught the Europeans the importance of solidarity. In the dispute with Russia, the EU has presented a unified front like it rarely has before, proof that the 28 EU member states, with their varying positions and relationships with Moscow, were and continue to be able to agree on a common position… The crisis has restored the idea that Europe is ‘stronger united than alone’… That truism seemed long-forgotten in the EU – but 2014 has brought it back to life.”

It might require a crisis of great proportions which will force Europe to unite.

Putin Looks for Friends in the East

The Editorial Board of the New York Times wrote on December 26:

“There was a time when President Vladimir Putin was welcomed, even courted, by governments in the West. Now, as tensions between them grow over the issue of Ukraine, and as Russia’s economy is under stress, Mr. Putin is pursuing new friends, including one of the world’s most noxious leaders, Kim Jong-un of North Korea…

“During the Cold War, the Soviet Union often helped prop up North Korea’s brutal totalitarian regime. This year, after Russia’s invasion of Crimea led to a crisis and the imposition of sanctions by the United States and Europe, Mr. Putin has moved to strengthen those ties as part of a ‘Look East’ policy designed to compensate for the loss of economic and political interaction with the West.

“Russia is interested in North Korea’s mineral resources and needs its help in building a gas pipeline through North Korea to reach the wealthier South Korea. Meanwhile, North Korea sees Russia as a way to reduce dependency on China, its main source of food and fuel…

“Mr. Putin’s courtship of North Korea has not distracted him from his continuing efforts to build closer relationships with China and India. China’s president, Xi Jinping, made Russia his first foreign trip after taking office, and he attended the Sochi Olympics while President Obama and European leaders boycotted them. In May, as the West imposed sanctions on Russia, Mr. Putin completed a $400 billion, 30-year deal providing natural gas to China…

“For decades, people speculated about some kind of China-Russia alliance, but one never really materialized. The gas deal is viewed in Washington as much more favorable to Beijing than to Moscow, and over the long term, China’s economic and political strengths seem certain to ensure that Russia will always be the junior partner — a position that is unlikely to please Mr. Putin.

“As for India, Mr. Putin was warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit there this month and given assurances that Russia would remain India’s top weapons supplier. The two sides also signed billions of dollars in nuclear power, oil and defense deals. The outcome was a reminder that expectations in America of more trade and political cooperation with India have fallen short since the two countries signed a nuclear deal in 2008…”

In light of the remarks that Russia will always be China’s junior partner, it is interesting to note that the attack of the Asiatic hordes against Israel at the beginning of the Millennium will be led by Gog, a CHINESE leader over China, Russia and other Far Eastern countries (compare Ezekiel 38:2-3).

Putin Still in Denial

Business Insider wrote on December 27:

“As the year draws to a close, the Kremlin continues to insist that not a single Russian soldier has entered Ukraine to join pro-Moscow separatist militia who have been fighting government forces there since April. During his annual press conference earlier this month, Vladimir Putin, the president, said that all Russian combatants in Ukraine’s Donbas region were volunteers answering ‘a call of the heart’…

“Rights activists have recorded cases of at least 40 serving soldiers suspected of dying in the conflict – many believe the figure is in the hundreds – but prosecutors refuse to open criminal investigations into their deaths, a requirement by law…”

Greece in the News… Again…

The Local wrote on December 31:

“Fears of a potential Greek exit from the eurozone have rattled markets since a political crisis in Athens led to early elections, called for late January, in which a leftist anti-austerity party has good prospects of winning, threatening to unwind painful reforms.

“Michael Fuchs, deputy parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, suggested the idea of Greece breaching its commitments to creditors and eventually leaving the single currency bloc was no longer a doomsday scenario. ‘The situation is entirely different than three years ago,’ Fuchs told the Rheinische Post daily. ‘The times when we had to rescue Greece are over. There is no potential for blackmail any more. Greece is no longer of systemic relevance for the euro.’…

“Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras warned Tuesday that the financially-stricken nation may be forced out of the eurozone if the election is won by Syriza… German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble was more direct, saying Greeks ‘have no alternative’ to the reform path.”

The Bible indicates a cooperation between Greece and core Europe (ten European nations or groups of nations). It does not say whether or not Greece will be part of core Europe.

U.N. Security Council Resolution Against Israel FAILS

JTA wrote on December 30:

“A Palestinian-backed U.N. Security Council resolution setting a deadline for a peace deal with Israel failed to garner sufficient votes for passage. The resolution, which was voted on Tuesday, was aimed at achieving a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank by late 2017.

“Eight nations on the 15-member council votes yes, two voted no and five abstained. Nine votes were required for passage. The no votes came from the United States and Australia. Had nine votes been obtained, the United States, which voted against the resolution, was expected to exercise its Security Council veto. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, called the draft resolution ‘deeply imbalanced’ and slammed the council for the unusual move of putting the resolution to a vote without any debate… The deadlines in the resolution, Power noted, ‘take no account of Israel’s legitimate security concerns.’”

Abbas Signs Treaty Against Israel

JTA wrote on December 31:

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed an international treaty that will allow the investigation of Israel for war crimes at the International Criminal Court. On Wednesday, a day after the defeat of a Palestinian statehood resolution in the United Nations Security Council, Abbas reportedly signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, or ICC, as well as more than 20 other international treaties.

“Abbas signed the treaties at an emergency meeting of the P.A. leadership in Ramallah that was called in the wake of the Security Council vote held on Tuesday… If the ICC accepts the Palestinian Authority’s request to join the Rome Statute, which brings the Palestinians one step closer to being full members of the court, then the ICC would have jurisdiction for crimes committed on Palestinian territory. The acceptance would allow the Palestinian Authority to petition the ICC to investigate Israel for possible war crimes.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the move. ‘It is the Palestinian Authority – which is in a unity government with Hamas, an avowed terrorist organization that, like ISIS, perpetrates war crimes – that needs to be concerned about the International Criminal Court in the Hague,’ he said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office…

“Among the other international organizations and conventions that the Palestinians are seeking to join are the Convention on the Political Rights of Women, the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.

“Also on Wednesday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned France’s ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave, for ‘clarifications’ over his country’s vote in favor of the Palestinian statehood resolution in the Security Council…”

As the New York Times explained in an article on December 31, the ROME Statute is the Hague-based court’s founding treaty: “Created in 2002 to prosecute perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the court currently has 122 member countries, and has mainly dealt with horrors in Africa.” Also, the role of France becomes more and more dubious.

Hamas and Turkey vs. Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on December 27:

“On a surprise visit to Turkey Saturday, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal hailed the country’s leaders and said he hoped to ‘liberate Palestine and Jerusalem’ with them. During a speech to officials and supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Mashaal congratulated the people of Turkey ‘for having [Prime Minister Ahmet] Davutoğlu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’ as heads of state, adding that ‘a strong Turkey means a strong Palestine … Inshallah, God is with us and with you on the road to victory.’…

“The Hamas leader was introduced to the crowd gathered in the conservative Konya Province in central Anatolia for the annual event by Davutoglu himself. His speech was frequently interrupted by supporters shouting ‘down with Israel!’ and ‘God is great!’… ‘God is witness … we will make this red flag a symbol of the innocent. This red flag will fly side by side with the flags of Palestine, free Syria and all other innocents’ flags anywhere in the world,’ he told the congress.

“Turkey and Hamas have seen a rapid rapprochement as Israel’s ties with Ankara continued to deteriorate. The AK Party has had close ties with Hamas since its rise in 2001, led by Davutoglu and Erdogan. The two have been known for their frequent outbursts against Israel over the years…

“Jerusalem has also accused Turkey of allowing Hamas to operate on its soil, a charge Ankara strongly denies… Israel has alleged on several recent occasions that Hamas cells operating in the West Bank and planning major terror attacks were doing so under the guidance and leadership of Hamas’s Saleh al-Arouri, who was deported from the West Bank to Turkey in 2010, while Ankara turns a blind eye to his actions.

“Last month, the Shin Bet security service said members of a Hamas terror ring in the West Bank, run from the organization’s headquarters in Turkey, sought to carry out an array of major attacks, including on Jerusalem’s main soccer stadium and its light rail line. Arouri, they said, built up and funded the network, and has effectively established a Hamas command post in Turkey which is leading terror efforts in the West Bank…

“In October, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Hamas had two command centers: one in the Gaza Strip, which has been ruled by the Islamist group since 2007, and one in Turkey.

“Israel’s ties with Turkey became strained after Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009, but nosedived in May 2010 when the Mavi Marmara ferry was boarded by Israeli commandos as it attempted to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the ensuing melee, after the Israeli soldiers were attacked with iron bars and wooden bats, troops opened fire and nine Turkish activists were killed; 10 Israeli soldiers were injured.”

Modern Turkey is identified in the Bible as “Edom” or “Esau.” Its future hostile conduct against Israel is vividly described in the book of Obadiah and strongly condemned by God.

Iran’s Suicide Drones

Gizmodo wrote on December 27:

“Today Iranian military forces tested various unmanned aircraft that some are calling ‘suicide drones.’ Because ‘suicide drone’ sounded more intimidating than ‘model airplane that we could fly into things nearby.’

“Iran has been conducting military exercises for the past week at the Strait of Hormuz near the Persian Gulf. The show of force has involved air, land, and sea maneuvers over 850,000 square miles…

“This week’s exercises are codenamed Mohammad Rasoulallah, meaning Mohammad the Messenger of God… Iran has also been using drones for target practice during this week’s drills… Unconfirmed reports have said that Iran’s Shahed-129 drone can stay in the air as long as 24 hours and has a range of just over 1,000 miles.”

Santa Claus—a Bad Guy

CNN wrote on December 25:

“It’s the early 1800s, and America’s Christian leaders — most of whom were Protestant Reformation-types — had banned religious celebrations of Christmas as unscriptural and paganish. But people still wanted to party… So, on December 25, working-class stiffs got fall-down drunk and stumbled around cities looking for stuff to loot…

“When the Dutch came to the New World in the 1600s, they brought a fellow from folklore named Sinterklaas with them… Sinterklaas, who wore a red bishop’s miter and a snowy white beard, was based on St. Nicholas, a 3rd century Greek who lived in modern-day Turkey… this Nick was a bit of a bad boy… According to one medieval legend, Nicholas punched a heretic in the nose at the Council of Nicea — the meeting in 325 that formed the first consensus on Christian doctrine…

“St. Nick’s feast day, December 6, (the day he supposedly died) was celebrated across Europe for hundreds of years, often by giving gifts to children… But, beginning in the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation swept away the cult of Christian saints, denouncing them as unbiblical and idolatrous. Christmas, too, went pretty much by the wayside for much of Protestant Europe during this time. Some countries, though, such as the Netherlands, kept alive traditions associated with Sinterklaas. And it was these customs that 19th century New Yorkers wanted to revive.

“As they sought to make Christmas more family friendly, the Saint Nicholas Society found the perfect front man in their namesake, who, after all, was known for being nice to children. It was a genius move. The real goal was getting drunks off the street… Now they could do that by turning Christmas into a family event when children — who had it pretty rough back then — would receive gifts for good behavior…”

The first question is: Why do Protestants keep Christmas today, when the Protestant Reformers—their “fathers” in the faith–rejected it as pagan, idolatrous and unscriptural? How has it now suddenly become scriptural and less pagan and idolatrous? And then, even though this “account” of the origin of “Santa Claus” describes him as a pretty bad fellow, it is still not describing the awful truth. In fact, the history of the real “Santa Claus” is even much worse than depicted in the article. To learn more about it, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.” 

Christmas Kitsch in China

Reuters reported on December 25:

“A university in northwestern China has banned Christmas, calling it a ‘kitsch’ foreign celebration unbefitting of the country’s own traditions…

“An official microblog belonging to one of the university’s Communist Party’s committees posted comments calling for students not to ‘fawn on foreigners’ and pay more attention to China’s holidays, like Spring Festival. ‘In recent years, more and more Chinese have started to attach importance to Western festivals,’ it wrote…

“Christmas is not a traditional festival in officially atheist China but is growing in popularity, especially in more metropolitan areas where young people go out to celebrate, give gifts and decorate their homes…

“Wenzhou, a city in the wealthy eastern province of Zhejiang, has banned all Christmas activities in schools and kindergartens, the official Xinhua news agency reported…”

Even though China’s motives are self-serving and inappropriate, and the Chinese religious holidays are by no means an improvement, the classification of many of the Christmas symbols and celebrations as “kitsch” is very accurate.

“Exodus” Banned in Egypt

Reuters reported on December 26:

“Egypt has banned Hollywood’s big screen biblical epic ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings,’ a 20th Century Fox spokesman said on Friday. The studio owned by Twenty-First Century Fox Inc declined to give a reason for the ban, but films that depict biblical figures have been prohibited before in the Muslim country.

“Paramount Pictures’ Bible tale ‘Noah’ was banned in several countries in the Middle East this year for its depiction of a prophet, which is forbidden in Islam… ‘Exodus’… has come under criticism for casting mostly white actors in the lead roles and some historical anachronisms. Morocco has also reportedly banned the film…”

Variety added on December 26:

“A report from the Egyptian site Mobtada said censors issued the ban due to [the] movie’s ‘historical inaccuracies.’ Those included the film’s depiction of Jews as having built the Pyramids… Egyptian cultural minister Gaber Asfour said the depiction of Jewish slaves as being the builders of the Great Sphinx and Pyramids is inaccurate because the monuments are accepted to have been built around 2540 B.C. — 500 years before Abraham… ‘This totally contradicts proven historical facts,’ Asfour said.”

Many who have seen the movie “Exodus” declared their utter disappointment and disgust with the film, which, among many other problems, portrayed God in the scene with the burning bush as a child. The movie “Noah” was likewise declared to have been a great disappointment, as it included numerous unbiblical scenes which were totally opposed to the Word of God.

This is not to say that Egypt and Morocco, as well as other Islamic countries, banned the movies because of proper reasons. For instance, the Islamic prohibition of the portrayal of a prophet is not biblical. And it is also not correct that the Pyramids were built 500 years before Abraham. There is strong biblical and archeological evidence that the historical Cheops was none other than the biblical Job, and that it was Job who built the Great Cheops Pyramid at Gizeh, apparently with the help of biblical Joseph.

In his article, “Who Built the Great Pyramid?” (The Plain Truth, May 1964), Dr. Herman Hoeh pointed out:

“Cheops lived in Joseph’s time. SO DID JOB! Job lived in the generation after Esau, for one of his friends was Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11). Eliphaz was the father of the Temanites (Gen. 36:11) and the son of Esau, Jacob’s brother (verse 10). Eliphaz and Joseph were first cousins.

“Job lived before the Mosaic law which permitted only Levites to sacrifice. Notice that Job sacrificed to God for his family as was customarily done in patriarchal times (Job 1:5; 42:8). None of the conversation in the book of Job refers to the exodus under Moses. But the flood is still uppermost in the minds of the people (Job 22:17-18).

“Cheops or Job came to the throne in 1726 B.C…. Surprisingly that is the year in which Jacob entered Egypt with his family. A coincidence? Consider this! Coming into Egypt with Jacob in 1726 was a grandson — named Job! ‘And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons … And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Phuvah and JOB, and Shimron’ (Genesis 46:13).”

Pope Francis—the Superman Pope?

The Guardian wrote on December 27:

“He has been called the ‘superman pope’… In 2015, the pope will issue a lengthy message on the subject [of climate change] to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, give an address to the UN general assembly and call a summit of the world’s main religions. The reason for such frenetic activity, says Bishop Marcelo Sorondo, chancellor of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, is the pope’s wish to directly influence next year’s crucial UN climate meeting in Paris, when countries will try to conclude 20 years of fraught negotiations with a universal commitment to reduce emissions… the pope will publish a rare encyclical on climate change and human ecology. Urging all Catholics to take action on moral and scientific grounds, the document will be sent to the world’s 5,000 Catholic bishops and 400,000 priests, who will distribute it to parishioners.

“According to Vatican insiders, Francis will meet other faith leaders and lobby politicians at the general assembly in New York in September, when countries will sign up to new anti-poverty and environmental goals…

“However, Francis’s environmental radicalism is likely to attract resistance from Vatican conservatives and in rightwing church circles, particularly in the US – where Catholic climate sceptics also include John Boehner, Republican leader of the House of Representatives and Rick Santorum, the former Republican presidential candidate.

“Cardinal George Pell, a former archbishop of Sydney who has been placed in charge of the Vatican’s budget, is a climate change sceptic… Francis will also be opposed by the powerful US evangelical movement, said Calvin Beisner, spokesman for the conservative Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, which has declared the US environmental movement to be ‘un-biblical’ and a false religion. ‘The pope should back off,’ he said. ‘The Catholic church is correct on the ethical principles but has been misled on the science. It follows that the policies the Vatican is promoting are incorrect. Our position reflects the views of millions of evangelical Christians in the US.’”

Pope Flexes Political Muscles; Drives Wedge Between Conservatives and Catholic Church

The Hill wrote on December 31:

“Pope Francis is increasingly driving a wedge between conservatives and the Catholic Church.
The magnetic pope has sparked new enthusiasm around the world for the church and has flexed his political muscles internationally… But Francis’s agenda… is putting him at odds with Republicans, including GOP Catholics in the United States.

“Hours after President Obama announced moves to ease trade and travel restrictions to Cuba, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a practicing Catholic and potential 2016 presidential candidate, criticized the deal and Francis’s role in it… Fellow Catholic Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said he wished Francis would stand up for the Cuban people ‘rather than their oppressors.’…

“‘He’s modeling the church as a place for open disagreement,’ said Vincent J. Miller, who chairs the University of Dayton’s Catholic theology program. ‘In that sense, one of the most important changes he’s making is that conservative politicians are now openly disagreeing with him,’ Miller said… Miller said Republicans are no longer able to use issues like abortion and gay marriage as the defining issues for American Catholics.

“But Mauricio Claver-Carone, director of the conservative U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, said that by injecting his beliefs, Francis has alienated Cuban-Americans who are deeply opposed to the communist Castro regime in Cuba…”

Please view our recent StandingWatch program, “Pope Francis’ Fight with the Vatican.” 

How American Citizens Are Illegally Being Spied On

The Huffington Post wrote on December 26:

“…the National Security Agency released hundreds of pages of heavily redacted documents detailing instances of improper surveillance on U.S. citizens in the last 12 years. The batch of documents, stretching from the fourth quarter of 2001 to the second quarter of 2013, was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. While some of the information was already publicly known, the reports shed more light on instances in which NSA employees either intentionally or unintentionally violated the law and collected the private data of American citizens…

“The reports include instances in which analysts conducted unauthorized surveillance on U.S. organizations with the mistaken belief they were authorized to do so; instances in which analysts willfully ignored restrictions on surveillance; and even instances in which analysts intentionally abused the system to gather data on spouses or love interests…

“The USA Freedom Act, which would have ended the NSA’s controversial domestic call tracking program, died in the Senate earlier this year despite support from an unlikely alliance that included Facebook, the ACLU and the National Rifle Association.”

And so, illegal spying on American citizens might go on…

Growing Number of Germans Against “Islamization”

Reuters reported on January 1, 2015:

“One German in eight would join an anti-Muslim march if a rapidly-growing protest movement organized one in their home towns, according to an opinion poll published on Thursday. The survey highlighted growing support in Germany, as in other European Union countries including Britain and Sweden, for parties and movements tapping into voter fears that mainstream politicians are too soft on immigration.

“Some members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc worry that they risk losing support to the euro-sceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has shifted its focus to immigration and includes many who also back the PEGIDA protest movement — Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West. PEGIDA is holding weekly rallies in the eastern city of Dresden, and attracted more than 17,000 people to a Dec. 22 rally…

“In her New Year address, Merkel urged Germans to turn their backs on PEGIDA’s leaders, calling them racists full of hatred, and said Europe’s biggest economy must welcome people fleeing conflict and war… AfD leader Bernd Lucke criticized Merkel’s New Year address in comments due to appear in Friday’s edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) paper, accusing her of disrespecting citizens. A New Year address should unite rather than divide people, he said, accusing Merkel of branding all those who joined PEGIDA marches as anti-immigrant without listening to their views…”

Lithuania Adopts the Euro

The EUObserver wrote on December 31, 2015:

“Lithuania on Thursday (1 January) will adopt the euro with a majority now supporting the currency change amid heightened tensions with their former Russian masters… The former Soviet republic, which joined the European Union and Nato in 2004, is a strategic base for the alliance’s Baltic air policing patrols…

“All EU member states, with the exception of the UK and Denmark, are required to join the euro. Lithuania will become the 19th member of the eurozone.”

Netanyahu Wins Party Nomination

The Associated Press reported on January 1:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the backing of his hard-line Likud party in its primary and will lead it into general elections this March… Israeli media said Netanyahu had won the support of about 75 percent of electors, giving him an unassailable lead over challenger Danny Danon, a former deputy defense minister…

“Early opinion polls ahead of the March 17 general elections show Netanyahu’s Likud party in a neck-and-neck race with a joint list headed by Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog and former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni of the Hatnuah party.”

China and India Come to Russia’s Rescue

On December 22, the EUObserver published an article with the following headline: “China ignores EU, offers to help Russia.”

The article continued:

“China has joined India in helping the Russian economy… Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said in China Daily, a state mouthpiece, on Monday (22 December): ‘Russia has the capability and the wisdom to overcome the existing hardship in the economic situation. If the Russian side needs [help], we will provide necessary assistance within our capacity’. China Daily noted that Russia has ‘hundreds of billions of [US] dollars’ in its foreign reserve fund and is far from collapse. It added that China is ready to offer loans and investments in infrastructure projects, with a new Russia-China gas pipeline, a deep-water port in Crimea, and railway schemes in Russia’s Far East under discussion. The Chinese statement comes after India, earlier this month, bought 12 nuclear reactors from Russian firm Rosatom and launched joint production of military helicopters…

“Going further back, China and India, as well as Brazil and South Africa, showed solidarity by abstaining in a UN vote on the non-recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The actions of the non-aligned powers are a diplomatic defeat for the EU and US, which imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine…

“The main cause of Russia’s financial problems is the slump in oil prices. But EU sanctions on banks and energy firms are making matters worse by blocking blacklisted companies from buying debt on international markets. For his part, former Russian finance minister Alexei Kudrin told press in Moscow also on Monday: ‘Today, I can say that we have entered or are entering a real, full-fledged economic crisis’. He spoke after Russia announced the National Bank Trust, one of its largest lenders, needs a half-a-billion-dollar bailout.

“Russia also imposed curbs on wheat exports, which have surged due to the record-low value of the rouble, prompting hikes in Russian bread prices. The financial crisis is having a strategic impact in Europe. The rouble crash prompted Russia to cancel the South Stream gas pipeline project…

“EU institutions have all-but packed up for the Christmas break. But the European Commission on Monday noted that the EU, which has extensive trade with Russia despite the Ukraine rift, could, like Belarus, suffer knock-on effects from the rouble problem…

“Diplomats say it’s too early to predict if the rouble crisis will serve doves, who say a Russian economic collapse would it make it more dangerous, or hawks, who say long-term economic pain will stop Russian aggression. Some states – such as Austria, Hungary, France, and Italy – are saying they want to rebuild Russia ties. But Germany at last week’s EU summit said sanctions can be rolled back only if Russia gives up conquered territories in Ukraine…”

While Europe—and especially Germany—is moving further and further away from Russia, Far Eastern nations such as China and India are moving closer together.

And Now—Russia in Collaboration with North Korea

The Guardian wrote on December 19:

“The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has invited the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to Moscow next year to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in the second world war, the Kremlin’s spokesman said on Friday. It would be Kim’s first foreign visit since taking the helm of the reclusive east Asian state in 2011. His personal envoy travelled to Moscow last month as part of efforts by the two Cold War-era allies to improve relations…

“Moscow needs North Korean cooperation to boost its natural gas exports to South Korea as Gazprom would like to build a gas pipeline through North Korea to reach its southern neighbour. Pyongyang is also seeking support from Russia, a permanent veto-wielding member of the UN security council, against international criticism relating to accusations of human rights abuses and its nuclear programme.”

Collaboration between powerful nations in the Far East are prophesied. China, Russia, India and Japan will apparently belong to this collaboration which will be hostile to the West. Will even North Korea be part of it?

North Korea Threatens USA

CNN reported on December 21:

“North Korea is accusing the U.S. government of being behind the making of the movie ‘The Interview.’ And, in a dispatch on state media, the totalitarian regime warns the United States that U.S. ‘citadels’ will be attacked, dwarfing the hacking attack on Sony that led to the cancellation of the film’s release.

“While steadfastly denying involvement in the hack, North Korea accused U.S. President Barack Obama of calling for ‘symmetric counteraction.’… ‘Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole U.S. mainland, the cesspool of terrorism,’ the report said, adding that ‘fighters for justice’ including the ‘Guardians of Peace’ — a group that claimed responsibility for the Sony attack – ‘are sharpening bayonets not only in the U.S. mainland but in all other parts of the world.’

“The FBI on Friday pinned blame on North Korea for a hack into Sony’s computer systems… In a CNN interview on Friday, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said the studio had not ‘given in’ to pressure from hackers and was still considering ways to distribute the movie…”

Newsmax added on December 23:

“Less than a week after Sony pulled ‘The Interview’ from theaters, the studio has reversed itself and set a limited theatrical release in the United States on Christmas Day. ‘The Interview,’ directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, will now open in more than 200 independent cinemas rather than in the major chains, sources confirm.”

American Retaliation Against North Korea?

