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February 5th, 2013
05:45 AM ET

Belief Blog's Morning Speed Read for Tuesday, February 05, 2013

By Arielle Hawkins, CNN

Here's the Belief Blog’s morning rundown of the top faith-angle stories from around the United States and around the world. Click the headlines for the full stories.

From the Blog:

CNN: Lawyers seek to limit New York police surveillance of Muslims
Civil rights lawyers filed papers in federal court Monday seeking to prohibit the New York Police Department's surveillance of Muslim communities when there is no evidence that they are linked to terrorism or other illegal activities. The department's demographics unit – or zone assessment unit – was put together with the CIA's help after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The unit has acknowledged that it engaged in monitoring that included Muslim-owned business and mosques across the New York region.

CNN: Saudi Islamist preacher on trial in daughter's slaying
Outrage is mounting in Saudi Arabia about the case of a 5-year-old girl who died after allegedly being beaten and tortured by her father, who activists say is an Islamist preacher. Activists say the girl's father, Fayhan Al-Ghamdi is an Islamist evangelist popular in Saudi Arabia for his televised appearances and for speaking on air about the rewards of repenting to God. But they also say he only fancies himself as a cleric and is not recognized by the clerical establishment.

CNN: Catholic hospital says it was 'morally wrong' to argue fetus is not a person
A Catholic hospital in hot water for claiming in a Colorado court that a fetus is not a person backtracked on Monday, saying it was "morally wrong" to make the argument while defending itself in a wrongful death lawsuit. The flip-flop concerns the case of Lori Stodghill. She was 28 weeks pregnant with twins when she went to the emergency room of St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City, Colorado, vomiting and short of breath. She went into cardiac arrest in the lobby and died. That was New Year's Day 2006.

Photos of the Day:

.                      
.                    Photo credit: NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images

Indian Baba 'Avtar' Singh, a member of the traditional Sikh religious warriors, wearing an oversized 500 meter-long turban, pays his respects at The Golden Temple in Amritsar on February 4, 2013. The most visible symbol of Sikh pride and identity, the turban is an eight-metre (26-foot) piece of cloth, used by Sikh men to manage the long hair which their religion forbids them from cutting.

An Indian sadhu holy man sits on a swing of nails during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad on February 4, 2013. The Kumbh Mela in the town of Allahabad will see up to 100 million worshippers gather over 55 days to take a ritual bath in the holy waters, believed to cleanse sins and bestow blessings.

Enlightening Reads:

Reuters: German Catholic Church may back some morning-after pills after cardinal’s rethink
Germany’s Catholic Church may approve some so-called morning-after pills for rape victims after a leading cardinal unexpectedly announced they did not induce abortions and could be used in Catholic hospitals. Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, an ally of German-born Pope Benedict, changed his policy after two Catholic hospitals refused to treat a rape victim because they could not prescribe the pill, which is taken after sex to avoid pregnancy.

Aljazeera: First Muslim college in the US
A Muslim college in the United States is the first of its kind, which mission is to join Islamic scholarship with the Western academic emphasis on free inquiry and developing critical intellectual capacities. Zaytuna College in Berkeley California is a fledgling institution with only 31 students, operating out of space rented from a Baptist seminary.
Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from California.

Reuters: Ministers urge religious chiefs to oppose genital mutilation
Religious leaders must convince women carrying out female genital mutilation that it is not required by scripture and it can cause infection, infertility or even death in young girls, African ministers said on Monday.

Tablet Magazine: The Brief History of Jews and the Super Bowl
Seeing a Jewish player in the National Football League these days is like seeing a blonde in Jerusalem. In fact, according to the Jerusalem Post, exactly eight Jewish players have ever won Super Bowl rings before. While last night’s big game, in which the Baltimore Ravens won 34-31, didn’t have anything in the way of Jewish sports heroic, that doesn’t mean the game itself wasn’t thick with Jewish themes.

