The Faithful Watchman

‘Pandora’s Box’: Doctors Warn of Rising Plant Fungus Infections in People After ‘First of Its Kind’ Case

The first case of C. purpureum infecting a person has doctors warning of a rising tide of fungus spurred by climate change and urbanization.

A man in India is the first human known to be infected by a fungus called Chondrostereum purpureum, a pathogen that is most well-known for causing a disease called silver leaf in plants, reports a new study.

The patient, who was 61 at the time of the diagnosis, made a full recovery and has not experienced any recurrence of the infection after two years of follow-up observations. However, this “first of its kind” case study exemplifies the risks that fungal pathogens pose for humans, especially now that climate change and other human activities like rampant urbanization, have opened a “Pandora’s Box for newer fungal diseases” by contributing to their spread, according to the study.

Fungal pathogens are having a pop culture moment because they are the source of a fictional disease depicted in apocalyptic game The Last of Us, which was recently adapted into the acclaimed HBO series of the same name. But these microbes are also a real-life scourge that infect about 150 million people every year, resulting in about 1.7 million deaths.

Though millions of fungal species exist, only a very small fraction of them are able to infect animals, including humans, because our bodies present challenges to these invaders such as high temperatures and sophisticated immune systems.

Soma Dutta and Ujjwayini Ray, doctors at Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals in Kolkata, India, have now added one more fungus to that small list of human invaders with their unprecedented report of a C. purpureum infection. The patient, a plant mycologist, had suffered from cough, fatigue, anorexia, and a throat abscess for months before his hospital visit, and was probably exposed to the fungus as a result of his profession.

PETA Teams Up With AI To Rewrite The Bible

Once again, the Left is trying to appropriate the Bible for its own political purposes, this time with the help of artificial intelligence.

Yes, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals last week published a rather milquetoast rewrite of the book of Genesis entitled “The Book: PETA’s Version of the Creation Story.”

The result is inherently offensive, occasionally a tad funny, but ultimately rather underwhelming. Trust me: I suffered through reading it, so you, dear reader, don’t have to waste your time.

PETA–or the AI, which I’m convinced probably provided the best bits of this dilapidated drivel–decided to be slavishly derivative, repeating original locations and keeping the rough structure of Genesis, while simultaneously scrapping the main theological message of the story and the major plot points that give the inspired Word its emotional heft.

In this incredibly sanitized version of the Bible, Cain isn’t a murderer, Nimrod stops being a hunter, Hagar is a chef, a dog takes the place of Isaac on Mount Moriah and there is no sacrifice, Pharaoh’s butler and baker both live, and Pharaoh’s dreams involve vegan preaching, not the famine responsible for reuniting Jacob’s family.

Somewhere between the AI and the wokescolds at PETA, basic details got lost.

For instance, Rachel dies in childbirth with Joseph, rather than with his younger brother Benjamin (Genesis 35), and Benjamin miraculously appears as an elder brother to Joseph. Cain–still the villain of the story–sacrifices animal flesh to God while Abel sacrifices plants, which represents a reversal of the biblical story in which Abel sacrifices his prized sheep. PETA might as well have made Abel the villain, especially since it decided to scrap the murder, anyway.

Vets issue urgent warning over spike in virus that kills up to 90 PERCENT of dogs – with rates rising in New York, Washington DC and Missouri

Pet owners have been urged to look out for a virus that is spiking in some parts of the US and is lethal in dogs.

Parvovirus, often referred to as parvo — a highly-contagious disease that kills up to 90 percent of pooches — is above average levels in at least three parts of the country, New York state, DC and Missouri.

The most common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. The virus is not tracked, so the total number of dogs to have died is not known.

New York health officials released an alert which said the Animal Care Centers (ACC) had diagnosed 14 dogs as of March 14, with the majority in puppies and younger dogs in Bronx and Manhattan facilities.

This far exceeded what is usually seen in a whole year.

And a shelter in Missouri has seen a sharp rise in cases in puppies, with some vets seeing two to three sick parvo-infected dogs every day, and sometimes even five or six. The uptick has been attributed to the warmer weather.

Former Disney actress promotes ‘witchcraft’ in new film about her occult spiritual journey

Former Disney actress Vanessa Hudgens recently released a new film that follows her occult spiritual journey. Hudgens is best known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the Disney movie “High School Musical” and as Candy in “Spring Breakers.”

The actress’ latest project, “Dead Hot,” is an unscripted Tubi film about Hudgens and her best friend, musician GG Magree, exploring witchcraft and ghost hunting.

