Tourism Booms in Tiny Spanish Town due to Botched Jesus Painting

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Tourism Booms in Tiny Spanish Town due to Botched Jesus Painting

A bad restoration job on a fresco of Jesus two years ago has led to a surge in tourism in the small Spanish town.

It sparked outrage, laughter and Internet memes in abundance when Cecilia Giménez took her paintbrush to the 120-year-old Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) by Elías Garcia Martínez.

Giménez, an artist who says she did the restoration with the permission of the local priest, virtually obscured the face of Jesus, and made the crown of thorns look more like a fuzzy hairdo.

But since the restoration more than 150,000 tourists from around the world have visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy in Borja, northern Spain, to see the painting.

Andrew Flack, who is working on a comic opera of the story, told the New York Times that it was a “story of faith”.

“Why are people coming to see it if it is such a terrible work of art? It’s a pilgrimage of sorts, driven by the media into a phenomenon. God works in mysterious ways. Your disaster could be my miracle,” he said.

Visitors are charged €1 to enter and look at the painting on the wall of the 16th century church.

This Christmas the town’s lottery tickets have an image of the Ecce Homo on them, and there has been a scene in a Spanish film in which thieves try to steal the painting…Read More

Source and Original Content by CT

Japanese Village Claims ‘Real Jesus’ Died There at Age 106, Fathered Children

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Japanese Village Claims ‘Real Jesus’ Died There at Age 106, Fathered Children

A small village in Japan claims to be the final resting place of Jesus Christ, arguing that the founder of Christianity got married to a local and had children.

Shingo, a rural community of about 3,000, claims to be the sight of Christ’s tomb, where local legends say that Jesus came there after He was crucified.

A recent article by inquisitr.com noted that this claim is in “regional apocryphal religious writings known as the Takenouchi Documents.”

“The writings claim the body that was crucified on that bloody Golgotha belonged to Jesus Christ’s younger brother, Isukiri,” the Inquisitr posted on Monday.

“They say Jesus lived a very normal life, much unlike the one He was accorded back in Jerusalem, where He was revered as a God who could easily perform unbelievable tasks and miracles.”

Over the past several years, stories about Jesus that go contrary to what the Holy Bible explicitly says have garnered much attention.

Many stories, including some that are centuries old, have claimed that Jesus escaped the crucifixion, got married, had children, and died of natural causes far away from Jerusalem.

Many local legends, from England to Japan, have claimed that a younger Jesus visited there for some period of time, taking advantage of the lack of biblical records on Jesus’ life from early years to age 30 when he began his ministry.

Matt Slick, president of Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, told The Christian Post that the Shingo claim “has no merit at all.”

“The Bible tells us that as a young boy He remained in subjection to His parents, Luke 2:51. This would require that He stay with his parents to take care of them, this was part of the Jewish requirement and law found in Exodus 20, in the 10 Commandments that says to honor your mother and your father,” Slick explained.

“For him to have left and gone to another country would have violated that law. Jesus could not have done that. Furthermore, Jesus died on the cross (and rose from the dead) in Jerusalem. This was recorded by the eyewitnesses in the Gospels…Read More

Source and Original Content by CP

Thieves Use Prayer to Steal Cash,Credit Cards From Supermarket Shoppers

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Thieves Use Prayer to Steal Cash,Credit Cards From Supermarket Shoppers

Police in the Northwest suburbs of Atlanta are on the lookout for a two-women tandem that has used the allusion of prayer to distract and steal from gullible supermarket shoppers, who leave their personal items inside their cart.

The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office posted an alert bulletin on Monday to its Facebook page warning local shoppers throughout the Atlanta metro area to be wary of friendly strangers in stores who start up conversation and then offer to lead in prayer, claiming to try and help solve a shopper’s personal problems.

The police alert states that a team of two women are carrying out a prayer distraction scam on unsuspecting shoppers at local stores in the tri-county area. The scam entails one of the women distracting a shopper by sparking up a conversation that ultimately leads to the targeted victim bowing her head as the woman leads in prayer, while the partner sneaks up and swipes the shopper’s credit cards, cash and other valuable personal items that are sitting in the cart as the shopper is distracted.

Police have surveillance footage of one instance where the scammers struck at a Walmart in Hiram, Georgia. There, they made their move of talking, praying and stealing credit cards and cash from a woman’s purse, which was in her shopping cart.

“A female suspect usually strikes up conversation with a female patron in the store. After a few minutes, the suspect then asks the patron to pray with them. Once the patron bows their head, another female suspect comes in and steals that person’s cash and credit card out of their purse,” the police alert explains. “This is happening at stores all across the metro Atlanta area and has occurred at the Hiram Wal-Mart.”

As Atlanta’s news channel 2, WSB-TV, reports, the clarity in Walmart’s surveillance video has helped police to identify the women they believe have been orchestrating the prayer scam. The scammers are believed to be Shayla Sutherland and Jessica Pina.

