Lee Ardis

Christians in the Holy Land say they’re under attack as Israeli-Palestinian violence soars

Church officials and Christian leaders in Israel blame a minority of Jewish extremists for the attacks. They say Israel’s far-right government has fostered a culture of impunity.

Upstairs in his monastery tucked in the Old City, Brother Matteo Munari heard a commotion at the Church of the Flagellation, along the path where Jesus is said to have carried his cross on the way to his crucifixion.

Munari, 49, went downstairs and found that a 10-foot statue of Jesus had been wrested off its pedestal and thrown to the ground, its face partially destroyed. When the church’s doorman tackled the man suspected of toppling the statue on Feb. 2, Jewish ritual tassels that had been concealed under his clothes emerged, the Franciscan friar said.

“He was kind of crying. Like, ‘We have to destroy all the statues and the idols in Jerusalem,’” Munari told NBC News last week as he gazed at the smashed face of Jesus, now awaiting repair at the church, which was built in 1929 on a site that dates to the 12th century.

“I just felt sad for him,” he added. “I think he wanted to do the right thing. So the problem probably was not the man himself, but who instructed him to think in this violent way.”

Israeli police confirmed that a U.S. citizen in his 40s was arrested at the scene, adding that investigators were “working diligently to maintain security, order and freedom of worship for members of all religions and denominations.”

NASA Is Tracking a Huge, Growing Anomaly in Earth’s Magnetic Field

NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth’s magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa.

This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers.

The space agency’s satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun.

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – likened by NASA to a ‘dent’ in Earth’s magnetic field, or a kind of ‘pothole in space’ – generally doesn’t affect life on Earth, but the same can’t be said for orbital spacecraft (including the International Space Station), which pass directly through the anomaly as they loop around the planet at low-Earth orbit altitudes.

During these encounters, the reduced magnetic field strength inside the anomaly means technological systems onboard satellites can short-circuit and malfunction if they become struck by high-energy protons emanating from the Sun.

Minnesota Legislation Seeks to Normalize Pedophilia as a Sexual Orientation

Earlier this year I noted that the mainstream acceptance of transgenderism would be the precursor to the normalization of pedophilia. The evidence to support this was quite clear. And I’m sorry to say that I was right. The Minnesota legislature is in the process of changing the legal definition of “sexual orientation” that literally opens the door to mainstreaming pedophilia.

Here’s how it’s being done. The bill modifies the existing Minnesota law that designates sexual orientation as a protected category, making it unlawful to discriminate based on sexual orientation within the state.

The first thing it does is adds a definition for gender identity:

Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 363A.03, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

Subd. 50. Gender identity. “Gender identity” means a person’s inherent sense of being a man, woman, both, or neither. A person’s gender identity may or may not correspond to their assigned sex at birth or to their primary or secondary sex characteristics. A person’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others.

But this is not even the most disturbing part of the legislation. The legislation amends Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 363A.03, subdivision 44, to read as follows:

Subd. 44. Sexual orientation. “Sexual orientation” means having or being perceived as having an emotional, physical, or sexual attachment to another person without regard to the sex of that person or having or being perceived as having an orientation for such attachment, or having or being perceived as having a self-image or identity not traditionally associated with one’s biological maleness or femaleness. “Sexual orientation” does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult.

That portion striking out the part that reads, “‘Sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult,” is not a mistake. The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has made the decision to eliminate a clause that explicitly excluded pedophilia from being considered a valid sexual orientation.

Arizona Democrat minister lawmaker caught on camera hiding Bibles

It was a holy mystery at the Arizona State Capitol, with Bibles vanishing in the House’s members-only lounge. It prompted the security team to place a camera to catch the most unlikely culprit: an ordained minister who’s also a Democrat state lawmaker.

Video shows Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton swiping two Bibles in minutes. It’s a move that Republican Pro-Tempore Speaker Travis Grantham believes is sinister. “When I’m watching that, I’m thinking, ‘Well, this is obviously someone who’s got some purpose and some intent, and they know they’re doing something bad,” said Grantham.

What’s even more strange is the revelation made by the House’s security team. One of the Holy books was buried in the members-only lounge furniture, and another in the community refrigerator. “For an ordained minister to do that, again, it’s nonsensical. I have no clarity as to why it happened,” said Grantham.

Argentina Shuns U.S. Dollar: Will Pay for China Imports in Yuan

Argentina struck a deal with Beijing on Wednesday to stop using U.S. dollars to pay for Chinese imports and embrace the yuan instead.

The measure, driven by Argentina’s leftist President Alberto Fernández, is designed to relieve the South American country’s dwindling dollar reserves, AP reports.

The deal further enhances China’s rise on the world stage and the diminished role of the U.S. on a host of fronts under President Joe Biden.

After reaching the agreement with various companies, Argentina will use the yuan for imports from China worth about U.S.$1.04 billion from next month, accelerating trade with China as Beijing seeks to gain a further foothold in South America.

In November last year Argentina expanded a currency swap with China by $5 billion in an effort to increase its yuan reserves.

