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Nigeria: Suspected Islamist Gunmen Storm Church and Kill Six Christians After ‘Leave-In-Three-Days-Or-Die’ Ultimatum
Here’s an update on this story …
Agence France-Presse – “KANO, Nigeria – Gunmen stormed a church in northern Nigeria Thursday and killed six people as they were praying, the pastor said, as an ultimatum from Islamists for Christians in the region to leave expired.
‘It was around 7:30 pm (1830 GMT),’ John Jauro told AFP of the attack in the city of Gombe.
‘I was leading the congregation in prayers. Our eyes were closed when some gunmen stormed the church and opened fire on the congregation. Six people were killed in the attack and 10 others were wounded.’
He said there was confusion as worshippers sought to flee at the Deeper Life Christian Ministry Church.
‘The attackers started shooting sporadically. They shot through the window of the church, and many people were killed including my wife,’ Jauro told Reuters. ‘Many of my members who attended the church service were also injured.’
A police spokesman declined to comment until Friday, saying he was on his way to the church with the state police commissioner.
The attack comes after a purported spokesman for Islamist group Boko Haram on Sunday issued a three-day ultimatum for Christians living in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north to leave the region.
There was however no claim of responsibility for the attack.
The ultimatum came after President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday declared a state of emergency in parts of four states hit hard by violence blamed on Boko Haram, particulary Christmas bombings that killed 49 people.
Gombe is outside the areas affected by the state of emergency decree.
On Wednesday night, bomb blasts hit two northeastern cities that are included in the emergency declaration.
No casualties were reported after the bomb attacks in Maiduguri and Damaturu, claimed by the same purported spokesman for Boko Haram who issued the ultimatum to Christians.” Read more.
Earthquakes Prompt Record Insurance Claims in 2011
Luke 21:8-11, “He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first … Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven …”
(Reuters) – “Insurance industry damage claims from natural disasters like the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand reached a record $105 billion (67.3 billion pounds) in 2011, Munich Re (MUVGn.DE), the world’s biggest reinsurer, said on Wednesday.
The cost to insurers from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March, which caused nearly 16,000 deaths, was estimated at $35 billion to $40 billion, the company said in its annual review of the prior year’s natural disasters.
That equalled the insured cost of all the natural disasters to strike the United States during the year, it said.
An earthquake in New Zealand in February added a further $13 billion to insurers’ claims payout for the year, Munich Re said.
The earthquakes together made up about half of last year’s total insured losses from natural catastrophes, which topped the previous record of $101 billion set in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Munich Re compares losses in original dollars, and not adjusted for inflation.
‘Normally, it is the weather-related natural catastrophes that are the dominant loss drivers,’ Munich Re said.” Read more.
Indonesia: Anti-Christian Incidents Nearly Double in 2011, Worst May Be Yet to Come
Compass Direct News — “Acts of violence and intolerance against Christians in Indonesia almost doubled in 2011, with an Islamist campaign to close down churches symbolizing the plight of the religious minority.
The Indonesian Protestant Church Union, locally known as PGI, counted 54 acts of violence and other violations against Christians in 2011, up from 30 in 2010.
The number of such incidents against religious minorities in general also grew, from 198 in 2010 to 276 in 2011, but the worst is perhaps yet to come if authorities continue to overlook the threat of extremism, said a representative from the Jakarta-based Wahid Institute, a Muslim organization that promotes tolerance.
Rumadi, who goes by a single name, said his Wahid Institute also observed an attempt to institutionalize intolerance in this archipelago of about 238 million people, of whom about 88 percent Muslim. At least 36 regulations to ban religious practices deemed deviant from Islam were drafted or implemented in the country in 2011.
A Jakarta-based civil rights group, the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, noted that both the government and groups in society were responsible for the incidents, with the main violators including religious extremist organizations such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
Indonesia’s hot-bed of extremism is West Java, the most populous province that includes the nation’s capital city of Jakarta. This province alone witnessed 160 incidents against religious minorities. In the 1950s, West Java was the base of an Islamist group, Darul Islam, whose splinter groups are still active, fighting the ‘secular’ government and religious minorities.” Read more.
