The Religion of Peace is at it again. Today’s example of Islam’s tolerance is ‘A 24-year-old woman in Uganda was beaten and burned all over her body by her father, a teacher of Islam, when he found out about her conversion to Christianity, according to Morning Star News.
Rehema Kyomuhendo was traveling with her father on a business trip in Uganda and was delayed making the 305 mile trek home due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
During this time, Kyomuhendo began listening to Christian programing on the radio and after doing more independent research about the religion, soon accepted it as her newfound faith.
Her father, Sheikh Hussein Byaruhanga Husain, a teacher of Islam, allegedly overheard his daughter’s excitement over her conversion to Christianity and immediately began to beat her—kicking and slapping.
Furious, he even allegedly threatened to kill his own daughter.
In a rage, he reportedly grabbed a jerrican and lit it on fire, taking it to Kyomuhendo’s body and burning her as she screamed in pain. The aunt that the two were staying with at the time rushed to protect her niece and carried her outside, awaiting help from a Christian neighbor.
She was raced to Mbale Regional Referral hospital where she will remain for over a month, according to reports, while being treated for burns all over her body, including on her stomach, neck, back, ribs, and leg.
Even though religious freedom and conversion is legal within Uganda, no police report has been filed, reportedly out of fear for how the Sheikh will react.
Many Muslim communities in the area view preaching or converting to Christianity as a grave offense.
This is not an isolated incidence of religious persecution, particularly for Christians.
According to the Open Doors World Watch List for 2020, there are about 260 million Christians that experience high levels of persecution across the top 50 countries on this list.
Uganda does not even rank in the top 50 on this list.
Almost 3,000 Christians have been killed in this past year alone, meaning about 8 Christians are killed every day due to their faith.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female
In spite of what Moses wrote and what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said some continue to question not only the Bible but science. For example; ‘T.L. from the United States writes:
I was in a debate with a friend of mine about the creation of gender. She stated that Adam could not have been created first because women have two X chromosomes. She goes on to address the X deactivation in women, saying that this only occurs because both X chromosomes are the same making it a “female” chromosome in both men and women (she also said that the master “switch” in males is them “switching” from the “default”). She goes on to say that men are “half female” and women are “fully female”, making them superior in that they bare life. She also said males are pretty much useless and that we can see this in other life (bees, the infrequency of male lions, “all female” lizards, etc). So my questions are, is the first X chromosome a “female” chromosome, even in men? And does this mean that God made Adam “half female”(as my friend puts it)?
No, the X chromosome isn’t a ‘female’ chromosome. Everyone needs it. And no, males (including Adam) are not ‘half female’.
First, your friend is wrong on the science. The idea that female is the ‘default’ embryological condition is now known to be false.1 This idea was based on a few studies in the mid-20th century, and it was thought to be reinforced in the early 1990s by the discovery of the SRY gene, a gene on the Y chromosome which plays a crucial role in testis development. Because of this, female sexual development was thought to proceed as a ‘default’ in the absence of SRY.The idea that female is the ‘default’ embryological condition is now known to be false
However, subsequent research overturned this idea. For instance, the absence of SRY isn’t enough to build a functioning ovary; two X chromosomes are needed. Women with only one X chromosome almost always have ovary dysfunction, and the vast majority are infertile. And those (very) few that can conceive and carry a pregnancy to term are at much higher risk of complications both during and after pregnancy.2
Moreover, some genes, if their products are present in high enough concentrations, can stop male development even when SRY is present. For instance, the NROB1 gene on the short arm of the X chromosome codes for a protein named DAX1. This protein plays an important role in the development of the adrenals, hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads. The protein is also involved in maintaining hormone production in these glands after they are formed.3 People who have XY chromosomes, but have a duplication of the NROB1 gene, produce enough DAX1 to inhibit the products of SRY. This stops male development completely and the person develops female characteristics.4 This is not merely the taking over of a default; this is an abnormality that overrides the normal development of an XY person.
Furthermore, ovaries and testes require ongoing maintenance throughout life. Researchers found that the gene FOXL2 (on the long arm of chromosome 3) suppresses SOX9 (a gene crucial for male development that is found on the long arm of chromosome 17), which prevents certain cells in the ovary from differentiating differently into ‘testis-like’ cells.5 Similarly, the DMRT1 gene (found on the end of chromosome 9) suppresses certain genes involved in ovarian development. 6 If both require ongoing maintenance, then there is no ‘default’ gonad, whether the testis or the ovary. Many of the tools used for building and maintaining both ovaries and testes are found in the genome outside the “sex” chromosomes.
