Universal Life Church

In Fargo, North Dakota, a local Ramada Inn opened its doors to churches on Sunday, allowing the ministers and congregants to worship in their conference center. The nearby Red River has been in flood conditions for much of the last week, though experts now say that the flood will continue to steadily recede.

On Sunday, March 29, 2009, churches were still battling floodwater and were unable open their doors… many united in a show of solidarity.

Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church held its Sunday service at the Ramada Plaza, where worshipers gathered on folding chairs.

Pastor Vern Baardson told the weary congregation that he’d been on the sandbag line in bitterly cold weather himself.

(AP)

Residents who were able to make it to the service expressed relief that they had a place to worship.

“It’s just a traumatic time,” said Fargo resident JoAnn Flanagan, who attended the service with her husband, Vern. “It just gives you a feeling of calm, peace.”

(InFo)

Our hearts go out to the residents of the Red River area, if you wish to contribute to the relief effort, please make a donation to the Red Cross.

- Associated Press
- In Forum

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It may come as somewhat of a surprise but researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough and York University are attempting to explain the physical relationship between one’s religion and its correlation with brain activity. The research, under the direction of Michael Inzlicht, Ian McGregor, Jacob B. Hirsh and Kyle Nash will hopefully allow us to better understand the relationship between people and their environment. Thus far, two separate studies have been conducted. Both show a positive correlation between one’s faith (or lack of faith) and the activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. The ACC, as it is commonly referred to, is involved in the brain’s experience of anxiousness and self-regulation. Studies conducted with the consideration of an individual’s personality and cognitive abilities, show that one’s faith and religious convictions provide a blueprint for how we understand, act and respond to our own environment. As a result, they have found that religious people tend to be less anxious and have lower activity in the ACC region of their brains compared with non-religious people.

“Inzlicht says it would be interesting to test people as their religious devotion strengthens or weakens over time to see if ACC activation changes accordingly. This could help confirm the correct explanation for the lower ACC activity.” -NS

Sources:

-New Scientist

-Wiley InterScience

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Four years into his reign, Pope Benedict XVI has already proven to be somewhat of a controversial variable to the Catholic Church. In 2006, while delivering a lecture in Germany at the University of Regensburg, the Pope stated,

“Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
-Wikipedia

More recently however, the Pope has found himself touring Africa; part of what is supposed to be a fresh start for the pontiff. Questions continue to arise however concerning the pontiff’s publicity team. As it stands now the pontiff meets with few advisers, his entire media operation is under the sole supervision of Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, 67 and furthermore the Vatican has been publicly criticized for the pontiff’s remote nature and questionable public statements. Archbishop Celli responded to these criticisms by stating,

“New media technologies are creating a new environment, a new culture” stating further that, “innovative thinking, so that we can better reach out to others and better communicate the Good News to all humanity” is needed.
-The Times

Father Federico Lombardi, spokesperson for the Pope and also responsible for Vatican radio and television was quoted as saying,

“I don’t think my role is to explain the things the Pope already states in an extraordinarily clear and rich way.”
-The Times

Regardless, the Pope is no stranger to publicity and his Africa Tour continues forward. Sunday brought the largest congregation of people thus far in his travels, bringing together nearly one million devout Angolan Catholics.

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Former First Baptist Church deacon, Terry Dean Gibson of Las Cruces, was dismissed Tuesday of all charges related to the secret video-taping of women and girls at backyard pool parties that he hosted for church bible study and youth group meetings. In April of 2008, Gibson had been charged with nine counts of sexual exploitation of children following an investigation surrounding the deacon. Third Judicial District Court Judge Stephen Bridgforth stated in his ruling that in order for the videotapes to be considered exploitative, “visible display or readily discernible depiction of a child engaged in sexually provocative conduct” must exist as well as “visible signs of eroticism.” None of which, according to the courts findings existed. Ultimately the videotapes were protected speech under the First Amendment, given that such exploitative acts did not exist. A statement by Gibson’s lawyer said the ruling was “an important victory for the First Amendment in an era that has seen the government increasingly and consistently encroaching upon our rights as citizens.”