The Guardian: Justin Welby confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury
A little after half past 12 on Monday, Justin Portal Welby stood beneath the dome of St Paul's Cathedral and promised, with the help of God, to "promote unity, peace, and love among all Christian people, especially among those whom you serve". Twenty-five minutes later, with the arcane and archaic legalities duly addressed, the final decree porrected and any opposition to the election declared contumacious, the 57-year-old former oil executive was confirmed as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of several senior bishops.

Huffington Post: Church Of Scientology Super Bowl Ad Raises Eyebrows
Millions of Super Bowl viewers were treated to a myriad of advertisements - from alcohol distributors, snack brands and even Scientologists - on Sunday night. An ad for the Church of Scientology aired during the Super Bowl, shortly after the game went into halftime around 8 p.m., notes The Hollywood Reporter. The ad is part of the church's "Knowledge" campaign.

Join the conversation…

CNN: A killing, a life sentence and my change of heart
Jeanne Bishop is the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who, along with her husband and their unborn child, was shot to death by a juvenile. Since the murder of her family members, Jeanne Bishop has been an advocate for gun violence prevention. Through God she learned to forgive her sister's killer, and is now for abolition of the death penalty. Bishop is a criminal defense attorney in Chicago.

- A. Hawkins

Filed under: Uncategorized

soundoff (268 Responses)
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  3. Science

    Check your god(S) at the cave enterance before entering.. No god(s) required for studying humans on this thread

    updated 1 hour 55 minutes ago
    Jan. 29 2013

    Scientists have unearthed and dated some of the oldest stone hand axes on Earth. The ancient tools, unearthed in Ethiopia in the last two decades, date to 1.75 million years ago.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50620121/ns/technology_and_science-science/

    Ancient DNA reveals humans living 40,000 years ago in Beijing area related to present-day Asians, Native Americans January 21, 2013

    Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-ancient-dna-reveals-humans-years.html#jCp

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  5. lionlylamb

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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBo5iR62SLc&feature=player_embedded

    February 5, 2013 at 11:56 pm |
  6. Daniel

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KxyGwFL9T3c

    February 5, 2013 at 6:45 pm |
  7. lunchbreaker

    HAPPY CATURDAY!!!!!

    February 5, 2013 at 4:15 pm |
  8. julie

    From the home page, some positive news: "More details on the vote on a bill that would legalize same-se x marriage in the United Kingdom: The second reading of the bill passed in a 400-175 vote Tuesday." (has not yet gone thru House of Lords)

    February 5, 2013 at 3:52 pm |
  9. justme

    I have personally talked with christians, muslims, and one wiccan who all believe that they have had contact with their deity. All religions have members who think they have spoken to god, or had a dream, or a vision, or some personal intervention on behalf of their god.
    How do you christians reconcile this happening to people who believe in another religion?

    February 5, 2013 at 3:32 pm |
    • frank

      You're really asking a christian to reconcile anything?

      February 5, 2013 at 3:36 pm |
    • Typical Christian

      Anybody who claims to speak to a god who is not the Christian God is insane.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:37 pm |
    • justme

      I just love to ask questions I know they won't be able to answer rationally.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:52 pm |
    • K-switch

      LivE4Him will tell you that it's because the Bible addresses the creation of matter and energy and was more accurately transmitted than other holy books. RECOGNIZE!

      February 5, 2013 at 4:01 pm |
    • Austin

      speaking to God is direct revelation, this ended with the prophets in the new testament.
      general revelation is the bible.
      there is also special revelation, the ministry of the Holy Spirit,
      dreams and visions are possible and predicted in the last days
      Angels are ministering spirits

      There are false teachers and prophets, under demonic influence and possibly they were directly deceived by Satan
      Satan has the lead role in false religion

      occult
      divination-contact with satanic impersonations of the dead
      omens
      religious mimicry-–nothing new

      February 5, 2013 at 4:12 pm |
    • justme

      Austin,

      What you're saying is when it happens to you, it's proof of your god;
      but when it happens to anyone else, it's satan, and proof of your religion?