In the film, Hudgens and Magree travel to Salem, Massachusetts, the setting of the 1692 Salem witch trials, to connect with the spirit world.

The duo, who consider themselves to be self-taught students of witchcraft, regard experimenting and connecting with the spirit world to be their pastime, according to Variety.

Hudgens told the outlet that the recently released film “was a lot more personal than anything I’ve ever done.”

“I’m not hiding behind a character as I normally do in films — this is me, exploring something that I am very passionate about,” she added.

“I knew it would be extremely personal, and I would be sticking my neck out doing so,” Hudgens continued. “But I’m hoping that it makes other curious people out there to be inspired to open their hearts, minds and soul. Trust their intuition and find a bit more peace in the unknown.”

Mysterious New Markings Have Appeared on the U.K.’s Ancient Stone of Destiny

An ancient stone, housed in Scotland and dubbed the “Stone of Destiny,” has been used in the coronation of kings since around 840 AD.
The origins of the stone’s prominence remain unknown.
New research has revealed never-before-seen markings on the stone, which will be used during King Charles III’s coronation in May.

There’s a special stone used in the coronation ceremonies of monarchs in the United Kingdom. It’s been this way since around 840 AD. And now we have found, for the first time, hidden markings on the red sandstone slab that will be a part of King Charles III’s May coronation.

An oblong block 25 inches long, 15 inches wide, and about 10 inches thick, the stone’s earliest origins are a mystery. But it has long held a special place in the royal history of the United Kingdom, and is considered by many to be a sacred object.

Believed to have been moved to Scone about 840 AD by Kenneth I from western Scotland, this block—also called the Stone of Scone—became part of the coronation tradition for Scottish rulers. It didn’t remain in Scotland forever, though, as King Edward I of England pillaged it in 1296 and moved it to Westminster. It was officially returned to Scotland in 1996—with some theft now a part of it’s history—and is currently housed in Edinburgh Castle. It remains part of the United Kingdom’s coronation tradition, however, and Scotland has agreed to allow it to be used as part of the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey come May 6.

Due to the remaining ambiguity in the Stone of Destiny’s very early history, the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has renewed its investigation into the red slab ahead of the big royal event. Using a newly created 3D model, researchers now have access to fresh angles and details, showing off what appear to be Roman numerals on the stone’s surface for the first time.

“It’s very existing to discover new information about an object as unique and important to Scotland’s history as the Stone of Destiny,” Ewan Hyslop, head of research and climate change at Historic Environment Scotland, says in a news release. “The high level of detail we’ve been able to capture through the digital imaging has enabled us to re-examine the tooling marks on the surface of the stone, which has helped confirm that the stone has been roughly worked by more than one stonemason with a number of different tools, as was previously thought.”

Americans Who Believe in God, Marriage More Likely to be ‘Very Happy’: Survey

In an age of rapidly declining happiness and rising anxiety, those who embrace the biblical values of faith and family are far more likely to thrive, a new secular survey has found.

Faith in God almost perfectly predicts Americans’ level of happiness, according to a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll taken in March: 68% of “very happy” Americans say they believe in God, compared with 47% who say they are “pretty happy” and 42% who are “not happy.”

The role faith plays in enhancing personal tranquility seems worth studying, given the massive plunge in the number of U.S. citizens reporting positive mental health. Only 12% of Americans describe themselves as “very happy,” a massive fall from the historic norms of 28% to 38% since the survey began asking the question 51 years ago. “The 12% was the smallest share of ‘very happy’ people ever recorded in NORC’s General Social Survey, dating to 1972,” reported the Wall Street Journal — down from 32% just five years ago.

Part of the higher rates of well-being may come from the fact that Americans who regularly read the Bible have greater resilience in the face of trials, a separate poll recently concluded. “Scripture engaged” Christians — meaning those who regularly read or listen to the Bible and say its teachings guide their lives — are more determined to persevere through difficulties and seek successful outcomes than “Bible-disengaged” Americans.

“In dealing with the struggles of life, people who engage with the Bible have far more hope than others,” concluded the American Bible Society.

The survey’s results came as no surprise to Bible-believing Christians. “A recent study showed that Americans who read the Bible have ‘far more hope’ than those who don’t. That’s absolutely right. It is ‘a lamp to our feet and a light to our path’ (Psalm 119:105),” said Rev. Franklin Graham, the founder of Samaritan’s Purse. “I encourage you to read and meditate on the truth of the Word of God. I don’t understand it all, but I believe it all — and it can change your life today.”

Pagan conferences return with more attendees, more magick after pandemic hiatus

‘Everybody is here. There are lots of hugs. We are back.’