Flashback: Massive Increase of Radical Islamism Spreads Throughout Indonesia, Including ‘Top-Quality’ Universities – “The suicide bombing of a church in Central Java on Sept. 25 pointed not only to a new level of attacks on religious minorities in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country but to a political bent that accommodates Islamist extremism. ‘Radicalization of Islamic teachings and understanding is a problem in Indonesia,’ admitted Dr. H. Nasaruddin Umar, director general of Islamic Community Guidance under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. ‘There’s a need to re-explain the concept of jihad.’ Pino Damayanto, aka Ahmad Yosepa Hayat, who blew himself up wounding over 20 members of the Sepenuh Injil Bethel Church (Bethel Full Gospel Church) in Solo on Sept. 25, apparently believed it was his religious duty to kill ‘the enemies of Islam,’ according to his understanding of ‘jihad.’” Read more.
Italy: Etna Volcano ‘Awakens’ Sending Column of Ash and Smoke Over 16,000 Feet High, Air Traffic Disrupted at Catania’s Airport
“(WAPA) – The Etna volcano has greeted new year with an eruption of Strombolian type this morning that has provoked a 5,000 m smoke column high (at the moment) that constitutes potential danger at the arriving and departing activity of airplanes in Catania’s airport.
The task-force present on the air station has decided the limitation of air traffic until 2:00pm of today, when the unit will gather again.
At the moment in which we write the eruptive activity has finished, but remain problems linked to the volcanic ash cloud, whose move has continuously controlled.
“The limitations will not cause significant changes at the scheduled flights in consideration of the reduced number of aircraft movements planned daily for the interested period”, is read in a press-release issued by the airport’s management society.
The effusive activity of Strombolian kind is characterized from magma (from basaltic to intermediate) sticky in a medium manner, that provoke a permanent activity from emission at regular intervals of lava fountains and pieces that reach hundred of meters of high, and from the launch of lapillus and volcanic bombs.” Source – Avionews.
China: Hong Kong Finds H5N1 Virus in Dead Gulls
By Wang Qingchu – “Two dead black-headed gulls found in Hong Kong were tested H5N1 positive, Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.
The dead gulls, a migratory bird commonly seen in the special administrative region, were discovered in Tuen Mun and Lantau Island last Friday and on Monday. There is no poultry farm within 3 kilometers where the carcasses were found, Wen Wei Po reported today.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has alerted chicken farmers to take precautions against the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu.
Further tests are being conducted to confirm the results, the authority said.
Hong Kong raised its bird flu alert level to ‘serious’ on December 21 after the H5N1 virus was found in a dead chicken in a local poultry market. As a result, nearly 20,000 chickens in the market were destroyed and local farms were banned from sending chickens to the market for 21 days.
A man died in hospital last Saturday after being infected with the H5N1 virus in Shenzhen, a city bordering Hong Kong.” Source – People’s Daily Online.
Ohio Putting Earthquake Preparedness Plans In Place After Nearly a Dozen Earthquakes in 2011 Puzzles Officials
“PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — There were 11 earthquakes in eastern Ohio in 2011.
Most of them were not very powerful and caused little damage, but some people are asking about emergency plans if a major quake hits the area.
The new phenomenon of earthquakes in eastern Ohio is puzzling many people.
Some geologists say that discarded brine used while drilling for natural gas is being injected near fault lines. It acts as a lubricant, inducing the earthquakees.
Emergency management officials in and near Youngstown say they have a general plan that covers any and all emergencies.
‘Specific to that, earthquakes are so broad in category that we don’t have a one-on-one say do this, do this, do this. It falls under that emergency operations plan,’ said Clark Jones, of the Mahoning County EMA.
Jones says officials near Youngstown worked together to create a checklist for earthquake preparedness.
‘It gives a general outline of what to do prior to earthquakes to be prepared for them if you’re in an area that’s prone to earthquakes, which we seem to be all of a sudden,’ he said.
Officials say they have dealt with many different kinds of natural disasters, but never expected an earthquake like the one on New Year’s Eve. Their goal now is to better prepare in the future.” Read more.
Iraq: Suspected Sunni Insurgents Targeting Shiites Kill at Least 72 in Baghdad and Karbala
Yet another reminder of the division that exists within the kingdom of Islam. Under Barack Obama’s “leadership” America was wrong again and history will indeed judge this President’s leadership — in the word’s of John McCain — with “scorn and disdain”, and sooner rather than later. Today’s attack is just one more step on Iraq’s road to Iran …
BAGHDAD (AP) — “A wave of bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq killed 72 people on Thursday, deepening sectarian tensions that exploded just after the last American troops left the country in mid-December.
The coordinated attacks targeting Shiites bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The bombings began early in the morning when explosions struck two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people. A few hours later, a suicide attack hit Shiite pilgrims heading to the holy Shiite city of Karbala, killing 45, said provincial official Quosay al-Abadi. The explosions took place near Nasiriyah, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad. Hospital officials confirmed the causalities.
