Just the facts.

Priest murdered during Mass in terror attack on Catholic church in France

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Fox News reports:

Two knife-wielding attackers who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, shouting “Allahu Akbar,” slit the throat of an 86-year-old priest and critically wounded at least one other person during a Tuesday morning terror attack on a Catholic church near the Normandy city of Rouen, officials said.

The terrorists, who were later shot and killed by police, forced priest Jacques Hamel to kneel before they slaughtered him, and the Islamist attackers captured the bloody episode on film, according to a nun who escaped the assault.

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“Left Behind” Co-Author Tim LaHaye Dies After Suffering a Stroke

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Church Leaders reports:

Evangelical leader and co-author of the popular Left Behind Series, Tim Lahaye, has passed away at the age of 90. A few days ago, LaHaye suffered a stroke that he was not able to recover from.

Jerry B. Jenkins, who worked with LaHaye on the Left Behind Series and consequently got to know him very well, described him as being someone with “a pastor’s heart [who] lived to share his faith.” Jenkins says, “He listened to and cared about everyone, regardless of age, gender or social standing. If Tim was missing from the autograph table or the green room of a network television show, he was likely in a corner praying with someone he’d just met—from a reader to a part-time bookstore stock clerk to a TV network anchorman.”

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A Pastor Fights Against Government Restrictions on Political Sermons

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The Daily Signal reports:

When the Rev. Gus Booth found out the IRS was dropping its inquiry into Warroad Community Church where he preaches, he was actually disappointed.

“We wanted to go to court,” Booth told The Daily Signal in a phone interview. “This is the First Amendment vs. the IRS code. One standard of the law would win.”

The IRS has almost never fully enforced the Johnson Amendment, which the new Republican Party platform calls for getting rid of. The language of the platform is:

Places of worship for the first time in our history have reason to fear the loss of tax-exempt status merely for espousing and practicing traditional religious beliefs that have been held across the world for thousands of years, and for almost four centuries in America. We value the right of America’s religious leaders to preach, and Americans to speak freely, according to their faith. Republicans believe the federal government, specifically the IRS, is constitutionally prohibited from policing or censoring speech based on religious convictions or beliefs, and therefore we urge the repeal of the Johnson Amendment.

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HERE IT IS=> Detailed List of Findings in Wikileaks DNC Document Dump

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Gateway Pundit has published the findings:

DonkeyOn Friday Wikileaks released nearly 20,000 hacked emails it says are from the accounts of Democratic National Committee officials.

The documents were released just days before the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia.

The hacked emails revealed the DNC’s hatred for Bernie Sanders and his movement. The documents reveal the party’s hidden ties with the liberal media. The emails reveal the heights of dishonesty of the party infrastructure.

Now there is a list of a few of the most shocking emails released by Wikileaks.

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6,726 Syrian Refugees Admitted to U.S. So Far in FY16–But Only 23 Are Christians

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CNSNews reports:

With ten weeks to go until the end of the fiscal year, the Obama administration continues to admit Syrian refugees at an accelerated pace, and has now exceeded two-thirds of President Obama’s target of 10,000 by September 30.

The proportion of Christians among those resettled continues to languish below half of one percent, while other non-Sunnis account for just over one percent.

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Robots to outnumber humans as “swarms” of machines are unleashed

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According to Jasper Hamill of The Sun, “researchers said the number of machines is likely to grow so large that humans will need to command armies of them.”  Hamill writes:

Human beings are set to be “outnumbered” by robots as massive armies of intelligent machines move into the home and workplace.

That’s the claim from leading American robotics experts, who are trying to work out how humans can control the vast numbers of intelligent machines which are expected to be unleashed in the coming years.

A team based at the University of Texas have unveiled a system which allows them to use “any device with a web browser to access and control a humanoid robot” – which means machines designed to act like real people.

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DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz Dropped From Convention After WikiLeaks Scandal

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Breitbart reports:

Debbie-Wasserman-SchultzDebbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee has been dropped from the party’s lineup of convention speakersfollowing WikiLeaks’ release of explosive DNC emails showing members of the organization actively working against the Bernie Sanders campaign.

A Democratic insider told CNN that Schultz has been dropped from the lineup to “keep the peace” within the party, amid calls from Sanders’ campaign manager for someone at the DNC to be “held accountable” for the anti-Sanders collusion seen in the leaked emails.