The Huffington Post wrote on December 22:

“North Korea’s Internet service went down in a suspected cyberattack Monday, just days after the U.S. government blamed the country for hacking Sony Pictures Entertainment and the White House said it was considering a ‘proportional response’ to the crime…

“During a Monday briefing, Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the State Department, called on the North Korean government to ‘admit the culpability and compensate Sony’ for the financial damage the hacks have caused. But Harf also offered an interesting choice of words when discussing the administration’s possible response to the responsible parties. ‘As the president said, we are considering a range of options in response,’ she said. ‘We aren’t going to discuss, publicly, operational details about the possible response options — or comment on those types of reports in any way — except to say that as we implement those responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen.’”

Communism and Human Rights Violations to Stay in Cuba

The Associated Press reported on December 20:

“Cuban President Raul Castro sent a blunt message to Washington Saturday as the White House works to reverse a half-century of hostility between the U.S. and Cuba: Don’t expect detente to do away with the communist system. Castro’s speech to Cuba’s National Assembly was a sharp counterpoint to the message U.S. President Barack Obama gave in his year-end news conference the day before. Obama reiterated that by engaging directly with the Cuban people, Americans are more likely to encourage reform in Cuba’s one-party system and centrally planned economy.”

Breitbart added on December 22:

“Cuban dictator Raúl Castro… visited the Cuban National Assembly to declare that, against the United States, ‘now we’ve really won the war.’… He once again reiterated his desire for President Obama to act unilaterally, without the support of Congress, on as many issues in the White House’s Cuba proposal as possible…

“He added that he does not expect any changes in the Cuban regime: ‘just as we have never proposed to the United States a change in their political system, so too do we demand respect for ours.’”

It appears that the new “détente” between the USA and Cuba has really accomplished nothing. While Cuba celebrates its victory, America is looked upon as a gullible loser.

America’s “Price Tag for ISIS Fight Passes 1 Billion Dollars”

Newsmax reported on December 22:

“The U.S. military has spent more than $1 billion fighting the Islamic State (ISIS), the Pentagon says. The campaign against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria began Aug. 8 via airstrikes, and Pentagon spokesman William Urban said Monday that the cost of the military offensive continues to climb. ‘As of Dec. 11, 2014, the total cost of operations related to [ISIS] since kinetic operations started on Aug. 8, 2014, is $1.02 billion, and the average daily cost is $8.1 million,’ Urban said, The Hill reports. That figure does not include an earlier campaign against ISIS that began in June, The Hill says.

“Over the weekend, it was reported that U.S. ground troops were fighting ISIS forces in western Iraq, despite the Obama administration’s stance that the campaign would consist only of airstrikes. About 1,700 U.S. troops are in Iraq, a number that will increase over the coming weeks after it was announced that another 1,500 will be deployed.”

In light of these nonsensical developments, we are reminded as to why we are to pray to God the Father: “Your Kingdom Come!”

New York City in Turmoil

Politico wrote on December 22:

“New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton said Monday that tensions in the city are echoing those in the 1970s — a fear he expressed only days prior to the ambush killings of two police officers. ‘Who would’ve ever thought déjà vu all over again, that we would be back where we were 40-some-odd years ago,’ Bratton said in an interview on NBC’s ‘Today.’

“When asked whether he had seen such tensions or divide before, Bratton replied, ‘1970, when I first came into policing — my first 10 years were around this type of tension.’

Bratton’s assessment comes as two NYPD officers were shot and killed Saturday afternoon. The suspect in the killings invoked the police-involved deaths of Missouri teen Michael Brown and New Yorker Eric Garner in an Instagram post before shooting officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in their patrol car.

“Bratton identified protests that followed the decisions by separate grand juries to not indict police officers in Brown and Garner’s deaths as a factor in the subsequent killings of Ramos and Liu. ‘It’s quite apparent, quite obvious, that the targeting of these two police officers was a direct spinoff of this issue of these demonstrations,’ the police chief said. Lawmakers and police unions have accused New York Mayor Bill de Blasio of inciting anti-police rhetoric — or at least failing to do enough to cool tensions. Over the weekend, a video circulated online showing police officers turning their backs to the mayor as he entered the hospital where the two slain officers were taken…

“On ‘Today,’ Bratton acknowledged the internal rift between City Hall and the police… Only the day before the shooting of the two officers, Bratton had expressed concern that tensions and issues of ‘poverty, of race, of unemployment, of inequality in housing, educational systems’ were escalating. Similarly, in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll… released last week, a majority of 57 percent of Americans said race relations are ‘bad,’ including 23 percent said they’re ‘very bad.’…”

While fears are being expressed that the tensions in New York City will spread across the nation, the blame game continues, trying to find culpability with the media and President Obama, as well as with the protestors. The truth is that this country has turned its back on God, and curses in every shape or form are the consequence. See the next article.

Not Again!

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 22:

“A white police officer killed a black teenager who was allegedly armed in a St. Louis suburb late Tuesday… The death of Antonio Martin, 18 years old, comes as tensions run high in U.S. cities over the use of deadly force by police. The shooting happened in Berkeley, Mo., just miles from the town of Ferguson, where the death of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer in August sparked months of demonstrations that turned violent at times.

“Berkeley officials moved quickly to keep the public from drawing a connection to Ferguson. Berkeley’s population is more than 80% black, and Mayor Theodore Hoskins pointed to its large number of black police officers and he and other elected officials who are African-American. In Ferguson, the city’s population is two-thirds African-American, while its city council and police force are largely white. The mayor also said, unlike Ferguson, the shooting was captured on a surveillance camera and a weapon was recovered on the scene.”

Longing for the “Good Old Days”?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 21:

“Disenchanted German citizens and right-wing extremists are joining forces to form a protest movement to fight what they see as the Islamization of the West. Is this the end of the long-praised tolerance of postwar Germany?…

“What is going on in Germany, the world’s second most popular destination for immigrants? Has the open-mindedness for which Germans had long been praised now ended?…

“… many Germans share the protestors’ views… Some 34 percent of citizens agreed with the PEGIDA protestors that Germany is becoming increasingly Islamicized…

“[An American journalist stated] that she had been under the impression that many were mourning the ‘good old days.’

“The only question is: Which good old days? Those after 1933, when Dresden, displaying the Nazi swastika, drove out its Jewish residents? Or those after 1945, when the East German Communist Party transformed an entire region into one that was virtually cut off from the Western world…”

Another question is whether many Germans are mourning the good old days when a strong leader ruled the nation. Sadly, Germany’s history is such that their strong rulers usually turned out to be disastrous leaders. Another strong ruler—worse than anyone before him—is still to arise. But finally, and very soon, Germans and all the world will experience—for the very first time—a strong truthful ruler who will establish a righteous government on this earth and who will bring peace and prosperity—Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Germans Concerned About Islamization

AFP wrote on December 22:

“A record [17,500] anti-Islamic protesters rallied for their tenth demonstration in as many weeks Monday in eastern Germany, celebrating the rise of their far-right populist movement by singing Christmas carols. Germany has for weeks grappled with the emergence of the ‘Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident’ or PEGIDA, whose ranks in the city of Dresden have swelled rapidly from just a few hundred in October.

“About 4,500 counter-demonstrators marched through the city under the slogan ‘Dresden Nazi-free’, warning that there was no space for racism and xenophobia in the country that perpetrated the Holocaust. Most PEGIDA followers insist they are not Nazis but patriots who worry about the ‘watering down’ of their Christian-rooted culture and traditions. They often accuse mainstream political parties of betraying them and the media of lying…

“The Protestant bishop of Saxony state, Jochen Bohl, said the PEGIDA followers, by singing Christmas carols, were seeking ‘to exploit a Christian symbol and a Christian tradition’ for political purposes…

“Smaller clone groups rallied Monday in the western cities of Bonn, Kassel and Wuerzburg, but they only drew up to 200 followers each and were all vastly outnumbered by counter-demonstrations that drew 20,000 nationwide… The biggest anti-PEGIDA march was held in the southern city of Munich, where at least 12,000 rallied under the banner ‘Make space — Refugees are welcome’…

“Politicians from all major parties have been stunned by the emergence of the right-wing nationalists who vent their anger against what they consider a broken immigration and asylum system. The movement has emerged at a time when Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has become the continent’s top destination for asylum seekers, and the world’s number two destination for migrants after the United States. The influx of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and several African and Balkan countries has strained local governments, which have scrambled to house the newcomers in old schools, office blocks and army barracks…”

Deutsche Welle added on December 22:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has cautioned Germans against falling prey to any form of xenophobic ‘rabble-rousing,’ but several conservative politicians have argued the government must ‘listen’ to the people’s concerns about immigration. Only the fledgling anti-euro AfD party has openly sympathized with PEGIDA, saying its message has struck a chord in German society.”

Breitbart wrote on December 23:

“Despite the essentially ordinary character of many of the people taking to the streets for the peaceful strolls, and the admission by senior government and police figures that a great many of those joining in are families bringing their children, the organisation has come in for stiff criticism and rejection by the heights of the German elite.

“Chancellor Merkel has suggested the leadership of PEGIDA have an ulterior motive, despite their focus on non-violent protest and apolitical principles. She even went as far to warn people thinking of going on the weekly stroll to ‘watch out that they are not instrumentalised by the organisers’. The SPD, Germany’s Labour-party equivalent have gone as far as calling PEGIDA ‘Nazis in pinstripes’. This is despite a report by the German police that there are significantly more known troublemakers in the counter-protest movements, than in PEGIDA itself.”

These developments remind us of events in Germany leading to the rise of Adolf Hitler, when groups of different persuasions –notably Socialists, Communists and National Socialists – demonstrated against each other, while the “established” parties had become helpless bystanders. At the same time, German concerns ARE understandable—at least to an extent—also in light of the following article.

Turkish President Condemns Birth Control as Treason

NDTV reported on December 22:

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described efforts to promote birth control as ‘treason’, saying contraception risked causing a whole generation to ‘dry up’, [and constitute] a betrayal of Turkey’s ambition to make itself a flourishing nation with an expanding young population. ‘One or two (children) is not enough. To make our nation stronger, we need a more dynamic and younger population. We need this to take Turkey above the level of modern civilisations,’ Erdogan said.

“Erdogan’s government has long been accused by critics of seeking to impose strict Islamic values on Turks and curtailing the civil liberties of women… [He] has angered feminist groups for declaring that every woman should have three children and saying that women are not equal to men…

“Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu, a doctor with two children, had at the weekend also caused controversy by declaring pregnant women did not have the right to decide how they would deliver their child. ‘It is the duty of the midwives and the doctors to prepare them for the birth. The patients cannot say “I want a Caesarean”. They don’t have such a right,’ he said. ‘The doctors’ job is to fulfil their medical responsibilities not to follow the patients’ demands. Doctors must give the medical treatment that the patients have a right to. The C-section is not one of those rights.’”

All of this is so reminiscent of laws which were enacted in Nazi Germany. Sadly, the Catholic Church also prohibits birth control—in direct violation of biblical principles.

The Fight Between the Pope and the Vatican Continues…

The Washington Post wrote on December 22:

“Every year around this time, Pope Francis and the senior governing cardinals, bishops and priests of the Vatican — referred to as the Curia — meet for an exchange of Christmas greetings. This year, Pope Francis brought a little something extra for the Curia: a 15-point ‘catalog’ of spiritual diseases he’s seen among leadership there…

“The list of diseases included ‘spiritual Alzheimer’s,’ ‘spiritual petrification,’ a feeling of being ‘immortal,’ and ‘funereal face,’… The pope also blasted gossiping among officials as a form of ‘satanic assassination.’…

“Some of his harshest words were reserved to sins related to gossiping, which, as shown above, the pope likened to the actions of Satan. Gossip, he said, will grip a person and transform him into one of the ‘sowers of discord.’ Which is a pretty direct reference to what Satan does. Francis called gossips ‘cold-blooded murderers’ of reputations. ‘It is the disease of cowards, who do not have the courage to speak upfront and so talk behind one’s back. … Watch out against the terrorism of gossip!’ he said.

“… the pope   may have made an oblique reference to the sex abuse scandal while discussing a ‘disease of a closeness,’ which he said was a ‘cancer which threatens the harmony of the body and causes a lot of evil and scandal, especially towards our small brothers and sisters.’ …

“The Vatican’s English-speaking spokesman Fr. Thomas Rosica addressed the Pope’s remarks in a Monday statement: ‘… Now and then in our religious history, prophets arise to call us back to our origins, our roots and also our intended mission. That is what Pope Francis is doing. His words apply not only to the Roman Curia at the Vatican but to the entire Church throughout the world. His words are also valid for many institutions in the world today that lose sight of their original mission’…

“Before becoming pope, Francis was an outsider to the bureaucratic body of the Curia, which has a reputation for ineffectiveness and corruption. As pope, Francis has pledged to reform it.”

The description of Pope Francis as a “prophet” is quite interesting.

Deutsche Welle added on December 23:

“‘This is a speech without historic precedent,’ church historian Alberto Melloni, a contributor to Italian daily ‘Corriere della Sera,’ told the Associated Press… Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who writes for the ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’ daily, told dpa news agency that Monday’s address was ‘a frontal attack’ against his enemies inside the Curia, and could be seen as ‘one last warning’ before a direct confrontation.”

The Pope’s Christmas Reflection

Zenit reported on December 21:

“Pope Francis today assured that Christ is coming into our lives this Christmas and is asking for a response like Mary’s, but warned that we might be too busy to pay attention… Jesus is coming this Christmas in the ‘today of the liturgy,’ the Pope explained. ‘The Word, who dwelled in the virginal womb of Mary, in the celebration of Christmas, comes to call anew the heart of each Christian…

“Jesus, he said, ‘comes to bring to the world the gift of peace. […] The precious gift of Christmas is peace and Christ is our true peace…”

Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with Christ’s dwelling in our hearts, or with a precious godly gift of true peace.

Non-Christians Celebrate Christmas

The Associated Press wrote on December 22:

“Christmastime is here and a new poll reveals the cards and gifts that are part of celebrating the holiday are ubiquitous, even among those who don’t share the Christian beliefs behind the story of the Magi who gave the first Christmas gifts…

“77 percent of Americans plan to exchange gifts this holiday season and 48 percent will send greeting cards. The gift-giving set includes about 8 in 10 Christians and 73 percent of those who say they have no religious beliefs. Greeting cards also cross denominational lines, with 53 percent of Protestants, 55 percent of Catholics and 40 percent of those without religious beliefs saying they will send cards this year.”

This is mind-boggling and so twisted, but then, it is reflective of a much deeper truth: That Christmas is anything but Christian.

Man’s Ten Commandments

CNN wrote on December 20:

“What if, instead of climbing Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God, Moses had turned to the Israelites and asked: Hey, what do you guys think we should do? Considering the Hebrews’ bad behavior in the Bible, what with the coveting of neighbors’ wives and murdering their own brothers, that might have been a disastrous idea. But in our own more enlightened age, we’re perfectly capable of crowdsourcing our own commandments — or, at least, that’s what a new project would have us believe…”

To better understand the following, Lex Bayer and John Figdor, authors of the book “Atheist Mind, Human Heart,” recently organized a crowdsource contest to determine the 10 best atheist commandments and to modernize Old Testament ideals. The public submitted their ideas in recent weeks for alternative secular commandments, with a panel of 13 prominent atheists and secularists weighing in to pick their favorites (compare “The Blaze,” December 19). The above-quoted article by CNN continues:

“The contest drew more than 2,800 submissions from 18 countries and 27 U.S. states, according to Bayer and Figdor… A team of 13 judges selected 10 of the more sober and serious submissions, and announced the winners Friday. There’s nary a ‘thou shalt’ among them — nothing specifically about murder, stealing or adultery, although there is a version of the Golden Rule, which presumably would cover those crimes…

“Here are the ‘Ten Non-Commandments’ chosen as the winners:

“1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.

“2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.

“3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.

“4. Every person has the right to control of their body.

“5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.

“6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.

“7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.

“8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.

“9. There is no one right way to live.

“10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.”

Especially Nos. 4, 5 and 9 are the most sickening. Other commandments are problematic too, such as No. 3 and specifically No. 10. We can be glad that God does not leave it to man to decide what is good and bad.

43 Countries Have Outlawed Spanking

On December 11, 2014, Time magazine wrote the following:

“Every time a new controversy erupts about parents who use spanking to discipline their kids… there’s a whole new round of discussion about the most appropriate way to discipline kids… So far 43 countries have outlawed spanking, and two more are about to.”

According to the article, countries banning corporal punishment include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, Poland, Italy and Israel.

John McCain Condemns CIA Torture

On December 14, 2014, Newsmax reported the following:

“Some of the practices used by CIA interrogators to gather information from captured prisoners went against ‘everything that America values and stands for,’ Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said Sunday. McCain believes it was right to release a controversial Senate report on the matter last week… McCain, who was tortured while being held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said the CIA’s practices ‘were violations of the Geneva convention for the treatment of prisoners.’… ‘What we need to do is come clean, we move forward and we vow never to do it again,’ said McCain…

“McCain… [noted] that in meetings with Vice President Dick Cheney and then-CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden, he pointed out that ‘these things are torture, in violation of the Geneva Convention… You can’t claim that tying someone to the floor and have them freeze to death is not torture,’ said McCain. ‘You can’t say [it’s not torture when] 18 times someone is waterboarded,’ a technique that began with the Spanish Inquisition and was also done during World War II…

“And McCain agreed with experts that torture does not work as an interrogation technique, quoting Gen. David Petraeus. ‘There’s no man alive that is a military leader that I respect more than Gen. Petraeus,’ said McCain, quoting him as saying that while ‘we are warriors, we are also human beings…’”

Former Vice President Dick Cheney strongly condemned the report. He said that he endorsed the CIA activities, and that he would approve of them all over again. Former President George Bush was apparently of the same persuasion. These are alarming and extremely disturbing signs. Some do not seem to learn from mistakes at all. Mr. Cheney also denied that Japanese soldiers were prosecuted for waterboarding Americans. The Washington Post reported on December 15 that Mr. Cheney is clearly wrong, giving him “Three Pinocchios.”

However, in a shocking article of the Washington Post, dated December 16, it was revealed that “A majority of Americans believe that the harsh interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were justified, even as about half the public says the treatment amounted to torture.” Why are we then surprised to hear that God is VERY ANGRY with the USA?

Jeb Bush for President? No, Says Donald Trump

Newsmax wrote on December 16:

“Count billionaire Donald Trump among the unimpressed with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s announcement Tuesday that he will form an exploratory committee to consider a presidential run. ‘The last thing we need is another Bush,’ Trump said Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s ‘Your World with Neil Cavuto.’ ‘I’m not a fan of the job his brother did at all. I think his brother was a terrible president,’ Trump said. ‘Look, I’m a Republican, and I’m a very conservative guy.’ But, he said: ‘I’ve had it with the Bushes.’…

“Barack Obama has been a ‘terrible president’ Trump said, but he said George W. Bush wasn’t much better. ‘And Bush gave us Obama,’ he said. Trump also blamed George W. Bush for appointing John Roberts as chief justice, thus bringing about the 2012 ruling in favor of Obamacare. George W. Bush presided over the ‘total destabilization the world,’ Trump said…

“He wouldn’t say how he would vote if it came down to a general election between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. He said Clinton has her own problems with the far-left wing of the Democrat Party pushing for a more liberal candidate.”

JTA wrote on December 16:

“Jeb Bush announced his intention to ‘actively’ explore the presidency in a Christmas and Hanukkah greeting message. ‘Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!’ the former Florida governor said in a Facebook message posted Tuesday… Bush likely would attract substantial Jewish Republican support because of the closeness of Jewish Republicans to his brother, former President George W. Bush, and because he is perceived as a moderate relative to other candidates.”

Congress Approves Medical Marijuana

The Los Angeles Times reported on December 16:

“Tucked deep inside the 1,603-page federal spending measure is a provision that effectively ends the federal government’s prohibition on medical marijuana and signals a major shift in drug policy. The bill’s passage over the weekend marks the first time Congress has approved nationally significant legislation backed by legalization advocates. It brings almost to a close two decades of tension between the states and Washington over medical use of marijuana.

“Under the provision, states where medical pot is legal would no longer need to worry about federal drug agents raiding retail operations. Agents would be prohibited from doing so. The Obama administration has largely followed that rule since last year as a matter of policy. But the measure approved as part of the spending bill, which President Obama plans to sign this week, will codify it as a matter of law… Congress’ action marked the emergence of a new alliance in marijuana politics: Republicans are taking a prominent role in backing states’ right to allow use of a drug the federal government still officially classifies as more dangerous than cocaine.

“Some Republicans are pivoting off their traditional anti-drug platform at a time when most voters live in states where medical marijuana is legal, in many cases as a result of ballot measures. Polls show that while Republican voters are far less likely than the broader public to support outright legalization, they favor allowing marijuana for medical use by a commanding majority… Approval of the pot measure comes after the Obama administration directed federal prosecutors last year to stop enforcing drug laws that contradict state marijuana policies. Since then, federal raids of marijuana merchants and growers who are operating legally in their states have been limited to those accused of other violations, such as money laundering.”

Appointment of First Female Bishop for the Church of England

BBC News reported on December 18:

“Libby Lane has been announced as the first female bishop for the Church of England, just a month after a historic change to canon law… The appointment will end centuries of male leadership of the Church and comes 20 years after women became priests. Mrs Lane was ordained a deacon in 1993 and a priest in 1994… Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Mrs Lane and said: ‘This is an historic appointment and an important step forward for the Church towards greater equality in its senior positions’… The first women priests were ordained in 1994, but to date women have not been able to take on the Church’s most senior roles. Archbishop Justin Welby is ‘absolutely delighted’ with the Church of England’s first female bishop…

“But Mrs Lane will not be able to enter the House of Lords, as the post she is taking up is a junior or suffragan appointment within the Diocese of Chester… The first women bishop eligible to take up a seat in the Lords is expected to be announced in the new year… The bishop and her husband, who is also a priest, were one of the first married couples in the Church of England to be ordained together.’

All of this is totally against biblical injunctions.

Asylum Seekers Pose a Problem for Germany’s Established Main Parties

The New York Times reported on December 15:

“With visible and vocal far-right protests against foreigners swelling in Germany in recent weeks, Chancellor Angela Merkel forcefully denounced the demonstrations on Monday, affirming that the country has both a special obligation and a desire to welcome anyone in need of sanctuary. More than 150,000 people sought asylum in Germany in the first 11 months of this year, many of them refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria… In addition, a looming labor shortage means Germany is increasingly attracting immigrants to work here.

“‘There is freedom of assembly in Germany but there is no place here for incitement and lies about people who come to us from other countries,’ Ms. Merkel told reporters on Monday, hours before a group opposing alleged ‘Islamization’ held its ninth weekly protest in Dresden, where attendance has swelled from a few hundred to 15,000 this week.

“‘Everyone needs to be careful that they are not taken advantage of by the people who organize such events,’ Ms. Merkel said. But her warning did not seem to deter the marchers. From 10,000 last week, they again strengthened their presence, despite a week of mounting establishment concern about right-wing opposition to Germany’s open door for immigrants. More refugees are seeking asylum in Germany than in any other country, straining Germans’ tolerance for foreigners and taxing the government’s ability to find housing for them…

“The protesters in Dresden [are] a mix of young men, local neo-Nazis and ordinary citizens… The three most prominent television hosts each devoted a whole show to the protests in Dresden, which are led by a group known as Pegida, a German acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against Islamization of the West…

“The protests have raised the question of whether Germany, despite relative prosperity and low unemployment, is vulnerable to the kind of populism on much stronger display in neighboring France, where polls show Marine Le Pen and her Front National party are favored by 25 percent to 30 percent of voters, or in Britain, where the anti-immigrant U.K. Independence Party has rattled the governing Conservative Party.

“A new party, Alternative for Germany, struck a populist tone and won local legislative seats this fall in three eastern German states, including Saxony, which in the past had elected neo-Nazis in the National Democratic Party to its state legislature. Every February, on the anniversary of the Allied bombing of 1945, Dresden is the venue for Germany’s biggest annual far-right protest…

“Over the weekend, Alternative party leaders clashed over whether to heed the Dresden demonstrators. One leader, Alexander Gauland, said in a telephone interview that he would go Monday and talk with Pegida marchers. ‘I would like to know who they are,’ he said, condemning other politicians for dismissing the Dresden crowd as out of hand. ‘Obviously, for the most part, these are normal people from right in the middle of society,’ Mr. Gauland said.”

These are interesting developments, and it will remain to be seen whether an individual will arise on the German political landscape who will strike a chord with most of the German people.

Islamist Gunman in Australia Heightens Fear of Islamic Terror Attacks

The Times of Israel wrote on December 16:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent an official letter of condolence to his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott Tuesday after two people were killed the day before during a hostage standoff at a Sydney coffee shop. Netanyahu called the deadly 16-hour standoff with an Islamist gunman a ‘brutal terrorist attack,’ and highlighted the common struggle against terrorism faced by both countries.

“‘Israel and Australia face the same scourge of ruthless Islamist terrorism which knows no geographic bounds and which targets innocent civilians indiscriminately. Now, more than ever, the international community must join hands and work together to defeat these forces of evil, which threaten the security of all civilized nations,’ Netanyahu wrote…

“The Iranian-born gunman… once was prosecuted for sending offensive letters to families of Australian troops killed in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Abbott said Monis had ‘a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability.’ Authorities stressed that the actions were by a lone, disturbed individual and weren’t part of any larger terrorist plot.”

Even though he might have been a “lone wolf,” the worldwide fear of Islamist terror attacks grows. Note the next article.