The blasts occurred in the run-up to Arbaeen, a Shiite holy day which marks the end of 40 days of mourning that follow the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure. During this time, Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq make their way to Karbala, south of Baghdad.
Baghdad military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the aim of the attacks is ‘to create turmoil among the Iraqi people.’ He said it was too early to say who was behind the bombings.
The new violence will only exacerbate the country’s political crisis pitting politicians from the Shiite majority who dominate the government against the Sunni minority, which reigned supreme under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.” Read more.
Shia villagers forced out by Sunnis in Indonesia – “Several hundred Shia muslims in Indonesia have been forced to flee their village after Sunni muslims set fire to several buildings. A total of 351 Shia are now being sheltered in a sports stadium after their mosque, religious school and three houses at Nangkernang in eastern Java were burned by Sunni people on Saturday. Those responsible reportedly threatened to kill the Shia villagers because they believe it is a heretical form of islam. Ruby Khalifa, spokeswoman for AMAN, the Asian Muslim Action Network, says this incident is part of a disturbing trend towards greater religious intolerance in Indonesia.” Source – ABC Radio Australia.
Sweden: Wave of Violence and Shootings in Malmo Puzzles Swedish Police
Is what is happening now in Malmo, Sweden somehow related to this? Nothing at this time suggests that it is, but we can’t ignore the fact that where there are large populations of Muslims, there is often a higher rate of rapes and other violent crimes. No matter what the cause is, it needs to end …
By LOUISE NORDSTROM – “STOCKHOLM (AP) — A new wave of execution-style shootings in Sweden’s third largest city has left police puzzled, raising concerns that Malmo has become a magnet for gang-related killings.
On Thursday dozens of police took to the streets in the southern Swedish city of 250,000 to try calm the public and to collect tips about the attacks, which come only a year after a suspected serial shooter was arrested there.
‘We’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s exceptional that there have been so many murders in such a short period of time,’ police spokesman Lars-Hakan Lindholm said. ‘People are worried of course and want to talk about it.’
In less than six weeks, five people have been shot dead in execution-style killings, prompting local police to ask for back-up from national investigators and for Malmo Mayor Ilmar Reepalu to call on the country’s justice minister to implement tougher gun laws.
Sweden’s gun control laws are fairly strict. Penalties for possessing illegal arms typically involve fines or up to one year in prison, but serious breaches of the law can result in a four-year sentence.
Lindholm said that due to the fast escalating death-toll police presence has now been bumped up by about 30 extra officers in the city on weekdays and by around 40 on the weekends. Malmo is an eclectic city, where about 40 percent of its residents are first- or second-generation immigrants.
The latest murder occurred on Tuesday, when a man in his late 40’s was shot dead in broad daylight on an open street near his Malmo home.
Two days earlier, a 15-year-old boy was killed in the midst of the Malmo New Year celebrations.
‘They’re almost like executions,’ Lindholm said of the killings, but noted that there are still no suspects in the slayings and police remain baffled to what the motives might be.” Read more.
Flashback: Losing Malmo: Sweden Surrenders Their Third Largest City … to Muslims – “Do you remember the jihadist terror campaign that ravaged Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city? Do you recall the bombings, the suicide-hijackings, and the random assassinations that finally coerced the city to surrender to Islamization? No? Funny, I don’t remember them either. Yet there is no question that Malmo has surrendered. Large enclaves of the city, like similar enclaves throughout Western Europe, have earned the dread label ‘no-go zone.’ They are unsafe for non-Muslims, particularly women who do not conform to Islamist conventions of dress and social interaction. They are especially perilous for police, firefighters, and emergency-medical technicians. Why would a community discourage the so-called first-responders? After all, the top priority of law-enforcement officers is to assist crime victims. In an Islamic enclave, a high percentage of these will be Muslims.” Read more.
Flashback: Muslim Violence in Europe Increases Sharply: Is It Crime or Jihad? – “The alarming increase in Muslim violence against indigenous Europeans the last several months has been virtually ignored by the American media. Is this due to respect for ‘peaceful’ Muslims, fear of the violent ones, or political correctness? I suspect it’s ‘all of the above.’ While the scant reporting that has occurred has mostly labeled the violence as ‘crime’ committed by Muslim ‘youths’ for ‘economic reasons,’ the facts suggest otherwise: When Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile, he urged Muslims to move to Europe to claim it for Islam. They have moved there by the millions with precisely that intent.” Read more.
