Archaeologists find Ephesus mosaics from Apostle Paul era
By Philippe Bohstrom The Roman city of Ephesus was always known to be opulent. Now painstaking renovation of mosaics, murals and other marvels in a sprawling apartment complex showcases its splendor in the era when the city on the Turkish coast was visited by the apostle Paul, nearly 2000 years ago. Now, renovated in their original hues, the wall paintings, mosaics and marble paneling once again radiate in a blaze of colors. To read the rest of the article, please click here. … [Read more...]
King Solomon-era palace discovered in Gezer
By Philippe Bohstrom A palatial building dating to the era of King Solomon 3000 years ago has been discovered in the royal city of Gezer, though there is no evidence which of the Israelite kings lived there, if any. The monumental building dates to the 10th century BCE, the era associated with King Solomon, who is famed for bringing wealth and stability to the newly-united kingdom of Israel and Judah. The American archaeological team also found a layer featuring Philistine pottery, lending credence to the biblical account of them living in the city until being vanquished by King David. To read the rest of the article, please click here. … [Read more...]
Internet pornography increases probability of divorce
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To get more out of social media act like an anthropologist
There is something marketing managers seem to forget about the internet: it was made for people, not for companies and brands. As such, it offers managers a source of insight they never had — social listening. Eavesdropping on consumers’ social-media chatter allows marketers to economically and regularly peer inside people’s lives as they are being lived, without introducing biases through direct interaction. Armed with traces of revealed opinions and behaviors, managers can at long last discover the manifestations and ripple effects of their actions on consumer behavior. Clear indications from marketing science underline how chatter affects sales, brand health, and even stock performance. Social listening competency will be critical to competitive advantage in the digital age. To read the rest of this article, please click here. … [Read more...]
Johns Hopkins University study disputes transgender and homosexual claims
Questions related to sexuality and gender bear on some of the most intimate and personal aspects of human life. In recent years they have also vexed American politics. We offer this report — written by Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, an epidemiologist trained in psychiatry, and Dr. Paul R. McHugh, arguably the most important American psychiatrist of the last half-century — in the hope of improving public understanding of these questions. To read the rest of this article, please click here. … [Read more...]
Nearly half of refugees entering the U.S. this year are Muslim
By Phillip Connor, Pew Research Center The U.S. has received 28,957 Muslim refugees so far in fiscal year 2016, or nearly half (46%) of the more than 63,000 refugees who have entered the country since the fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2015, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the State Department’s Refugee Processing Center. That means that already this year the U.S. has admitted the highest number of Muslim refugees of any year since data on self-reported religious affiliations first became publicly available in 2002. Christians are the second-largest group of refugees to the U.S. so far this fiscal year; 27,556 Christian refugees have entered the country, nearly as many as the number of Muslim refugees. A slightly lower share of 2016’s refugees were Christian (44%) than Muslim, the first time that has happened since fiscal 2006, when a large number of Somali refugees entered the U.S. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]
THROUGH THE BIBLE: The synagogues of Magdala and Gamla; was Jesus here?
By Eric Mitchell, Christian Examiner GAMLA, Israel (Christian Examiner) – The Gospel accounts highlight the teachings and miracles of Jesus of Nazareth. Much of His ministry was set near the Sea of Galilee with Capernaum as His base. Many of His twelve disciples came from this region. Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Phillip were from Bethsaida. Matthew and Peter were from Capernaum, where we are told Peter had a house. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]
SURPRISING: Christianity gains 1 point in Britain, while ‘nones’ fall
By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner LONDON (Christian Examiner) – This year's British Social Attitudes (BSA) Survey has yielded a surprising result – Christianity has gained slightly, halting decades of decline, the UK's Telegraph has reported. According to the paper, which has had an advanced look at the unpublished survey's findings, the BSA shows decades of decline in Christianity slowing, or "leveling off" as the paper suggests. The one percent uptick in the number of people claiming to be Christian (from 42 to 43 percent) corresponds with the one percent of people no longer listing themselves as "nones," or British citizens not officially connected with any church or religious denomination. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]
Biblical plagues really happened say scientists
By Richard Gray, The Telegraph Researchers believe they have found evidence of real natural disasters on which the ten plagues of Egypt, which led to Moses freeing the Israelites from slavery in the Book of Exodus in the Bible, were based. But rather than explaining them as the wrathful act of a vengeful God, the scientists claim the plagues can be attributed to a chain of natural phenomena triggered by changes in the climate and environmental disasters that happened hundreds of miles away. They have compiled compelling evidence that offers new explanations for the Biblical plagues, which will be outlined in a new series to be broadcast on the National Geographical Channel on Easter Sunday. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]