Insane Terrorists Slaughter School Children and Teachers in Pakistan

The Washington Post wrote on December 16:

“The bloody siege of an elite army high school Tuesday by Taliban gunmen… killed at least 141 students and teachers… The mass targeting of children, in a military zone in the northwestern city of Peshawar, drew condemnation from around the world, as well as from across Pakistan’s political and religious spectrum — a rare display of unity in a country where Islamist violence is often quietly accepted and sometimes defended. The attack was also condemned by Taliban leaders in Afghanistan…

“The massacre was the most intimate assault ever against Pakistan’s military, the nation’s most respected and powerful institution…”

Deutsche Welle added on December 16:

“The leaders of Pakistan’s neighbors, Afghanistan and India… voiced their solidarity. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to denounce the violence.”

Could horrible events like these bring India and Pakistan closer together?

EU Parliament Recognizes Palestinian Statehood

JTA wrote on December 17:

“The European Parliament passed a [nonbinding] resolution that supports in principle recognition of a Palestinian state as part of peace talks with Israel. The resolution, which was drawn up by five political groups, passed Wednesday in a 498-88 vote in Strasbourg… There were 111 abstentions.

“The measure affirms the parliament’s support for ‘in principle recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution,’ the statement said… Also in the resolution, the parliament reiterated ‘its strong support for the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, with the secure State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security on the basis of the right of self-determination and full respect of international law.’… [It] reiterated the EU’s position that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.”

This “proposal” will never work.

“EU Court Rules Hamas Should Be Taken Off Terrorist List

”

Bloomberg reported on December 17:

“The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which fought Israeli forces for nearly two months this year, won a court ruling that could lead to it being removed from a European Union list of terrorist organizations. The EU General Court in Luxembourg, in what was described as a procedural ruling, said that the bloc’s decision to place Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, on the list of terrorist groups wasn’t sufficiently thorough and was based “on factual imputations derived from the press and Internet.”

“Israel reacted with anger to the decision, seeing it as the latest in a series of European diplomatic moves the country views as favorable to the Palestinian cause. ‘We are not satisfied by the explanation offered by the Europeans that the removal of Hamas from the list of terrorist organizations is due to a procedural issue,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an e-mailed statement. ‘The burden of proof is on the European Union and we expect them to immediately return Hamas to the list that everyone knows it belongs on,’ he said.

“Hamas, which is also deemed a terrorist group by the U.S., is a militant Islamic movement that arose out of the Gaza Strip during the 1980s… ‘Removing Hamas from the terrorism blacklist is a victory for the Palestinian people,’ Musa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an e-mail… The EU downplayed the court’s ruling, saying it was purely procedural and didn’t affect the bloc’s policy… The court, however, didn’t unfreeze Hamas funds in the region, delaying the ruling for three months to give the EU a chance to appeal.”

“Putin Roars”

The Associated Press reported on December 18:

“Sternly warning the West it cannot defang the metaphorical Russian bear, a confident-looking President Vladimir Putin promised Thursday to shore up the plummeting ruble and revive the economy within two years… He said Western sanctions accounted for at least 25 percent of the ruble’s fall, but the main reason was Russia’s failure to ease its overwhelming dependence on oil and gas exports. In his speech, the man who has led Russia for 15 years sought to soothe market fears, saying the country has sufficient currency reserves…

“Following Putin’s performance, the Russian currency traded between 60 and 62 rubles to the dollar, roughly the same level as late Wednesday, when it rallied 12 percent after plummeting to a historic low of 80 rubles per dollar. The currency has lost about half its value since January. In Brussels, the EU beefed up its sanctions against Russia with a ban Thursday on investment in Crimea and other economic penalties, including measures aimed at keeping tourists away…

“Audi was the latest major company to suspend deliveries in Russia amid the ruble’s turmoil. Apple halted online sales earlier this week.”

Europe’s sanctions against Russia could back-fire.

President Obama’s Controversial Decision to Change Policy with Cuba

Mail On Line wrote on December 17:

“President Barack Obama declared the end of America’s ‘outdated approach’ to Cuba Wednesday, announcing the re-establishment of diplomatic relations as well as economic and travel ties with the communist island – a historic shift in U.S. policy that aims to bring an end to a half-century of Cold War enmity… As part of resuming diplomatic relations with Cuba, the U.S. will soon reopen an embassy in the capital of Havana and carry out high-level exchanges and visits between the governments. The U.S. is also easing travel bans to Cuba, including for family visits, official U.S. government business and educational activities. Tourist travel remains banned.”

Reuters added on December 17:

“Senator Marco Rubio said on Wednesday he would ‘make every effort’ to block moves by President Barack Obama toward normalizing relations with the Cuban government. ‘The president’s decision to reward the Castro regime and begin the path toward the normalization of relations with Cuba is inexplicable,’ Rubio said in a statement. The Florida Republican senator, who is Cuban-American, said he would use his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee in the new Congress to try to block the plan.”

The Hill wrote on December 17:

“Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is slamming President Obama over the deal to release an American held in Cuba. ‘President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government,’ Menendez, known for his tough stance on Cuba, said in a statement. ‘There is no equivalence between an international aid worker and convicted spies who were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage against our nation.’

“American aid worker Alan Gross, who was held in Cuba for five years for trying to set up Internet for a small Jewish community, was released on Wednesday as the U.S. released three Cuban agents convicted of spying. Menendez said the move ‘sets an extremely dangerous precedent. It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips. I fear that today’s actions will put at risk the thousands of Americans that work overseas to support civil society, advocate for access to information, provide humanitarian services, and promote democratic reforms.’

“Obama’s move to begin normalizing relations with Cuba is reverberating across the political world, with members of both parties blasting the decision…”

The Miami Herald wrote on December 17:

“The political ground shook in South Florida on Wednesday when President Barack Obama announced plans to restore full diplomatic relations with Communist Cuba. Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community, reacted with a collective shock. Hardline opponents of the Castro regime lambasted the president for what they called a betrayal. But while critics were the loudest ones to decry the policy overhaul, more moderate proponents of greater engagement with the island welcomed the news as a step in the right direction…”

“The Obama Administration Cannot Be Relied On…”

The Weekly Standard wrote on December 17:

“Imagine for a moment that you are a Saudi, Emirati, Jordanian, or Israeli. Your main national security worry these days is Iran—Iran’s rise, its nuclear program, its troops fighting in Iraq and Syria, its growing influence from Yemen through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon. Your main ally against Iran for the past decades has been the United States. Naturally you worry about American policy. You remember President Obama’s outreach to Iran in 2009, and his failure to back the Iranian people’s protests in June of that year after the stolen election. You wonder if the United States can be relied on, or will one day announce a major policy shift.

“What shift? A rapprochement with Iran that ends the sanctions, throws an economic lifeline to the regime, re-establishes diplomatic relations with it—in exchange for nothing. That is, the Islamic Republic would make no concessions about its foreign or domestic policies. And the change in U.S. policy would show that in the long struggle between the United States and Iran since 1979, the Americans have finally blinked. And now, you turn on the TV and see the announcement about the change in American policy in Cuba. Re-establishment of diplomatic relations. Lots of changes in the embargo that will mean plenty more cash for the Castros. A change in the whole American official position vis-à-vis Cuba. In exchange, the Castro brothers have pledged to let 53 political prisoners out, free one American spy, and free the American hostage Alan Gross. As to real changes in the regime—changes in its foreign or domestic policies—none. Zero. Zip. So, you conclude that in the long struggle between the United States and the Castro regime since 1959, the Americans have finally blinked.

“Your conclusion about Iran is inevitable: that the Obama administration cannot be relied upon and is quite likely to abandon America’s Iran policy as well… The American collapse with respect to Cuba will have repercussions in the Middle East and elsewhere—in Asia, for the nations facing a rising China, and in Europe, for those near Putin’s newly aggressive Russia.  What are American guarantees and promises worth if a fifty-year-old policy followed by Democrats like Johnson, Carter, and Clinton can be discarded overnight? In more than a few chanceries the question that will be asked as this year ends is ‘who is next to find that America is today more interested in propitiating its enemies than in protecting its allies?’”

Very important concerns indeed.

Pope Involved

Breitbart reported on December 17:

“Pope Francis and the Vatican were involved in the negotiations with Cuba, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on background. ‘Pope Francis personally issued an appeal thorough a letter that he sent to President Obama and to President Raul Castro, calling on them to resolve the case of Alan Gross and the cases of the three Cubans who have been imprisoned here in the United States and also encouraging the United States and Cuba to pursue a closer relationship,’ the official noted.

“The Vatican also hosted the United States and Cuban delegations to discuss the political exchange of prisoners and ‘improving their relationship’ going forward. In March, President Obama spoke about Cuba with Pope Francis during his visit to the Vatican and has continued to work with the Vatican during the process… ‘The support of Pope Francis and the support of the Vatican was important to us,’ a Senior Administration official explained, pointing to the pontiff’s history with Latin America.

“The Obama administration also informed Pope Francis of the big diplomatic step between the two countries. ‘The Vatican welcomed that news,’ the official noted.”

Breitbart wrote on December 18:

“Pope Francis’ casual embrace of a communist regime contrasts sharply with the approach of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict… Pope Francis’ perspective on the Cuban embargo is nothing new to the Vatican. His active involvement in negotiations, however, is. And given his rhetorical differences with his predecessors on the evils of communism, that activism should cause nervousness among more traditional Catholics in the mold of John Paul II and Benedict.”

We will see more and more that the Vatican will get actively involved in political matters.

All Dogs Go To Heaven?

USA Today wrote on December 12:

“Pope Francis continues to show he’s anything but traditional. During a recent public appearance, Francis comforted a boy whose dog had died, noting, ‘One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.’… the remark is being seen by some as a reversal of conservative Catholic theology that states because they are soulless, animals can’t go to heaven…  In 1990, Pope John Paul II said animals have souls, but his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, gave a 2008 sermon that seemed to say the opposite.

“Francis’ comment has now sparked a new debate on the subject, and the Humane Society says it has been flooded with e-mails. If Francis does, in fact, believe animals have souls, ‘then we ought to seriously consider how we treat them,’ a rep says. ‘We have to admit that these are sentient beings, and they mean something to God.’ PETA is also running with Francis’ remark, suggesting Catholics should move toward a vegan lifestyle.”

On December 12, The New York Times published the following “correction” of their previous article of December 11:

“An earlier version of this article misstated the circumstances of Pope Francis’ remarks. He made them in a general audience at the Vatican, not in consoling a distraught boy whose dog had died. The article also misstated what Francis is known to have said. According to Vatican Radio, Francis said: ‘The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us,’ which was interpreted to mean he believes animals go to heaven. Francis is not known to have said: ‘One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.’ (Those remarks were once made by Pope Paul VI to a distraught child, and were cited in a Corriere della Sera article that concluded Francis believes animals go to heaven.)…”

Nevertheless, the “correction” aside, The New York Times had also stated this in their previous article of December 11:

“Pope Francis has given hope to gays, unmarried couples and advocates of the Big Bang theory. Now, he has endeared himself to dog lovers, animal rights activists and vegans… Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, analyzing the pope’s remarks, concluded he believed animals have a place in the afterlife. It drew an analogy to comforting words that Pope Paul VI was said to have once told a distraught boy whose dog had died: ‘One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.’…

“In his relatively short tenure as leader of the world’s one billion Roman Catholics since taking over from Benedict XVI, Francis, 77, has repeatedly caused a stir among conservatives in the church… So to some extent, it was not a surprise that Francis, an Argentine Jesuit who took his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, would suggest that they have a place in heaven.

“The question of whether animals go to heaven has been debated for much of the church’s history. Pope Pius IX, who led the church from 1846 to 1878, longer than any other pope, strongly supported the doctrine that dogs and other animals have no consciousness… Pope John Paul II appeared to reverse Pius in 1990 when he proclaimed that animals do have souls and are ‘as near to God as men are.’ But the Vatican did not widely publicize his assertion, perhaps because it so directly contradicted Pius, who was the first to declare the doctrine of papal infallibility in 1854.

“John Paul’s successor, Benedict, seemed to emphatically reject his view in a 2008 sermon in which he asserted that when an animal dies, it ‘just means the end of existence on earth.’”

It has been almost a recent routine for the Vatican to dispute or clarify something that Pope Francis has (allegedly) said. But the discussion aside, neither men nor animals have an immortal soul, and neither go to heaven at the time of death. Please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”  

On the other hand, the Bible reveals that man and animals have a spirit (but that spirit does not “live” independently from the body.) In a Q&A on our powers and abilities as members of the God Family we said this:

“1 Corinthians 15:45 tells us that Christ is ‘a life-giving spirit.’ That is, He is a Spirit being who can give and create LIFE. In fact, that is what He did before He became a human being. That is what He is doing today, and what He will continue to do after His return. We know, for instance, from the book of Revelation that all living things in the oceans and rivers will have died before His return (Revelation 16), but we also read in several passages that there will be fish in the Millennium (Ezekiel 47). This shows that God will create LIFE – in this case, physical fish. He created life when the surface of the earth was renewed; and He created (‘had prepared’ or ‘had made’) a great fish to swallow up Jonah (Jonah 1:17).

“This understanding has wide-ranging consequences. Some have wondered about the fate of our pets, when they die. Even though the Bible does not say anywhere that animals will be resurrected, as human beings will be, there is also nothing in the Bible that says that they will not be. We read that animals have a spirit, and while Solomon states that the spirit in man will go back to God who gave it, he wonders about the fate of the spirit of animals, without giving a decisive answer (Ecclesiastes 3:21). Consider that God can CREATE animals—including those resembling our pets. When scientists can clone animals today, how much more will God the Father and Jesus Christ be able to create or recreate animals that God had created in the first place?”

(Almost) Everyone Loves Pope Francis

USA Today wrote on December 12:

“… a recent Pew survey finds Francis has a 60% approval rating worldwide and 78% approval in the US… China may be growing fond of the pontiff, too, considering he allegedly refused a meeting with the Dalai Lama…”

The Washington Post wrote on December 11:

“Everyone, well almost everyone, seems to love Pope Francis. The Roman Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff has charmed global opinion since he ascended to his papal seat last year, championing causes of economic justice and the rights of migrants in a way that has endeared him to many outside of the church’s more than 1 billion faithful.

“A recent Pew survey of the pope’s popularity shows the depth of goodwill for him around the world… Unsurprisingly, the part of the world the pontiff’s rated worst was the Middle East… Even then, a similar number surveyed in the Middle East approve of Pope Francis as those who find him ‘unfavorable… The pope’s popularity is highest in the Vatican’s traditional backyard, Europe. Moreover…  a considerable number of non-Catholics like the pope, even if he’s not the head of their own congregations. The ‘favorability’ gap between Catholics and non-Catholics is narrowest in Europe.”

A breakdown for European countries set forth the following:

84% of Europeans have a favorable view of the pope. In Germany, 94% of Catholics and 77% of Non-Catholics have a favorable view. The available figures are somewhat similar for Italy (97%/71%), Poland (95%/78%), France (93%/81%) and Spain (94%/69%).

Christmas Story All Wrong?

Although somewhat dated, we would like to bring again the following two articles to our readers’ attention, as they show that even the former leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church know that there is something wrong with the entire Christmas story:

TIME wrote on November 22, 2012:

“Pope Benedict XVI has revealed … that Jesus may have been born earlier than previously thought… The suggestion that Jesus wasn’t actually born on Dec. 25 has been tirelessly debated by theologians, historians and spiritual leaders, but what makes this case different is that now the leader of the Catholic Church is the one asking the questions.

“The historical revisionism continues with the Pope raising the issue of the presence of animals at the birth of Christ. He reveals… that ‘there is no mention of animals in the Gospels.’ This may come as a shock to the thousands of schools currently preparing their Nativity plays. But Pope Benedict reassures his readers not to worry — that ‘no one will give up the oxen and the donkey in their Nativity scenes,’ notes the Telegraph. Even if animals did not feature at the birth, the Vatican seems happy to keep up the myth as it presents an elaborate life-size Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square this Christmas.”

Even though the Vatican knows that this is not biblical, they continue to “keep up the myth.”

The Christian Post wrote on December 20, 2007

“The Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion, recently dismissed one popular aspect of the Christmas story of the three wise men as ‘legend.’ Dr. Rowan Williams [who retired as Archbishop on December 31, 2012] indicated that Scripture does not describe the magi as commonly depicted in nativity stories and scenes. ‘Well Matthew’s gospel doesn’t tell us that there were three of them, doesn’t tell us they were kings, doesn’t tell us where they came from…’

“He noted there was no evidence of oxen or donkeys – popular characters in nativity scenes – in the stable and that the chances of snow falling around the stable in Bethlehem were ‘very unlikely.’ … [He] said the Gospels do not state if Jesus was born in December. ‘Christmas is the time it is because it fitted very well with the [pagan] winter festival,’ Williams said in the interview.

“Williams did a literary-critical analysis of traditional Christmas cards and found that most featured a virgin Mary holding baby Jesus with shepherds on one side, the three wise men on the other, and oxen and donkeys surrounding them. The scene is sometimes depicted with snow falling and a bright star rising in the east, according to The Times of London.

“The Anglican Archbishop contends that most of the happenings in the popular nativity scene could not take place as it is depicted. Williams’ observation of the popular Christmas story is not new. Similar views are taught in the most conservative theological colleges, according to The Times. The Archbishop says his views on the Christmas story and other issues… are based on what the Bible says.”

For a correct understanding of the “Christmas story” and its many myths and fabrications, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”  

Man-Made Climate Change “Greatest Scientific Fraud in History”?

Newsmax reported on December 17:

“The climate change theory that man-made global warming is caused by an increase of greenhouse gases ‘is the greatest scientific fraud in history,’ says John Casey, president of the Space and Science Research Corporation. ‘If you go back and look at how all this got started and look at the 30 years and the $30 billion [spent] in an attempt to make what’s always been a weak scientific theory into something valid, we now know after all that effort, money and time, that the greenhouse gas theory as shown in the UN’s own climate models has been a miserable failure in predicting climate change,’ Casey told J.D. Hayworth and Francesca Page on ‘America’s Forum’ on Newsmax TV Wednesday…

“He contends that it’s hard to believe ‘why so many people believe in a theory that has been proven to be so unreliable versus models that are very reliable… There is an average line of 18 years long where there’s been no effective increase in global temperature,’ he explained. ‘In fact, based on our models, we’re showing a global cooling phase…’”

“The World Is Heading Towards Mass Extinction”

The Guardian wrote on December 13:

“A stark depiction of the threat hanging over the world’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians and other life forms has been published by the prestigious scientific journal, Nature… the journal indicates that a staggering 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face extinction while 26% of mammal species and 13% of birds are similarly threatened.

“Many species are already critically endangered and close to extinction, including the Sumatran elephant, Amur leopard and mountain gorilla. But also in danger of vanishing from the wild, it now appears, are animals that are currently rated as merely being endangered: bonobos, bluefin tuna and loggerhead turtles, for example.

“In each case, the finger of blame points directly at human activities. The continuing spread of agriculture is destroying millions of hectares of wild habitats every year, leaving animals without homes, while the introduction of invasive species, often helped by humans, is also devastating native populations. At the same time, pollution and overfishing are destroying marine ecosystems.

“… the data indicate that the world is heading inexorably towards a mass extinction… The Earth has gone through only five previous great extinctions, all caused by geological or astronomical events. (The Cretaceous-Jurassic extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was triggered by an asteroid striking Earth, for example.) The coming great extinction will be the work of Homo sapiens, however.

“… a quarter of all mammals, a fifth of all reptiles and a seventh of all birds are headed toward oblivion. And these losses are occurring all over the planet, from the South Pacific to the Arctic and from the deserts of Africa to mountaintops and valleys of the Himalayas.

“A blizzard of extinctions is now sweeping Earth and has become a fact of modern life… the French anatomist Georges Cuvier showed that the elephant-like remains of the mastodon were actually those of an ‘espèce perdue’ or lost species. ‘On the basis of a few scattered bones, Cuvier conceived of a whole new way of looking at life,’ notes Elizabeth Kolbert… ‘Species died out. This was not an isolated but a widespread phenomenon.’

“Since then the problem has worsened with every decade, as the Nature analysis makes clear. Humans began by wiping out mastodons and mammoths in prehistoric times. Then they moved on to the eradication of great auks, passenger pigeons – once the most abundant bird in North America – and the dodo in historical time. And finally, in recent times, we have been responsible for the disappearance of the golden toad, the thylacine – or Tasmanian tiger – and the Baiji river dolphin. Thousands more species are now under threat…”

This article confirms the biblical warning in Hosea 4:1-3. Because of man’s sins, “beasts of the field,” “birds of the air” and “the fish of the sea” will waste and be taken away. 

United European Army in Light of Putin’s Remarks?

The Telegraph wrote on December 4:

“Vladimir Putin excoriated the West in a speech on Thursday, comparing his foreign opponents to Adolf Hitler in their desire to destroy Russia… He added: ‘It also didn’t work out for Hitler, who with his man-hating ideas wanted to destroy Russia and throw us beyond the Urals…’

“Mr Putin justified the takeover of Crimea by saying that it was ‘where our people live, and the peninsula is of strategic importance for Russia’ as well as it being the setting for the baptism of the medieval prince Vladimir the Great in the 10th century…”

The Local wrote on December 5:

“The [German] government rejected on Friday the justification given by Russian President Vladimir Putin for annexing the Crimea in his annual state of the nation address. Putin said in his speech on Thursday that the Crimean peninsula was ‘just like the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for those of Jewish or Muslim confession’ in its ‘civilisational and sacred meaning’ for Russians…

“Putin further recalled the last time when Western Europe and Russia had come to open war. ‘People should remember how it ended’ when Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet pact to invade the USSR in 1941, he said…

“Putin’s speech came on the same day as the Social Democratic Party (SPD) called for a ‘United European Army’ in a strategy document. SPD defence spokesman Rainer Arnold wrote that… [it] was particularly pointless for different EU nations to maintain nationally isolated arms industries…”

Germany Heavily Dependent on Russia’s Fossil Fuel Supplies

The Local wrote on December 8:

“New figures released on Monday showed that Germany continues to be heavily dependent on Russia for its fossil fuel supplies as tensions remain high over Ukraine. The Federal Institute of Raw Materials (BGR) in Hannover reported that just two percent of Germany’s oil and 12 percent of natural gas were produced within the country in 2013. Those two fuels together account for 55 percent of German energy consumption, with Russia providing one third of the country’s imports.

“Germany is only self-sufficient in renewable energy, brown coal and nuclear energy, which together make up less than a third of the country’s power consumption… Around €142 billion worth of mineral raw materials was imported in 2013, a drop of five percent compared with 2012. Fuel made up the lion’s share of imports at around 70 percent.”

It can be easily foreseen what might happen if Russia was to threaten to cease selling fossil fuel supplies to Germany.

Alliance Between Russia, China and India

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 11:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have announced a deal for Moscow to help New Delhi build [at least ten, apparently as many as twelve] more nuclear reactors – to Washington’s chagrin… Putin added the two nations had also agreed to cooperate in building additional nuclear power plants for third countries.

“The high-level business talks came as Russia continued to suffer from sanctions imposed by the US and the EU over its role in the Ukraine conflict… India has opposed Western sanctions against Russia and looked adamant in disregarding a caution from Washington that now was not the right time to do business with Moscow… Reuters reported that Sergey Aksyonov, the new leader of Crimea, had also arrived in India for talks on boosting trade with the Black Sea region…”

In a related article, Deutsche Welle wrote on December 11:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India underlines his apparent determination to lessen the impact of Western sanctions over Ukraine by deepening ties with Asian countries… [He] is seeking to restore his country’s former prowess on the international stage…  Hence his recent attempts to improve ties first with China, and now with India…

“Narendra Modi was shunned by the West for many years because of his alleged role in a religiously motivated massacre in his home state of Gujarat in 2002. Moreover, Hindu-nationalist Modi distrusts the West’s domination of international organizations and the international media. He is said to reject the spread of Western culture throughout the world… Putin also knows what it is like to be shunned by the West… According to Indian sources, the chemistry between the two leaders is good…

“Since little has come of India’s nuclear deal with the US, Putin has now seized his opportunity… MILITARY COOPERATION is expected to focus on the development of a new fighter jet and a transport aircraft…  

“[According to] Modi’s perspective, the present level of bilateral trade with Moscow totaling a mere ten billion USD annually is only a fraction of trade volumes between Russian and China, and the Indian PM needs more trade… Against this background, it is hardly surprising that the Modi-Putin summit may shape ties between the two countries for the next decade…

“None of this bodes particularly well for US President Barack Obama’s visit to India next month. The West needs to sit up and take notice. A reinvigorated relationship between New Delhi and Moscow, an alliance of the needy, may have a greater impact on the so-called ‘Asian century’ than many had thought possible just a few months ago.”

The Bible prophesies the end-time emergence of the Kings of the East in opposition to the King of the North—the European power bloc under the “beast.” Russia, China, India and other Far Eastern countries will undoubtedly belong to the “Kings of the East.”

Europe’s and Russia’s Dispute Over Bosnia

The Associated Press wrote on December 5:

“The European Union urged Russia on Friday to leave the Balkans out of its dispute with the bloc over Ukraine, and let the region proceed on its path toward EU and NATO memberships. Moscow has said that because of its strained relations with the West, it no longer supports Bosnia’s membership efforts and that there is no consensus in Bosnia over the issue.