Atonement: Muslim vs Christian Understanding
Genesis 22:8, “And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb…'”
John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'”
By Jack Smith

This article will compare the concept of “atonement” in Christianity with that of Islam.
The Bible teaches that sin is universal (Isaiah 53:6); that is, everyone sins, and everyone falls short of God’s standard of righteousness (Romans 3:23). Mankind’s sinfulness acts as a separator between man and God (Isaiah 59:2), a barrier that removes humanity from God, and renders relationship with holy God, impossible. Hence, humanity is ”out-of-relationship” with God, and in need of being reconciled. Atonement is the doctrine whereby God and mankind are made ”at-one-ment,” that is, God and mankind are reconciled, and the nature of this new reconciled relationship is eternal and without end.
Since all have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness, humanity cannot make amends for acts of sinfulness, nor can humanity’s righteous acts “offset” unrighteous acts. Isaiah 64:6 puts it this way: “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like filthy garments.” Man’s best efforts at righteousness are likened to filthy rags. How then can humanity ever make amends for unrighteous acts if our righteous acts are likened to filthy rags? Likewise, how then can “filthy rags” offset unrighteous acts? Quite the opposite occurs. Mankind is dismally separated from God and can do nothing to make things right. It is as if humankind has an incurable illness; an illness that will eventually render him eternally separated from a holy God.
Because of man’s condition, God acts to reconcile mankind to Himself. He does so by providing the means whereby mankind’s unrighteousness is made righteous. God provides a savior who is held accountable for the sins of humankind. The savior cannot be another sinner because a sinner cannot make atonement for even his own sins (sinners fall short of God’s standard, Romans 3:23), much less those of another sinner. The savior must be perfect, without sin, or the savior, himself, will fall short of God’s standard.
The Christmas message reminds us that
Read more…Turkey Warns Against Shi’ite-Sunni Cold War, Encourages Close Contact With All Sides
Sensing a dangerous and deepening division within the Islamic kingdom, Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu is travelling to Iran in an effort to mend the Shia and Sunni lines of demarcation. But even if “al-Mahdi” were to arrive tonight and bring the two branches of Islam together under the banner of one mind, any apparent alliance would still be temporary, for what disunites the kingdom of Islam today will ultimately continue to disunite the kingdom of Islam tomorrow. Those who understand the times in which we live already know that this kingdom will remain fundamentally divided right up until the time when Messiah returns to remove it from the earth forever and establish His own everlasting Kingdom …
Daniel 2:41, “Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay…”
Ezekiel 38:21, “‘I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Every man’s sword will be against his brother.'”
Daniel 2:45, “… And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
Reuters – “ANKARA – Middle East powerhouse Turkey on Wednesday warned against a sectarian Cold War in the region and said rising Sunni-Shi’ite tensions would be ‘suicide’ for the whole region.
‘Let me openly say that there are some willing to start a regional Cold War,’ Foreign Minster Ahmet Davutoglu told state-run Anatolian news agency before heading to Shi’ite Iran.
‘We are determined to prevent a regional Cold War. Sectarian regional tensions would be suicide for the whole region,’ Davutoglu said, adding such effects would last for decades.
‘Turkey is against all polarizations, in the political sense of Iran-Arab tension or in the sense of forming an apparent axis. This will be one of the crucial messages that I will take to Tehran.’
Majority Sunni Turkey, which borders Iran, Iraq and Syria, has attempted to play a moderating role as rivals Shi’ite Iran and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia jockey for influence in a region undergoing sweeping changes brought on by ‘Arab Spring’ popular uprisings.
Davutoglu is expected to hold talks in Tehran later on Wednesday on Iran’s nuclear program and developments in neighboring Iraq and Syria.” Read more.
Flashback: Arab Spring Begins Weeding Out Christians as Sunni and Shia Ideologies Lock Horns Over Control of New Islamic Kingdom – “Islamic factions jockeying for position from out of the ashes of the Arab Spring are posing an increased threat to Middle East Christians, an international human rights group contends… The Ayatollah Khamenei told the listeners the Arab Spring was guided by Islam and said Muslims worldwide should rally to the Islamic cause… Ayatollah Khamenei’s call for an Islamic power bloc fits together with the objectives of other Islamic groups and countries. ‘Iran’s jihadist objectives are exactly the same as al-Qaida, the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey. Indeed, the Iranian leadership was among the first, most consistent and most vocal of supporters of the ‘Islamic Awakening … the Iranians want to be the ones seen as the leaders of the jihadi movement,’ Lopez said.” Read more.