Investigators will meet on Tuesday to map out the locations where the two are said to have also conducted distraction thefts. Police believe the same scammers struck in various stores spanning across three Georgia counties directly to the Northwest of Atlanta: Cobb, Douglas and Paulding.

“I work hard for all I get and when people think they can just take it, it’s unbelievable,” shopper Mercedes Shropshire told WSB-TV.

Source and Original Content by CP

Damita’s New Husband Reveals Recent Arrest

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Damita’s New Husband Reveals Recent Arrest

Reuben Chandler, 37, the husband of Deitrick Haddon’s ex-wife, Damita Haddon (now Chandler), is known for his lengthy diatribes on social media.

This time, he has made himself the topic of conversation, revealing his own recent arrest.

In a December 13 Facebook post, Chandler attached his official mug shot, captioning the photo, “Lol. Hey. It happens!! Lol,” adding the hashtag, “‪#‎StillWinning”.

According to Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff’s Office, the CEO of REDD photography was booked September 13, 2014 on a “contempt of court” charge…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

Christian Faithfuls Defend Atlanta Fire Chief After He Was Suspended for Views on Sexuality

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Christian Faithfuls Defend Atlanta Fire Chief After He Was Suspended for Views on Sexuality

Georgia Baptist Convention leaders are rallying to defend Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, who has been suspended without pay for a month and ordered to undergo sensitivity training over a book he wrote that upholds a biblical view of sexuality.

Cochran is a deacon, Sunday School teacher and Bible study leader at Atlanta’s Elizabeth Baptist Church, which is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention.

A two-time Atlanta fire chief, Cochran also served as U.S. Fire Administrator under President Obama from 2009-10.

J. Robert White, executive director of the Georgia convention, said in a news release issued by the GBC Public Affairs Committee, “It is time for believers to stand up for their religious beliefs, biblical principles and fellow Christians who are punished or marginalized for their faith.” White affirmed the Public Affairs Committee for its “call to action for all fellow believers to take a stand.”

The news release called on Christians and people of faith across Georgia to:

— sign a petition in behalf of Cochran at http://gabaptist.org/petition on the Georgia Baptist Convention’s website;

— support Cochran by purchasing his book on Amazon, “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” which is at the center of the firestorm; and

— enlist as many churches and believers as possible to contact Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to reverse his actions against Cochran.

To the mayor, the Georgia Baptist committee called on Reed to:

“– Acknowledge Chief Cochran’s First Amendment Rights,

“– Make a public apology for the suspension and grief it has caused the Chief and his family, and

“– Restore Chief Cochran’s pay and reputation as an honorable Fire Chief.”

Reed suspended Cochran over such passages in the chief’s 162-page self-published book as a definition of uncleanness being the “opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, and all other forms of sexual perversion.”

Cochran’s book stemmed from a series of men’s studies at Elizabeth Baptist Church titled “A Quest for Authentic Manhood…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

Franklin Graham Says “War on Christmas Is All Over the Country”

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Franklin Graham Says “War on Christmas Is All Over the Country”

Franklin Graham went on Fox News’ Kelly File last night to talk about the country’s growing trend of taking Christ out of Christmas.

“It’s all over the country. You have the secularists and humanists who are wanting to take Jesus Christ out of His birthday and they’re wanting to deny He ever existed and take His name off everything,” Franklin Graham said.

“And that’s what’s happened. This has infiltrated now our government. Our government is now attacking Christmas. Not only attacking Christmas but the name of Christ.”

The show host Megyn Kelly cited example after example of society attacking Christmas, including a Minnesota courthouse banning red poinsettias because someone claimed it a Christian symbol and the largest school district in Maryland voting to strip religious holidays after Muslim leaders complained.

“That’s the world at which we live. I think we as Christians, not that we fight back, but that we stand up and let our voices be heard,” Franklin Graham said.

“I think it’s time that Christians write their politicians and stand up to defend their rights because if you don’t, we’ll lose them…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

Court Set to give Ruling for Catholic Midwives in Abortion Case

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Court Set to give Ruling for Catholic Midwives in Abortion Case

The UK’s highest court will say today whether two Catholic midwives have a right to reject any involvement in abortion procedures.

A health authority challenged a previous appeal at the Court of Session in Edinburgh last year which found Mary Doogan and Connie Wood are legally entitled to be conscientious objectors to the process.

Five justices have been considering the appeal by Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS.

It centres on the limits of the Abortion Act 1967, which says that “no person shall be under any duty … to participate in any treatment authorised by this Act to which he has a conscientious objection”.

But the court is deciding whether this means the Catholics can also refuse to supervise staff that is caring for women after the termination.

The health board has accepted that the women would have no role in abortions because of their faith but they want that to go further so they do not have to delegate, supervise and support staff involved in treating women who are having abortions.