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“It (AIDS) cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem,”

These were the words spoken by the vicar of Christ yesterday in an interview. It could be argued that the Pope is merely expressing a religious view, however given the unfortunate reach and influence of the office in communities worst affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS, his position is unconscionable.

The rest here.

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FLDS leaders arranged a press junket for a several People reporters hoping for some good PR a year after 439 children were removed from their Texas compound by the state’s protective services. However the the title of the feature article blares out from newsstands everywhere, “The Children of the Cult”. The eight-page photo spread shows the FLDS women and children, but grown men are conspicuously absent. According to the article, some children were having trouble readjusting to their sect’s austere lifestyle after being exposed to bicycles, television, and video games during their absence from the compound.

- People

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In response to Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine’s affirmation of a statewide policy prohibiting state troopers serving as chaplains from praying “in Jesus’ name,” a coalition of Christian Pastors has begun organizing a demonstration rally for November 1st, right before the fall election, to protest the resignation of 17 Virginia trooper chaplains. The “Stand Up For Jesus” rally is set for Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Square Bell Tower in Richmond, VA.

In a written response to the coalition of Pastors, Governor Timothy Kaine remarked, “it is important for state employees to be sensitive to the entire population who would attend such events,” and, “I did note that the attachments to your letter contained some extraneous references to energizing voters before November 4 and disparaging comments about ‘liberals,’ ‘atheists’ and ‘homosexuals.’ I take matters of faith and religious liberty very seriously and am offended when people attempt to inflame passions about these sacred matters for political ends.”

- World Net Daily

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Andy Pete just may be our best recent example of what a Universal Life Church minister is truly made of. With two kids, two cats, a loving wife, family and home daycare; it would seem that Andy would have no free time. You may be surprised to find however, that Andy, whose first son was born when he was only 16, has done much more with his time than your average Joe. Andy Pete has a master’s degree in English from online Rochville University, and in addition to his ordainment with the Universal Life Church, he is a master hypnotherapist and part-time writer. Last year in fact, he invested his 2008 stimulus check into both him and his families future by publishing 3k copies of “Heavens Aflame“. The novel was written by hand during his younger son’s baseball practices. It is a fantasy which follows the life of a man trapped “somewhere between Heaven and Hell” introducing the reader to a unique outlook on life after death. Depending on the success of the novel, Pete is prepared with ideas for a sequel.

Rev. Andy Pete can be reached at unliving@comcast.net

Source: www.ldnews.com

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2008 saw a rise in the number of Catholic clergy sexual abuse claims. Last year 803 individuals reported past abuse; the highest number of cases brought before the Catholic Church in a single year.

Despite the increase in abuse claims – and the corresponding settlements – the amount of money actually paid out by the Catholic Church was less than in preceding years. This has brought attention to the practices that the Church is using to mediate damage to its reputation and finances.

“Unfortunately, many dioceses are conducting the investigations themselves without also making a report to civil authorities,” the researchers said. Advocates have repeatedly encouraged victims to make their first report to police, not the church.

(AP)

As more abuse victims follow the Catholic Church’s prescribed path of compensation, fewer cases ever see a court room. Only about 30% of victims settle their claims with an attorney, and as media exposure declines, so does public pressure to reform Church policy.

The statistics of abuse continue to outrage The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who say that the Church’s self policing policies do not offer a solution to the continuing problems.

We challenge church officials to provide clear, specific information (on every diocesan website and at the national level) about which predators have been defrocked and which have not…

In almost every case, church authorities have vast resources they could use to warn unsuspecting families about these dangerous sex offenders, including their known or suspected or recent whereabouts. But sadly, the Catholic hierarchy largely still prefers to protect itself from embarrassment instead of protecting children from crimes.

(SNAP)

To date the Catholic Church has spent over 2.6 billion dollars settling cases of clergy abuse.

- Associated Press
- The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

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