The post Putting God On The Run? – Open Heavens for Teens 15 June 2019 appeared first on Flatimes.
Kmart Apologizes after Photo Kiosks Ban Christian Words, Label Them as Profanity
Kmart is under fire after customers in Australia noticed that certain Christian words were banned from printing at the store’s photo kiosks.
According to the Christian Post, Anthony and Marelynda Dorsett were attempting to have photos printed for their church group when they noticed that words including “God,” “Jesus,” “church,” “Bible,” and “Jewish” were replaced by asterisks in their photos. Reportedly, Kmart’s photo printing software deemed the words as profanity.
Kmart is claiming that the error was from a glitch in the kiosk’s software. According to the Daily Telegraph, Kodak announced the “software issue” affected all Kmart photo kiosks across the country and the issue was resolved by Thursday morning.
Journalists from the Daily Telegraph decided to investigate to supposed glitch to see if words associated with other religions were also banned. According to News.com, the reporters found that words including “Islam,” “Allah” and “Koran” were allowed.
Still, Kmart is asserting that the ban on Christian words was not intentional and was not a targeted attempt to suppress Christian values.
A spokeswoman for the company said in a statement that it was a “system error and it will be updated overnight.”
She continued, “It in no way reflects our views as a business.”
“At Kmart, we support…
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Open Heaven 15 June 2019 – Jesus still Heals
The post Open Heaven 15 June 2019 – Jesus still Heals appeared first on Flatimes.
No money from French tycoons as US donors foot Notre Dame repair bills
Instead, it has been mainly American citizens, through the charitable foundation Friends of Notre Dame, who have footed the bills and paid salaries for up to 150 workers employed since the April 15 fire that devastated the cathedral’s roof and caused its famous spire to collapse.
This month the foundation is handing over the first payment for the cathedral’s reconstruction of 3.6 million euros (£3.2 million).
“The big donors haven’t paid. Not a cent,” said Andre Finot, senior press official at Notre Dame.
“They want to know what exactly their money is being spent on and if they agree to it before they hand it over, and not just to pay employees’ salaries.”
Hundreds of millions was promised by some of France’s richest and most powerful families and companies, some of whom sought to outbid each other, in the hours and days after the fire.
It prompted criticism that the donations were as much about the vanity of the donors wishing to be immortalised in the edifice’s fabled stones than the preservation of church heritage.
Francois Pinault of Artemis, the parent company of Kering which owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, promised 100 million euros (£90 million), while Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of French energy company Total, said his firm would match that figure.
Bernard Arnault, chief executive of luxury giant LVMH…
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My Little Pony Children’s Cartoon to Introduce Lesbian Couple
Another animated series is set to debut LGBT characters, and this time it’s a program that parents may have watched as a child: My Little Pony.
The television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic will introduce a lesbian couple – Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty – in Saturday’s episode on Discovery Family. The couple are caretakers for the pony Scootaloo, according to ComicsBeat.com and BuzzFeedNews.
The episode is titled “The Last Crusade.”
“My Little Pony has always been about friendship and accepting people (or ponies) that are different from you. So it just felt like something important to do,” Michael Vogel, a writer and producer of the My Little Pony series, told BuzzFeedNews. Vogel is gay.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is in its ninth and final season. The first eight seasons are on Netflix.
The newest episode was written by Nicole Dubuc.
He credited Dubuc and another writer, Josh Haber, for sticking with the plot.
“Nicole and I thought this was a great opportunity to organically introduce an LGBTQ couple in the series, and we asked Hasbro and they approved it,” Vogel said. “With Josh and Nicole running the final season together, it was something we all wanted to do – bring this out couple into the final season and make them ‘officially’ a part of the MLP world.”
Diversity and representations, Vogel…
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Iranian church confiscated and cross removed by authorities
The latest incident saw another church raided by government agents with the locks changed last month.
The cross was also removed at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Tabriz with the church warden asked to leave.
It comes after sustained crackdown on the Christian community in the country.
In a prayer request distributed through religious freedom charity Middle East Concern, believers in Iran ask for prayer that: “Christians in Iran of all ethnicities, creeds and language groups, including converts from Islam, will have the freedom to practice their religion
“That the Lord will encourage and comfort the pastor and congregation of Tabriz Evangelical Church and the Iranian regime will be responsive to national and international calls for the protection of religious minorities and their property.”