UNPRECEDENTED: Iran’s crown prince meets Netanyahu, quotes the Bible, extols Cyrus the Great & future ‘Cyrus Accords’

Did you ever imagine a major Iranian political leader coming to visit Israel, not to threaten the Jewish people with genocide, but to offer his hand of peace, cooperation and mutual respect?

It may sound like fiction – like one of my novels – but it’s actually happening this week.

In an historic development, Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi – the son of Iran’s late king, or shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi – arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport yesterday, accompanied by his wife, Yasmine.

“Yasmine and I just arrived here in Israel,” Pahlavi immediately tweeted to his 1.2 million followers. “We are very happy to be here and are dedicated to working toward the peaceful and prosperous future that the people of our region deserve. From the children of Cyrus, to the children of Israel, we will build this future together, in friendship.”

The reference was to Cyrus the Great, described both in Persian history and in the Bible as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the history of the ancient Persian empire, and the man who gave the Jewish people their freedom, sent them back to Israel to resettle their homeland, and gave them both the permission and the money to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

Biden Administration Dictates Religious Policy to Israel at Jewish Holy Site

The Biden administration is dictating religious policy to Israel over the delicate question of mixed-gender prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Judaism.

U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, who happens to be Muslim, tweeted on behalf of the administration Sunday that the U.S. supports the implementation of an expansion of the space for egalitarian — i.e. mixed — prayer at the Wall.

In traditional, or “Orthodox,” Judaism, men and women pray separately, and men lead the services. Since only men are religiously obligated to pray, the space allocated to men is larger than the women’s section at the Wall.

In other Jewish denominations, such as “Reform,” men and women pray together, and women often lead services. Reform is the largest Jewish denomination in the U.S., but is smaller in other parts of the world.

(In Islam, men and women also pray separately, except at the Kaaba in Mecca. There is no egalitarian prayer at other Muslim holy sites, including at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which sits above the Western Wall.)

The Western (or Wailing) Wall is the surviving remnant of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, destroyed by the Romans in the year 70. Many Jews avoid praying on the Temple Mount itself — which is a Muslim holy site today — for fear of accidentally stepping on the Holy of Holies, the spot where the presence of God is believed to have dwelt, and which was entered only by the High Priest on the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

UN-backed report suggests minors may be able to consent to sex – critics accuse org of attempting to normalize pedophilia

A March report by international legal professionals and backed by the United Nations suggested that minors may be able to consent to sex.

The report, titled “The 8 March Principles for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law Proscribing Conduct Associated with Sex, Reproduction, Drug Use, HIV, Homelessness and Poverty,” was drafted by the 60 members of the International Commission of Jurists and meant to serve as legal guidance.

“Composed of 60 eminent judges and lawyers from all regions of the world, the International Commission of Jurists promotes and protects human rights through the Rule of Law, by using its unique legal expertise to develop and strengthen national and international justice systems,” the report stated.

It lists several principles intended to provide a “clear, accessible and operational legal framework and practical legal guidance” on human rights concerns, including “consensual sexual activities, including in such contexts as sex outside marriage, same-sex sexual relations, adolescent sexual activity and sex work.”

The report claims that while determining human rights law, certain factors should be considered, including “adolescents’ evolving capacity to consent in certain contexts, in fact, even if not in law, when they are below the prescribed minimum age of consent in domestic law.”

Humans Are on Track to Achieve Immortality in 7 Years, Futurist Says

A new video from the YouTube channel Adagio revisits futurist Ray Kurzweil’s ideas about how for humans, both singularity and immortality are shockingly imminent—as in, potentially just seven years away.

Both concepts may take a stretch of reality to attain, but Kurzweil and his supporters are quite limber. The idea of singularity is the moment AI exceeds beyond human control and rapidly transforms society. Predicting this timing is tricky, to say the least.

But Kurzweil says one crucial step on the way to a potential 2045 singularity is the concept of immortality, possibly reached as soon as 2030. And the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is what will make it happen. Kurzweil believes that our technological and medical progress will grow to the point that robotics—he dubs them “nanobots”—will work to repair our bodies at the cellular level, as reported by Lifeboat, turning disease and aging around thanks to the continual work of robotic know-how. And then, voilà: immortality.

NYC will target food choices in its battle against climate change

The Adams administration has announced a plan to begin tracking the carbon footprint created by household food consumption as well as a new target for New York City agencies to reduce their food-based emissions by 33% by the year 2023.

Mayor Eric Adams announced the plan on Monday along with the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice as part of the city’s ongoing pledge to reduce the impact of climate change. At the same event, the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice published a new chart in the city’s annual greenhouse gas inventory that publicly tracks the carbon footprint created by household food consumption — primarily generated by meat and dairy products.

The new analysis is a spin on the emissions data that comes standard with the annual inventory. It was made through a partnership with American Express, C40 Cities and EcoData lab.

Adams, an ardent evangelist of plant-based diets, announced the new tracker and policy at a Brooklyn culinary center run by Health + Hospitals, the city’s public health care system.