      February 5, 2013 at 4:17 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @justme : How do you christians reconcile this happening to people who believe in another religion?

      I cannot speak for all Christians, but I will speak on my behalf. I believe in spirits, including angels and fallen angels (called devils). Just because a person "hears" from a spirit, doesn't mean that person is hearing from God. It could be that the person has imagined it or has heard from an angel or has heard from a devil. The Bible states that we must test the spirits to determine their origin.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:20 pm |
    • justme

      Live4him

      So it is fallen angels who speak to non-christians, and make them believe in their false religions.
      And if a christian has some experience, then it is an angel.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:25 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @justme : What you're saying is when it happens to you, it's proof of your god; but when it happens to anyone else, it's satan, and proof of your religion?

      I wouldn't advance such a claim. Again, one would need to test the 'spirit' to determine its origins. Is it real? How does it manifest itself (bragging, glorifying God, etc.)? What is it "saying" (i.e. jump off the cliff, God is great!, etc.)?

      February 5, 2013 at 4:28 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @Live

      Doesn't the bible also say that god should not be tested or questioned?

      February 5, 2013 at 4:31 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @justme : So it is fallen angels who speak to non-christians, and make them believe in their false religions. And if a christian has some experience, then it is an angel.

      You seem to be more interested in building a strawman fallacy than understanding my position. Logically, a fallen angel will attack a Christian more than a non-Christian because the non-Christian is already on the wrong path. At the same time, an angel will speak to a non-Christian to try to get him/her onto the right path. So, who the person is doesn't mean which group will bring a message. One must always test the spirit.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:36 pm |
    • Austin

      one world, one human race, one truth. one God.

      the new testament is clear that there will be many false prophets/teachers. deceiving spirits. and if you scroll down i gave an experience where i experienced an evil spirit. in my opinion the reason God let it happen was to reveal the reality of spiritual evil. and obviously something beyond physical life that we dont see. and for me I know that God became flesh and atoned for each individual, and has the victory over evil.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:37 pm |
    • Austin

      y@hawaii guest. yes you should not seek a sign. proof is not the substance of faith. faith is given from God to those who seek him and understand that it is not a personal merit or qualification, that He is worth of honor and glory and worship. As in worship Him with your life that he gives, and redeems unto eternal life.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:39 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @austin

      You dreamed something weird, and attributed it to "ZOMG DEMON". Proves nothing, and makes people question your sanity.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:41 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @Live

      You're not giving a position. You're just dancing around like the coward you are.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:42 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @austin

      I don't worship immoral things that don't exist. So sorry, but your god is not something I would worship.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:43 pm |
    • careful

      To each one, the
      manifestation is given for the common good, “…to another distinguishing between spirits [or,
      “the ability to discern spirits”]” (1 Corinthians 12:10, NIV). We might well ask, as we approach
      the gift of discerning of spirits, what is the gift of discerning of spirits?
      The Bible speaks to us of the Spirit of God, the spirit of man, and evil spirits.
      I. Therefore, the gift of discernment of spirits is to be able to distinguish whether or not a
      person is acting and speaking by the Spirit of God, by their own human spirit, or under the
      influence—or possession—of an evil spirit or spirits. Discernment is especially needed in
      certain areas.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:46 pm |
    • justme

      And I didn't think there would be any rational explanations.
      Proves what little I know.
      Although it is interesting the two explanations i got don't quite agree on all points.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:49 pm |
    • ¿¿lol

      A fallen angel is like Bounty – the quicker-picker-upper. It helps clean up the inconvenient mess that is Christianity. When the story doesn't look good enough to be true, add some fallen angels and then there's no limit to the amount of apologizing and excusing one can do.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:51 pm |
    • careful

      hawaii guest, if you ever start to wonder.........just ask for help with faith , ask the one who gives it out freely. none of us spontaneosly became "god worshipers" its a process, and believe me the flesh is not strong enough to develop faith. its through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, who testifies within you that the truth is alive and real.