Together, this shows that proper female development is an active process, and it isn’t simply the ‘default’ path an embryo takes. Instead, during development, a set of cells migrates to the outside of the embryo and hangs out on the allantois. At the appropriate time, they chain up and do a conga line, enter the embryo, find the developing gonads, enter them, and get to work. Before these cells arrive, there is no sexual differentiation. As Kim and Capel explain:
“Unlike most developing organs in the embryo that follow a single developmental track, the gonad forms with the potential to develop as one of two alternative organs, an ovary or a testis. For this reason, the gonad primordium is called ‘the bipotential gonad’.”7
Since when is God limited by sex chromosomes in the gender he makes first?
Second, your friend is wrong on theology. Think about it: the all-powerful God couldn’t have created Adam first because of sex chromosomes? Since when is God limited by sex chromosomes in the gender he makes first?
At any rate, from a genetic standpoint, it seems much simpler to make Eve from Adam (as per Genesis 2). Why? All God would have to do to make Eve from Adam’s side is to erase the Y chromosomes in the cells taken from Adam’s body and duplicate the one X chromosome already present (Eve, the rib, and modern genetics). On the other hand, if God created Eve first, he would’ve had to form a Y chromosome de novo to make Adam from Eve. (This is like what God probably did in miraculously creating Jesus’ zygote—i.e. He took one of Mary’s eggs (and the haploid genome in it) and created a second haploid genome within the egg with a brand new Y chromosome.) Of course, neither of these ‘methods’ of creating one gender from the other is a problem for God, since he’s all-powerful.
Third, a woman’s two X chromosomes are not identical (with the possible exception of Eve), since one is inherited from each parent. And one of the pair is deactivated early in embryological development, because only one is needed for gene expression. Having both active would create an excess of many gene products and would lead to all sorts of problems. Nevertheless, as mentioned above and in the linked article, since single-X females are mostly infertile, the presence of a second X chromosome is important for normal female sexual development.
Fourth, comparing us to the rest of the animal kingdom is irrelevant, since sexual differentiation varies across animals. Some can even change their sex in response to environmental conditions (and of course be completely reproductively viable). For example, while some reptiles and fish can perform parthenogenesis (where the females produce young without fertilization from a male), it is generally uncommon and just a ‘fallback’ option in the absence or dearth of males (see ‘Asexual’ lizards and pioneer plants and The weird, wonderfully-designed sawfish). Nor can humans naturally perform parthenogenesis (Was the Virgin Birth non-miraculous?; and should Christians bother with atheists?). Birds sexual chromosomes are the opposite of humans (male birds are ZZ, females are ZW), and platypuses have a system that is unlike anything else.
Paul, under the control of the Holy Spirit wrote ‘Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ‘ 1 Corinthians 11:1. The Word of God knows nothing of the celebrity status so many professing Christians have been given by others. Now, ‘The lead singer of a popular Christian music band has taken to social media to state that he no longer believes in God.
Jon Steingard, pictured above at a live performance, of the popular band, Hawk Nelson, said that, “After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word ‘Christian’ in front of most of the things in my life – I am now finding that I no longer believe in God.”
Hawk Nelson is a Canadian Christian rock and pop punk band from Peterborough, Ontario. Formed in 2000, the band has released eight studio albums to date.
I’ve been terrified to post this for a while – but it feels like it’s time for me to be honest,” he said on Instagram. “I hope this is not the end of the conversation, but the beginning. I hope this is encouraging to people who might feel the same but are as afraid to speak as I am. I want to be open. I want to be transparent with you all – and also open to having my heart changed in the future.
I am not looking for a debate at all – just a chance to share my story in the hopes some good can come from it. I love you all.”
In his post, he states that losing his faith “didn’t happen overnight or all of a sudden” He stated that, “I have been terrified to be honest about this publicly for quite some time, because of all that I thought I would lose.
“I simply can no longer avoid it. Processing this quietly felt right when I simply had doubts, but once they solidified into a genuine point of view, it began to feel dishonest not to talk about it.”
He said that he and his wife are relieved about walking away from their faith.’
It’s Biblical to Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Paul the Apostle wrote ‘…that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures 1 Corinthians 15:3.