 

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How “Pokemon GO” is taking tech into dangerous, uncharted waters

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According to Fox News:

Pokemon Go“Pokemon GO” may have taken the world by storm, but amid reports of the first fatal incident related to the craze, experts warn the game is taking tech into hazardous new terrain.

“Most people, apparently, are having a good time and nothing bad is happening to them, but I do think that it creates a lot of opportunity bad things to happen,” Roger Kay, president of tech research firm Endpoint Technologies, told FoxNews.com.

The free augmented reality game lets players ‘capture’ Pokemon, or digital creatures, at real locations using their smartphones, but has fueled fears over distracted pedestrians, dangerous trespassing and criminals preying on unsuspecting gamers. The “Pokemon GO” craze reportedly claimed its first fatal victim when an 18-year-old playing the game was ambushed in Guatemala. The teenager died after being shot, according to news reports. There have also been multiple reports of “Pokemon GO” players falling victim to robberies and assaults.

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First-Ever Human Gene Editing Trial To Commence In China

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Abigal Abrams of Time reports on CRISPR-Cas9  which is a “new method of genetic engineering that allows scientists to edit DNA with precision and relative ease.”

DNAA group of Chinese scientists will be the first in the world to use the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology on humns in a clinical trial set to begin next month.

The team plans to start by testing cells in people with lung cancer, the science journal Nature reported. The trial received approval from the ethical review board at Sichuan University’s West China Hospital in Chengdu on July 6.

CRISPR is a powerful technology that has the potential to change human lives by allowing scientists to remove or edit genetic mutations responsible for incurable diseases.

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The Republican Party Was Redefined on Thursday

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Breitbart reports:

Donald Trump 3On the Friday broadcast of “Fox & Friends,” Daily Caller editor and “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Tucker Carlson said Thursday’s Republican National Convention “completely redefined” the GOP on Thursday.

According to Carlson, the Republican Party is now a nationalist party that is focused on the middle class.

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Johns Hopkins Psychiatrist: “There Is No Gay Gene”

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CNSNews reports:

Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and former psychiatrist–in-chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital, who has studied sexuality for 40 years, said it is a scientific fact that “there is no gay gene.”

“Environment,” however, “is very important,” said Dr. McHugh, author of The Mind Has Mountains: Reflections on Society and Psychiatry. He also explained that the permissive sexual culture in the United States today has confused “desire” with “love,” and that homosexuality is a false or “erroneous desire.”

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TBN’s Holy Land Experience to unload furniture, statues amid financial turmoil

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Holy Land ExperienceNot surprisingly, Word of Faith prosperity teacher Jan Crouch, who started Trinity Broadcasting Network with husband Paul, had amassed a fortune.  News reports reveal that Mrs. Crouch was worth $50 million at the time of her death in May.  Now her Newport Beach house is on the market for $4.6 million. “Dubbed ‘Villa Cielo,’ the four-bedroom house sits on an ocean-view hilltop in guard-gated Harbor Ridge, and boasts Calacatta marble, two kitchens and a ‘secret room.'”

According to Orlando Sentinel, the Crouch’s theme park, Holy Land Experience, is “struggling with a sea of red ink in recent financial reports.” As a result, “hundreds of ornate couches, thrones, nativity statues, costumes — and even a Harley-Davidson motorcycle,” are up for sale.  Moreover, the Crouch family are also in the process of closing gift stores in Tennessee and California.

An attorney for the network, John Casoria, said in an email that the not-for-profit companies have experienced a drop in revenue as TBN voluntarily ended the practice of live telethons to raise money in 2012.

“We have had to do some belt-tightening as well, which gives rise to the auctions and the closing of unprofitable gift stores,” Casoria wrote.

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HT Apostasy Watch

Trump calls Cruz non-endorsement “no big deal,” senator defends decision

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During his speech on Wednesday night, Sen. Ted Cruz chose not to endorse Donald Trump for president and was booed by the crowd.  This morning Cruz, who is a professing Christian, defended himself at a breakfast with Texas delegates.  According to reports, he admitted that he still holds a grudge against Trump for “maligning” his wife and father.  Fox News has the story:

Donald Trump mostly brushed off the furor over Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement speech Wednesday night, calling the snub “no big deal” even as the senator himself doubled down – though the Republican standard-bearer used the dispute to warn voters that if Democrats win in November, their justices “will destroy us all.”

Trump blasted out a pair of tweets responding to the Cruz speech backlash.