      You are ok bro. you are justified even though it seems insane. if you ever want it just ask God sincerely.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:52 pm |
    • Austin

      @ just me , i agree with Live4HIm

      February 5, 2013 at 4:55 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @careful

      Keep your condescending bullshit to yourself.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:58 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @hawaiiguest : Doesn't the bible also say that god should not be tested or questioned?

      These are the pertinent Bible passages to the issues raised:

      Matt 4:6-7 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ”‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a
      stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

      1 John 4:1-3a Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

      So, there is a difference between "testing God" and "testing the Spirits".

      BTW – I'm heading out for now.

      February 5, 2013 at 5:41 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @Live

      And yet, if the spirit comes with the authority of the god (as they are wont to say), then to question or test the spirit is to question or test the authority of the sender.

      February 5, 2013 at 6:59 pm |
  10. ilias

    A true holy man would not be giving this showy display of sitting on a bed of nails. They do not perform magic tricks or abuse their powers. This has nothing to do with the true meaning of Sadhu. They also like to ride on elephants and with their showy display to prove to everyone how great and holy they are. Egotists of the highest order. A true Sadhu would be hard to find and would only be found if he wanted someone to find him.

    February 5, 2013 at 3:20 pm |
  11. OTOH

    Has anyone seen "Beach Blanket Babylon"? That Sikh man ^^^ would fit right in!

    February 5, 2013 at 2:12 pm |
  12. lionlylamb

    The celestial horizon is only the distance made viewable thru telescopic finiteness ergo the more powerful the telescope the greater the horizon of the celestial cosmos is made viewable.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGenk99YDwY&feature=player_embedded

    February 5, 2013 at 1:26 pm |
  13. Live4Him

    @Really-O? : Technically, yes

    Technically and any way you want to look at it. However, where philosophy includes the metaphysics, science is limited to the natural world. Yet, they both seek to define truth.

    @Really-O? : I mean standard error. In statistics, "standard error" has a specific meaning

    Of course it does, but it is a pretty useless measurement – at least in modeling. The MAPE is more important there. The MAPE level-sets the standard error to a meaningful measurement used to determined the accuracy between two different models.

    In this situation or radiometric dating, the NULL would be that radiometric dating doesn't work and you would need a p-value of less than .05 for the NULL to be falsified – right? So, how can the NULL be falsified when we know that the verifiable radiometric dating errors have exceed that 5%?

    February 5, 2013 at 1:15 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @Really-O? : Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a Type I error? If not, why not?

      February 5, 2013 at 1:37 pm |
    • ME II

      @Live4Him,
      "...we know that the verifiable radiometric dating errors have exceed that 5%"

      Source/citation please?

      February 5, 2013 at 1:47 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @ME II : Source/citation please?

      I've provided this previously, but I don't have access to it at this time. Maybe later tonight. Meanwhile, use goggle for 'radiometric dating errors'. One example was concerning the KBS Tuff – which was initially dated ~219 MYA, revised to 2.9 MYA, and then revised to 1.9 MYA.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:06 pm |
    • Science

      How was gold made ?

      The air you suck in for free 24/7 ?

      February 5, 2013 at 2:13 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @Science : How was gold made ?

      Didn't it evolve?

      February 5, 2013 at 3:28 pm |
    • Richard Cranium

      Lie4him
      Gold is created the same way everything else is, in the solar furnaces of our universe.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:31 pm |
    • Thomas Dolby

      Lie4him...she blinded me with psuedo-science.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:32 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @Live

      Gold. Really? Are you that desperate?