Both women were working at Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital when the case was first launched several years ago.

Source and Original Content by Premier Christian Radio

Stolen Church Artwork raises £23m for IS

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Stolen Church Artwork raises £23m for IS

Sales of stolen pieces of art work from churches in Iraq and Syria is the fourth largest source of income for Islamic State.

It’s estimated that the militant group makes at least £23m from the artefacts it is taking from churches as it takes control of large parts of the Middle East.

Former Deputy Director of Europol, Professor Dr Willy Bruggeman, told Premier the militants were causing ‘irreparable damage’ to Christianity in Iraq and Syria.

He said the sale of artefacts is ‘booming’ and that IS has no problem selling the pieces on.

It’s ‘part of a broader process of genocide or ethnic cleansing,’ Prof Bruggeman said, explaining that the group didn’t just want rid of the people but also any other trace of their religion.

“It’s to kill the identity of the people they are fighting, those who do not agree with Islam, archaeological objects are part of their culture so they want to destroy these objects,” he said.

He was speaking at a meeting of a cross party group of MPs who were trying to find a way to cut down on the trafficking of art work.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief was highlighting the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq.

Professor Bruggeman added that being able to sell the precious art was vital to Islamic State: “They have to buy weapons, they have to undertake organisation for the fighting units.

“So, that takes a lot of money.”

Walk of Truth is an organisation trying to stop the trafficking of artefacts.

Founder Tasoula Hadjitofi told Premier Islamic State will keep stealing the pieces until the demand stops.

“We need to bring to justice people who deliberately destruct the cultural heritage of the other.

“We need to set up a code of conduct for the auction houses and we should look at our own moral compass and decide what we should and shouldn’t buy.”

She also called for people who had bought stolen art work to return it so it can be taken back to the Middle East when the fighting is over.

Source and Original Content by Premier CHristian Radio

Church Of England Selects First Woman Bishop

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Church Of England Selects First Woman Bishop

The Church of England has chosen its first female bishop.

It’s understood a woman will take the Bishop of Stockport role just a month since canon law was changed to allow females into the top jobs.

The appointment will be made later today.

It’s unknown who the bishop will be although there are a number of favourites to take the position.

The Bishop of Stockport is a junior post, or a suffragan, within the Diocese of Chester.

That means any new bishop there will not be eligible for a place in the House of Lords, despite an expected change in the law that will see woman fast tracked.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg will announce legislation meaning female bishops will go to the front of a 10 year queue for a seat in the upper chamber.

Previously the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd Justin Welby, said the church was starting “a completely new phase of our existence”.

Speaking after the vote, he said: “It has taken a very, very long time and the way is now open to select people for the episcopacy, to nominate them on the basis simply of our sense that they are called by God to be in that position without qualification as to their gender.”

Source and Original Content by Premier Christian Radio

Pastor Writes Heartbreaking Christmas Letter From Iranian Prison

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Pastor Writes Heartbreaking Christmas Letter From Iranian Prison

American Pastor Saeed Abedini—a U.S. citizen imprisoned for his Christian faith—has written a heartbreaking letter from his prison cell.

He talks about both the difficulty of spending Christmas trapped in a cold dark prison cell and how his faith in Christ is carrying him through this difficult time.

He writes:

These days are very cold here. My small space beside the window is without glass, making most nights unbearable to sleep. The treatment by fellow prisoners is also quite cold and at times hostile. Some of my fellow prisoners don’t like me because I am a convert and a pastor. They look at me with shame as someone who has betrayed his former religion. The guards can’t even stand the paper cross that I have made and hung next to me as a sign of my faith and in anticipation of celebrating my Savior’s birth. They have threatened me and forced me to remove it. This is the first Christmas that I am completely without my family; all of my family is presently outside of the country. These conditions have made this upcoming Christmas season very hard, cold and shattering for me. It appears that I am alone with no one left beside me.

But he also wrote what Christmas means to him in the midst of this turmoil:

Christmas means that God came so that He would enter your hearts today and transform your lives and to replace your pain with indescribable joy. …

The same way that the heat from the earth’s core melts the hard stones in itself and produces lava, the fiery love of God, Jesus Christ, through the virgin Mary’s womb came to earth on Christmas to melt the hard heart of sin and wickedness of the world and removes them from our life.

The letter was sent to a family member. It was just last week that a relative was able to visit him, the first time a family member has been able to visit him in well over a month. He remains in need of medical care, suffering from increased pain from internal injuries sustained as a result of multiple prison beatings throughout the course of more than two years in a harsh Iranian prison.

Yet even in the darkest of circumstances the light of Christ shines through. He concluded his message with this charge to everyone who reads his words: “So this Christmas let the lava-like love of Christ enter into the depth of your heart and make you fiery, ready to pay any cost in order to bring the same lava love to the cold world around you, transforming them with the true message of Christmas… Read More

Source and Original Content by Charisma News

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