‘“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
As we ponder the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, a fuller understanding should bring us to an ever-deeper reliance on and identification with Him. To assist us in examining the work of Christ on the cross, let us use the beloved hymn “The Old Rugged Cross.” Here we will find its words reflecting a deep and abiding love for Christ and His cross. The next four days we will, in turn, study each of its four verses, but today note its chorus:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Our text reminds us that there is no worth in any deed of our own, including even a full adherence to the law of Moses (Galatians 6:12-13). Only through the cross and the salvation by grace made possible by the cross do we have any standing before God. We must cherish the cross, and cling to it! Thus, we can say with Paul that this “world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”—its sinful allurements and the recognition of men of no value.
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). All our legitimate accomplishments, those true trophies or “[crowns] of rejoicing” (1 Thessalonians 2:19) done in His power and for His glory, will be cast before His throne (Revelation 4:10) in recognition of His worth and kingship. His cross made it all possible. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM’ https://www.icr.org/article/11825
I had never heard of Rhett & link until now. On their YouTube channel they say they are ‘…two guys who are only getting older, trying our best to maintain our childhood friendship via filming each other on various adventures.’
Well, I guess Rhett and Link also professed to be Christians and were active in many Christian ministries but have now renounced their faith and say they are now agnostics. Therefore, Dr Robert Carter and Paul Price of Creation Ministries International are in this video discussing several issues in all this.
1Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils
1Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
‘Clayton Co. Treasurer’s Office Robbery The unsuccessful attempt to rob the county treasurer’s safe here a week ago last Friday has been cleared up by the confession of three men captured in an attempted bank robbery at Ottawa, Ill., last week Wednesday. A fourth member, included in the confession of the three men, is dead as the result of a running gun battle after the yeggs (a slang term used in reference to safecrackers/robbers in the early 1900s) were discovered in the Leonore, Ill., bank.
The dead member of the gang is Melvin Liest, 40, of Rockford, Ill., for four years a member of the Dubuque fire department. In a hospital in LaSalle, Ill., Arthur Thielen, 41, a former Dubuque taxicab driver, lies dangerously wounded, a bullet in his abdomen. In the LaSalle county jail are Fred Gerner of Rockford, Ill., formerly a resident of Clayton; and a brother-in-law of Thielen. With him also is John Hauff, who claims to be from Chicago. The latter is the one who first confessed implicating the others in the attempted robbery here. After his confession had been gotten the others admitted their guilt.
Hauff’s confession gave a clear account of the time spent here in Elkader and vicinity from the time they arrived until they left after their unsuccessful attempt to loot the treasurer’s safe. According to his story in the LaSalle county jail last Sunday, the gang arrived here Wednesday afternoon, January 9th. They came to Elkader via Prairie du Chien and the Marquette bridge avoiding Dubuque because Liest was known there.
They spent Wednesday afternoon here in town and since the attempted robbery a number of people reported to authorities that an out-of-state car was observed on the streets. While the car was parked on lower Front street near the Niemeyer Bros. store, Liest spent about an hour in the court house, getting the lay of the land, according to Hauff. While Norbert Niemeyer took no particular pains to observe the number of the license plates he felt certain the number was Wisconsin “77-070.” A check on the plates last Sunday revealed that he had not been far off for the number was “77-080.” Both the car and the plates were stolen, county officials have found.
The group ate their supper Wednesday night in the Riverside Café and that evening attended the show in the Rivola theatre where they signed fictitious names on the bank night record in the presence of Donna and Kathleen Dinan. They claim to have spent the night in their car but evidence points to the fact that they spent, at least part of the time, in the Pony Hollow school house just south of town. There is evidence that a fire had been started in the stove and the rope from the flag pole and bell were taken by the gang to use in getting out their car which had been stuck. Their story admits that they broke into the school house.
Thursday morning they claimed to have eaten breakfast in Garnavillo. Thursday night they admit breaking into the court house about nine o’clock, and it was not until after they had broken into the vault that they went to get the torch and gas tanks from the county garage. Hauff stated that he kept guard at the west entrance of the court house while Thielen guarded the east entrance. Gerner and Liest continued the job in the vault.
Just about the time the gas pressure in the tanks began to give out, Liest suffered an attack from the gas. He walked from the vault into the main hall and there fell over in a faint. His pals carried him into the air and after he recovered he wanted to return to finish the job. His pals, however, resisted and they left immediately along the same route they had taken when they came to Elkader. From here they finally landed in central Illinois where they attempted the bank robbery at Leonore, which resulted in the death of four men and the serious injury of two others; with one gangster in a hospital and two others in jail.