      February 5, 2013 at 3:35 pm |
    • Science

      What the experts say

      Where Does All Earth's Gold Come From?
      Precious Metals the Result of Meteorite Bombardment, Rock Analysis Finds

      Sep. 9, 2011 — Ultra high precision analyses of some of the oldest rock samples on Earth by researchers at the University of Bristol provides clear evidence that the planet's accessible reserves of precious metals are the result of a bombardment of meteorites more than 200 million years after Earth was formed.

      Dr Willbold continued: "Our work shows that most of the precious metals on which our economies and many key industrial processes are based have been added to our planet by lucky coincidence when the Earth was hit by about 20 billion billion tonnes of asteroidal material."

      This research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

      200 million years after earth was formed.

      Have a great day

      February 5, 2013 at 3:36 pm |
    • Tommy

      Speaking of evolved, why did you run from the discussion on the first page?

      February 5, 2013 at 3:40 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @Richard Cranium : Gold is created the same way everything else is, in the solar furnaces of our universe.

      @hawaiiguest : Gold. Really? Are you that desperate?

      WOW! I must appear to be too serious, given these comments! Science brought the subject up and I tried (failed obviously) to make a joke of it. 🙂

      February 5, 2013 at 4:01 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @Tommy : why did you run from the discussion on the first page?

      I've got three thoughts to your question:

      1) I don't owe you or anyone on this page a response. We're all here to exchange ideas and when our time gets tight, we can leave without justifying it with you.

      2) I don't run away from discussions that are meaningful. Every conversation can be broken down into two parts – 1) noise and 2) significant / meaningful debate. The former is a waste of time.

      3) I try to avoid any debates on a page that is not the current / latest page. My time is limited and the only benefit that I get back from this forum is being able to give objective people fact to ponder upon. Since most people who post are not objective, it is pointless to chase all the rabbit trails that a given conversation begats. So, I stay on the current page. When some topic is meaningful, I (or someone else) will begin a new thread.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:11 pm |
    • Science

      For a good laugh go see what topher said about what made gold on page 1

      February 5, 2013 at 4:13 pm |
    • lunchbreaker

      @ Live4Him, I got a giggle out of it.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:13 pm |
    • Tommy

      Just thought you should know that one species of e-coli evolved into a different species of e-coli in the lab. Fact!

      February 5, 2013 at 4:19 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @Live

      Considering you don't know anything about science, it's hard to know when you're joking about it.

      February 5, 2013 at 4:33 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @lunchbreaker : Live4Him, I got a giggle out of it.

      That makes me feel better – my sense of humor isn't TOTALLY lacking. 😉

      February 5, 2013 at 7:38 pm |
    • WASP

      @die4him: " give objective people fact to ponder upon."
      i believe most of us are still waiting on your so called facts.
      yup still waiting............
      and waiting........
      🙂

      February 6, 2013 at 6:59 am |
  14. Archibald Smythe-Pennington, III

    Neo-psychedelic music often employs acoustic or synthetic instrumentation/effects capable of producing sustained droning sounds – such as bagpipes. Yesterday's subject, Mike Oldfield, employed this effect abundantly. It's also evident in this song by the Australian group The Church. From the album Starfish (1988), it's "Under the Milky Way".

    original song & video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNpQmlsnIwE

    acoustic version with cool video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9_7e1rQU_U

    The song was written about an Amsterdam music and cultural venue called Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way"). In 2001, it was featured in the soundtrack for the movie Donnie Darko.

    February 5, 2013 at 12:24 pm |
    • Akira

      I love love love this song!
      Thanks!

      February 5, 2013 at 12:43 pm |
    • sam

      Awesome song.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:48 pm |
  15. Austin

    what does it mean if Genesis chapter ten talks about the city of Ninevah and Nimrod/gilgamesh

    February 5, 2013 at 12:13 pm |
    • HotAirAce

      Nothing! The Babble is a poorly written fairy tale.

      February 5, 2013 at 12:20 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @HotAirAce : Nothing! The Babble is a poorly written fairy tale.

