Reformed Churches Muzzled but Protest at Barmen

49. day of birth of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) :*Graphics by R. Klein :*Ausgabepreis: 12+38 Pfennig :*First Day of Issue / Erstausgabetag: 13. April 1938 :*Michel-Katalog-Nr: 664 (Deutsches Reich) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reformed Churches Muzzled but Protest at Barmen - January 4, 1934

Hitler's Nazi regime in Germany was one of the most heinous in all history. However, when it first came to power, it was welcomed by many German church members. One church leader even said that Hitler's rise was a gift of mercy from God's hand. We can understand his thinking only if we remember that it was still early in Hitler's rule and that many Germans were afraid the Communists would take over their country if not opposed by the Nazis. 

 

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The so-called "German Christians" elected Ludwig Müller, a fervent Nazi, to head it. In July, he placed two restrictions on the clergy. A clergyman (1) must be politically reliable and (2) must accept the superiority of the Aryan race. Hundreds of clergy accepted these demands. A small group of church leaders did not. They openly opposed those German Christians who did accept the government's terms. The dissidents insisted that the church must obey Christ apart from political influence. In September, 1933, Martin Niemoeller sent a letter to all German pastors, inviting them to join a Pastor's Emergency League to oppose the unified church. Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were among those who joined him. In October, Niemoeller asked pastors to bind themselves by the scripture and the old confessions of faith. They pledged themselves to protest certain violations of the faith, to stand with the persecuted, and to acknowledge that Aryanism (with its claim of racial superiority) was a violation of Reformation and Christian teaching.


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Blind Louis Braille Gave Reading to the Blind

"Louis Braille" in braille (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Blind Louis Braille Gave Reading to the Blind - January 4, 1809

At four o'clock in the morning on this day, January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, France, a local midwife eased tiny Louis Braille into the world. Louis was the fourth child of his mother, Monique, and his father Simon, a leather worker. The pair formed a sturdy middle-class couple, devout and prosperous. But the boy appeared frail, so they arranged to have him baptized right away. Louis quickly showed himself to be a bright-eyed child, prying into everything. The early death that had been feared for h... Read More

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Translation of the Torah into Greek for King Ptolemy

A Sefer Torah rolled to the Song of the sea. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seventy sages translated the Torah into Greek for King Ptolemy. That day was as difficult for the people of Israel as the day on which the [Golden] Calf was made; for the Torah could not be properly translated

- Talmud, tractate Sefer Torah 1:8

 

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Entry to Herodian Hilltop Palace unearthed

Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologists have discovered a massive and elaborate entryway to the Herodian Hilltop Palace at Herodium National Park in Judea, south of Jerusalem.

The newly discovered entryway is remarkable in that it features a complex system of arches on three separate levels, allowing the King and his entourage to directly enter the Palace Courtyard. Thanks to the arches, the 20-meter long and six-meter wide corridor has held up over the nearly 2,000 years since it was built at a height of 20 meters.

Archaeologists Roi Porat, Yakov Kalman and Rachel Chachy worked on the excavations that were conducted over the past year as part of The Herodium Expedition in Memory of Ehud Netzer, a project in memory of the university's famous professor who found the tomb of Herod the Great and passed away in 2010 after being wounded in a fall at the Herodium site.

According to the three archaeologists who unearthed the find, the corridor was built by King Herod (73-4 BCE) as part of his plan to turn the Herodium site into a fortress palace. However, the dig found evidence that the corridor was never actually used, as Herod apparently was aware he was nearing his death and converted the hilltop complex into a burial monument instead.

Herodian Hilltop Palace entry

The Herodium Expedition at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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Israel not building up their weaponry for nothing

Map of Israel, the Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip), the Golan Heights, and portions of neighbouring countries. Also United Nations deployment areas in countries adjoining Israel or Israeli-held territory, as of January 2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is Israel building up their weaponry in preparation of their defence of their nation as part of the stage  set in fulfilment of Psalm 83?

We can see the nations listed are currently the nations being mentioned in the media, Iran working at obtaining a nuclear weapon, Hamas working on plots to terrorize Israel in an attempt to provoke Israel’s hand to do the unthinkable and that is to completely destroy the Gaza strip that would cause the international community to come down hard on the nation.

For the Saudis there is the heat building up as the Sunnis and the Shias fight over who will become the dominant player in the Middle East.

We are told in Scriptures that in the end Israel will become the dominant player when Jesus returns to establish his kingdom on earth.

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Israel is Preparing for war

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34th World Congress of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF)

Endorsing the concern for religious freedom and Human Rights in this digital age, the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) organized its 34th World Congress with the theme “Challenges for Religious Freedom in the Digital Era.”
 After a successful 33rd World Congress held in Kochi, India, in 2010 where the delegates had the honour to welcome HH the 14th Dalai Lama as keynote speaker, the congress returned to its historical roots in Europe and was hosted in Birmingham, England, in the campus of the University of Birmingham.
Click Here for the Report – 34th IARF World Congress-2014-Ruzbeh Hodiwala V.

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Identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the Latin American region

English: Common geographical regions of Latin America Español: Regiones geográficas típicas de América Latina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Latin America is home to more than 425 million Catholics – nearly 40% of the world’s total Catholic population – and the Roman Catholic Church now has a Latin American pope for the first time in its history. Yet identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the region, according to a major new Pew Research Center survey that examines religious affiliations, beliefs and practices in 18 Latin American countries and one U.S. territory (Puerto Rico).

Historical data suggest that for most of the 20th century, from 1900 through the 1960s, at least 90% of Latin America’s population was Catholic. Today, the Pew Research survey shows, 69% of adults across the region identify as Catholic. In nearly every country surveyed, the Catholic Church has experienced net losses from religious switching, as many Latin Americans have joined evangelical Protestant churches or rejected organized religion altogether.
On Nov. 13, 2014, the Pew Research Center brought together members of the Latin America community, religious leaders, scholars, members of the media and other experts for a round-table discussion about the latest data on religion in Latin America.
Speakers:
Jim Bell, Director of International Survey Research, Pew Research Center
Neha Sahgal, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center
Andrew Chesnut, Professor of Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University
Moderator:
Alan Cooperman, Director of Religion Research, Pew Research Center

> Event Transcript: Religion in Latin America

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