“The country’s Bosniacs and Croats tend to look westward, but Bosnian Serbs maintain close ties with Russia, object NATO membership and have obstructed EU-requested reforms…

“For the first time in 14 years, Russia last month abstained from the vote when the U.N. Security Council extended the mandate of the EU-led military presence in Bosnia because the declaration mentioned the country’s European and NATO future too often. ‘We did not want the resolution to be used as an instrument to advance objectives that we were not part of and that is Bosnia-Herzegovina becoming part of NATO,’ or the European Union, Russia’s ambassador to Bosnia, Petr Ivancov, told the Associated Press in an interview…”

According to Zeit Online and Bild Online, dated December 6, more than 60 prominent German personalities from politics, economy, science, religion (Roman Catholic and Protestant) and culture warned in a mutual declaration against the return of war to Europe. Signatories include Luitpold Prinz von Bayern; Dr. Roman Herzog (former German President); Gerhard Schröder (former German Chancellor); and Dr. Hans-Jochen Vogel (former Minister of Justice).

“Nobody wants war,” the statement reads, continuing: “But North America, the EU and Russia are moving undeniably towards it, unless the spiral of threats and counter-threats is not stopped. All Europeans, including Russia, are responsible for peace and security. Americans, Europeans and Russians have abrogated the main concept to ban war between them. At this time of great danger for the continent, Germany has a special responsibility for maintaining peace.”

The statement also admonished the German government, the media and politicians in general to report in a balanced way, without creating images of foes and enemies, and without demonizing entire populations and peoples. Rather, people should be freed from the worry of war. Also note the next section.

Merkel—The Best for Staying in Power

The Local wrote on December 7, 2014:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who entered politics when the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, is nearing a decade as leader of Europe’s biggest economy, her popularity ratings still sky-high. Often called the world’s most powerful woman, the pastor’s daughter, trained scientist and master tactician has outlasted a generation of world leaders, WITH NO OBVIOUS SUCCESSOR IN SIGHT… The stunning rise of Merkel, 60 — a twice-married, childless woman from communist East Germany, now often labelled the ‘Queen of Europe’ — defies political convention…

“She joined the nascent group Democratic Awakening, which later merged with the CDU, a party was then led by chancellor Helmut Kohl who fondly and patronisingly dubbed her ‘the girl’. Merkel’s political mentor was neither the first nor last politician to underestimate her and pay the price. When he became embroiled in a campaign finance scandal in 1999, Merkel stuck in the knife, urging her party to drop the self-declared ‘old warhorse’…

“Critics charge she has perfected the art of saying little and avoiding both offence and commitment, while lulling Germany into an apolitical stupor. ‘If politics means shaping reality with ideas, then Merkel is not a politician at all,’ wrote journalist Jakob Augstein. ‘If politics means staying in power, then Merkel is the best.’”

Deutsche Welle added on December 7:

“Angela Merkel has rejected criticisms of her Russia policy made by her predecessors as German chancellor… In an interview with Die Welt am Sonntag, Merkel reproached Russian President Vladimir Putin for standing in the way of East European countries that would like to join the EU or strengthen relations with it. Merkel said ‘Russia created difficulties’ for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, which had ‘on their own sovereign decisions, signed association agreements with the EU.’…

“The chancellor added that the fact ‘that Russia had broken its guarantees in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 guaranteeing the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine must not be without consequences.’

“She also took on chancellery predecessors. Fellow Christian Democrat (CDU) Helmut Kohl, who left office in 1998, and Gerhard Schroeder, the Social Democrat (SPD) whose spot she took in 2005, say Germany’s Russia policy isolates Moscow…”

Core Europe

The Telegraph wrote on December 8:

“European plans to introduce a tax on financial transactions have fallen into disarray, with ministers failing to meet a year-end deadline that would have resulted in the so-called ‘Robin Tax’ being introduced at the start of 2016. Finance ministers from the 11 countries planning to introduce the levy had planned to sign off on a basic outline this week, but internal squabbling has forced further delays….

“The British Government has challenged the idea in the European courts… Latvia – which has expressed scepticism about the tax and does not plan to introduce it – assumes presidency of the European Council from Italy on January 1, another potential roadblock.

“Countries planning to introduce the tax: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia.”

It is interesting that many of the countries (but not all) proposing such a tax belong to the most likely candidates for the prophesied ten nations or groups of nations which will evolve from the current 28 European member states. A core Europe or a Europe of two speeds is clearly predicted. When those ten nations or groups of nations have manifested themselves, they will give their power and authority to the beast who will rule for only a very short time.

All Donkeys Go To Heaven!

The Express wrote on December 5 on its website, express.co.uk:

“‘All donkeys go to heaven!’ [The] Pope says the Kingdom of Heaven is open to ALL God’s creatures.

“POPE Francis has received an unusual early Christmas present of two donkeys, following his declaration that animals do, after all, go to heaven.
 “In his weekly audience in St Peter’s Francis quoted the apostle Paul who comforted a child who was crying after his dog died. ‘One day we will see our animals again in eternity of Christ’, Francis quoted Paul as saying. The Pope added: ‘Paradise is open to all God’s creatures.’

“His position is markedly different from that of Pope Benedict XVI [who] said that the other animals ‘are not called to the eternal life’. This week the pope was presented with the two donkeys, named Thea and Noah, by a company that produces donkey milk for babies that are allergic to other milks. After thanking him for the curious gift, a delighted Francis revealed that he too as a baby was fed donkey milk…

“At the service in St Peter’s Square the Pope also met and blessed rescue dogs… Two years ago Pope Benedict claimed that donkeys were not part of the Nativity. He wrote in his book about the childhood of Jesus that the presence of animals like cattle and donkeys in traditional Nativity scenes is based on little more than a myth and was probably inspired by pre-Christian traditions. ‘There is no mention of animals in the Gospels,’ he wrote.”

Women Bishops in the Catholic Church?

The Austrian edition of the Local wrote on November 11, 2014:

“Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger is a 58-year-old Austrian ex-nun, who made headlines when she was excommunicated by Rome in 2002… [She] came under the spotlight after she and a group of other Catholic women announced they had been ordained as priests by a retired bishop on a boat in the middle of the Danube. The so-called Danube Seven have inspired at least 100 other women to follow in their footsteps. In 2003 Mayr-Lumetzberger took it one stage further by being consecrated a bishop.

“She told The Local that there are very few women priests practising in Austria as the Catholic Church is so powerful here that it can be a difficult life for someone who chooses to make a stand… She says that in Austria and Germany she is now very well accepted and is asked to say mass and conduct weddings and funerals at churches and abbeys. She has ordained women priests herself, mainly foreigners, although she won’t say where they are from for fear of exposing them.

“Pope John Paul II, in 1994, told Catholics that not only were women excluded from the priesthood (because Jesus was a man and the reasoning is that the priest stands in the place of Jesus) but also that the question should not even be discussed. However, Mayr-Lumetzberger believes that Pope Francis is very much in favour of women’s ordination… ‘I was ordained by Argentinian bishop Antonio Braschi, the Pope is Argentinian and I believe sympathetic, and there is a Spanish priest in favour of women’s ordination who is very close to the Pope.’…

“After leaving her order she met her husband, Michael, a historian. He had been married before and had four children. Their wedding was not in church – because he was divorced – but they had a party in the parish house afterwards… She even ran courses for women who felt called to the priesthood. She further antagonised the Vatican by being consecrated a bishop. The ceremony took place in secret and she will not name the male bishops involved in her consecration in case they are disciplined by the Vatican.

“Mayr-Lumetzberger says that she has a good relationship with the official church, and that she is in contact with the bishops in Austria who do not treat her as an outcast. ‘We have unofficial networks–many of my peers are now in top positions in the Roman Catholic Church.’”

The reasoning that women should not be priests or bishops because Jesus was a male and because priests stand in the place of Jesus is of course utterly wrong and totally unbiblical. The reasons why there should be no women pastors or priests and why women should not preach in Church services or regarding activities related the Work of the Church, is explained by the apostle Paul in the Bible (compare 1 Corinthians 14:33-35; 1 Timothy 2:12). But it will be interesting to see how the Catholic Church will proceed under Pope Francis. Also note the next article.

Roman Catholic Church in Ireland Against Gay Marriages

The Christian Post wrote on December 4:

“The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has warned that allowing gay and lesbian couples the same rights to marry as straight couple[s] would be ‘a grave injustice,’ ahead of the country’s upcoming referendum on marriage in 2015. ‘To put any other view of unions on the same level as Christian marriage would be disservice to society rather than a service,’ Bishop Liam MacDaid said… ‘In a same sex union, children would be deprived of what a man and woman can give to children in a stable marriage.’

“The Irish bishops’ views mirror that of the Vatican’s major synod on the family, which over two weeks of meetings in October affirmed the traditional definition of marriage…

“Ireland legalized same-sex marriage in 2009, but still defines marriage between one man and one woman. In May 2015, however, it will become the first country to hold a nationwide referendum on whether gay marriage should be legalized. A… [October 2014] poll suggested that the majority of the Irish population would support such legalization. While 67 percent of those who responded to the survey said they would vote in favor of gay marriage, 20 percent said that they will not. A previous poll from November 2012 saw 64 percent of responders indicate they would support such a change, while 36 percent said no.

“Last week, Finland’s parliament voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, joining another 11 European nations that have approved of the practice. Nearly 8,000 members from the Lutheran Church in Finland announced that they will be resigning from the church after Kari Mäkinen, the Archbishop of Turku and Finland, revealed that he is ‘rejoicing’ with the news.”

Depression During the Christmas Holiday Season

The Independent wrote on December 7:

“… nearly half of men admit that they actually feel depressed or sad over Christmas, a study by the Samaritans has revealed… Around 37 per cent say they feel lonely during a time that is traditionally spent with friends and family and 30 per cent say they are stressed and anxious due to relationship and financial difficulties…

“Men in the UK are three times more likely than women to take their own lives with most of those victims aged between 40 and 44…”

UK One Step Closer to Exit from the EU

The Express wrote on December 8 on its website, express.co.uk:

“Figures buried in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement show that our contribution will soar because the ­European Union’s overall spending is set to rise by £2.4billion. The European Commission will push for the extra spending when EU leaders meet to consider the budget in Brussels on December 18. The extra £400million will raise Britain’s annual contribution to £13.7billion.

“The calculations, which were conducted by a team in the Treasury, suggest the UK will not block the proposal. David Cameron has repeatedly demanded financial austerity from Brussels. But the Treasury failed last month to vote down the proposal when it was discussed by finance ministers.

“The issue of the EU budget has been a thorn in Mr Cameron’s side in recent weeks after the Commission slapped Britain with a bill for £1.7billion in backdated payments. George Osborne says that he managed to halve that bill to £800million, although critics pointed out that he simply agreed to pay what Britain owes, minus the sum returned as part of the UK’s budget rebate.”

The US Senate Report on CIA Torture

The National Journal wrote on December 9:

“A powerful Senate panel released Tuesday a long-awaited report on the Bush administration’s use of ‘enhanced interrogation’ practices, providing a harsh critique of the intelligence community’s methods for obtaining information from detainees in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“The report charges that the practices—implemented by the Central Intelligence Agency in response to the attacks and as the U.S. entered into two wars in the Middle East—did not provide unique or actionable information that could not have been obtained through other means, including intelligence that eventually led to the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s landmark investigation has found.

“Moreover, the report charges the CIA systematically misled the White House, Congress and the public about the severity and importance of those interrogation methods for years, according to the report, while using techniques that were at times not directly approved by the Justice Department or central CIA leadership. The study, which examined more than 6 million internal CIA documents, also concluded that the agency’s management of its rendition, detention and interrogation program, especially during 2002 and 2003, was fundamentally flawed.”

Germany Condemns CIA Practices

Deutsche Welle added on December 10:

“The UN’s special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, Ben Emmerson, said on Wednesday that senior US officials who authorized and tortured prisoners in consonance with former President George W. Bush’s security policy after the September 11, 2001 attacks should be made accountable for committing human rights violations… International law prohibits granting immunity to government officials who allow the use of torture, Emmerson said… [The report] claimed that the CIA’s detention and interrogation program of al Qaeda suspects following the 9/11 attacks included harsh techniques such as waterboarding and ‘Russian roulette’ to force detainees into admission…

“The report sparked controversy all over the world, prompting US President Barack Obama to say that the CIA’s rights violations ‘did significant damage to America’s standing in the world.’ Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the CIA’s activities as documented in the report, saying they amounted to a ‘gross violation of our liberal, democratic values’ and that ‘what was then considered right and done in the fight against Islamic terrorism was unacceptable and a serious mistake.’”

What we should take from this is that America has become again extremely unpopular in the world. True Christians are not part of this world. They are ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. They know that this world is ruled by Satan the devil, and all of his methods are evil. Whether we are looking at torture, war (with the infamous justification of “necessary casualties”), use of guns, abortion (when and how) or countless other issues, we must realize that in God’s new world, none of this will exist. Instead, God will rule with justice and fairness—which is not the case in today’s human governments. 

California Drought Worst in 1,200 Years

Newsmax wrote on December 5:

“A combination of record high temperatures and sparse rainfall during California’s three-year drought have produced the worst conditions in 1,200 years, according to a study accepted for publication by the American Geophysical Union.

“The state has gone through numerous periods of dry weather, with as little or less rainfall as the past few years, but scientists looking at the cumulative effects of temperature, low precipitation and other factors said that it all adds up to the worst conditions in more than a millennium… The study by the University of Minnesota and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said that warm, dry conditions have shrunk the supply of surface water from reservoirs, streams and the Sierra Nevada snowpack in the state, even as demand from people and farms has gone up, resulting in unprecedented scarcity…’

“In October, the AGU published a study by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City saying that the 1934 U.S. drought, which caused the upheaval known as the Dust Bowl, was the worst in 1,000 years.”

The Bible prophesies bad weather conditions for the USA in these end-times as part of the predicted curses God will bestow on a nation due to their sins.

“USA and Zionist Conspired Against Egypt”

Newsmax wrote on December 7:

“The Egyptian judge who acquitted former President Hosni Mubarak wrote that the United States and Zionists conspired to launch the January 2011 revolution that toppled Mubarak’s government… He backed up his claim by citing testimonies of ‘the nation’s wise men,’ including former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and former defense head Hussein Tantawi, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“The judge also said the Muslim Brotherhood was a key conspirator and aided efforts by Hamas and Hezbollah to infiltrate the country to bring down the Mubarak regime… Mubarak, now 86, was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for conspiring to murder 239 demonstrators during the revolution that ended his 30-year rule. An appeals court overturned the decision, and on Nov. 29 the judge dropped all murder charges against Mubarak, igniting demonstrations in Cairo that claimed two lives.”

Israel Attacks Targets in Syria

The Washington Post wrote on December 7:

“Israeli warplanes bombed targets in territory held by the Syrian government near Damascus on Sunday, underscoring the deepening complexity of the war raging on multiple fronts in Syria and beyond. Israel has carried out airstrikes in Syria on at least four occasions since early 2013, but these were the first attacks in many months and the first since the United States began bombing Syria in September.

“Whereas the U.S. raids have targeted positions of the extremist Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, however, the Israeli ones have all been carried out against government facilities in areas loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad… a statement from the Syrian army’s general command said Damascus International Airport and another site in the Damascus countryside were hit. Syrian journalists and activists said the second site was a small civilian airport in Dimas, northwest of the capital on the road to Lebanon. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an import-export warehouse was the target of the attack on the international airport… Israel and Syria have been in a state of war since 1948…”

The Times of Israel wrote on December 8:

“The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministries castigated Israel for airstrikes on two areas near Damascus, calling it an act of aggression that proved Israel was ‘in the same trench’ with extremist groups fighting the Syrian government…

“Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem claimed Israel was trying to compensate for losses incurred by Islamic extremist groups in Syria at the hands of the Syrian army. He did not elaborate. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham also denounced the… Israeli airstrikes, the Fars news agency reported, and accused Israel of collaborating with rebel groups against the ‘oppressed people’ of Syria.

“Arabic media reported Monday that two alleged Israeli airstrikes the day before had targeted advanced Russian-made air-defense missiles bound for Hezbollah.”

As we explain in our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy,” chapters 2 and 4, both Syria and Iran will be ultimately attacked and conquered by the beast power. Nothing is stated in the Bible that Syria will fight against Israel, but it is stated that Iran will, apparently together with the beast. Subsequently, the possibility is indicated that the beast will turn against Iran at the same time (!) when it will fight against Israel, the USA and the UK.

The End of the World

The Telegraph wrote on December 7:

“… many potential threats have been identified to our species, our civilisation or even our planet itself…

“Our solar system is littered with billions of pieces of debris, from the size of large boulders to objects hundreds of miles across. We know that from time to time these hit our Earth. Sixty-five million years ago, an object, possibly a comet a few times larger than the one landed on by the Philae probe last month, hit the Mexican coast and triggered a global winter that wiped out the dinosaurs. And in 1908, a smaller object hit a remote part of Siberia and devastated hundreds of square miles of forest… a dino-killer would certainly be the end of our civilisation and possibly our species…

“A genetically created plague… [is] possibly the most terrifying short-term threat – because it is so plausible… [The result would be potentially] catastrophic…

“Nuclear war [is still] the most plausible ‘doomsday’ scenario. Despite arms limitations treaties, there are more than 15,000 nuclear warheads and bombs in existence – enough, in theory, to kill every human on Earth several times over. Even a small nuclear war has the potential to cause widespread devastation… [The probability is high.] Nine states have nuclear weapons, and more want to join the nuclear club…”

The Independent wrote on December 8:

“Urgent action is needed to minimise the risk of a nuclear war, more than 120 senior military, political and diplomatic figures from across the world have warned… the experts wrote in a letter that the danger of such a conflict was ‘underestimated or insufficiently understood’ by world leaders… 

“‘Tensions between nuclear-armed states and alliances in the Euro-Atlantic area and in both South and East Asia remain ripe with the potential for military miscalculation and escalation,’ says the letter… ‘In a vestige of the Cold War, too many nuclear weapons in the world remain ready to launch on short notice, greatly increasing the chances of an accident.”

Nothing Ruled Out

BBC News wrote on November 28:

“David Cameron has urged other EU leaders to support his ‘reasonable’ proposals for far-reaching curbs on welfare benefits for migrants… Under his plans, migrants would have to wait four years for certain benefits…

“Mr Cameron said he was confident he could change the basis of EU migration into the UK and therefore campaign for the UK to stay in the EU in a future referendum planned for 2017. But he warned that if the UK’s demands fell on ‘deaf ears’ he would ‘rule nothing out’ – the strongest hint to date he could countenance the UK leaving the EU.”

The Guardian wrote on November 28:

“David Cameron has stepped back from a radical plan to cap directly the number of EU migrants entering Britain after an intervention from the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who warned him she would not tolerate such an incursion into the principle of the free movement of workers… In a speech that repeatedly emphasised the benefits of UK membership of the EU, Cameron nevertheless tried also to emphasise his determination to secure his negotiating goal saying: ‘I don’t want to fail, I don’t believe I am going to fail. But to put it beyond doubt I am saying today that if I do fail, I rule absolutely nothing out, and I mean nothing’.

“The German news magazine Der Spiegel called Cameron’s speech blackmail.”

Slavery in Great Britain

The Telegraph wrote on November 29:

“As many as 13,000 people in Britain are being held in conditions of slavery… They include women forced into prostitution, domestic staff and workers in fields, factories and fishing boats… Theresa May, the Home Secretary, said the scale of abuse was ‘shocking’.”

The USA Is Fighting the Wrong Battle

The New York Times wrote on November 27:

“Wissam Tarif, a Lebanese activist who aids Syrian civic groups, said that airstrikes against extremists were useless without a war of ideas. ‘You kill 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 — they will recruit more and more,’ he said. ‘The U.S. is fighting the wrong battle. It needs to fight to win the hearts of the Syrian people. They need to feel that there is someone out there who is a superpower who really cares.’…

“Many Syrians are stuck in the middle. Umm Firas, who lost two sons working to depose Mr. Assad, now fears losing another to army bombardments and insurgent infighting that the United States air attacks have done nothing to stop. She fears the Islamic State will soon penetrate her district on the outskirts of Damascus.”

Newsmax wrote on November 28:

“Syria’s foreign minister said U.S.-led air strikes had failed to weaken Islamic State…”

New York City – Another Ferguson?

The Huffington Post wrote on December 3:

“Judge Andrew Napolitano, the senior judicial analyst for Fox News, said Wednesday that he was shocked by a grand jury’s decision not to indict a New York City police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, describing Garner’s death as ‘criminally negligent homicide.’… ‘This is not Ferguson, Missouri,’ Napolitano continued. ‘This is not somebody wrestling for your gun, this is not where you shoot or be shot at. This is choking to death a mentally impaired, grossly obese person whose only crime was selling cigarettes without collecting taxes on them. This does not call for deadly force by any stretch of the imagination.’…

“Napolitano said he was taken aback by the grand jury’s decision, which was made public on Wednesday. Garner, 43, died July 17 in Staten Island, New York while he was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. A bystander’s video of the arrest shows New York City police Officer Daniel Pantaleo appearing to put Garner in a chokehold, a move that is prohibited under NYPD policy. In the video, Garner screams ‘I can’t breathe!’ multiple times before his body goes limp. A medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide.

“This is the second recent high-profile case in which a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the killing of an unarmed black civilian, following last week’s decision in the case of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

“A nationwide series of protests erupted immediately following the grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot an unarmed Brown on Aug. 9. New York officials braced for similar protests on Wednesday. While the reaction to the Ferguson grand jury decision largely broke down along party lines, with many conservatives agreeing that Wilson should not have faced trial, Napolitano, a libertarian, is one of a number of conservatives who have expressed outrage at the grand jury’s decision in the Garner case…”

Subsequently, charges were published by the Daily News on December 4 that the grand jury was “rigged.” Ramsey Orta who video-recorded the killing of Garner and who testified before the grand jury, was quoted as saying: “When I went to the grand jury to speak on my behalf, nobody in the grand jury was even paying attention to what I had to say… People were on their phones, people were talking… people were having side conversations…”

Another sad day for the perception of American “justice.”

The USA—More Divided Than Ever

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 3:

“In March 2008, when Barack Obama, then a candidate for president, gave his big speech on racism, he sounded like the one who could unite the country. But in November of this year, Obama is — contrary to his intentions — the president of a country that is more divided than ever before. And one of the deepest divisions runs between blacks and whites… When Obama delivered a statement last Monday evening at the White House about the grand jury decision, he seemed more helpless than at almost any other time during his presidency. Even as he called on blacks in Ferguson to remain calm and peaceful, the first shops were being looted and set on fire. His comments seemed strangely uninspired and apprehensive — as though he had already succumbed to resignation…

“Making matters worse is the discrimination practiced by state institutions such as law enforcement. The chances that a young black man will be shot dead by the police, for example, is 21 times greater than it is for young white males. The death of 18-year-old Michael Brown is far from abnormal. Just 10 days ago, a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by a police officer in Cleveland because he was playing with a toy pistol at a playground…

“Six years after Obama’s race speech, more than a quarter of blacks in American live below the poverty line. Among whites, that figure is 12.8 percent. According to the Pew Research Center, the median annual income of a white household was about $27,000 higher than that of a black household in 2011…

“Almost half of all murder victims and about 40 percent of the US prison population are black, even though the African-American share of the population is just 12.6 percent… it is also true that Obama has never really presented himself as an advocate of African-Americans during his time in office…

“Equal opportunity was the subject of Obama’s State of the Union address in January and, in it, he cited two examples. The first was Misty DeMars, a white woman from a Chicago suburb who counts among the long-term unemployed. The second was Estiven Rodriguez, a 17-year-old student from New York who immigrated to the US as a nine-year-old from the Dominican Republican without speaking a word of English. DeMars was meant to represent the difficulty women face in advancing their careers. And Rodriguez served as an example of how immigrants can succeed when given the chance. He didn’t mention a single black person in his speech.”

Pope Francis Seeks Dialogue with Muslims

The Associated Press reported on November 29:

“Pope Francis on Saturday stood in two minutes of silent prayer facing east inside one of Istanbul’s most important religious sites [known as the Blue Mosque]… Francis prayed alongside the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Rahmi Yaran, who had his palms turned toward the sky in a Muslim prayer, inside the 17th-century Sultan Ahmet mosque… The Vatican added the stop at the Blue Mosque at the last minute to show Benedict’s respect for Muslims.

“Francis then visited the nearby Haghia Sofia, which was the main Byzantine church in Constantinople — present-day Istanbul — before being turned into a mosque following the Muslim [Ottoman Turks’] conquest of the city in 1453… A few dozen well-wishers outside Haghia Sophia waved a combination of the Turkish and the flag of the Holy See. One carried a banner that read: ‘You are Peter.’”

Deutsche Welle added on November 29:

“In a gesture of harmony between religions, Pope Francis stood alongside a senior Islamic cleric for a moment of contemplation at Istanbul’s most famous mosque… Pope Francis removed his shoes as he entered the Sultan Ahmet mosque, widely known as the Blue Mosque, on Saturday… [The Pope] was taken through the mosque by Istanbul’s Grand Mufti Rahmi Yaran. The two paused for two minutes facing Mecca alongside each other, the pope closing his eyes, bowing his head and clasping his hands in front of the cross he wore on his chest, the cleric performing an Islamic prayer…

“The three-day papal visit to Turkey is seen as a test of Francis’ ability to build bridges, as he had to establish and strengthen ties with Muslim leaders…”

Reuters wrote on November 30:

“Pope Francis said on Sunday that equating Islam with violence was wrong… Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, caused storms of protest throughout the Islamic world in 2006, when he made a speech that suggested to many Muslims that he believed Islam espoused violence… [Pope Francis said:] ‘You just can’t say that, just as you can’t say that all Christians are fundamentalists. We have our share of them (fundamentalists). All religions have these little groups,’ he said. ‘They (Muslims) say: … “the Koran is a book of peace, it is a prophetic book of peace”’”.