      How so?

      February 5, 2013 at 1:25 pm |
    • In Santa we trust

      Lie4Him, The fairy tale part is obvious – there's no proof of a god or miracles or any of the creation myths. As to poorly written I suspect that is a reference to all of the inconsistencies in the text.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:30 pm |
    • OTOH

      HotAirAce,

      I wouldn't say that it's poorly written. It was pretty good for the times way back then. Those Middle Eastern Hebrew men were quite the drama queens - and knew a lot of methods to pull on the heartstrings and target the fears of the common man.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:32 pm |
    • Saraswati

      I found it a lot better reading than the quran. No professional editors or standards of MFA programs...not bad for the era and resources available, especially given the limited opportunities to improve and upgrade.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:35 pm |
    • Austin

      so Hebrew people are not smart enough to record a family tree. You think the Simeon, Reuben, Issachar, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Zebulun , Benjamin , Joseph, Dan, Ephriam, and Levi are fictetious? and therefore so is cain ? and Noah?

      February 5, 2013 at 1:37 pm |
    • Chuckles

      @Austin

      Are all those people ficticious? Possibly, possibly not. Could a person named Gad have lived 5,000 years ago? Sure, why not. Is that the person who is described in the bible – well that's a horse of a different color. Same goes for names like Noah or Cain.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:40 pm |
    • Tommy

      If I was writing something like the bible I would certainly form the stories of the supernatural around well known places and people so that my story would seem more believable.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:45 pm |
    • HotAirAce

      Re: poorly written, see all the above for examples, plus a really big one – no authenticity as the true word of some unproven god. In other words, with the odd exception of a name of an actual town thrown in, very likely The Babble is complete bullshit! Go ahead – prove me wrong. . .

      February 5, 2013 at 1:49 pm |
    • Austin

      every one of those names has a docmented family tree of its own, and regions and areas provided, as well as docmentation concerning captivities assyrian, egyptian and babylonian. it seems as though we have the history of Israel in this book. for example, we see Aaronic and Levitical priests in isreal today , are they a replica or are they real? why would the accounts of moses and pharoah be fabricated? did abraham have a son named isaac?

      February 5, 2013 at 1:49 pm |
    • OTOH

      Austin,

      The Bible is a book which includes *some* history of primitive Hebrew culture, and *some* good advice for practical, beneficial human behavior, but mostly it is a compilation of ancient Middle Eastern historical fiction, myth, legend, superst.ition and fantasy.

      The NT is a collection of the writings of various 1st century evangelists who were promoting their new offshoot religion.

      There is not a whit of verified evidence for any of the supernatural beings and events in that book.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:54 pm |
    • Cheese-Us of Nazareth

      It means the same thing as when it talks about the ark nonsense and the Jonah in the fish for three days nonsense.

      The Bible should begin "Once upon a time . . . " and finish with ". . . and the Christians lived happily ever after."

      February 5, 2013 at 1:55 pm |
    • Chuckles

      @Austin

      Out of fa.b.ric.ation can come reality, as we've seen from the bible, or I guess a better example may be the game of qu.iddi.tch was purely imaginary but now there are college leagues and it has ostensibly become as real as football or s.oc.cer. Same can be said about religious rituals or priests, they are indeed real, but who's to say their origins are real? You have only one highly suspect book. As for geneologies and historical docu.mentation, lets turn back to Harry Potter again for insp.iration, We can look at the entire Black Family Tree that goes back to it's ancient roots and we know that the Malfoy's, Lestrange's, Tonk's and Blacks are all related. The human mind is very very capable of creating entire genealogies from scratch so why do you think it's only a recent phenomonon. Furthermore, sure, they could be true in the most barebones sort of way that there was a family tree that matched the one given, but that does not mean that as they are characterized in the bible is also any more real than a talking burning bush. I'm not sure that HotAirAce is altogether right. Harry Potter and the Bible are "poorly written" if you're looking for classic, well written literature, but they still both entertain and have certainly had a huge impact on society at large so it wasn't horribly written, it's just inconsistent, there are plot holes and contradictions but if it's aim is to entertain, they both did a fantastic job.