Besides Liest the dead are: Charles Bundy, 42, cashier of the Leonore State Bank; Glenn Axline, 32, newly elected sheriff of Marshall county, Ill., and Charles Seipp, 50, a director of the bank and a member of the township supervisors. Seipp died last Sunday. Renof Brown, a member of the posse, and Robert Ness, a 16-year-old farm boy were injured in the running gun fight.
Gerner, who is supposed to have suggested the robbery here is a former Clayton county boy. He lived near Clayton and at one time attended the Guttenberg school. February 25, 1925, he was indicted on a charge of larceny by a grand jury in this county. The following month he was sentenced to a term of six months in the county jail. During the time he was serving his sentence he was used as a trusty to drive a truck on road work and also did odd jobs around the court house. His familiarity about the court house and the county garage is what led officials to believe, for a short time, that the gang had had a local contact.
After the reports of the Leonore attempt Sheriff Palas and State Agent Joe Burke felt that there might be a connection between that job and the one attempted here. They followed those clews and Sunday went to Ottawa and LaSalle where they obtained the confessions as already outlined.
Sheriff Palas left here Saturday afternoon with the Misses Donna and Kathleen Dinan for the purpose of identifying any or all members of the gang. The Misses Dinan did identify Gerner and Hauff but were uncertain about Thielen. Since the three are charged with a graver offense in Illinois than they would be here no effort will be made to bring any of the remaining trio to this county for trial.
Several local people have reported that there were five in the car when the gang was in Elkader but the confession of Hauff and the other two implicates only four men. Local officials appreciate the assistance of Sheriff Ralph Desper of Ottawa and the co-operation of Chief of Police Gillis and Sheriff Ryder, both of Dubuque.
Psalm 144:15 …yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things?
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
‘The sun is barely out these days and it is so cloudy here in Big Apple. Both Aaliyah and I were at Mrs. Bradley’s garden enjoying our first cup of coffee. They say that happiness is a state of mind. Indeed! Spending time with Mrs. Bradley reassured this statement once again. Seldom have I ever seen her without that spark in her eyes! It was the same that day as well!
“You look so happy Mrs. Bradley! What happened?” asked Aaliyah. “Oh, nothing special! I am so happy to see the January flowers blooming in my garden. They look so beautiful,” she expressed.
“Yes, they do!” I replied. “You know Bob, it doesn’t cost us a fortune to be and stay happy. We can find joy in the little things that encompass us. It can be as simple as waking up to the first ray of the sun or making myself coffee every morning. Not to forget, enjoying it with my favorite cookies,” she said.
“That is so true! I remember how solving Rubik’s cube during my school days gave me immense joy. Currently making Kong’s bed at night and cooking the Sunday brunch makes me delighted,” I expressed.
“What about you Aaliyah?” asked Mrs. Bradley. “I feel happy when I am appointed as the photographer in our intimate gatherings. Capturing moments and expressions is so priceless! I also love collecting fancy stationery for Bob,” she expressed. Listening to this, I gave Aaliyah a peck on her cheek. Then after finishing our hot beverages, we went inside to make some fancy Italian brunch for the day.
Our conversation made me reflect on the fact that how simple life is! We are often told to ‘think big’ or life will feel good only when we ‘achieve that dream’. It’s as if we were just born to relentlessly strive for something profound to be happy. That only makes us get exhausted and lifeless! How many times have we been asked to enjoythe daily flow of life? Not many times!
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
‘Imagine being in a party that’s all packed into one room and everyone is talking. Under these conditions it’s often difficult to hear, or at least, understand what others around you are saying. Now imagine that all of these people look nearly identical. None has any noticeable distinguishing features that make him different from anyone else in the room. Now, to make matters worse, you have been informed that you are to find the person in the room who was not invited to the party.
That’s the impossible situation that honeybees constantly face. However, the noisy room I have just described is noisy in two ways. Bees not only communicate through sound. They also use scents to communicate. And the hive is full of scents. Yet honeybees are constantly alert to bees who are not members of the hive. Invaders are killed. How can bees so successfully protect the hive?
Entomologists have discovered that members of a hive all carry the same chemical password. The scent must be very distinctive because the hive is filled with smells. It also seems that all honeybees may use a specific combination and subtle variations of only two chemicals. Yet each hive can instantly tell whether another bee carries the specific chemical password.
‘Imagine being in a party that’s all packed into one room and everyone is talking. Under these conditions it’s often difficult to hear, or at least, understand what others around you are saying. Now imagine that all of these people look nearly identical. None has any noticeable distinguishing features that make him different from anyone else in the room. Now, to make matters worse, you have been informed that you are to find the person in the room who was not invited to the party.
whatyareckon 