Flashback: Muslim Brotherhood Calls for a ‘United Arab States’ with Jerusalem as its Capital – “In this recent video, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Dr. Safwat Hegazy, a popular preacher, talks about how he yearns to see Arab nations become ‘like the United States’—for them to unify into the ‘United Arab States.’ While that may sound like an admirable (or at least neutral) goal, bear in mind what he is alluding to: the resurrection of a caliphate—which by nature exists to expand, including through jihad.” Read more.
Flashback: Saudi King Calls for the Formation of a Sunni Arab Super State Into One Unified Diplomatic and Military Confederation – “King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia formally called for the formation of a Gulf Union on a backdrop of regional unrest and growing tensions with rival Iran. ‘I ask today that we move from a phase of cooperation to a phase of union within a single entity,’ Abdullah said during his address at the opening session of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council conference in Riyadh.” Read more.
Norway: 20 Tons of Dead Fish Suddenly Disappear from Norwegian Beach
Here’s an odd update on this story. I’d say that the whole thing smells fishy, but that’s kind of hard to do now with the fish all gone. They’re swimming with the fishes, as it were. It turns out that Tide isn’t only great for cleaning dirty clothes. It works on beaches, too …
By Brad Lendon (CNN) – “Tons of dead herring that washed up on a Norwegian beach on New Year’s Eve are now gone, and no one is sure how they got there or where they went.
Local resident Jan-Petter Jorgensen told Norway’s TV2 he went to look at the thousands and thousands of fish after seeing a Facebook posting about them, according to a report on The Foreigner.
Joregensen said it was fortunate the icy cold prevented the mass of dead fish from raising a stink.
‘It is 15 degrees below zero today, so the cold means they don’t smell. Nevertheless, the smell will be pretty intense in the long run,’ he said, according to The Foreigner report.
Turns out that wasn’t a problem. Views and News from Norway reports that as of Tuesday, most of the dead fish were gone, perhaps pushed out to sea by tides and winds. The local mayor said they’ll likely sink in the ocean, according to the report.
Why they came to be on the shore remains a mystery.
Jens Christian Holst of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway told Norwegian Broadcasting the herring may have been chased ashore by predators, the Views and News report said.
‘In this area, we know there is a lot of (pollock) that graze on (herring),’ he said.
Seems like a reasonable explanation.” Read more.
Judge to Obama: If You Want To Be On Georgia’s Ballot, Prove Your Eligibility
By BOB UNRUH – “For the first time in dozens of court cases challenging Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president, a judge has ruled that Obama must, in order to be a candidate on the Georgia ballot for president in 2012, meet the constitutional demands for candidates for the office.
A hearing has been scheduled later this month for evidence on the issue that has plagued Obama and his presidency since long before he took office. At issue is the constitutional requirement that a president be a ‘natural-born citizen.’ Some allege he was not born in the U.S. as he has claimed and, therefore, is not eligible.
Others, including top constitutional expert Herb Titus, contend that the term ‘natural-born citizen,’ which is not defined in the Constitution, would have been understood when the document was written to mean the offspring of two U.S. citizens. That argument is supported by a 19th-century U.S. Supreme Court decision
Under that standard, Obama could not qualify, because his father, as identified on the ‘Certificate of Live Birth’ image released by the White House, was a foreign national who came from Kenya to study in the U.S. and never was a citizen.
The ruling came today from Judge Michael W. Malihi of the Georgia state Office of State Administrative Hearings.
In Georgia, a state law requires ‘every candidate for federal’ office who is certified by the state executive committees of a political party or who files a notice of candidacy ‘shall meet the constitutional and statutory qualifications for holding the office being sought.’
State law also grants the secretary of state and any ‘elector who is eligible to vote for a candidate’ in the state the authority to raise a challenge to a candidate’s qualifications, the judge determined.
While Obama’s attorney, Michael Jablonski, had argued that the requirements didn’t apply to candidates for a presidential primary, the judge said that isn’t how he reads state law.
‘Statutory provisions must be read as they are written, and this court finds that the cases cited by [Obama] are not controlling. When the court construes a constitutional or statutory provision, the ‘first step … is to examine the plain statutory language,’ the judge wrote. ‘Section 21-2-1(a) states that ‘every candidate for federal and state office’ must meet the qualifications for holding that particular office, and this court has seen no case law limiting this provision, nor found any language that contains an exception for the office of president or stating that the provision does not apply to the presidential preference primary.'” Read more.
Flashback: The Citizenship Status of Obama’s Father Invalidates Obama’s Eligibility to be President (Video):





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