A spirit of reunion permeated Sacred Space, a pagan conference held annually in early April. After a three-year hiatus, the event in Hunt Valley, Maryland, welcomed more than double its pre-pandemic attendance and, despite the host hotel’s broken air conditioning, was a huge success, said organizers.

“It was such an extraordinary blessing to be in the physical presence of our beloved community of magickal peers again. I know we all felt that,” said Gwendolyn Reece, president of the Sacred Space Foundation, the event’s host organization.

The indoor event is one of several traditionally held throughout the year to support the pagan community. After struggling through cancellations, lockdowns and low attendance, these events are back and, according to organizers, are bigger than ever.

“There was some critically important magick done during this conference,” Reece added, magick that hadn’t been done since 2019 — the last year Sacred Space was held, after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then again in 2021 and 2022 as waves of new virus variants made hosting a large conference questionable.

“I am grateful that we have such a strong-hearted, dynamic, spiritually courageous magickal community,” said Reece.

The event shared space with another, smaller conference, Between the Worlds, which is hosted periodically as defined by astrological timing. While the smaller event does increase attendance, it only does so by 30%, according to both organizations. This year, Sacred Space welcomed 625 attendees, up from 310 in 2019, according to Michael Smith, the event’s registrar.

World’s Largest Baptist University Hosts ‘Queer Sex Ed’ Night

Society is in an aggressive state of change, and that includes the arena of Christian education.

Baylor University is the world’s largest Baptist college. The 16,000-student institution was founded in 1845, making it the oldest perpetually-operating university in Texas. Even so, don’t assume it’s old-fashioned.

On March 23rd, the school hosted an event certifying its contemporary credentials. As advertised on Instagram, the extravaganza was called “Queer Sex Ed.” An accompanying caption read, “Secret is out. See you tomorrow!! You can still DM us to become a member and join our Queer Sex Ed!!!”

The ad didn’t detail what was involved, but featured in the post was the Planned Parenthood logo.

Queer Sex Ed was sponsored by Prism at Baylor. On its social media page and across multiple posts, the alliance defines itself:

Prism At Baylor

Reflecting diversity, belonging, and opportunity in the LGBTQ+ community.

Goals:

Enhance learning and education for students, faculty, staff and alumni to create a safe and respectful environment for (the) LGBTQ+ community.
Provide a space for the LGBTQ+ community to come together to engage, participate, and celebrate their individual identities and identity as a group.
Provide resources to navigate essential services including physical, mental, or spiritual well-being at Baylor and beyond.
Help students gain deeper understanding of their own and others’ complex and intersectional identities, including gender and sexuality and spirituality.

From transgendered to ‘transabled’: Now people are ‘choosing’ to identify as handicapped

Some with ‘body integrity identity disorder’ even desire amputation or other impairments — experts weigh in

A troubling societal issue called “transableism” is attracting attention these days.

Transableism is a newer term for BIID, or “Body Integrity Identity Disorder,” in which a person actually “identifies” as handicapped.

BIID has been relabeled to transableism to align with today’s trans community, according to some.

The point of “changing the identifier” from a psychiatric condition (BIID) to an advocacy term (transableism) is to “harness the stunning cultural power of gender ideology” to the cause of allowing doctors to “treat” BIID patients by “amputating healthy limbs, snipping spinal cords or destroying eyesight,” according to Evolution News and Science Today (EN), which reports on and analyzes evolution, neuroscience, bioethics, intelligent design and other science-related issues.

Culturally, transableism is “the next abyss,” that site also notes.

Boston SatanCon-goers shred Bible, pro-cop flag during opening ritual: ‘Hail Satan!’

One of the Satanist leaders also took a hammer to a keyboard

A group of Satanists cheered as two leaders opened SatanCon 2023 on Friday with a formal ceremony renouncing “symbols of oppression” by ripping up a Bible and a “Thin Blue Line” flag representing police.

“We stand here today in defiance of their siege and destroy their symbols of oppression,” a female leader told the crowd before ripping pages out of the Bible and throwing them on the floor, video showed.

A male leader joined her in then tearing a “Thin Blue Line” flag in two, which they also tossed on the floor while the crowd cheered. Satanists in attendance later picked some of the ripped pages off the floor and posed with them for pictures.

“We must build true community outside of the virtual,” the male leader also said before taking a hammer to a keyboard. “Rebelling comes in many forms to each and their own within their own capabilities and their own situation. For some of us, merely existing one more day is victory, but for those of us who can, we must stand up for those who cannot.”