The Pope’s comments are ridiculous. We have proven time and again in our Updates, through direct quotes from the Koran, that those believing and following these teachings cannot be described as peaceful, or that Islam teaches pacifism. Also, the Pope’s inflammatory comments about “fundamentalist” Christians should tell everyone how he views those who live by their belief in the literal inspiration of the Bible.

Pope Francis Seeks Unification with Greek Orthodox Christians

The Associated Press wrote on November 30:

“Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians demanded an end to the persecution of religious minorities in Syria and Iraq on Sunday and called for dialogue with Muslims, capping Francis’ three-day visit to Turkey with a strong show of Christian unity. Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I issued a joint declaration urging leaders in the region to intensify help to victims of the Islamic State group, and especially to allow Christians who have had a presence in the region for 2,000 years to remain on their native lands…

“Francis, who represents the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church, and Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians, called for ‘constructive dialogue’ with Islam ‘based on mutual respect and friendship.’

“The Catholic and Orthodox churches split in 1054 over differences on the primacy of the papacy, and there was a time when patriarchs had to kiss popes’ feet. At the end of a joint prayer service Saturday evening, Francis bowed to Bartholomew and asked for his blessing ‘for me and the Church of Rome,’ a remarkable display of papal deference to an Orthodox patriarch that underscored Francis’ hope to end the schism.

“In his remarks Sunday, Francis assured the Orthodox faithful gathered in St. George’s that unity wouldn’t mean sacrificing their rich liturgical or cultural patrimony or ‘signify the submission of one to the other, or assimilation. I want to assure each one of you gathered here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith,’ he said.

“The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, acknowledged the novelty in Francis’ message. While experts from both churches continue to debate theological divisions between them, Francis and Bartholomew are ‘pushing with incredible strength toward union’ through their frequent and warm personal contacts, Lombardi said.”

Zenit added on November 30:

“‘We are already on the way towards full communion,” Pope Francis is affirming in regard to the Orthodox… Patriarch Bartholomew said that… while the process of reunification can be sometimes ‘rugged,’… it’s ‘nonetheless irreversible,’ and is needed… Both the Pope and the Patriarch agreed that for various reasons, the upheaval in the Middle East and persecution of Christians makes union all the more urgent…

“the Pope and Patriarch signed a joint declaration… ‘We express our sincere and firm resolution, in obedience to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, to intensify our efforts to promote the full unity of all Christians, and above all between Catholics and Orthodox,’ it stated. The declaration also called for Catholic and Orthodox faithful to ‘join us in praying “that all may be one.”’

As long as the daughter churches [but excluding “fundamentalists” and other “minorities, see above] will return to the “mother church,” the Pope is willing to compromise…

Pope Francis’ Contradictory Messages

ABC News wrote on November 28:

“Pope Francis urged Muslim leaders to condemn the ‘barbaric violence’ being committed in Islam’s name against religious minorities in Iraq and Syria as he arrived in neighboring Turkey Friday… He reaffirmed that military force was justified to halt the Islamic State group’s advance… ‘As religious leaders, we are obliged to denounce all violations against human dignity and human rights… As such, any violence which seeks religious justification warrants the strongest condemnation because the omnipotent is the God of life and peace.’”

On the one hand, Pope Francis says that military force (i.e., “violence”) against religious fanatics is justified. With the same breath, he states that “any violence” seeking religious justification must be condemned. So what is it?

Donald Tusk—The New President of the EU Council

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 26:

“With the appointment of Donald Tusk as president of the powerful EU Council, a politician from Eastern Europe will be placed in one of Brussels’ most important positions for the first time… Tusk wanted to prove that his country was a responsible EU member — and he succeeded. Another reason for his successful foreign policy is Poland’s good relationship with Germany…”

We have felt for a long time that Catholic Poland will play an important role in Europe.

Meet Angela Merkel’s Germany and Europe

The New Yorker wrote on December 1, 2014:

“Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany… is the world’s most powerful woman… On a continent where the fear of Germany is hardly dead, Merkel’s air of ordinariness makes a resurgent Germany seem less threatening… The ongoing monetary crisis of the euro zone has turned Germany, Europe’s largest creditor nation, into a regional superpower—one of Merkel’s biographers calls her ‘the Chancellor of Europe.’… American politics is so polarized that Congress has virtually stopped functioning; the consensus in Germany is so stable that new laws pour forth from parliament while meaningful debate has almost disappeared…

“Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who was Germany’s defense minister between 2009 and 2011, said that Merkel took a ‘Machiavellian’ approach to the [euro zone] crisis. She had the stamina to keep her options open as long as possible, and then veiled her decisions behind ‘the cloud of complexity.’ Guttenberg said, ‘This made it easier for her to change her mind several times rather dramatically, but at the time no one noticed at all.’… Merkel realized that she could not allow the euro-zone crisis to capsize the project of European unity. ‘If the euro falls, then Europe falls,’ she declared…

“Merkel’s commitment to a united Europe is not that of an idealist. Rather, it comes from her sense of German interest—a soft form of nationalism that reflects the country’s growing confidence and strength. The historic German problem, which Henry Kissinger described as being ‘too big for Europe, too small for the world,’ can be overcome only by keeping Europe together… She needs Europe because… Europe makes Germany bigger…

“When the Wall fell, Putin was a K.G.B. major stationed in Dresden. He used his fluent German and a pistol to keep a crowd of East Germans from storming the K.G.B. bureau and looting secret files, which he then destroyed. Twelve years later, a far more conciliatory Putin, by then Russia’s President, addressed the Bundestag ‘in the language of Goethe, Schiller, and Kant,’ declaring that ‘Russia is a friendly-minded European country’ whose ‘main goal is a stable peace on this continent.’ Putin praised democracy and denounced totalitarianism, receiving an ovation from an audience that included Merkel… As a Russian speaker who hitchhiked through the Soviet republics in her youth, Merkel has a feel for Russia’s aspirations and resentments which Western politicians lack. In her office, there’s a framed portrait of Catherine the Great, the Prussian-born empress who led Russia during a golden age in the eighteenth century. But, as a former East German, Merkel has few illusions about Putin. After Putin’s speech at the Bundestag, Merkel told a colleague, ‘This is typical K.G.B. talk. Never trust this guy.’…

“In early 2008, when President George W. Bush sought to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, Merkel blocked the move out of concern for Russia’s reaction and because it could cause destabilization along Europe’s eastern edge. Later that year, after Russia invaded two regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Merkel changed her position and expressed openness to Georgia’s joining NATO. She remained careful to balance European unity, the alliance with America, German business interests, and continued engagement with Russia…

“When, this past March, Russia annexed Crimea and incited a separatist war in eastern Ukraine, it fell to Merkel to succeed where earlier German leaders had catastrophically failed. The Russian aggression in Ukraine stunned the history-haunted, rule-upholding Germans. ‘Putin surprised everyone,’ including Merkel, her senior aide told me. ‘The swiftness, the brutality, the coldheartedness. It’s just so twentieth century—the tanks, the propaganda, the agents provocateurs.’…

“Merkel ruled out military options, yet declared that Russia’s actions were unacceptable—territorial integrity was an inviolable part of Europe’s postwar order—and required a serious Western response. For the first time in her Chancellorship, she didn’t have the public with her. In early polls, a plurality of Germans wanted Merkel to take a middle position between the West and Russia. A substantial minority—especially in the former East—sympathized with Russia’s claim that NATO expansion had pushed Putin to act defensively, and that Ukrainian leaders in Kiev were Fascist thugs. Helmut Schmidt, the Social Democratic former Chancellor, expressed some of these views, as did Gerhard Schröder—who had become a paid lobbyist for a company controlled by the Russian state oil-and-gas giant Gazprom, and who celebrated his seventieth birthday with Putin, in St. Petersburg, a month after Russia annexed Crimea. The attitude of Schmidt and Schröder deeply embarrassed the Social Democrats.

“A gap opened up between élite and popular opinion: newspapers editorializing for a hard line against Russia were inundated with critical letters. Merkel, true to form, did nothing to try to close the divide…

“Merkel takes a characteristically unsentimental view of Russia. Alexander Lambsdorff, a German member of the European Parliament, said, ‘She thinks of Russia as a traditional hegemonic power that was subdued for a while and now has reëmerged.’ Ukraine forced Merkel into a juggling act worthy of Bismarck, and she began spending two or three hours daily on the crisis. Publicly, she said little, waiting for Russian misbehavior to bring the German public around. She needed to keep her coalition in the Bundestag on board, including the more pro-Russian Social Democrats. And she had to hold Europe together, which meant staying in close touch with twenty-seven other leaders and understanding each one’s constraints: how sanctions on Russia would affect London’s financial markets; whether the French would agree to suspend delivery of amphibious assault ships already sold to the Russians; whether Poland and the Baltic states felt assured of NATO’s support; the influence of Russian propaganda in Greece; Bulgaria’s dependence on Russian gas. For sanctions to bite, Europe had to remain united…

“Germans told me that anti-Americanism in Germany is more potent now than at any time since the cruise-missile controversy of the early eighties… In a sense, German anti-Americanism is always waiting to be tapped…

“Earlier this year, President Joachim Gauck made headlines when he called on Germany to take its global responsibilities more seriously, including its role in military affairs. It was the kind of speech that Merkel (who had no comment) would never give, especially after a poll commissioned by the foreign ministry in May showed that sixty per cent of the public was skeptical of greater German involvement in the world. German journalists find Merkel nearly impossible to cover… The private Merkel they admire and enjoy but are forbidden to quote disappears in public. Any aide or friend who betrays the smallest confidence is cast out…”

Putin Tells the World

The Associated Press reported on December 4:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin in his annual speech on Thursday defended the Kremlin’s aggressive foreign policy, saying the actions are necessary for his country’s survival. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March and was later accused of supplying pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine with ammunition and manpower…. ‘No one will succeed in defeating Russia militarily,’ he said. ‘They would have been delighted to let us go the way of Yugoslavia and the dismemberment of the Russian peoples, with all the tragic consequences. But it did not happen. We did not allow it to happen.’”

In a related article, the Associated Press wrote on December 4:

“Putin… described [Crimea] as Russia’s spiritual ground, ‘our Temple Mount,’ and added that national pride and sovereignty are ‘a necessary condition for survival’ of Russia.”

Mubarak Acquitted

Deutsche Welle reported on November 29:

“An Egyptian court on Saturday rejected a case against former President Hosni Mubarak for alleged involvement in the killing of protesters during a 2011 uprising against his 30-year rule. Mubarak, along with his sons Alaa and Gamal, was also cleared on a separate corruption charge related to gas exports to Israel, but will remain in prison on other charges of embezzlement. The court also acquitted former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six of his aides on charges of ordering the killings.

“Mubarak had been charged with having failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the revolt, which ultimately led to his ouster. Eight-hundred Egyptians died during the protests. Saturday’s rulings can be appealed… In June 2012, a court sentenced Mubarak to life imprisonment on the charges, but this ruling was overturned in early 2013, and a retrial ordered. He is the first-ever Egyptian ruler to be tried and sent to prison. He is already also serving a three-year sentence on separate embezzlement charges in a case that saw his two sons put behind bars for four years.

“The 86-year-old Mubarak has been staying at an army hospital in southern Cairo on grounds of poor health. He was flown by helicopter to the Cairo Criminal Court to hear his verdict and sentencing, state media said… His successor as president, Islamist Mohamed Morsi, is also on trial after being removed from power in July 2013 by then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who has since himself been elected to the post. Morsi stands accused of having committed acts of violence both during the revolt against Mubarak and during later protests against his own rule that led to his own downfall.

“Since Morsi’s removal, Egyptian police have waged a crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood followers in which at least 1,400 people have died.”

BBC News added on November 29:

“The verdict means no-one has been held responsible for the killing of more than 800 protesters during the 2011 revolution. It is as if the dead committed mass suicide, said one Egyptian journalist on Twitter. Relatives of those killed in 2011 had awaited Saturday’s verdict with trepidation. Mahmoud Ibrahim Ali, whose wife was killed, had little faith in the judiciary, believing it simply did the government’s bidding. ‘The regime is the same,’ he told AP news agency. ‘Names have changed but everything is the same.’’’

It seems, nothing ever changes in Egypt.

Early Elections in Israel?

TSA wrote on December 2:

“For the second time in about two years, Israel appears to be headed toward elections. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference Tuesday that he will support a bill to dissolve the Knesset, leading to elections next spring. Ahead of the announcement, Netanyahu fired two key Cabinet ministers, Yair Lapid and Tzipi Livni, after they publicly criticized his performance as prime minister…

“The collapse heralds an acrimonious end to a coalition of rivals ranging from the nationalist-right to the center-left… Should Netanyahu win another term, he has indicated that he will revert to a more stable coalition of right-wing parties — including the haredi Orthodox factions…

“The Knesset is likely to approve new elections in the coming days, leading to a national vote in March or April…”

Rise of the Occult

The Daily Mail wrote on November 30:

“Ouija boards are flying off the shelves. Not in the super- natural sense — but the commercial one. The device, said to be a method of contacting the spirit world, is experiencing an unexpected renaissance. Google reports that sales of the board are up 300 per cent, and it is threatening to become a Christmas ‘must buy’.

“The culprit is Hollywood, and a new horror film titled Ouija. Low-budget, lowbrow, it tells a familiar story — of kids dabbling with the ‘other side’ and coming off second best. The critics hammered it, but cinema-going teens, looking for something scary in the Halloween season, loved it… Cue big box office takings and huge demand for Ouija boards, many manufactured by the American toys giant Hasbro. Being a canny company, Hasbro even helped finance the making of the film Ouija, which has put new life into the business of talking to the dead…

“‘It’s like opening a shutter in one’s soul and letting in the supernatural,’ says Peter Irwin-Clark, a Church of England vicar who has witnessed the dark side of Ouija. ‘There are spiritual realities out there and they can be very negative.’

“The board itself is a simple thing, combining the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0 to 9 with the words Yes, No and Good-Bye. With it comes a planchette or pointer. Players are told to sit around the board, each place two fingers ‘lightly’ on the pointer, and concentrate — before starting to ask questions in turn. ‘Ask your questions slowly and clearly,’ read the instructions. ‘And wait to see what the planchette spells out for you.’ The planchette then ‘moves of its own volition’ towards specific letters and numbers, according to Christina Oakley Harrington, proprietor of Treadwell’s, a London bookshop specialising in the esoteric and the occult. ‘You feel it pulling away from the fingers. I’m not dim — I have a PhD — but it’s not being pushed. It’s mysterious.’…

“The year 1973 saw the release of hit film The Exorcist, in which a young girl takes to communicating with an unseen being by means of such a board. The being is a demon that goes on to possess her… William Peter Blatty, author of the novel on which it was based, was inspired by a tale from the Forties, about Roland Doe. The teenager was said to have become possessed after playing with a Ouija board for long spells, his spiritual infestation manifested by scratches, levitation and poltergeist activity…”

These demonic activities must be avoided by all means.

Israel Notifies the World

The Jerusalem Post wrote on November 22:

“Israel has issued a stark, public warning to its allies with a clear argument: Current proposals [regarding Iran] guarantee the perpetuation of a crisis, backing Israel into a corner from which military force against Iran provides the only logical exit…

“Israel is telling the world that it will not wait to see whether inspectors do their jobs as ordered… Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened the use of force against Iran several times since 2009, even seeking authorization from his cabinet in 2011. Iran’s program has since grown in size and scope…

“Whether Israel still has the ability to strike Iran, without American assistance, is an open question… But responding to claims… over Netanyahu’s courage and will, [an] Israeli official responded sternly: ‘The prime minister is a very serious man who knows the serious responsibility that rests on his shoulders. He wouldn’t say the statements that he made if he didn’t mean them. People have underestimated Israel many, many times in the past,’ he continued, ‘and they underestimate it now.’”

Newsmax wrote on November 24:

“If negotiators allow Iran to continue with its nuclear energy program, Israel ‘may have no choice’ but to launch pre-emptive military strikes against Iranian targets to delay development of nuclear weapons, former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax TV on Monday. And even then… Israeli military action can only ‘set back’ Iran’s nuclear program by a few years, not destroy it for good — a capability only the United States military possesses… Dershowitz… called military strikes on Iran ‘the second worst option’ — the worst being a scenario in which Iran becomes a nuclear power, given past threats by Iranian politicians to annihilate the Jewish state…

“Dershowitz said that U.S. negotiators, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, have their reasoning ‘absolutely backwards’ on how to foil Iran’s nuclear ambitions while gaining Iranian cooperation against a common adversary — the Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria and Iraq…”

Iran Screams… and the West Delays…

Newsmax wrote on November 24:

“Secretary of State John Kerry is reportedly being forced to negotiate with a screamer in nuclear talks with Iran…  Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has reportedly screamed so loud in negotiations that bodyguards standing watch outside the room have been alerted and rushed inside, the Free Beacon noted as Kerry continued talks in Vienna on Monday.

“Word of Zarif’s conduct was passed along to Farsi-speaking media by another Iranian diplomat who has been present at the negotiations, the Free Beacon added, noting he had discussed the proceedings on conditions of anonymity… While a deadline was set for Monday, the talks have now been extended until the end of June 2015…”

The EUObserver added on November 25:

“Talks on Iran’s nuclear programme have been extended until July, with the EU wondering whether to keep Catherine Ashton in the process… If the process succeeds, it will give the West a fully-fledged partner in its fight against [the] Islamic State and open a new market of 76 million people. If it fails, it could end in an Israeli-Iran war.

“Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu told the BBC on Monday that Iran is like Nazi Germany on the eve of WWII. ‘If this position [non-appeasement] had been taken against Germany in the 1930s it would have offended German pride but it would have saved millions of lives’, he said… But Zarif, in Vienna, retorted that Israel, which is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, is the most dangerous country in the Middle East…”

Jerusalem… “Unleashing Uncontrollable Forces”

The Los Angeles Times wrote on November 21:

“… figures from Pope Francis to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have voiced alarm over the explicitly religious character of recent violence in Jerusalem and its environs… ‘The true danger … is that the wave of terror will turn into a true religious war, such as has not yet occurred here,’ columnist Ben Caspit wrote this week in the Maariv newspaper…

“At the conflict’s heart… is the iconic Old City plateau revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. In recent weeks, it has served as the principal rallying cry for Palestinian attackers…

“The biblical Mt. Moriah — site of the ancient Jewish temples and of Islam’s third-holiest venue, Al Aqsa mosque — has for the last half-century been governed by an arrangement known as the ‘status quo,’ under which only Muslims are allowed to pray on the plateau. Jews, largely adhering to mainstream rabbinical injunctions against ascending the mount and perhaps inadvertently treading on the Holy of Holies — the inner sanctum where the Ark of the Covenant was once kept — prayed instead at the adjoining Western Wall.

“For several months, though, a movement spearheaded by Jewish activists has surged to greater prominence… the dispute over the holy site appears on track to intensify, not ease.

“A Tel Aviv University survey this month indicated that while a relatively slender majority of Israeli Jews — 56% — supported retaining the status quo, more than one-third wanted the prayer ban lifted, even if it resulted in bloodshed. Columnist Nahum Barnea observed in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper that the shift from a national conflict to a religious one could unleash forces neither side could control…”

More and More Radical German Islamists Fight for ISIS

The Local wrote on November 23:

“Hundreds of Germans have left their home country to fight alongside jihadists in Syria and Iraq, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. ‘We estimate 550. Just a few days ago we had 450,’ the minister told German television channel Phoenix on Friday. ‘These young people… were radicalized in Germany, within this society. That’s why prevention must be accompanied by repression,’ he added.

“Most of those who have joined the Islamic State organisation’s jihadist cause are men, although some women have also travelled to the two war-torn countries. De Maiziere said authorities are keeping a close watch on some 230 more people who are considered potential threats on German soil. ‘We cannot exclude, and in certain cases it’s actually quite possible, that they are preparing an attack,’ the minister said… Concerns are mounting in Europe over the growing national security threat posed by jihadists returning from war-ravaged Syria and Iraq.”

Deutsche Welle reported on November 23:

“At least 60 Germans have died fighting alongside militants from the jihadist group ‘Islamic State’ (IS) with at least nine being killed in suicide attacks, Germany’s domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen said in an interview published Sunday. Maassen told the weekly Bild am Sonntag that some 550 radical German Islamists had gone to conflict regions in Syria and Iraq to help IS in an offensive that has seen the group capture large amounts of territory in both countries in recent months. German authorities were increasingly concerned about the high figure, which had gone up more rapidly in the past six weeks, he said, calling it ‘a sad success for Islamist propaganda.’

“Maassen said that some 180 German jihadists were thought to have returned home, creating a dangerous potential for attacks within Germany itself. Authorities were deliberating on measures to monitor their activities, he said, but admitted that intelligence services did not have the capacity to watch over all of them all of the time.”

…and Radical British Islamists Too…

Breitbart wrote on November 23:

“There may be as many as 2,000 Brits currently fighting with ISIS, a Muslim Labour MP has claimed. His estimate, based on his experience as a Member of Parliament for the predominantly Muslim constituency of Birmingham Perry Barr, is roughly four times as high as the official estimate released by the authorities before the summer.

“His comments come amid growing fears that the British borders are porous to terrorists leaving for, and returning from fighting in Syria and Iraq, fuelled by the Home Office’s refusal to reveal how many people have been arrested at British ports and airports in relation to terrorist offences in Syria…  around 250 British jihadis are known to have returned to the UK from Syria and Iraq, yet only 30 arrests have been made, leaving a number of hardened fighters walking the streets of Britain…

“The Muslim Council of Britain accused the government of not doing enough to prevent potential terrorists from leaving the country…”

Britain a Lame Duck, and Germany THE Leader

The Telegraph wrote on November 24:

“Britain is already a lame duck within the EU’s internal governing structure and is losing influence ‘by the day’ in Brussels, even before David Cameron holds a referendum on withdrawal. This self-isolation has upset the European balance of power in profound ways, leading ineluctably to German hegemony and a unipolar system centred on Berlin…

“Smaller states no longer form clusters of alliances… They are instead scrambling to adapt to a new European order where only one state now counts. So too is the EU’s permanent civil service and the institutional machinery in Brussels and Luxembourg. Such is the verdict of Roman Prodi, the former Italian premier and ex-president of the European Commission… ‘France is ever more disoriented and Britain is losing power by the day in Brussels after its decision to hold a referendum on EU membership,’ he said. ‘All the countries that previously maintained an equilibrium between Germany, France, and Britain (from Poland, to the Baltic States, passing through Sweden and Portugal) are regrouping under the German umbrella,’ he told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

“‘Germany is exercising an almost solitary power. The new presidents of the Commission and the Council are men who rotate around Germany’s orbit, and above all there is a very strong (German) presence among the directors, heads of cabinet and their deputies. The bureaucracy is adapting to the new correlation of forces,’ he said. ‘Even the Americans are doing so. When there is a problem between Europe and the United States, President Obama telephones Mrs Merkel, not the British prime minister. In short, Germany has become the referee of Europe. As is well known, the rules in football are enforced when the referee whistles, and right now Germany is issuing the yellow card to a lot of countries,’ he said…

“German hegemony is entirely unwelcome to Germany itself, and that is part of the problem. Frightened of its own historical shadows… Germany still tries to think and behave much of the time as a subordinate power, like a large Sweden. But it is not a large Sweden; it is the policy-maker for a bloc of over 500m people. It denies its own leadership…  It is simply unthinkable that the EU can survive as a reconstituted Holy Roman Empire governed from Berlin, yet without at least the charisma and sanctity bestowed on the medieval Hohenstaufen by Rome.”

The irony of history is that this is EXACTLY what the Bible prophesies is going to happen… “a reconstituted Holy Roman Empire governed from Berlin” with a “sanctity” bestowed “by Rome.” For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.” 

Pope: Europe Needs to Unite and Appreciate its Religious Roots

Deutsche Welle reported on November 25:

“Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Pope Francis has urged the EU to remember the aims of its founders… Referring to the worsening worldwide situation of religious extremism, the pope also called on Europe to ‘appreciate its religious roots’ which he believes will create a Europe which will be ‘all the more immune to the many forms of extremism spreading in the world’… After less than four hours, the Argentine Pope’s airplane was scheduled [to] take off for Rome – leaving behind a clear message for Europe’s politicians to unite.”

America’s Futile War in Afghanistan… Not Over Yet?

The Associated Press reported on November 22:

“U.S. troops in Afghanistan may once again engage Taliban fighters, not just al-Qaida terrorists, under new guidelines quietly approved by President Barack Obama, administration officials say.

“The armed forces were to limit their operations in Afghanistan to counterterrorism missions against al-Qaida after this year, until Obama broadened the guidelines in recent weeks… Obama’s decision also means the U.S. can conduct air support when needed.

“The Taliban’s presence in Afghanistan far exceeds that of al-Qaida, adding significance to Obama’s authorization. The president’s decision came in response to requests from military commanders who wanted troops to be allowed to continue to battle the Taliban, the U.S. officials said.”

The Ouster of Chuck Hagel

The New York Times wrote on November 24:

“Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned under pressure on Monday after President Obama determined that he had to shake up his national security team in the face of escalating conflicts overseas and hawkish Republicans reasserting themselves on Capitol Hill.

