Beliefnet News

Apartment residents in the upper floors of Dubai’s  Burj Khalifa tower will have to endure a longer daily Ramadan fast, according to the United Arab Emirates city’s top cleric. During the month of Ramadan, the faithful cannot eat or drink — or even chew gum — from dawn to dusk. Because the upper floors of…

“On Thursday I once again filmed and photographed Linda Gibbons being arrested for doing nothing more than peacefully trying to convince women entering an abortion clinic to not make the same mistake she herself made years ago,” writes Steve Jalsevac for LifeSiteNews.  Gibbons was arrested in Toronto, Canada, for violating an injunction that prohibits her…

A funeral home Wales is offering funerals on the internet — at a hefty price tag per viewer, but far less than it would cost to travel to pay one’s last respects. The cost is £75 (about U.S. $123) per on-line viewer, reports the British newspaper the Daily Mail. For those who utilize such internet video services as Skype, the price…

“On a recent Sunday at the Beijing Zion Church, Pastor Jin Mingri laid out a vision for Christians in China that contrasts starkly with the ruling Communist Party’s tight reins on religion,” writes Brian Spegele in the Wall Street Journal. “Let your descendants become great politicians like Joseph and Daniel,” said Mr. Jin, referring to…

EDITOR’S NOTE: In China today, the only churches permitted are those with government-paid pastors who deliver government-approved sermons. Children under 18 are barred. So, the vast majority of Chinese Christians meet illegally in “house churches.” Their membership numbers are rumored to be approaching those of the Chinese Communist Party. So, leaders are becoming more and more…

“In my previous article,” writes Beliefnet’s Dr. Jack Kerwick, “I wrote about George S. Schuyler, a great conservative who also happened to have been black. Since his death in 1977, he has, unfortunately, been forgotten. It is with an eye toward rectifying this situation that I write about him.” That Schuyler could lay legitimate claim…

Selena Gomez has dumped teen heart-throb Justin Bieber because she believes he is hanging around with the wrong kind of people, according to two British tabloid newspapers.  “Young sweethearts Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have reportedly broken up after the Disney star told Justin she didn’t approve of his new hip-hop music friends,” writes J.…

“A Christian group calling themselves the Circle of Protection recently met with President Obama, saying that they spoke for ‘Christians’ and urging him to ‘protect programs for the poor’ from budget cuts,” writes Jordan Sekulow for the Washington Post‘s On Faith section: An analysis of the group’s Web site shows that they “claim that biblical…

Governor Rick Perry spoke to a Houston rally Saturday despite withering criticism from a variety of pundits and opponents.  

“If this is the way we’re going, we should also tell Grandpa we don’t need him for Thanksgiving,” joked comedian Dennis Miller.  He was among a dozen or so angry comedy stars who gathered in Hollywood Friday afternoon on stage at the Laugh Factory comedy club for a news conference in defense of Jerry Lewis. The 85-year-old Lewis…

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