      February 5, 2013 at 1:59 pm |
    • Tommy

      Austin, I would bet that someone wanted Moses/god to look super powerful so they made up a story about how Moses/god defeated Egypt which was probably the most powerful kingdom in the region at the time. However, outside of the bible there is no evidence that any of that stuff ever happened.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:00 pm |
    • Austin

      forget the part you believe is a story , why do i keep hearing that Israel was not a slave to egypt during the time of Moses? moses was after Jacob, and we have proper docmentation for the lineage of Jacobs family, so why would they lie about being slaves?

      February 5, 2013 at 2:06 pm |
    • Austin

      i want you all to know that i have experienced supernatural experiences. spiritual revelation both good and evil. and i understand that my experience is not testable proof to your community, but my testimony is from one man to another man/woman and i believe in this book is God's revealed word to mankind and that there is a Messiah, God in the flesh.

      i see how the slavery and the caananite executions. ect are not things we agree with, but i cant lie, I have experienced supernatural abilities of spirits communicating, and it happened ESPECIALLY through the bible. it also happened through a demonic experience, through dreams, and through my thoughts being transcripted into someone elses dream.

      spiritual life is reality, so is the devil. and so is God. science needs to be careful, and if you are in that field, stop with the athiesm. taking it to that extent is cult religion. so are some christian churches. but God is authentic.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:20 pm |
    • HotAirAce

      Austin, I firmly believe if you take your stories to a competent mental health professional you will be diagnosed with some form of mental illness. And if you really believe your experiences are real, you should subject them to a thorough examination by a skeptic, and get a huge monetary award if your experience can't be debunked. I bet you don't have the guts to do either.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:30 pm |
    • really?

      Austin,

      Every religion has followers who have spoken to/seen their god. How do you explain all the other religions having experiences that seem very real to them?

      February 5, 2013 at 2:30 pm |
    • Austin

      hot air ace, you say this as an athiest?, and i am sure if i told my experiences to an atheist they would maybe feel that way.

      but i have been writing my dreams down for five years . and i have personal data and evidence. its not my job to battle athiest psychology. there are people who reject any notion of spiritual truth, and there are others who's heart has been prepared and ready for truth.

      Acts 2:17 ASV
      American Standard Version
      And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams:

      taken from Joel 2:28

      just from one man to another.. ask for faith.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:45 pm |
    • Live4Him

      @Tommy : If I was writing something like the bible I would certainly form the stories of the supernatural around well known places and people

      Ummmm... They were around verifiable places and people. Some Egyptians Pharaohs have been identified in Egyptian artifacts and the Bible.

      @Tommy : outside of the bible there is no evidence that any of that stuff ever happened.

      Ever hear of the Israel Stella?

      February 5, 2013 at 2:56 pm |
    • HotAirAce

      Austin, it sounds like you would be a perfect test case for proving the existence or truth of some god. All you have to do is subject your claims, beliefs, documents and evidence to independent review. Again, I don't think you have the guts. I think you are mentally ill, a liar or both. In fact, I'm going with both.

      February 5, 2013 at 2:58 pm |
    • Live4Him

      http://www.bibleevidences.com/archeology.htm

      Wilson, who was fluent in 45 ancient languages and dialects, meticulously an
      alyzed 29 kings from 10 different nations, each of which had corroborating archeological artifacts. Each king was mentioned in the Bible as well as documented by secular historians, thus offering a means of comparison.

      Without a single error, Luke was accurate in naming 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands.

