PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
“Israeli troops killed a top Islamic Jihad fugitive in a raid Thursday, prompting threats of revenge by the militant group and putting new strain on an already shaky cease-fire,” according to a report posted by USA Today on August 14. It continued:
“Israel and the Palestinian Authority are deadlocked over how to handle the Palestinian militant groups, and the argument is holding up implementation of a U.S.-backed peace plan, the so-called ‘road map’ to Palestinian statehood by 2005. Israel demands that the Palestinian Authority begin dismantling the two main groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as part of its obligations under the road map. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas says he will not confront the militants for fear of sparking a civil war. Israel, in response, says it will not go on with the road map under these circumstances, and instead keeps chasing militants.”
Later in the article, a Palestinian spokesman is quoted as saying, “Without a firm stand from the United States that the two sides live up to their obligations with one grand gesture — that is the immediate implementation of monitoring — the cease-fire is finished.”
HEAT WAVE IN EUROPE
USA Today reported on August 14: “About 3,000 people have died in France of heat-related causes since the abnormally high temperatures swept across the country about two weeks ago… Record-high temperatures have been set in numerous cities across France, and the capital has baked under heat exceeding 98 degrees. The average August temperature in Paris, which has warm but not torrid summers, is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The French haven’t suffered alone. In Bern, Switzerland, it was nearly 98 on Wednesday — the hottest day since 1865.”
Record-high temperatures have also been set in other parts of Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Austria and Germany, causing numerous forest fires. In Germany, a “record high temperature overnight of 81.7” was “measured in Neustadt, in southern Germany,” according to Associated Press. On Sunday, England “recorded its hottest day ever — 100.58 degrees at Gravesend, in southern England,” according to A.P. A monsoon from Africa is blamed for the heat wave. Commentaries have said that it was as if African deserts were coming to Europe.
USA Today reported on August 14: “About 3,000 people have died in France of heat-related causes since the abnormally high temperatures swept across the country about two weeks ago… Record-high temperatures have been set in numerous cities across France, and the capital has baked under heat exceeding 98 degrees. The average August temperature in Paris, which has warm but not torrid summers, is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The French haven’t suffered alone. In Bern, Switzerland, it was nearly 98 on Wednesday — the hottest day since 1865.”
Record-high temperatures have also been set in other parts of Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Austria and Germany, causing numerous forest fires. In Germany, a “record high temperature overnight of 81.7” was “measured in Neustadt, in southern Germany,” according to Associated Press. On Sunday, England “recorded its hottest day ever — 100.58 degrees at Gravesend, in southern England,” according to A.P. A monsoon from Africa is blamed for the heat wave. Commentaries have said that it was as if African deserts were coming to Europe.
MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE SAM SEX UNIONS
The Washington Post reported on August 14, that a “strong majority of the public disapproves of the Episcopal Church’s decision to recognize the blessing of same-sex unions, and a large share of churchgoing Americans would object if their own faith adopted a similar practice, according to a new Washington Post Poll. So broad and deep is this opposition that nearly half of all Americans who regularly attend worship services say they would leave their current church if their minister blessed gay couples — even if their denomination officially approved these ceremonies, the survey found. As courts, companies and congregations across the nation consider what standing to give gay couples, the poll demonstrates strong public disapproval of any RELIGIOUS sanctioning of same-sex relationships. It underscores THE SHARP DISTINCTION MOST AMERICANS MAKE BETWEEN THE RELATIONSHIPS BLESSED BY THE CHURCH AND THOSE RECOGNIZED BY THE LAW.”
The article also pointed out that “Three out of four frequent churchgoers opposed the Episcopal convention’s decision, and a similar proportion said they would object if their own faith took a similar step. But even among those who acknowledged that they rarely or never attended church, nearly six in 10 objected to blessing gay couples… The poll also found… that public acceptance of same-sex civil unions is falling. Fewer than four in 10 — 37 percent — of all Americans say they would support a law allowing gay men and lesbians to form civil unions that would provide some of the rights and legal protections of marriage… The survey found that 60 percent of all Americans opposed last week’s decision by the Episcopal Church’s general convention to give its bishops the option of allowing the blessing of same-sex relationships in their dioceses.”
WHAT MOST AMERICANS BELIEVE…
In a nationwide poll, conducted by the Barna Research Group and published early August by Webminister.com, Americans were asked pointed questions regarding the Bible, Christian lifestyle and beliefs about God, among other things. 58 percent of all Americans surveyed believe the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches. At the same time, 61 percent say Satan is not a living being, but a symbol of evil, and 43 percent believe that Jesus Christ committed sins. In addition, 24 percent of “born again Christians” believe that lying is sometimes necessary. “Born again Christians” were defined as those who had made “a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important” in their lives today, and who believe that they will go to heaven when they die.
Our free booklets, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” and “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” explain in detail what happens to man when he dies and whether God requires of us to keep all of the Ten Commandments.
WHAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH BELIEVES…
The L’Obsservatore Romano published an article on August 6, 2003, reporting about a “reflection” of the pope on Sunday, August 3. He said, among other things, “Special attention should be paid to safeguarding the value of Sunday, Dies Domini [“the Lord’s Day”]. This day is the symbol par excellence of all that Christianity has stood for and still stands for, in Europe and throughout the world: the perennial proclamation of the Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus, the celebration of his victory over sin and death, the commitment to the human being’s full liberation. By preserving the Christian meaning of Sunday a notable contribution is made to Europe for the preservation of an essential part of its own particular and cultural heritage. May the Blessed Virgin, to whom so many churches and chapels are dedicated in the different regions of Europe, make her protection felt over all the peoples on the Continent.”
e recommend that you read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy,” if you want to learn more about the truth on the “value of Sunday.” You might also want to read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” which explains in detail what the “Good News” or the “Gospel” really is.
