An Al-Arqam follower who is charged with murdering a Malaysia couple admitted in High Court that he had hit the victims with a piece of wood, crash helmet and mop handle to exorcise them. “I could see that there were many evil spirits in my house and in the bodies of all my family members which I needed to remove,” the man said
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Accused Say They Had No Intention To Kill Couple In Exorcism Ritual
Islam has been placed in the limelight for the past decade; almost every news broadcast mentions Islam or Muslims in one way or another. “Experts” have emerged and taken it upon themselves to educate, or attempt to educate, us on this apparently complex and foreign religion.
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The Truth About Islam: Come and Learn (New University)
Pictures That Should Not Embarass Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) After World War II, gone to many people's thoughts was the fact it was used in Hinduism , Buddhism, and even with the Navajo Tribe.
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Pictures That Should Not Embarass – Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
It is no coincidence that Robert Harris’s latest novel Lustrum is dedicated “to Peter”. The historic battle between Cicero and Caesar, portrayed in the book, is remarkably similar to the present struggle between Lord Mandelson and Ed Balls.
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For Caesar and Cicero, read Ed Balls and Peter Mandelson
Diligent readers of yesterday’s Times will have come across the report about the imprisonment in Malawi of two men who had just become engaged. Tiwonge Chimbalanga — a transvestite — and Steven Monjeza, both in their early twenties, pledged themselves to each other in front of 500 witnesses, and then were carted off to jail, and may now face a sentence of 14 years.
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The anti-sex brigade are the worst of hypocrites
So, the milk bottle full of small change. Last Tuesday, you recall, if you were in a fit state to be reading the paper, I set the challenge of guessing how much a collection of 12 months’ shrapnel would be worth
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Small act of charity won’t change the world
The anti-Nazi resistance within Germany took different forms: some fought against Hitler, and some thought against Hitler; some defied the horror physically, and others intellectually.
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Heroes of the moral resistance against Adolf Hitler
Hostilities have started. The frenzied announcements and counter-announcements from the Conservative and Labour parties over the past few days point towards a long, grinding election campaign.
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The Liberal Democrats are not for sale
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has told Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam not to allow the use of the term “Allah” in any publication while the Government appealed the High Cou…
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12. Jakim: Don’t use term while appeal is taking place (The Star)
As the new semester is about to begin, here is a listing of casebooks and teaching materials on law and religion designed for law schools and law students available from major law book publishers (listed alphabetically by author): Ariens & Destro, Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society, 2d ed., (Carolina Academic Press, 2002). Belsky & Bessler-Northcutt, Law and Theology , (Carolina Academic Press, 2005). Berg’s The State and Religion in a Nutshell, 2d (West Pub., 2004).
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A Survey of Law & Religion Casebooks For Law Schools
For more proof that Ireland aspires to be the Oklahoma of the European Union, consider its handling of expression that touches on religion : It defines blasphemy as publishing or uttering matter grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, and intending by such publication to cause such outrage. As definitions of blasphemy go, I must say that is cracker-jack, spot-on, and quite possibly perfect (don’t change a word, Ireland!). The question, of course, is why the legislature of a modern democratic state is bothering to offer this definition, and not only that, putting legal teeth behind it
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Enchanted Ireland
If you watched the Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s, you probably noticed two things: that Tim Tebow hardly could have been more brilliant in his final collegiate game and that his iconic biblical eyeblack referred to Ephesians 2:8-10. If so, you would have been twice as observant as many sportswriters. They seemed to only notice Tebow’s performance
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The apple of Tebow’s eyeblack
WSN Bureau AMRITSAR : In a move that will open a Pandora’s box for the Sikh nation, Giani Gurbachan Singh, the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib has ratified the decision of the SGPC to dilute the Sikh almanac –the Nanakshahi Calendar. What will come as a shock to the Sikh world is that the provost of the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs put his seal on the suggestions of the SGPC at 2.10 pm today, without calling a meet of the Jathedars of the five Takhts, as is the customary decision to do so, but arranged for a quorum by inviting four Granthis of Darbar Sahib to endorse the decision
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Akal Takht Jathedar ratifies SGPC decision on Sikh calendar
Last March, three American evangelical Christians, whose teachings about “curing” homosexuals have been widely discredited in the United States, arrived in Uganda to give a series of talks. Now the three Americans are finding themselves on the defensive, saying they had no intention of helping stoke the kind of anger that could lead to what came next: a bill to impose a death sentence for homosexual behavior.
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U.S. Evangelicals’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push
It was a busy New Year’s weekend for Mark Barna, religion reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette , who covered the growing split between James Dobson and Focus on the Family, the powerful and prominent evangelical parachurch organization he has led for decades. Focus, which has struggled with declining income and layoffs, has for years been concerned about its future and its transition to a new generation of leaders
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Dobson’s family squabble
Reuters and UAE’s The National report that yesterday an administrative court in Cairo, Egypt upheld the decision by higher education minister Hany Helal and heads of three universities to bar women from wearing the niqab (full face veil) while taking university exams. The government said that the ban was imposed in part because students (male and female) were taking exams disguised as others by wearing the face veil.