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Muslim Father ‘Ready to Go to Jail’ Over Christian Daughter’s Conversion
An 18-year-old teenager who converted to Christianity from Islam is on the run in Ghana because, she says, her Muslim father is threatening to kill her.
Mariam Seidu has been in hiding since March after her father hired youth to attack her at her church, according to Peace FM, a news website in Ghana. She survived but remains in fear for her life.
“My father said because of the church he will disown me. He told me if I still go to the church, he will bring cutlass [a short sword] to the church and come and butcher me,” she told Peace FM.
The father, Abubakar Seidu, acknowledged trying to get her to return home but denied threatening to kill her. Yet he said if she remains a Christian, he will disown her.
“She can’t live under my benevolence as a father and go against my orders and beliefs,” he told Peace FM. “She has turned 18 so she feels and thinks she can take her own decision, right? She should go ahead, but I will never allow her under my roof if she sticks to her new faith. If she insists then we go our separate ways.”
Mariam credits her Christian faith for saving her from a life of immorality.
“At first, I was a stubborn girl,” she said. “I used to go out with my friends, I used to club, I used to take shisha [smoke], I used to take alcohol… but I had a friend.”
That friend, she said, was a Christian who…
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Michael Palin warns of deathwatch beetles in UK churches
As a representative for the National Churches Trust (NCT), the Monty Python actor has spoken out about the threats facing churches and chapels in the UK.
Deathwatch beetles can cause significant structural damage to the wood of historic churches and cathedrals as their larvae burrow through the timber.
In an animated film for the charity, Mr Palin is encouraging members of the public to join the NCT’s Friends scheme, to provide urgent repairs in a bid to prevent the closure of historic church buildings across the country.
He said: “Churches and chapels are fascinating and sometimes surprising places to visit,
“They are rich with history and stunning architecture and also places for quiet reflection and venues for concerts, exhibitions and even beer festivals.
“But sadly many are threatened by leaking roofs, crumbling stonework. And even death watch beetles.
“The animation shows just how important churches are to our history and heritage and also to local communities. With post offices, shops and even pubs closing, churches are often the only community building left in many parts of the country.”
The NCT say churches are the heart of local communities and should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
The trust gave out a total of £1.2 million in grants to churches and chapels in need of urgent repairs in 2018.
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Court Orders David Daleiden to Pay $195,000 over Censored Planned Parenthood Videos
Last week the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a $195,000 fine imposed on pro-life activist David Daleiden. District Judge William Orrick initially imposed the fine because he said Daleiden and his attorneys violated a gag order. The fine is intended to reimburse the National Abortion Federation for legal fees and added security.
The gag order is related to videos which are at the heart of both a civil and criminal trial. In 2014 and 2015, Daleiden and a coworker from the Center for Medical Progress went to the National Abortion Federation’s annual conventions. They posed as fetal tissue researchers and secretly recorded conversations in which participants discussed selling fetal tissue from abortion clinics.
In 2016, the National Abortion Federation sued to have the videos taken down. U.S. District Judge William Orrick III ruled that the duo recorded the videos fraudulently and ordered them to remove the posts and prohibited any further disclosure of them. A year later, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra charged Daleiden and his colleague Sandra Merritt with violating a state law which prohibited the secret recording of conversations.
Daleiden’s criminal attorneys, Steve Cooley and Brent Ferreira, posted the videos on YouTube to “protect Daleiden’s right to a fair trial” after they received them from the State Attorney’s…
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Church backs campaign to get people talking
The initiative that aims to combat isolation and explore the benefits of talking to strangers was rolled out across Buses, coaches, trams and trains on Friday, As part of the Crossing Divides On the Move day.
Pastor Oli Stevens from Kings Church Eastbourne told Premier the transport initiative was a great opportunity to connect with those around us: “So often we get so busy with our lives and forget to look up and look to the people that we are sat amongst and ways that we can show kindness towards them striking up a conversation, leaving a random gift for them or something to try and brighten their day.
Community engagement has been a key focus of church life for many years with congregations across the country serving their neighbours through various outreach initiatives.
Kings Church has been using it’s ‘Love Eastbourne’ project to bless strangers across the town through acts of kindness.
Mr Steven’s said it’s important to follow Jesus’ example: “[Jesus says] if I’m the boss, and I wash your feet, you should wash each other’s. I’ve laid down a pattern for you, and what I’ve done, you should do as well.
He added: “I think trying to find ways which we can bless and serve the people amongst us, it’s something that Jesus so clearly models to us, and there’s obviously a great opportunity for us to follow his lead.”
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