      Discoveries ranging from evidence for the Tower of Babel, to Exodus, to the Walls of Jericho, all the way to the tombs of contemporaries of St. Paul, have greatly enhanced the believability of the Bible. Though this vast archeological evidence does not prove God wrote the Bible, it surely must compel the honest skeptic to at least acknowledge its historical veracity.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:15 pm |
    • hawaiiguest

      @Live

      I know this concept is hard for you to understand. But just saying that there is evidence without providing the actual evidence means absolutely nothing. Also,
      Spider-Man comics take place in New York. There is really a New York, therefore all the events have a higher probability of being true.
      This is the logic you're using.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:19 pm |
    • Tommy

      Why should I be impressed that the people who wrote the bible knew the names of the places they lived near, and the names of the rulers of those places?

      February 5, 2013 at 3:24 pm |
    • Tommy

      If you don't like the spider man analogy then the fact that Troy was a real place must prove that Zeus is real.

      February 5, 2013 at 3:27 pm |
    • Israel STELE, not Stella!!

      http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele#section_3

      February 5, 2013 at 3:40 pm |
    • Austin

      one day a kitten, with distemper came to my porch. it was a white and shivering in the summer, purring .

      that night i had a dream that i was in a forest at night, tall pine trees and cold out. there was an A frame cabin, so i knocked.
      this lady let me in and said, you can stay here i have 2 children...........on was sitting on a chair, and one was dead and its spirit was in the corner of the room. then the spirit started singing to me in a demonic vioce (like 3 voices at once, high pitched) and then my body inverted in the air(in the dream) hanging there upside down. then that white kitten ran underneath me with blood gushing out of its entire abdomen). I woke up and knew that i had received an evil report.

      I went right outside and found it at the end of the drive way, flat as a pancake on the high way, 550 feet from my house.

      let me ask you this........why didnt i just have a dream that the cat was ran over? why was it a demonic revelation?

      February 5, 2013 at 3:50 pm |
    • HotAirAce

      Because your brain is fucked up by crazy myths!

      February 5, 2013 at 5:01 pm |
    • WASP

      @austin: yeah and i had a terrifying dream once of my grandmother's house being haunted by an "evil" spirit; when i woke i didn't call the ghostbusters because
      GHOSTS/SPIRITS ARE NOT REAL!

      February 6, 2013 at 7:06 am |
  16. lionlylamb

    Schizophrenic physicists reach unto the “infinity of it all”! 02/05/13

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHHz4mB9GKY&feature=player_embedded

    February 5, 2013 at 12:11 pm |
    • Austin

      Lionlylamb,

      what is your opinion about this video?

      February 5, 2013 at 12:14 pm |
    • lionlylamb

      Celestial thermodynamics and quantum electrodynamics are of the sameness,,,,,,

      February 5, 2013 at 12:27 pm |
    • Austin

      was that english?

      February 5, 2013 at 1:31 pm |
    • lionlylamb

      Last time I looked into it my English is above board and legitimate. Are you sure English isn't your second language? Third maybe?

      February 5, 2013 at 6:27 pm |
    • Austin

      im just saying that celestial and quantum make both of those other words a lot more interesting . i assume.

      February 5, 2013 at 6:31 pm |
    • lionlylamb

      I guess then you know little to hardly nothing about thermodynamics and electrodynamics being radiant heat waves versus ambient electrical energy and that they have more in common then one can dare philosophize?

      February 5, 2013 at 8:12 pm |
    • Check

      Oh, shut up, you doddering old fuck. You haven't written coherently on this blog in years. Instead of asking other people if English is their second or third language, how about writing it in a way that people don't need a fucking decoder ring and a thesaurus to figure out what stupid thought you're trying to convey??? Condescending asshole.

      February 5, 2013 at 10:54 pm |
    • lionlylamb

      Check,

      Who dare asked you to blurt out such negativities? All your wasted words of magnanimous negative jargon isn't worthy a plug-nickel. Go back to your room and stay there. Checkmate!

      February 5, 2013 at 11:52 pm |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.