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Report Says Egypt Court Upholds Ban of Niqab In University Exam Rooms
I didn’t sub the part about the 10 healthiest foods because the segment bored me. ♪ In Korea, someone who has high tolerance is respected because alcohol is a huge part of the culture.
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100102 MBLAQ – Un/Healthy Lifestyle (subbed)
When we think through the expositional process, we are really concerned about three stages. The first stage is understanding the text (exegetical). The final stage is producing the sermon (homiletical). The link between the two is the bridge in John Stott’s metaphor (in Between Two Worlds ). The bridge is the theological abstraction process. In Haddon Robinson’s book you’ll find reference to the exegetical idea, the theological idea and the homiletical idea. You could equally refer to the “at that time” – “timeless” – “at this time” progression of the stages. This basic concept is important to grasp. In order to accurately preach the message a passage today, we have to first consider the timeless theological abstraction of the main idea. Here are a couple of questions to consider as you move from the exegetical to the theological stages of the process: 1. What does this passage say about God? Whether God is mentioned directly or not, every passage should be considered and preached theocentrically. The Bible is God’s self-revelation, and since He doesn’t change, the timeless truth of a passage will relate to God in some respect. This does not mean that the passage is stripped of human interest, but that God is recognized as the key character, whether or not He is mentioned in those specific verses
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The Theology Bridge
NOTE TO EDITR, BUSINESS DESK Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (âBank Islamâ) has successfully raised an Islamic financing facility of RM327 million for Prolintas Expressways Sdn Bhd, the toll concessionaire and operator of the Guthrie Corridor Expressway.
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PROLINTAS SIGNS RM327 MILLION ISLAMIC FINANCING FACILITY WITH BANK ISLAM AND SYNDICATE FINANCIERS (Bernama via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
The first blow that started the warlike crack inside the Messianic Jerusalem Church occurred at the Council of Jerusalem held on 50 A. … The Christians that separated from Judaism misinterpreted this Jerusalem Council verdict as “doing away” with the Mosaic Law….This short-lived revolt was the most significant event in the split between Judaism and Messianic Gentile Christianity….The Pharisees that believed in the Messiah, which developed into Rabbinic Judaism, and the Messianic Gentile Christians….
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A LITTLE LEAVEN, LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP: The EPHESUS CHURCH of the Kabbalistic Book of Revelation – 2
We have not because we ask not. How many times have we needed God but have been too stubborn to open our mouths and just say so? How many crazy situations have we found ourselves in, only to discover that if we had just spoken up and been honest about our need of help or support or comfort or whatever-it-is-you-needed-at-the-time, we wouldn't have been left to muddle our way through it? I know.
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All You Need To Do Is Ask
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government Friday released a list of 33 holidays for 2010. The government will also observe 18 restricted holidays from which each employee can choose two days to observe as holidays. Public Offices will remain closed for Sri Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday (January 5); Basant Panchmi and Satguru Ram Singh’s birthday (January 20); Republic Day (January 26); Sri Guru Ravidas’s birthday (January 30); Maha Shivaratri (February 12); Holi (February 28); Shahidi Divas of Bhagat Singh (March 23); Ram Navami (March 24); Mahavir Jayanti (March 28); Good Friday (April 02); Baisakhi and Dr.
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Punjab govt released holiday calendar for 2010-11
A new sight puzzles winter ramblers in East Suffolk: above the snowy fields that sweep down to the River Blyth, there stands a bold hand-lettered sign declaring “Say no to sea eagles here”.
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Why the sea eagle has no right to land here
If I were to asked to write the lexicon of the Brown years, I know with which word I would start. Reform: a process by which a system is changed in such a way as to intensify its inherent faults and weaknesses, and greatly to increase the cost
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We’re picking up the bill for right-to-buy
Opening thought : What a decade the last one was, huh? We started 2000 with a Constitutional Crisis in which the Supreme Court determined the winner of the Presidential election, soon followed with September 11 th , the worst day since December 7 th , 1941.
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Numbers 14 – The Price of Rebellion
Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) today gave approval to bring in amendments in the ‘Nanak Shahi’ Calendar, used by the Sikh community, at a meeting here amid chaos. However, three out of 15 executive members — Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Karnail Singh Panjoli and Bibi Ravinder Kaur from Haryana — boycotted the meeting held at Teja Singh Samundri Hall here as they were opposed to the amendment. Last week, the Akal Takht, highest Sikh temporal seat, had sent its proposals to SGPC, considered the mini-parliament of Sikhs, to discuss the necessary steps to make amendments in the calendar.
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SGPC executive approves amendment in Nanakshahi
Although the traditional day for the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord is January 6, the celebration is now often moved to the Sunday closest to the day, which means the Catholic Church celebrates the Epiphany today. I confess that the first use of the term “epiphany” that had any real significance to me was the secular use of the term by James Joyce to refer to a sudden flash of insight or perception. I remember spending lots of time in senior High School English class talking about epiphanies in Joyce’s Dubliners and others of his works
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Solemnity of the Epiphany