“It was a striking reversal for a president who chose Mr. Hagel two years ago in part to limit the power of Pentagon officials who had repeatedly pushed for more troops in Afghanistan and a slower drawdown of American forces from Iraq. But in the end, Mr. Hagel’s passivity and lack of support in Mr. Obama’s inner circle proved too much for an administration that found itself back on a war footing…

“White House officials also expressed annoyance over a sharply critical two-page memo that Mr. Hagel sent to Ms. Rice last month, in which he warned that the administration’s Syria policy was in danger of unraveling because of its failure to clarify its intentions toward President Bashar al-Assad… If the ouster of Mr. Hagel was intended to minimize coming fights with Congress, the Republicans were not impressed on Monday. ‘The Obama administration is now in the market for their fourth secretary of defense,’ Representative Howard (Buck) McKeon, Republican of California, said. ‘When the president goes through three secretaries, he should ask, “Is it them, or is it me?”’

“Mr. Hagel, who followed Robert M. Gates and Leon E. Panetta at the Pentagon, will continue to serve until Mr. Obama’s next defense secretary is confirmed, which could take some time…

“Now… the American military is in escalating crises. Some 3,000 American troops are being deployed in Iraq to help the Iraqi military fight the Sunni militants of the Islamic State, even as the administration struggles to come up with, and articulate, a strategy to defeat the group in both Iraq and Syria…”

Politico added on November 24:

“Hagel reckoned, he wasn’t the kind of gung-ho, wartime consigliere Obama needed as he recalibrates his national security strategy to deal with a new round of conflict in the Middle East… More broadly, the dumping of Hagel leaves unanswered the key foreign policy dilemma that hangs over the remainder of Obama’s presidency: It’s clear that Obama, propelled to office six years ago on the promise of ending two unpopular wars, must now radically readjust his priorities from a posture of military withdrawal and Pentagon budget cuts to one of engagement, but it’s not at all clear how he plans to do so.”

The Washington Post wrote on November 24:

“When Barack Obama looks in the mirror these days, he must see a terrifying visage staring back at him: that of George W. Bush. In a cruel echo of history, Obama is morphing into the president whose foreign policy he campaigned to overturn. Obama on Monday morning sacked his Pentagon secretary, Chuck Hagel, after huge midterm election losses in the sixth year of his presidency — just as Bush did in sacking Donald Rumsfeld after midterm losses in the sixth year of his presidency.

“As with Bush, the ouster comes as a war in the Middle East is going badly — then, the Iraq war, now, the bombing of the Islamic State terror group. Rumsfeld’s ouster led to the surge in Iraq, and Hagel’s departure comes amid signs of an expanded role for U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. And, as under Bush, this guarantees that Obama will leave his successor an ongoing U.S. war in the Mideast — quite possibly the sort of ground war Obama vowed to undo…

“The Republican former senator, a decorated veteran and the first enlisted man to hold the top job at the Pentagon, was brought in to help Obama wind down wars and to shrink the Pentagon. His strong ties to the military and his reluctance to use force (he had opposed the Iraq surge) made him an ideal man for the job, and his battle wounds from Vietnam gave him the moral authority to answer the chicken hawks who opposed the contraction of the military.

“But now Islamic militants have taken over much of Iraq and Syria… Hagel stuck to the safe terrain of praising the ‘fun’ of team building, taking care to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. Hagel, a man of peace, can now at least enjoy the holiday, knowing he’ll be free of this new war once the Senate confirms a successor…  For Hagel’s boss, being dragged into expanding just the sort of war he was elected to end, there is no such relief.”

“Romania’s Obama Moment”? – No Way!

The EUObserver wrote on November 21:

“[Klaus] Iohannis is Romania’s newly-elected president. After his surprise win on Sunday (16 November), when the German-speaking, Lutheran mayor of Sibiu became the first Romanian president from an ethnic and religious minority, he is being compared to Barack Obama – the first black president of the US. On Facebook, he has just passed 1.1 million fans, more than German leader Angela Merkel or Italy’s Matteo Renzi.

“But despite his popularity, he is neither a populist, nor, like Obama, a gifted orator. In his victory speech on Monday, Iohannis, a 55-year old physics teacher, was as down-to-earth as it gets, his main message being: ‘The campaign is over. Let’s get to work now’.

“His online campaign manager, Vlad Tausance, said in an interview that Iohannis ought to have been difficult to promote on the Internet. ‘He does not take cat pictures (although he has five adopted cats). He refuses to use his family in the campaign (although he has a wonderful and elegant wife). He does not want to give personal details (although he is passionate about cycling and roses)’.

“But it turned out Iohannis did not need the ‘stupid recipes’, as Tausance described the online cliches. ‘All we did was to be coherent in communicating his real personality… Why should moderation or consistency be seen as defects? Why should seriousness be a handicap? Is decency so boring?’, Tausance said. Iohannis’ common-sense attitude and his strong support for rule of law made his victory possible. During the elections he said: ‘I prefer losing than being rude’…

“Looking beyond Romania’s Obama moment, Iohannis’ election also comes amid a wider trend in the region – the emergence of increasingly populist and nationalist leaders in Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. It’s true that Iohannis will have to work with Ponta as prime minister and as the leader of a strong parliament majority. But Ponta will also have to work with Iohannis: Just two days after the election, parliament repealed the amnesty bill on corruption convicts. The same day, parliament also lifted the immunity of several MPs under investigation for graft, who had been shielded for months…

“As a German-speaker and as a member of the same centre-right political family as German chancellor Angela Merkel, he is likely to get along well with the de facto leader of the EU… Romania will ‘graduate from the EU integration school and become a mature, strong and respected EU state’, he said.”

Finland [and Sweden] on the Edge

The Washington Post wrote on November 23:

“Wedged hard against Russia’s northwestern border, peaceable Finland has long gone out of its way to avoid prodding the nuclear-armed bear next door. But now the bear is provoking Finland, repeatedly guiding military planes into Finnish airspace and deploying submarines and helicopters to chase after Finnish research vessels in international waters.

“The incidents are part of a pattern of aggressive Russian behavior that has radiated across Europe but that has been especially unnerving for countries such as Finland that live outside the protective bubble of NATO. As Russian-backed separatists have eviscerated another non-NATO neighbor this year — Ukraine — Finnish leaders have watched with growing alarm. They are increasingly questioning whether the nonaligned path they navigated through the Cold War can keep them safe as Europe heads toward another period of dangerous standoffs between West and East.  ‘We have a long history with Russia — not that peaceful all the time. So everything the Russians are doing, surely the Finns notice and think very carefully about what that might mean,’ Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in an interview… In the case of the recent air incursions, he said, the message was clear: ‘They were testing how we’d react.’

“Niinisto said Finland’s ­response — scrambling American-made F-18 Hornet fighter jets to intercept the Russian planes — was strong enough to ward off further Russian aggression. But the palpable anxiety in this country… reflects how unsettled Europe has become since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March. Many in Helsinki are convinced that Russia will not remain deterred for long… Elisabeth Rehn, a former Finnish defense minister [said:] ‘It’s only been 100 years since we gained our independence from Russia. Crimea was a part of Russia, too. Will they try to take back what belonged to them 100 years ago?’ Rehn said she doubts Russia would go that far but said the fear of Russian military aggression is real. ‘We don’t have a normal relationship with Russia,’ said Rehn… ‘We all like the Russians. They sing the same melancholic songs that we do. But we are afraid of their leadership.’

“Finland is hardly the only one. Next door in Sweden, the country’s armed forces mounted their largest operation since the Cold War last month to hunt for a suspected Russian submarine. Swedish defense chiefs may have viewed the hunt as a chance to compensate for a conspicuous lapse last year, when Russian warplanes simulated an air assault on Stockholm and the Swedish military failed to react. Like Finland, Sweden has remained outside NATO even as other Baltic nations — including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have joined…

“Finland, a nation of 5 million people, has an 800-mile border with Russia, which has a population nearly 30 times as large. Moscow would undoubtedly consider NATO membership a direct challenge in territory that was marked as neutral space during the Cold War. A Kremlin adviser said earlier this year that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, it could lead to World War III…”

Dangerous Tattoos

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 20:

“… the chemistry in [tattoos] is unambiguous, with experts warning some ink may cause cancer.  Would you let someone inject a few grams of car polish under your skin? Or soot produced by burning crude oil? Obviously not. But this is basically what you might get if you choose to have a tattoo done. ‘The substances used to create these lasting and high-contrast tattoos were developed for printers and cars,’ says Wolfgang Bäumler, a professor in the department of dermatology at the University of Regensburg. ‘And the chemistry remains the same.’

“Large chemistry companies produce the colorful pigments used in tattoos, but mainly for industry. Smaller companies buy the pigments and make tattoo ink out of them. ‘The chemical industry says these substances have never been tested for injection under the skin,’ says Peter Laux of Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). ‘They are simply not made for that.’…

“Recent US studies have also shown that only two thirds of the ink used in a tattoo stays in the skin. The other one third spreads through the body. ‘It migrates into the blood, the lymph nodes, the organs,’ Bäumler says. ‘Nobody knows where exactly or what happens with it.’

“The chemicals responsible for red, orange and yellow colors are azo compounds, organic substances which have a reputation of being problematic. They often cause allergic reactions. Some of them – for example, the red pigment 22 – may decompose when a tattoo is brought into sunlight, Bäumler says. The resulting compounds are toxic and can cause cancer.

“Substances called phthalocyanines make blue or green tattoos. They often contain metals such as copper and nickel. Brown inks made out of iron oxides also contain nickel. Nickel can cause an allergic reaction and is prohibited in cosmetics. But it is common in tattoo ink.

“Black tattoos are created with inks containing a material called carbon black. Carbon black is produced by burning crude oil or other products, such as tar and rubber. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons form during the production of carbon black – and they can cause cancer.

“When tattoos are removed with a laser, the color pigments are released and spread even more through the body. But the health risks are not down to pigments alone. ‘Tattoo ink can contain other substances,’ says the BfR. ‘For instance, solvents, thickener, preservatives, as well as multiple contaminants.’…

“In Germany, as in many other countries, tattoo inks are neither regarded as drugs nor as cosmetics – and this is where part of the problem lies. Drugs and cosmetics need to be approved for market. Safety tests for drugs are required to show what happens to the substance when it enters the body – how it is metabolized and what other substances can form as a result. With tattoo inks, no such regulations or tests exist. But experts say they should… And the situation is similar in Europe and in the US.

“Even professional tattoo artists agree things should be better. ‘Tattoo colors are not really safe at the moment,’ said Andreas Schmidt, vice chairman of the German association of professional tattoo artists, at a symposium in Berlin…

“Professor Bäumler says he had once planned an animal experiment to find out what happens to tattoo ink inside the body, but that the experiment was stopped when a court decided animal experiments were unnecessary as ‘people get tattooed voluntarily…’”

For further information on the biblical perspective of tattoos, please read our Q&A on the subject. Please also read Part 7 of our free booklet, “Old Testament Laws—Still Valid today?” 

Unlawful Conduct of CPS and Police in Homeschooling Case

The following article was published on the website of HSLDA in November:

“On November 14, 2014, Home School Legal Defense Association filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Chief Sheriff’s Deputy David Glidden and Sheriff Darren White of the sheriff’s department of Nodaway County, Missouri. The suit charges Glidden and White with unlawfully forcing their way into the home of HSLDA members Laura and Jason Hagan on September 30, 2011, in violation of their Fourth Amendment rights.

“A child protective services (CPS) caseworker had been inside the home several days earlier to investigate a report of a messy house and had returned for a follow-up visit. When Jason and Laura declined to allow her inside she summoned Glidden and White. When Deputy Glidden arrived at the Hagans’ home he demanded to be allowed inside. Jason opened the door and told Glidden that he could not enter unless he had a court order.

“Glidden said he would enter anyway. As Jason turned to go back inside, Glidden sprayed him with pepper spray—first at the back of his head and then directly in his face. Glidden also sprayed Laura, who fell to the floor. Glidden then turned to Jason, who was still standing, and shot him in the back with his Taser. As Jason fell, Laura closed the front door. Glidden triggered the Taser three more times through the closed door… [Giddon and White] forced open the door and found Laura and Jason lying on the floor. Glidden sprayed Laura in the face a second time while White sprayed Jason and tried to turn him over onto his stomach.

“Laura shouted to the officers that Jason had been taken to the emergency room earlier in the week for chest pains. White nevertheless continued attempting to turn Jason over and sprayed him a third time when he was unsuccessful. The officers also sprayed the Hagans’ dog with chemical agent and threatened to shoot it if it didn’t stop barking. Finally, the officers handcuffed and arrested Laura and Jason and charged them with resisting arrest and child endangerment.

“All of this took place in front of the Hagans’ three young children, who were then taken to the emergency room to be evaluated for exposure to pepper spray… At Jason and Laura’s trial, the judge determined that White and Glidden had violated the Fourth Amendment when they forcibly entered the Hagans’ home without a warrant. ‘The State has not offered sufficient, if indeed any, evidence of an exception that would justify a warrantless entry,’ the judge wrote in his ruling. The case against Laura and Jason was dismissed.”

Penalties of the Unaffordable Care Act in 2015

Infowar wrote on November 15:

“In 2015 the government will be activating some new ‘incentives’ embedded in the Affordable Care Act in an effort to get more people to sign up. But, as is often the case when the government says one thing, they mean exactly the opposite. In this case, when they say incentive what they really mean is that you are going to be penalized if you fail to acquire government mandated health insurance. But not just you. Your children… will be fined for your failure to get them on the insurance rolls:

“Penalties for failing to secure a health-insurance plan will rise steeply next year, which could take a big bite out of some families’ pocketbooks.  ‘The penalty is meant to incentivize people to get coverage,’ said senior analyst Laura Adams of InsuranceQuotes.com. ‘This year, I think a lot of people are going to be in for a shock.’ In 2014, Obamacare’s first year, individuals are facing a penalty of $95 per person, or 1 percent of their income, depending on which is higher. If an American failed to get coverage this year, that penalty will be taken out of their tax refund in early 2015, Adams noted… the penalty for going uninsured next year is even harsher. The financial penalty for skipping out on health coverage will more than triple to $325 per person in 2015, or 2 percent of income, depending on whichever is higher.  Children will be fined at half the adult rate, or $162.50 for those under 18 years old.

“So, that’s your incentive. Either sign up for Obamacare at a rate of roughly $750 a month or more for a middle-class family of four, or pay a $325 penalty or two percent of your income, whichever is higher. Plus, if you have kids, they’ve been incentivized too!… These days, even democrats who supported the legislation before anyone had a chance to actually review it are up in arms…”

Ferguson in Flames

Newsmax reported on November 25:

“A Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer on any charges in the fatal August shooting of an unarmed black teenager [Michael Brown (18)] unleashed a wave of violent protests Monday night similar to [but actually much worse than] what engulfed the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson in August… The incident highlighted longstanding racial tensions in the predominantly black city, which has a white-dominated power structure… [Police officer Darren] Wilson could have faced charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder… The grand jury, with nine white and three black members, began meeting in late August… Nine jurors needed to agree to bring charges.

“Lawyers for Brown’s family say the teen was trying to surrender when he was shot, while Wilson’s supporters say he feared for his life and opened fire in self-defense. Witnesses disagreed on whether Brown’s hands were up at the time he was shot… Wilson shot at Brown 12 times [Brown was hit at least six times], with the final shot hitting Brown in the top of his head… Brown is suspected of having stolen cigars from a nearby convenience store shortly before the incident. Brown and a friend had been walking down the middle of the street when Wilson approached them. Police said in August that Wilson was not aware of the robbery at the time.”

The Huffington Post added on November 25:

“At least a dozen buildings were torched and looted, many of them local businesses that police said were total losses. Dozens of cars — including two police cruisers and rows of vehicles at a car dealership — were also vandalized and left charred. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said he heard about 150 gunshots, none from police. ‘What I’ve seen tonight is probably much worse than the worst night we had in August,’ he said… Police said they made more than 80 arrests, and that there were only minor injuries.”

According to the law, someone can use deadly force if he “feels” that he is being threatened and his life is in immediate or imminent danger. A sad night for America… 

America’s Immigration Mess

USA Today wrote on November 23:

“President Obama is rejecting suggestions that he has changed his position on executive power, and arguing that his new actions on immigration are necessary. Reminded by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he once said ‘I’m not an emperor’… when it comes to immigration, Obama said he was referring to the problem overall… The actions Obama took last week could defer deportations for up to 5 million migrants. There are estimates of more than 11 million people who are in the country illegally.

“House Speakers John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other GOP lawmakers say Obama is acting like an emperor, and has wrecked any chance of a bipartisan agreement on immigration. Some Republicans, including officials in a number of states, have vowed legal action and legislative responses in response to Obama…

“In his ABC interview, Obama said he acted because House Republicans have refused to vote on a bipartisan bill passed in the Senate… As for executive actions in general, Obama said: ‘The history is that I have issued fewer executive actions than most of my predecessors, by a longshot…’”

The Los Angeles Times wrote on November 21:

“Far from settling matters, President Obama’s unilateral action on immigration all but ensures at least two more years of fierce and angry debate over one of the most contentious and polarizing issues facing the country. It is a debate that presents opportunity and political risk to both parties, but especially Republicans, who are deeply divided among themselves and badly need to mend relations with a Latino and Asian American population growing bigger and more politically powerful each day…

“Because Obama’s actions are not binding on his successor ‘the next president is going to have to decide whether to continue these policies after 2017,’ said Matt Barreto, a University of Washington political scientist… The danger Democrats face is alienating the white working-class voters who have never much cared for the president and who could view the influx of newly hirable immigrants as unwelcome job competition…”

Newsmax wrote on November 24:

“[Consitutional expert Alan] Dershowitz… discussed Obama’s controversial order last week to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation and assert his authority to do so over congressional opposition. ‘This is uncharted ground,’ said Dershowitz. ‘Anybody who tells you the president violated the Constitution is wrong. Anybody who tells you the president DIDN’T violate the Constitution is wrong. … At this point in time, nobody knows the answer to that daunting constitutional question.’”

It has been frequently alleged that President Obama, a constitutional lawyer, made a political decision, and that he changed his viewpoint on his executive power, and both allegations are probably very true. However, lawyers and judges – especially “constitutional experts” — change their legal opinions all the time [or they do not have a legal opinion, as Alan Dershowitz], so that should not surprise anyone. To be fair, immigration actions by former Presidents Reagan and Bush did not differ that much, in principle and in substance, from the action which President Obama took (even though Republicans do not want to admit this). It is also true that Congress did not pass proposed Immigration Bills under President Obama and former President George Bush.

Even with a majority of Republicans both in the House and in the Senate, it is doubtful whether they would have been [or will be] able to agree on a bill, as the Republicans and the Democrats are hopelessly divided, and Republicans are hopelessly divided amongst themselves. Several Republicans have stated that they agree with the substance of the President’s executive order, but they disagree with the way in which Obama did it.

On the other hand, in all this debate pro and con, we must not forget the individual tragedies, involving potential break-ups of families (with children being lawful citizens and parents being here “illegally.”). Of course some, if not many illegal immigrants, will try to play the system to obtain improper advantages. But then there are others who do the jobs which Americans would not want to do. In the 1960’s, Germany introduced a guest-worker program for Turks, Yugoslavs, Spaniards etc., which was supposed to be temporary, but it ended up with the same problems which the USA is facing today.

Those who have worked in the Immigration field can and will tell you how terribly rotten the system is. Arrested undocumented aliens are being held by the INS in “isolation” and “detention” cells like the worst capital criminals, like cattle. Courts have no jurisdiction over the manner in which the INS is treating their captives. When we see pictures of a very young girl being brought before an immigration judge in handcuffs, as this is “proper procedure,” or when INS agents storm a house, pointing their guns at an adult carrying a young boy to “rescue” the boy, as he is here “illegally,” and “free” him from his adult relatives, who are here legally, then every upright citizen should react with disgust. There is NO justification for ANY of this… and immigration lawyers will state that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

That all of this must be changed cannot be in doubt. At the same time, there are many legal immigrants and American citizens who are terribly neglected by the government and in dire need of help. This entire world, including the USA, is under the rule of Satan the devil, and man is incapable and far too often unwilling to govern fairly. It will require the return of Christ to bring justice, fairness, equity, prosperity and true freedom to this earth.

Germany Concerned About Rumors from the East

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 16:

“The German government is concerned about Russia’s politics of power regarding the Balkans. President Putin is apparently trying to disassociate the countries from the EU.”

The Local wrote on November 16:

“A German embassy worker has been expelled from Moscow in what Berlin sees as a ‘retaliatory’ move, a German foreign ministry source said Saturday… According to Spiegel, the move comes after Berlin expelled a Russian diplomat from the consulate general in the western city of Bonn ‘in total discretion’. ‘In similar cases in the past, there was no reaction from the Russians, this time it’s different,’ the weekly wrote, citing a source within the German foreign ministry.”

Die Zeit wrote on November 16:

“The signs between Russia and the West show a new ice age.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 17:

“From the perspective of Berlin, Russia has gone from being a difficult partner to being an adversary within just one year…”

Putin Under Attack

BBC News reported on November 16:

“Much of the [G20] summit focused on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position on the crisis in Ukraine. Mr Putin faced fierce criticism and left the meeting before it ended, but said the summit was ‘constructive’. Mr Putin said he was leaving before the release of the official communique, citing the long flight to home to Russia and the need for sleep…

“Mr Obama told reporters Mr Putin was ‘violating international law, providing heavy arms to the separatists in Ukraine’ and violating the Minsk agreement. He said the ‘economic isolation’ of Russia would continue unless Mr Putin changed course… During the summit, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and British Prime Minister David Cameron also sharply criticised Mr Putin…”

The Times of Israel wrote on November 15:

“British Prime Minister David Cameron went so far as to allude to Nazi Germany when referring to Russian actions… Widely reported in the British press as an allusion to Adolf Hitler’s regime, Cameron added that the world had in the past seen the terrible results of a major power meddling in the affairs of a weaker European country… The West this week accused Russia of sending fresh military hardware into eastern Ukraine, fueling fears of a return to all-out conflict.”

Germany to the Rescue?

On November 18, the Local published an article with the following headline: Steinmeier rushes to Moscow as Ukraine boils.” The article continued:

“Germany’s Foreign Minister jetted to Kiev and Moscow on Tuesday in a bid to revive a failing peace plan in eastern Ukraine, where intense fighting has pushed EU-Russia relations to [a] breaking point…

“Ahead of Steinmeier’s visit, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said Moscow hoped ‘that the ‘point of no return’ has not yet been crossed’ in its relations with Europe. Lavrov cautioned there would not be a major breakthrough at the talks with his counterpart from Germany…

“Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko on Monday wrote on Twitter that while Kiev wants to avoid all-out conflict, it is ‘prepared for a scenario of total war’.”

Henry Kissinger Speaks Out

In November, Der Spiegel Online conducted a revealing interview with Henry Kissinger. We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“SPIEGEL: Dr. Kissinger, when we look at the world today, it seems to be messier than ever — with wars, catastrophes and chaos everywhere. Is the world really in greater disorder than ever before?

“Kissinger: It seems that it is. There is chaos threatening us, through the spread of weapons of mass destruction and cross-border terrorism. There is now a phenomenon of ungoverned territories, and we have seen in Libya, for example, that an ungoverned territory can have an enormous impact on disorder in the world. The state as a unit is under attack, not in every part of the world, but in many parts of it…

“SPIEGEL: … How should the West react to the Russian annexation of Crimea? Do you fear this might mean that borders in the future are no longer incontrovertible?

“Kissinger: Crimea is a symptom, not a cause. Furthermore, Crimea is a special case. Ukraine was part of Russia for a long time. You can’t accept the principle that any country can just change the borders and take a province of another country. But if the West is honest with itself, it has to admit that there were mistakes on its side. The annexation of Crimea was not a move toward global conquest. It was not Hitler moving into Czechoslovakia… Europe and America did not understand the impact of these events, starting with the negotiations about Ukraine’s economic relations with the European Union and culminating in the demonstrations in Kiev. All these, and their impact, should have been the subject of a dialogue with Russia. This does not mean the Russian response was appropriate…

“SPIEGEL: Relations between the West and Russia are tenser now than they have been in decades. Should we be concerned about the prospects of a new Cold War?

“Kissinger: There clearly is this danger, and we must not ignore it. I think a resumption of the Cold War would be a historic tragedy. If a conflict is avoidable, on a basis reflecting morality and security, one should try to avoid it… the West could not accept the annexation; some countermeasures were necessary. But nobody in the West has offered a concrete program to restore Crimea. Nobody is willing to fight over eastern Ukraine…  There’s no question that it was morally justified to overthrow Muammar Gadhafi, but we were not willing to fill the vacuum afterwards. Therefore we have militias fighting against each other today. You get an ungoverned territory and an arms depot for Africa…

“SPIEGEL: Are you in favor of a more assertive role for Europe, especially for Germany?

“Kissinger: Yes, certainly… Germany is the most significant European country and, yes, it should be much more active. I do have very high regard of Ms. Merkel, and I think she is the right person for leading Germany into this role…”

As can be expected, Henry Kissinger’s viewpoints reflect truth and error. His statements about Germany are remarkable.

Austria—What You Might Not Have Known About it!

The Local (Austrian edition) wrote on November 6:

“When Vladimir Putin visited Vienna in June 2014, the long-serving head of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber said it was already the third time he had received the Russian president. Putin, jokingly criticizing his host’s longevity, cried out in German: ‘Dictatorship! But good dictatorship.’ Austrian and Russian entrepreneurs in the audience burst out laughing. So did Austria’s president, Heinz Fischer, who amicably patted Putin on the back.

