Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This will be a recurring segment in this blog.

Rudolf Wolters (1903-1983)  German architect, Nazi government official, diarist.  He helped in the rebuilding of West Germany after World War II.  He was raised as a Catholic.

Erik the Red (950-ca. 1003)  This Norwegian navigator left Iceland in 982 and explored Greenland, eventually establishing a colony there.  Tradition says that he became a Christian on his deathbed at the urging of his wife Thjohild.

Absalom Jones:  (1746, Delaware - 1818)  Black clergyman born as a slave.  He taught himself to read using the New Testament and was a co-founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Alfred Charles Sharpton, Jr.:  (b. 1954)  Pentecostal minister, social activist, writer, radio and television commentator

Frances Octavia Smith:  (1912, Texas - 2001)  aka: Dale Evans.  Writer, singer-songwriter, actress.  Wife of cowboy movie star, Roy Rogers.

     Pope Benedict has announced that bone fragments found in a white marble sarcophagus under the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls (Rome) have been dated to the late First Century or early Second Century.  The burial box contained bones, incense, blue cloth, and purple linen.  The site is the traditional burial place of the Apostle Paul and a cracked marble slab found there says in Latin, "Paul apostle martyr."  

      Church tradition says that Paul was beheaded in Rome.  It is claimed that bone fragments from his head are enshrined in Rome at St. John Lateran Basilica.  It would be very interesting to see if DNA analysis indicated that the bones from the two sites came from the same person.  It would be a strong indication that the bones might actually be from Paul.  It would not be proof.

       

News: 27 June 2009

NEWS:  Two of the four major Islamic seminaries in Iran have refused to recognize the disputed election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

NEWS:  French President Nicolas Sarkozy has told the French Parliament at Versailles that there is no place in France for the Islamic burqa (a female garment which covers the entire body, including the head).  Sarkozy says that the burqa is a symbol of the enslavement of women.

France already has a 2004 law which bans crosses, veils, and other religious symbols from public and government buildings.  France's Muslim community is the largest in Europe.

NEWS:  Rabbi Schmuley Boteach, billing himself as Michael Jackson's spiritual advisor, says that Jackson (d. 25 June 2009) told him that he never felt "innocent" even as a small child because of all the grasping, manipulative, and amoral people who constantly swarmed around him.  Boteach believes that Jackson exhibited an extreme self-loathing which led to his misuse of drugs and his extensive plastic surgeries.  The rabbi says that he told Jackson that what he needed was an change within, not a new face, a new album, or another concert tour.  

Screwing in a light bulb

How many atheists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

One, but they still don't see the light.

Kindling

"Some ministers would make good martyrs; they are so dry they would burn well."

Charles Hadden Spurgeon (1844-1892) English Calvinist Baptist preacher and writer.