“In summer 2014, while EU-Russian relations were sinking toward Cold War levels, refocusing NATO’s attention on its Eastern flank, Austria was giving the Russian president the red-carpet treatment. Officially, Vienna supports EU sanctions against Russia, but most Austrians are unhappy with the measures, even after much fighting in eastern Ukraine.

“Austria is also moving ahead with the South Stream pipeline, a venture that will bring more Russian gas to Europe but that Brussels has criticized for its noncompliance with EU rules.

“It is not just Vienna’s stances on the Ukraine crisis and Russian energy that set it apart from many other European capitals. Austria’s entire European discourse is different. Few Austrians care about the euro crisis or the new European commissioners who entered office in November 2014. The country has its back to Brussels and looks toward Eastern and Southeastern Europe, where it earns most of its money…

“Austrians see themselves as ultra-pragmatists who never take a stand except when it comes to promoting their business interests. Muddling through is second nature to them… The Ukrainian border is closer to Vienna than the Swiss border is. Bratislava is a 50 minute drive away, and Budapest can be reached in a few hours… The Habsburg Empire once stretched from Italy’s Lombardy to Ukraine’s Lviv. Despite having been cut off from this hinterland during the Cold War, Austrians feel close to Central and Eastern Europe. There are family ties; the mentality is similar.

“Austria is also the second-biggest investor in Central and Eastern, in terms of GDP, after Germany. Austrians’ stability and prosperity depend on the region’s well-being…

“Austria has a different relationship with Russia from that of Poland or the Baltic states: those countries were ‘freed’ after the Cold War ended, while Austria’s understanding with Moscow continues. Vienna applied for EU membership only after an explicit go-ahead by then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989. Austria joined the EU in 1995, along with Sweden and Finland. It doesn’t dare join NATO.

“Austria… is the second-richest EU member state after Luxembourg. Government debt and the budget deficit are modest by eurozone standards, at 80.3 percent and 2.8 percent of GDP respectively in 2014…

“In the 1930s, Austrians fought Austrians in a civil war. Then came Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938, with big Austrian crowds cheering Hitler. After the Second World War, Germany went through a painful soul-searching process. Austria did not. It still portrays itself as a victim of the Germans…

“Thanks to Austrian neutrality, Vienna became the UN’s third headquarters after New York and Geneva… It is no coincidence that the US agents who were caught spying on German trade policy in July 2014 received their instructions and payment from the US embassy in the Austrian capital…

“In July 1989, Austria submitted a request for EU membership… Later that year, the Berlin Wall came down. That this event coincided with Austria’s move toward EU membership was an unbelievable piece of luck for Vienna. The fall of Communism meant that Eastern European countries would eventually join the union, shifting Europe’s heart eastward. Austria would sit right in the middle of this ‘new Europe’. This transition gave the Austrian economy a tremendous boost. The country’s entrepreneurs travelled all over Eastern Europe, buying up banks and companies and starting businesses…

“Vienna… has the second-biggest Serbian population after Belgrade… In Vienna, there is irritation about past and present EU policies toward Moscow and Kiev. Most Austrians agree the EU has made a mistake by getting closer to Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, and not to Russia…

“Austria was the first European country to receive Russian gas, in the late 1960s. A big storage facility, co-owned by Russia, lies close to Vienna. Austrians, who insist that this gas has always arrived on time, see no need to reduce their dependency on Russian energy…

“In the future, Austria will keep walking a tightrope in Europe. Itself a product of tension between East and West, the country will abide by EU rules and will be careful not to burn bridges… Austrians believe they are at the centre of the new Europe. Whatever this means, they must somehow make it work. And that is precisely what Austrians have always been doing: trying to reconcile irreconcilable viewpoints, and doing well out of it.”

Austria might very well play a major role in Europe. Another European country sympathetic to Russia would be Bulgaria.

Ethnic German First Romanian President

The EUObserver wrote on November 17:

“On Sunday night (16 November), thousands of people gathered again in University Square, waving Romanian flags with a round hole in the middle, just as they did in 1989, when they cut out the Communist coat of arms. This time, it was to celebrate the unexpected victory of Klaus Iohannis, the first Romanian president to come from an ethnic minority…
    
“55-year old Iohannis belongs to a small German ethnic minority in Transylvania which settled there in the 12th century and was as numerous as 700,000 before the Second World War… As a centre-right politician of German ethnicity, Iohannis is also likely to become an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.”

Deutsche Welle added on November 17:

“It’s a surprise of historic dimensions. For the first time since the political turn of events 25 years ago, Romanians have demonstrated cross-party solidarity… Klaus Iohannis has shown quite formidably that a Protestant ethnic German politician can be a good Romanian, too…

“Before the Iron Curtain fell, Romanians had to stand in line for nights on end to get a stick of butter or two bananas for their children. This time, they lined up to give democracy in their country a new chance. Against their own government’s wishes. And they persevered! Now it’s up to Iohannis to show that he deserves voters’ trust while at the same time providing for balance and reconciliation as the president of all Romanians.”

Most Migrants Obtain EU Citizenship Through the UK

The Times wrote on November 18:

“The UK granted almost a quarter of all new citizenships granted within the EU, according to official figures published today. Migrants from India topped the list of people being given a UK passport, followed by those from Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines in 2012, the statistics showed.

“The UK granted citizenship to the highest number of migrants of any of the 28 EU states in 2012, giving passports to 193,900 people.”

No Limit to Construction in East Jerusalem

Deutsche Welle reported on November 16:

“Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman… voiced in unequivocal fashion his nation’s right to housing construction in the annexed eastern section of Jerusalem, saying Israel would ‘never agree to limit its activity.’… German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier… urged Lieberman and the Israeli government to pursue all possible avenues for peace and, in particular, to ‘refrain from all activity’ that could potentially be a stumbling block to peace negotiations with Palestinians…

“Israel refers to the entire city of Jerusalem as its ‘united, undivided capital.’ The Palestinians demand that the city’s eastern sector be made capital of their promised state, and are vehemently against any Israeli attempt to expand construction. Liebermann’s remarks came four days after Israel approved plans to build 200 homes in Ramot in occupied East Jerusalem despite months of almost daily clashes and tensions there with Palestinians, triggered in part by settlement expansion.

“That announcement prompted a rebuke from Washington, which reiterated its ‘unequivocal’ opposition to such construction in East Jerusalem, warning it could ‘exacerbate this difficult situation on the ground and … will not contribute to efforts to reduce the tension.’… Recent disputes between Israelis and Palestinians also concern access to the flashpoint site known to Jews as Temple Mount and Muslims as the Al-Aqsa Mosque – part of a compound supervised by neighboring Jordan.”

Serious Upheaval in Israel

The Guardian wrote on November 18:

“Five Israelis were killed and eight more wounded in a frenzied assault by two Palestinian men [cousins] on Jewish worshippers praying at a Jerusalem synagogue in the most lethal incident in the city in years. The two assailants who launched their attack with meat cleavers and a gun during early morning prayers were then killed by police officers in the ensuing gun battle at the scene of the attack… Three of the victims held dual US-Israeli citizenship, and one was a British-Israeli citizen…

“The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a militant group, said the cousins were its members. A PFLP statement did not specify whether the group instructed the cousins to carry out the attack. Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that runs the Gaza Strip, also praised the attack. Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, vowed that Israel would ‘respond harshly’ to the attack, describing it as a ‘cruel murder of Jews who came to pray and were killed by despicable murderers’.

“The US secretary of state, John Kerry, said he spoke to Netanyahu after the assault and denounced it as an ‘act of pure terror and senseless brutality and violence. Innocent people who had come to worship died in the sanctuary of a synagogue,’ Kerry said, his voice quavering. They were hatcheted, hacked and murdered in that holy place in an act of pure terror and senseless brutality and murder. I call on Palestinians at every single level of leadership to condemn this in the most powerful terms. This violence has no place anywhere, particularly after the discussion that we just had the other day in Amman.’…

“The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the attack, the first time he has done so since a recent spike in deadly violence against Israelis began. He also called for an end to Israeli ‘provocations’ surrounding the sacred site… The statement called for an end to the ‘invasion’ of the mosque at the holy site and a halt to ‘incitement’ by Israeli ministers…

“Tuesday’s attack was the latest in a series of deadly assaults. Five Israelis and a foreign visitor have been deliberately run over and killed or stabbed to death by Palestinians while about a dozen Palestinians have also been killed, including those accused of carrying out those attacks. Residents trace the violence in Jerusalem to July, when a Palestinian teenager was burned to death by Jewish assailants, an alleged revenge attack for the abduction and killing of three Jewish teens by Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank…”

Deutsche Welle added on November 18:

“The armed wing of the militant group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine… praised [the two murderers] as ‘heroic comrades’ and ‘martyrs, and called for an escalation of ‘confrontations with (Israeli) occupiers and settlers who have no place on our land.’…

“Netanyahu blamed the attack on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. ‘This is the direct result of the incitement being led by [Islamist militant group] Hamas and Abu Mazen (Abbas), incitement which the international community is irresponsibly ignoring,’ Netanyahu said…

“Incidents of violence in Jerusalem, other parts of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has surged in the past month, fuelled in part by a dispute over a Jerusalem holy site referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.”

The Times of Israel commented on November 18:

“This was no case of ‘spontaneous terrorism’… the two terrorists… cousins from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, were apparently familiar with the synagogue where they staged their attack. They may have worked in the area; plainly, they gathered intelligence on it prior to the attack.

“The relatively high body count also sets Tuesday’s attack apart from the recent attacks — which include the attempted murder of Temple Mount activist Rabbi Yehudah Glick — and creates more potential for escalation. An indiscriminate massacre of worshipers in a synagogue, wrapped in their prayer shawls, strikes at the most basic symbols of the Jewish people, and could result in acts of revenge against Palestinians…

“Jerusalem refuses to return to normal… The decision-makers and the security establishment cannot solve the security nightmare that has enveloped Jerusalem…

“The prime beneficiaries of the grim new reality are the terror groups, led by Hamas. The Islamist terror organization is doing everything it can to inflame tensions and encourage more attacks. Its spokespeople praised the murderers in Tuesday’s attack, just as they did the previous killers. Joining Hamas are other terror groups…”

Israel Upset with Spanish Parliamentary Vote

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 19:

“Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday decried the Spanish parliament’s overwhelming vote in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state, which came hours after a deadly attack in a Jerusalem synagogue. ‘The declaration of the Spanish parliament only distances the chance of reaching an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians because it encourages the Palestinians to become more extreme in their positions,’ the Foreign Ministry statement said.

“The overwhelming but symbolic Spanish vote- 319 in favor, two against, one abstention – appealed to the government in Madrid to recognize Palestine in conjunction with any similar move from the European Union. French parliamentarians will also vote on the matter on November 28; Sweden formally recognized Palestine last month.

“‘It would have been better if the Spanish parliament had instead chosen to do the right thing by condemning the abominable slaughter carried out by inflamed Palestinians in a synagogue in Jerusalem,’ the Foreign Ministry said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said late on Tuesday that some countries were guilty of ignoring the bloodshed in the region and were instead seeking to reward the Palestinians, in reference to the vote in Spain.”

What’s Next for Saudi Arabia?

BBC News wrote on November 18:

“With the Middle East in an unprecedented state of turmoil, the need for smooth and orderly transfers of power in Saudi Arabia – ruled by a 90-year-old infirm monarch – has become more crucial than ever – but who will inherit the kingdom in the coming years is a thorny issue yet to be resolved.

“Saudi Arabia is a large and influential country. Guardian of the two most holy sites in Islam, it regards itself as leader of the Sunni community worldwide. The kingdom is a key player in Sunni attempts to block Shia Iranian influence in the Middle East – and is the world’s leading oil producer.

“On the face of it, the immediate succession process is arranged and agreed upon by the senior princes of the Al Saud royal family.

“King Abdullah will be succeeded by Crown Prince Salman, an event which in turn should make Prince Muqrin (at present deputy crown prince) the next heir to the throne… Today, the assumption – but no more than that – is that Prince Muqrin’s elevation to deputy crown prince means that in time he will be the last son of the founding monarch to sit on the throne. But Prince Ahmed [another one of King Abdullah’s sons] might still assert his seniority by age… King Abdullah is old and frail, while, according to unconfirmed reports, Crown Prince Salman (78) suffers health problems – something strongly denied by the Saudi authorities…

“A meeting of the Allegiance Council, a body consisting of sons and grandsons of Ibn Saud to resolve succession issues, was held in March 2014 and endorsed King Abdullah’s elevation of Prince Muqrin – with the proviso that this appointment could not be overturned. But not all princes present at that Allegiance Council meeting voted in favour of Prince Muqrin’s promotion. Differences of opinion are likely to manifest themselves still more when he, as the youngest of Ibn Saud’s sons, moves up the succession ladder…

“Saudi Arabia faces many internal challenges, ranging from rising youth unemployment, the return of jihadists from Iraq and Syria, to growing criticism of Al Saud on domestic social media and simmering restiveness in the Shia-dominated Eastern Province.”

Obama Ignorant About Climate Change?

On November 19, The Washington Times published an article by  Bob Carter and Tom Harris, stating that “Bob Carter is former professor and head of the School of Earth Sciences at James Cook University in Australia. Tom Harris is executive director of the Ottawa-based International Climate Science Coalition.” The article stated the following:

“The focus of the 2014 Group of 20 summit meeting in Brisbane, Australia, was on stimulating economic growth across the industrialized world. Thanks, though, to President Obama’s grandstanding and attempted sabotage of the agenda as laid out by the host country, climate change also came to prominence.

“For several months prior to the G-20, and despite strong Australian resistance, radical environmental groups had been lobbying for inclusion of global-warming issues on the meeting’s agenda. Mr. Obama was happy to oblige them. His endorsement of the U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change just before the G-20 was a signal that he would also use the Australian meeting to highlight his campaign to stop ‘global warming.’

“That global warming stopped 18 years ago and the warming of a few tenths of a degree between 1979 and 1997 shows no sign of being other than of natural origin is apparently unknown to the president. Taking action on climate change is to be a cornerstone of his presidential legacy. Bankrupting the domestic coal-mining companies is just an added bonus in Mr. Obama’s eyes…

“New scientific papers appear nearly every week that show that the claimed link between carbon-dioxide emissions and dangerous global warming is imaginary. Accordingly, the link between climate-change policy and energy policy is thereby invalidated, but this persistently escapes global-warming pundits…”

No Keystone XL Pipeline

The Washington Times wrote on November 18:

“Senate Democrats filibustered the Keystone XL pipeline on Tuesday, in a vote that reverberated from Louisiana, where a key senator’s career is now likely doomed, to the broader national Democratic Party, where environmentalists have emerged triumphant in a divisive internal battle with labor unions.

“The Keystone vote took on symbolism far beyond the small impact on American crude supplies and the slight effect expected on gas prices. Environmentalists drew lines and dared moderate and conservative Democrats to cross it. In the end, most were unwilling to defy the ascendant movement…

“The vote fell one shy of the 60 needed to overcome the filibuster, with 14 Democrats joining all 45 Republicans in backing the project. In the near term, the vote means President Obama gets to avoid a difficult decision on whether to veto the bill. But Senate Republicans said he shouldn’t get too comfortable because they will pass a new version as soon as they take control of the chamber next year. Based on Tuesday’s vote and Senate balance next year, Republicans should have enough support to overcome a Democratic filibuster but not enough to override a presidential veto…

“State Department officials have been delaying a decision for years, trying to decide whether to approve the final permit that would allow the pipeline to cross the international boundary between Canada and the U.S., bringing crude from the oil deposits in the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in the U.S….”

The Immigration Debate: Amnesty—Yes or No?

On November 20, The Washington Times published an article with the following headline: “Obama Offers Amnesty to 5 Million Illegal Immigrants.”

The article continued:

“Brushing aside warnings from Republicans, President Obama announced Thursday night that he is granting legal status and work permits for nearly 5 million illegal immigrants, igniting a constitutional furor that amounted to a declaration of war against the incoming GOP majorities in Congress.

“In a prime-time address from the White House, Mr. Obama said his action is ‘lawful,’ and he dared Republican critics in Congress to counter him by passing a comprehensive legislation, which he said would be a permanent fix…

“Specifically, the president’s executive action will:

“–Create a new deferred deportation program for parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent resident children, if they have been in the country for more than five years. It will grant them work permits for three years if they pass background checks and pay back taxes and fees. In nearly all states, the people who are granted legal status will be entitled to driver’s licenses.

“–Expand protection from deportation to more ‘Dreamers,’ or people who came to the U.S. illegally as children, and grant more work permits to high-skilled workers.

“–Establish a new priority system for deporting illegal immigrants, requiring the Department of Homeland Security to focus on people serving jail time for criminal offenses.

“–Add more immigration judges to the border region so illegal immigrants who are deemed low-priority can be released more quickly, and recent border crossers and those with serious criminal records can be deported…

“The president said his executive action was ‘common sense,’ and rejected the characterization that he is granting amnesty… ‘Mass amnesty would be unfair,’ Mr. Obama said. ‘Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character. What I’m describing is accountability — a commonsense, middle ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. If you’re a criminal, you’ll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up.’

“Mr. Obama asserted that his action is similar to ‘the kinds of actions taken by every single Republican president and every Democratic president for the past half century.’

“Mr. Obama had resisted this type of executive action for years, and had repeatedly told immigrant-rights activists he didn’t have the authority to issue such a broad exemption from deportations. The White House has struggled to explain his new legal analysis, though they have assured reporters that Homeland Security and Justice Department lawyers have approved his decisions.”

Newsmax had reported on November 19: 

“A move by President Obama granting ‘amnesty’ to some illegal immigrants would ruin the chances of Congress acting on immigration and other issues, a spokesman for U.S. House Speaker John Boehner warned on Wednesday. ‘If “Emperor Obama” ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for congressional action on this issue – and many others,’ Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement emailed to reporters.”

President Obama did announce what Republicans have termed as “amnesty,” even though the President rejected that characterization. It remains to be seen what Republicans will do now… if anything.

The Mormon Church—What You Might Not Have Known About It!

The New York Times wrote on November 10:

“Mormon leaders have acknowledged for the first time that the church’s founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, portrayed in church materials as a loyal partner to his loving spouse Emma, took as many as 40 wives, some already married and one only 14 years old… Many Mormons, especially those with polygamous ancestors, say they were well aware that Smith’s successor, Brigham Young, practiced polygamy when he led the flock in Salt Lake City. But they did not know the full truth about Smith…

“Smith probably did not have sexual relations with all of his wives, because some were ‘sealed’ to him only for the next life… The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is formally known, has quietly posted 12 essays on its website over the last year on contentious topics such as the ban on blacks in the priesthood, which was lifted in 1978, and accounts of how Smith translated the Book of Mormon, the church’s sacred scripture.

“In 1890, under pressure by the American government, the church issued a manifesto formally ending polygamy. The church’s essay on this phase admits that some members and even leaders did not abandon the practice for years. But the church did renounce polygamy, and Mormons who refused to do the same eventually broke away and formed splinter churches, some that still exist…

“There remains one way in which polygamy is still a part of Mormon belief: The church teaches that a man who was “sealed” in marriage to his wife in a temple ritual, then loses his wife to death or divorce, can be sealed to a second wife and would be married to both wives in the afterlife…”

How the Book of Mormon Came Into Being

The following can be found on the official website of the Mormon Church, pertaining to the translation of the Book of Mormon:

“Joseph Smith reported that on the evening of September 21, 1823, while he prayed in the upper room of his parents’ small log home in Palmyra, New York, an angel who called himself Moroni appeared and told Joseph that ‘God had a work for [you] to do.’ He informed Joseph that ‘there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.’ The book could be found in a hill not far from the Smith family farm. This was no ordinary history, for it contained ‘the fullness of the everlasting Gospel as delivered by the Savior.’

“The angel charged Joseph Smith to translate the book from the ancient language in which it was written. The young man, however, had very little formal education and was incapable of writing a book on his own, let alone translating an ancient book written from an unknown language, known in the Book of Mormon as ‘reformed Egyptian’ Joseph’s wife Emma insisted that, at the time of translation, Joseph ‘could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon.’

“Joseph received the plates in September 1827 and the following spring, in Harmony, Pennsylvania, began translating them in earnest, with Emma and his friend Martin Harris serving as his main scribes. The resulting English transcription, known as the Book of Lehi and referred to by Joseph Smith as written on 116 pages, was subsequently lost or stolen. As a result, Joseph Smith was rebuked by the Lord and lost the ability to translate for a short time.

“Joseph began translating again in 1829, and almost all of the present Book of Mormon text was translated during a three-month period between April and June of that year. His chief scribe during these months was Oliver Cowdery, a schoolteacher from Vermont who learned about the Book of Mormon while boarding with Joseph’s parents in Palmyra. Called by God in a vision, Cowdery traveled to Harmony to meet Joseph Smith and investigate further. Of his experience as scribe, Cowdery wrote, ‘These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven.’

“The manuscript that Joseph Smith dictated to Oliver Cowdery and others is known today as the original manuscript, about 28 percent of which still survives. This manuscript corroborates Joseph Smith’s statements that the manuscript was written within a short time frame and that it was dictated from another language. For example, it includes errors that suggest the scribe heard words incorrectly rather than misread words copied from another manuscript. In addition, some grammatical constructions that are more characteristic of Near Eastern languages than English appear in the original manuscript, suggesting that the base language of the translation was not English…

“Joseph Smith and his scribes wrote of two instruments used in translating the Book of Mormon. According to witnesses of the translation, when Joseph looked into the instruments, the words of scripture appeared in English. One instrument, called in the Book of Mormon the ‘interpreters,’ is better known to Latter-day Saints today as the ‘Urim and Thummim.’ Joseph found the interpreters buried in the hill with the plates. Those who saw the interpreters described them as a clear pair of stones bound together with a metal rim. The Book of Mormon referred to this instrument, together with its breastplate, as a device ‘kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord’ and ‘handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages.’

“The other instrument, which Joseph Smith discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the gold plates, was a small oval stone, or ‘seer stone.’ As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure. As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.

“Apparently for convenience, Joseph often translated with the single seer stone rather than the two stones bound together to form the interpreters. These two instruments—the interpreters and the seer stone—were apparently interchangeable and worked in much the same way such that, in the course of time, Joseph Smith and his associates often used the term ‘Urim and Thummim’ to refer to the single stone as well as the interpreters…

“Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument…

“Another scribe, Martin Harris sat across the table from Joseph Smith and wrote down the words Joseph dictated. Harris later related that as Joseph used the seer stone to translate, sentences appeared. Joseph read those sentences aloud, and after penning the words, Harris would say, ‘Written.’

“The principal scribe, Oliver Cowdery, testified under oath in 1831 that Joseph Smith ‘found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraven on the plates…’”

All of this, if true, sounds rather spooky and dangerously demonic. Inasmuch as the Book of Mormon, as it is known today, contains many Scriptural errors and false doctrinal teachings, contradicting the Bible, we know that it was not of godly origin. The narrative above, if accurate, seems to confirm even more clearly what its true origin has been. Insofar as the real Urim and Thummim are concerned, they had nothing to do with the gift of translating languages. Please read our Q&A titled, “What is known about the biblical ‘Urim and Thummim?’”

Al Sharpton’s Shaky History

The New York Times wrote on November 17:

“Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo hailed him as a civil rights icon. President Obama sent an aide to read a message commending Mr. Sharpton’s ‘dedication to the righteous cause of perfecting our union.’ Major corporations sponsored the lavish affair. It was billed as a ‘party for a cause,’ in honor of Mr. Sharpton’s 60th birthday…

“Mr. Sharpton’s influence and visibility have reached new heights this year, fueled by his close relationships with the mayor and the president. Obscured in his ascent, however, has been his troubling financial past, which continues to shadow his present.

“Mr. Sharpton has regularly sidestepped the sorts of obligations most people see as inevitable, like taxes, rent and other bills. Records reviewed by The New York Times show more than $4.5 million in current state and federal tax liens against him and his for-profit businesses. And though he said in recent interviews that he was paying both down, his balance with the state, at least, has actually grown in recent years. His National Action Network appears to have been sustained for years by not paying federal payroll taxes on its employees.

“With the tax liability outstanding, Mr. Sharpton traveled first class and collected a sizable salary, the kind of practice by nonprofit groups that the United States Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration recently characterized as ‘abusive’ or ‘potentially criminal’ if the failure to turn over or collect taxes is willful.

“Mr. Sharpton and the National Action Network have repeatedly failed to pay travel agencies, hotels and landlords. He has leaned on the generosity of friends and sometimes even the organization, intermingling its finances with his own to cover his daughters’ private school tuition…

“He was among a small group at the White House when Mr. Obama announced his nomination of Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to become the next attorney general…

“Mr. Sharpton separated from his wife, Kathy, in 2004 and moved to an apartment in Manhattan. She stayed in the Brooklyn house owned by the Jordans. Once again, even though the landlord was a friend, problems arose paying the rent…”

Problems with Undercover Operations

The New York Times reported on November 15:

“The federal government has significantly expanded undercover operations in recent years, with officers from at least 40 agencies posing as business people, welfare recipients, political protesters and even doctors or ministers to ferret out wrongdoing, records and interviews show…

“But the broadened scope of undercover work, which can target specific individuals or categories of possible suspects, also raises concerns about civil liberties abuses and entrapment of unwitting targets. It has also resulted in hidden problems, with money gone missing, investigations compromised and agents sometimes left largely on their own for months… And in what became a major political scandal for the Obama administration, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed guns to slip into Mexico in 2011 in an operation known as Fast and Furious that involved undercover operations [resulting in the murder of innocent victims]…

“I.R.S. rules say that, with prior approval, ‘an undercover employee or cooperating private individual may pose as an attorney, physician, clergyman or member of the news media.’… Across the federal government, undercover work has become common enough that undercover agents sometimes find themselves investigating a supposed criminal who turns out to be someone from a different agency, law enforcement officials said. In a few situations, agents have even drawn their weapons on each other before realizing that both worked for the federal government…”

It was also stated in the article that the undercover activities of the government have to be, by necessity, “deceptive.”

Incompetent Child “Protective” Services

The website of benswann.com published the following article on November 15, referring to such actions as “legal kidnapping”:

“The safe place for Alex Hill, a 2-year-old from Cameron, Texas, turned out to be anything but that, when she was killed by her foster mother. After her father, Joshua Hill, admitted to using marijuana, Alex Hill was placed into foster care in early 2013. Her father told child welfare investigators that he smoked after the child was in bed at night. Her mother also has a medical condition that causes frequent seizures, so because of that, the toddler was removed from the house, despite appearing healthy and happy with her parents. Her foster mother, Sherill Small, was sentenced to life in prison for the July 2013 death of the girl. The girl’s parents, Hill and Mary Sweeny, reported bruises on their child during visitations.

“According to Fox 43, four months before Hill was set to regain custody he received a call that Alex was in the hospital.  Small admitted to police that she had slammed the child onto the floor, saying it was an accident. Alex’s autopsy revealed several bruises all around her body, and a medical examiner stated her head hit the floor so violently that she had ‘subdural hemorrhaging, subarachnoid hemorrhaging, and retinal hemorrhaging in both eyes,’ according to court testimony. Another disgusting part of this case, the foster parent’s husband, who lived in home while Alex was there, is a recovering crack cocaine addict and had multiple drug charges.”

How History Can Be “Modified”

AFP wrote on November 15:

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that the Americas were discovered by Muslims in the 12th century, nearly three centuries before Christopher Columbus set foot there… ‘Muslim sailors arrived in America from 1178. Columbus mentioned the existence of a mosque on a hill on the Cuban coast,’ Erdogan said. Erdogan said that Ankara was even prepared to build a mosque at the site mentioned by the Genoese explorer…

“History books say that Columbus set foot on the American continent in 1492 as he was seeking a new maritime route to India. A tiny minority of Muslim scholars have recently suggested a prior Muslim presence in the Americas, although no pre-Columbian ruin of an Islamic structure has ever been found. In a controversial article published in 1996, historian Youssef Mroueh refers to a diary entry from Columbus that mentions a mosque in Cuba. But the passage is widely understood to be a metaphorical reference to the shape of the landscape.”

There is really no evidence that Muslims set foot on American soil prior to Columbus. At the same time, it seems to be fairly established that long before Columbus, Swedish explorers and Vikings (descendants from the ancient Israelite tribes of Benjamin and Napthali) “discovered” America, including Norseman Leif Eriksson.

Muslim Prayers in the National Cathedral—Sacred Muslim Land Forever

Breitbart wrote on November 14:

“100 years ago today, the last Caliph, or emperor of Islam, declared the last Jihad against the infidel– and today is the first time ever that the National Cathedral in the nation’s capital will host Muslim prayers. Most American’s will have no idea that, as part of World War I, the then-Caliph of the Ottoman empire declared a Holy War against infidels, as was his right within sharia law and Islamic theology…  That statement by the last sitting head of what was the theocratic empire of Islam was the catalyst which led to religiously-fueled genocide against Christian Armenians and Assyrians…

“It is, of course, no accident that the 9/11 attacks, the worst terror attacks in world history, occurred exactly to the day in 1683 when the Islamic Ottoman forces were defeated outside the city walls of Vienna, the deepest the Islamic Caliphate’s forces made it into the heart of the Christian West… The fact that this event is occurring just as ancient Christian communities are being destroyed in the Middle East and ‘non-believers’ are being actually crucified by ISIS jihadists makes it all the more egregious.

“We know that the Episcopal church is in trouble with more conservative believers leaving in great numbers and the remaining adherents not exactly outdoing their Catholic cousins in terms of reproducing the next generation of believers. But I doubt they also understand the finer points of jihadist doctrine, one of which is that if a place of worship is used by Muslims for their prayers, that territory subsequently becomes part of Dar al Islam, sacred Muslim land. Forever.”

Newsmax added on November 17:

“Franklin Graham, son of ‘America’s Preacher’… Billy Graham, has slammed the Washington National Cathedral for allowing Muslims to hold their first prayer service there Friday…

“The Muslim prayer service, called a ‘Jummah’ or Friday call to prayer, was hosted by Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the U.S., who is Muslim, and… Canon Gina Campbell, pastor of the cathedral, in cooperation with the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Society of North America, Muslim Public Affairs Council and The Nation’s Mosque…”

Church of England’s Women Bishops

BBC News reported on November 17:

“The Church of England will break with centuries of tradition on Monday when the general synod amends Church law to allow the appointment of female bishops…

“It was in July this year that the historic vote at the general synod in York took place – allowing women to wield real power in the Church after an earlier setback two years before when the synod voted no. After the change to canon law is made, the first female bishop in the Church of England can finally be appointed…”

Spend Time, Discipline, Set Right Examples, Pray and Read Bible With Your Children

CNS News wrote on November 19:

“World renowned evangelist… Billy Graham… said that our children are growing up in a ‘lawless and wicked age,’ infused with the ‘philosophy of the Devil, who says, “Do as you please.”’

“Further, rearing children in this culture is difficult because ‘we have taken God out of our educational systems and thought we could get away with it,’ said [Billy] Graham. ‘We have sown the wind, and we are now reaping the whirlwind. We have laughed at God, religion and the Bible.… Many Christian parents are becoming fearful that they cannot properly train their children in this lawless and wicked age… Many of our educational leaders sneer at the old-fashioned idea of God and a moral code. Movies feature sex, sin, crime and alcohol. Teenagers see these things portrayed alluringly on the screen and decide to go and try them. Newspapers have played up crime and sex until they seem glamorous to our young people’…

“One of the fundamental problems, according to [Billy] Graham, is the failure of parents to fight ‘the Devil in the home’ through discipline and, as a result, ‘children are allowed to go wild.’ Parents must spend time with their children, set a good example for them, discipline them, and teach them to ‘know God,’ said the pastor, who has five children and 19 grandchildren. ‘If you fail to discipline your children, you are breaking the laws, commandments and statutes of God,’ said [Billy] Graham.  ‘You are guilty not only of injuring the moral, spiritual and physical lives of your children, but of sinning against God. The Bible says that if you fail to discipline your children, you actually hate them.’

“The best way to influence your children, he added, is to set a good example because ‘the majority of children acquire the characteristics and habits of their parents.’ As for teaching your children to know God, [Billy] Graham said, ‘Very seldom do parents have trouble with children when the Bible is read regularly in the home, grace is said at the table and family prayers take place daily. Most trouble with teenagers comes from children reared in homes where prayer is neglected, the Bible is never opened and church attendance is spasmodic. Christ gives the moral stability, understanding, wisdom and patience needed to rear children.’”

“Obama Should Pack His Bags and Leave”

The German mass tabloid Bild Online wrote on November 6:

“It would be best if [Obama] would pack his bags, leave the White House and move back to Chicago. What has gone so terribly wrong for the political Messiah? In one word: Everything! Obama did not make the world better, but he made it less American.

“Those who want to grasp dictatorial power are encouraged by his weakness. Those who want to live in freedom after the American example feel betrayed he wanted to be a good friend of the world, and he antagonized his most important allies from Berlin to Jerusalem. The only good news: The Obama tragedy will be over in 806 days. Too bad it is not over sooner.”

Obama–There Will Be No Troops on the Ground”—Except…

The Associated Press reported on November 7:

“A senior military official says that American military advisory teams will now go to Iraq’s western Anbar province where Islamic State militants have been gaining ground and slaying men, women and children. The teams are part of President Barack Obama’s new directive to expand the U.S. mission in Iraq by deploying another 1,500 U.S. troops to serve as advisers, trainers and security personnel. The official said it is likely that the bulk of the additional troops will be in Iraq by the end of the year. This would bring the total U.S. forces in Iraq to about 3,100, and would mark their first return to Anbar since the war ended.

“Obama is also asking Congress for more than $5 billion to help fund the fight. The White House says the troops won’t serve in a combat role, but will train, advise and assist Iraqi military and Kurdish forces fighting IS. White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama has also authorized the additional personnel to operate at Iraqi military facilities outside Baghdad and Erbil. Until now, U.S. troops have been operating a joint operation center setup with Iraqi forces there.”

Commentators expressed their fear that all of this might lead to another Vietnam with America again on the losing end. It was also criticized that there does not seem to exist any strategy and explanation of America’s clearly defined goals in Iraq and Syria; that everything is being decided ad hoc—on the spur of the moment; and that if Congress approves those measures, they bear the same culpability as the White House. Note also the next article.

America’s Mission in Iraq—Everything Going Wrong!

The Huffington Post wrote on November 11:

“In its early stages, I asked sarcastically, ‘What could possibly go wrong?’ As the mission enters its fourth month, the answer to that question is already grimly clear: just about everything. It may be time to ask, in all seriousness: What could possibly go right?…

“The latest American war was launched as a humanitarian mission. The goal of its first bombing runs was to save the Yazidis, a group few Americans had heard of until then, from genocide at the hands of the Islamic State (IS). Within weeks, however, a full-scale bombing campaign was underway against IS across Iraq and Syria with its own ‘coalition of the willing’ and 1,600 U.S. military personnel on the ground…

“The U.S. Department of State lists 60 participants in the coalition of nations behind the U.S. efforts against the Islamic State. Many of those countries (Somalia, Iceland, Croatia, and Taiwan, among them) have never been heard from again… There is no evidence that America’s Arab ‘allies’ like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, whose funding had long-helped extreme Syrian rebel groups, including IS, and whose early participation in a handful of air strikes was trumpeted as a triumph, are still flying.

“…in the end, the U.S. will either have to withdraw from Iraq yet again, or cede the western part of the country to IS, or place many, many boots on the ground…

“Al-Qaeda-linked fighters have just recently overrun key northern bastions previously controlled by U.S.-backed Syrian rebel groups and once again, as in Iraq, captured U.S. weapons have landed in the hands of extremists. Nothing has gone right for American hopes that moderate Syrian factions will provide significant aid in any imaginable future in the broader battle against IS…

“You don’t have to have a crystal ball to see the writing in the sand in Iraq and Syria. The military can already sense the coming failure that hangs like a miasma over Washington…”

We have said it many times before… America is not going to win this or any other war prior to Christ’s return.

One Curse After Another

Bloomberg News wrote on November 7:

“The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a challenge to the subsidies that are a linchpin of President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul, accepting a case that suddenly puts the law under a new legal cloud. Two years after upholding much of the law by a single vote, the justices today said they will hear a Republican-backed appeal targeting tax credits that have helped more than 4 million people afford insurance.

“A ruling blocking those credits might unravel the law, making other provisions ineffective and potentially destabilizing insurance markets in much of the country. The high court’s decision to hear the case comes days before the start of the law’s second open-enrollment season Nov. 15. A decision will come by June.

“The justices will consider an appeal filed by four Virginia residents seeking to block the subsidies in 36 states. The appeal says the Obama administration is engaging in a ‘gross distortion’ of the law’s wording by granting billions of dollars in tax credits to people in those states.

“A Supreme Court ruling against the administration would open a new period of uncertainty about the future of American health care. It would mean that more than half of the 7.3 million people who have bought Obamacare policies aren’t entitled to the subsidies they are receiving. The ripple effects might be even more dramatic. Without the tax credits, many of those people would find insurance so expensive that they would qualify for the law’s hardship exemption and no longer have to obtain a policy.

“That could raise coverage costs for insurers, forcing them to raise rates. Hospitals would be left to foot the bills for more uninsured patients.”

This is bad news either way. Obamacare is a curse for the American nation, but to repeal the tax credit provision would be an additional curse, as the astronomical rates of healthcare policies are already more than the average American can bear. To raise the rates even more would lead to the further destruction of the middle-class through America’s government and legal system.

No Discount–The UK Will Still Pay!

BBC News reported on November 7:

“George Osborne’s claim to have halved the UK’s £1.7bn EU budget surcharge has been challenged by his EU counterparts.

“The UK will pay two interest-free sums next year totalling £850m, instead of a larger lump sum by 1 December, after a rebate from Brussels due in 2016 appeared to have been brought forward. Mr Osborne argued the deal reached on Friday was a real result for Britain.

“But the Dutch finance minister said the UK would not get a discount. Shadow chancellor Ed Balls accused Mr Osborne of ‘spin’ and said it was ‘a diplomatic disaster for the government.’

“Under the initial plan, the UK was due to get a 1bn euros rebate in 2015-6 but it will be allowed to bring that forward to the second half of 2015 to reduce the surcharge. But its 2016 rebate will be 1bn euros smaller as a result.

“…foreign ministers questioned whether the UK’s contribution had changed. Ireland’s Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the UK would ‘pay the full amount’, and Hans Joerg Schelling, from Austria, said ‘the amount cannot be put in question’. Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem added: ‘The UK has … a rebate, which they have had for a very long time and of course this mechanism of rebate will also apply on the new contribution. So it’s not as if the British have been given a discount today.’

“And Eurosceptic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan suggested the deal achieved by the chancellor may not represent any reduction in the total amount. He said: ‘The EU sticks us with a bill. Ministers double it, apply the rebate, return to the original figure and claim victory. We’re meant to cheer? Britain is worse off in absolute terms, but a straw man has been knocked down.’

“UKIP leader Nigel Farage said Mr Osborne was ‘trying to spin his way out of disaster’, saying the UK was still going to pay the full £1.7bn.

“[Labour’s]  Mr Balls said: ‘By counting the rebate Britain was due anyway, they are desperately trying to claim that the backdated bill for £1.7bn has somehow been halved. But nobody will fall for this smoke and mirrors. The rebate was never in doubt and in fact was confirmed by the EU Budget Commissioner last month.’”

Die Zeit wrote on November 7:

“Cameron’s panic damages Europe. As Merkel became the strongest political in Europe, Cameron tries to make Merkel his strongest ally. But even as a closest ally, Markel cannot save the European skin of the British Premier.”

It reminds us of the Biblical prophecy—as a forerunner—that Ephraim (modern UK) will go to Assyria (modern Germany) for help, but Assyria cannot help them (compare Hosea 5:13)

Ukraine Under Attack?

Reuters reported on November 7:

“Ukraine’s military accused Russia on Friday of sending a column of 32 tanks and truckloads of troops into the country’s east to support pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces. A NATO military officer said on Friday the alliance had seen an increase in Russian troops and equipment along the border and was looking into reports of Russian tanks crossing into eastern Ukraine.”

Die Welt wrote on November 7:

“Moscow invades [east] Ukraine. Is the outbreak of war just a matter of time?”

America Russia’s Adversary?

The Financial Times wrote on November 10:

“According to Russian officials and security analysts, Moscow’s worst stand-off with the west since the end of the cold war has convinced Mr Putin’s government that it must moor its security interests to China because the Euro-Atlantic security architecture is broken beyond repair…

“Russian diplomats and analysts also said Moscow hoped to build the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan in 1996, into a more meaningful security alliance.

“In a speech last month that left western observers bewildered for its rabid anti-Americanism and its lack of proposals for a positive agenda, Mr Putin bemoaned what he described as the destruction of the mechanisms that used to govern international security affairs… He accused the US of creating a world order in which brute force could become the only means for resolving conflicts…

“Mr Putin is under no illusion that things will get any easier. The next US president is almost certain to be more hawkish towards Russia than Barack Obama…”

While Russia’s relationship with America and Europe is deteriorating, a strong alliance between Russia and China is being formed.

Israel Faces Tough Months

Reuters wrote on November 10:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to keep his fractious coalition together as talk of early elections grows, but in trying to bolster himself domestically he runs the risk of further alienating international partners.

“To satisfy restive far-right parties in his government, Netanyahu has promised more settlement on land the Palestinians seek for an independent state, greatly aggravating the United States and the European Union.

“And in an effort to keep ultra-nationalists sweet, he has not denounced their calls for Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s holiest site, although he has said a decades-long ban on such prayer will not be changed.

“That cautious approach has harmed Israel’s ties with Jordan, which oversees the holy site – known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and Jews as Temple Mount – prompting Amman to withdraw its ambassador for the first time since a 1994 peace treaty.

“It has also fueled the worst violence Jerusalem has seen in a decade, with daily rioting in the mainly Arab east of the city and talk of a new Palestinian uprising. ‘From the outside, it’s hard to understand why he’s doing what he’s doing,’ says one European ambassador, expressing frustration at what he regards as Netanyahu’s stubbornness… That suggests the next half year could be a tumultuous period, with Netanyahu trying to keep his ever more demanding coalition partners onside, even if that means throwing them bones that alarm the Palestinians and international allies.

“The question is whether Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister since the first, David Ben-Gurion, can keep a handle on the growing unease his policy approach appears to be causing, or whether events might spiral out of control. With Sweden having last month become the first major Western country to recognize Palestine as an independent state, any miscalculation could provide other European countries with justifications to follow Sweden’s lead.

“And all the while, the Israeli prime minister is having to deal with a deepening security crisis as violence grows… And underpinning everything is the lack of any peace talks with the Palestinians. The last round broke off in April after months of largely fruitless sessions. Since then, relations between Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have worsened markedly…

“It was only a few months ago that Netanyahu talked of a ‘new horizon’ in the Middle East, saying the threat from Islamic State meant that countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt shared an interest with Israel in defeating Islamist extremism. Now, however, with Jordan having withdrawn its ambassador and Egypt on edge about developments at the Noble Sanctuary, which contains al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, that new horizon is starting to look distant and cloudy.”

Evolution Backwards?

The Washington Post wrote on November 5:

“Researchers report that they’ve found the missing link between an ancient aquatic predator and its ancestors on land. Ichthyosaurs, the dolphin-like reptiles that lived in the sea during the time of the dinosaurs, evolved from terrestrial creatures that made their way back into the water over time. But the fossil record for the lineage has been spotty, without a clear link between land-based reptiles and the aquatic ichthyosaurs scientists know came after. Now, researchers report in Nature that they’ve found that link — an amphibious ancestor of the swimming ichthyosaurs named Cartorhynchus lenticarpus.

“Ocean-bound ichthyosaurs had very long snouts (leading to their frequent comparison to modern dolphins) that were made for capturing fish and squid. This new animal [Cartorhynchus lenticarpus] had a shorter snout — more like a land-based reptile. It also had large flippers and flexible wrists, which would have allowed it to flop around on land like a seal.

“One of the most important differences between this new ichthyosaur and its supposed descendants comes down to being big boned: When other vertebrates have evolved from land to sea living, they’ve gone through stages where they’re amphibious and heavy. Their thick bones probably allowed them to fight the power of strong coastal waves and stay grounded in shallow waters. Sure enough, this new fossil has much thicker bones than previously examined ichthyosaurs.

“The animal lived about 4 million years after the worst mass extinction in our planet’s history [It] was probably one of the first predators to appear after that extinction.”
 
Now, how did it appear? Out of thin air? In any event, this is another aspect of the incredibly juvenile fairy tale of the Evolution fantasy. According to that theory and the survival of the fittest idea, higher life forms developed from lower life forms—birds from reptiles, and mammals from fish and reptiles. Also, it is alleged that reptiles roaming the sea and the ocean evolved into a higher species of reptiles living on land.

But there has always been a problem with ocean-bound mammals, which the Evolution concept cannot explain. And now we are asked to believe that higher developed land-living reptiles “DE-volved” again into sea-living reptiles, turning the survival of the fittest concept on its head. Evolutionists, make up your minds! Please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”

Deep Divisions in the Catholic Church

The Washington Post wrote on November 10:

“Just a few years ago, former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke was riding high. A conservative leader in a conservative Catholic Church under a conservative pope, he seemed to fall into the Vatican’s favor after taking a few high-profile stands against the godless.

“The fights he picked always managed to make headlines. In 2004, the Wisconsin native said he would refuse to give pro-choice Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) communion. In 2007, he resigned from the board of a Catholic hospital after it invited Sheryl Crow, who is pro-choice, to play a benefit concert. And in 2009, he let the University of Notre Dame have it for giving President Obama an honorary degree.

“‘The proposed granting of an honorary doctorate at Notre Dame University to our president, who is so aggressively advancing an anti-life and anti-family agenda, is rightly the source of the greatest scandal,’ Burke said.

“The reward for this holy work? In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI made Burke head of the Vatican’s supreme court. In 2010, he made Burke a cardinal. 

“These were the good times. Then along came Francis — the freewheeling Argentine pope who loves gays, loves divorcees and hates income inequality. After a few high-profile disagreements with Burke, Francis made him patron of… a charity. The Associated Press called the office ‘largely ceremonial.’

“It was as if Chief Justice John Roberts had been sent to call balls and strikes at a little-league game. The Catholic News Service expounded upon the seriousness of Francis’s [demotion] of the 66-year-old cardinal:

“‘It is highly unusual for a pope to remove an official of Cardinal Burke’s stature and age without assigning him comparable responsibilities elsewhere…’

“‘Many have expressed their concerns to me,’ Burke said last week, as USA Today reported. ‘There is a strong sense that the church is like a ship without a rudder.’… For Francis, this seems to have been the last straw…  There are quite obviously deep divisions within the church. Archbishop Burke is one bishop who has chosen to confront them directly, as opposed to other bishops who may prefer to minimize them…”

“Pagan” Nominal Christians?

Breitbart wrote on November 7:

“Not all those who claim to be Christians really are, said Pope Francis Friday morning. Some are Christians ‘in name only,’ he said. ‘They bear the name of Christians but live a life of pagans.’

“In his homily at Mass, the Pope [said] that there have always been two types of Christian, those who truly followed Christ and those who only pretended to. At the time of Saint Paul, there were ‘worldly Christians, Christians in name only, with two or three Christian features, but nothing more.’ The Pope called this sort of people ‘Pagan Christians,’ whom St. Paul called ‘enemies of the cross of Christ.’

“‘In Paul’s time, the Pope said, the two groups of Christians ‘were in church together praised the Lord, and were called Christians.’ So what was the difference?, he asked. The second were ‘enemies of the cross of Christ.’

“The Pope went on to say that ‘even today there are many! We must be careful not to slip into the way of pagan Christians.’ These are the ones, he said, who are ‘pagans painted over with two brush strokes of Christianity, so they look like Christians, but are really pagans.’

“According to Francis, we all run the risk of becoming ‘Christians in appearance.’

“The Pope suggested that there are questions we can ask ourselves to know what sort of Christians we are. He said that all of us—the Pope included—need to ask ourselves: ‘How much worldliness is in me? How much paganism?’”.

These are good questions, but it is strange that they should be asked by the pope—the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. After all, it is the Roman Catholic Church which placed a Christian mantle over pagan concepts and worship practices.

For instance, the “Christian” celebrations of Sunday, Christmas and Easter are pagan to the core. They have NOTHING to do with the worship of Christ. In fact, God forbids us to worship Him in that way, saying that the pagans worshipped their sun and moon gods and goddesses on Sundays, Christmas and Easter, and that true Christians are NOT to worship the Father or Jesus Christ in that way or on those days.  For more information, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

Was Jesus Married and Did He Have Children?

Beitbart reported on November 10:

“Did Jesus marry Mary Magdalene and have children? Although the Bible portrays Jesus as a single man, the idea that he may have had an earthly family continues to be a perennial favourite spawning numerous fictional works such as bestseller[s] The DaVinci Code and The Last Temptation of Christ, both of which were popular enough to be turned into Hollywood films.

“Now the authors of a new book, The Lost Gospel, claim to have uncovered real evidence that the marriage did indeed take place, and that Jesus had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, the Daily Mail has reported.

“The book draws its conclusions from a text found in the British Library, where it has lain for 20 years after the British Museum moved it there. It was bought in 1847 from a dealer who claimed to have bought the manuscript, a Syriac text written on vellum, from the St Macarius Monastery in Egypt…

“The authors were easily able to decode the basic symbolism, but what the authors eventually discovered is as surprising as it ground-breaking: the confirmation of Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene; the names of their two children; the towering presence of Mary Magdalene (who was a Gentile priestess), a serious plot on Jesus’ life in 19 C.E. prior to the crucifixion; an assassination plot against their children; Jesus’ connection to political figures at the highest level of the Roman Empire—Emperor Tiberius and his protégé Sejanus;  and a religious movement that antedates that of Paul—the Church of Mary Magdalene…

“But not everyone is convinced. Commenting on the publisher’s blurb, Mark Goodacre, Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins as Duke University said: ‘If there are some grounds for caution, one might see them in the idea that this work will provide ‘the confirmation of Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene’. ‘Since there are no ancient sources that speak of Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene, it is not clear at this stage how a newly discovered work could provide ‘confirmation’ of this. The note that she is a ‘Gentile priestess’ is curious and, one would have thought, makes it unlikely that the work goes back to the first century, so too the idea that they had two named children.’”

This whole concept is ridiculous. There have been many ancient manuscripts about Jesus, containing fairy tales and outright nonsense, which are in clear contradiction to the Holy Scriptures. Fabrications and forgeries already circulated at the time of Paul. We point out in our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible,” that Peter, Paul and John canonized the Scriptures, and no mention is contained therein of any marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, resulting in two sons, and that she was a Gentile priestess. On the other hand, the Bible does mention the marriage of the apostle Peter, his mother-in-law, and the fact that other apostles were married as well, and that their wives accompanied them on their travels, but no inkling of a wife is mentioned in regard to Christ.