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California Board of Education Votes to Include Homosexuality in Lessons Second Grade and Up

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According to Christian News Network:

Child blowing bubblesThe California Board of Education has voted unanimously to comply with a state law requiring homosexuality to be incorporated into history and social studies lessons from the second grade and up.

In 2012, California lawmakers passed the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act, which requires the inclusion of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans” in history lessons, along with people groups such as Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, disabled persons and others.

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Founder of “Muslims for Trump” Delivers Prayer at Republican National Convention

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Christian News Network reports:

The founder of “Muslims for Trump” delivered a prayer at the conclusion of the second day of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, an inclusion that drew opposition from at least one member of the audience.

Sajid Tarar, a Baltimore-area resident who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan in the 1980’s, took the podium shortly before 11 p.m. local time to deliver the benediction.

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SCOTUS Sweeps Away Constitutional Liberties, Creates Nonexistent Rights

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According to CNSNews:

Three recent Supreme Court decisions reveal in the area of personal rights, most of the justices are applying rules unrelated to the U.S. Constitution. In two of the cases, the majority refused to protect rights expressly laid out in the Constitution. In the third, the majority strained to protect a “right” that does not appear there.

The First Amendment protects “free exercise” of religion. In 1993, the Court held—correctly, I believe—when government officials target particular religious beliefs, they violate the First Amendment.

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Chicago YMCA Changes Guidelines to Allow Boys to Use Girls’ Locker Rooms, Vice Versa

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Christian News Network reports:

YMCAA number of YMCA locations in the Chicago area have been instructed to follow new guidelines that permit boys who identify as girls to use the girls’ locker room, and vice versa.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a mother at one of the locations recently approached staff after she saw a teenage boy using the girls’ locker room, but employees later learned that the teen identified as transgender and therefore his presence was permitted.

“From [the mother’s] perspective, there was a man in the locker room,” Rae Ulrich, senior vice president of marketing for the YMCA of Metro Chicago, told the outlet. “But there wasn’t. There was a transgender individual in the locker room.”

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Slain officer’s touching Facebook message days before death

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Fox News published AP’s heart-wrenching story:

Baton Rouge BadgeJust days before he was shot and killed Sunday morning, a Baton Rouge police officer posted an emotional Facebook message saying he was “physically and emotionally” tired and expressing how difficult it was to be both a police officer and a black man, a friend said Sunday.

“I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me,” Montrell Jackson wrote.

He said while in uniform he gets nasty looks and out of uniform some consider him a threat.

“I’ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core,” the posting read.

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Six Indiana Planned Parenthood Locations to Close Over Declining Business

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Christian News Network reports:

Six Planned Parenthood locations in Indiana will close by the end of the year due to declining business, most notably since women are obtaining contraceptives elsewhere and Pap smears do not need to be as frequent.

Moreover:

The International Business Journal reports that the organization believes the greatest factor in the decline for business is that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended in 2012 that women obtain Pap smears every three years instead of annually. It said that it used to conduct 60,000 Pap smears a year.

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Legal Group Seeks Dismissal of Homosexual Activists’ “Crimes Against Humanity” Suit Against Pastor

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Christian News Network reports:

SilencedA nationally-recognized religious liberties organization is seeking the dismissal of an international lawsuit filed by an African homosexual activist group, which accuses an American pastor of committing ‘crimes against humanity’ for speaking out against homosexual behavior in the country.

As previously reported, Massachusetts Pastor Scott Lively, author of “The Pink Swastika,” had visited the nation of Uganda in 2009, where he spoke on what the Bible says about homosexuality and expressed support of pastors in the country that were working to oppose the proliferation of sexual activity between those of the same gender.

Several years following his visit, the group Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG), filed a lawsuit against Lively, asserting that he had violated international law because his words allegedly encouraged government persecution against homosexuals in the nation. The group also alleges that Lively was a part of a “conspiracy” to deprive homosexuals of their rights.

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NewSpring names interim; Noble speaks via Facebook

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Baptist Press reports:

Clayton King, a ministry leader and teaching pastor at NewSpring Church in South Carolina, is serving as the multi-site church’s interim after the termination of founding pastor Perry Noble.

Noble, in a Facebook video June 13, stated, “I am sorry that I allowed a dependency on alcohol. I ran to it other than Jesus for my comfort, and that was wrong … and I am going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

“I am checking into a treatment facility and going to work with some excellent people who are really going to help me take my next steps. I’m serious about fighting for my wife and my daughter and I’m serious about following Jesus.”

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Reports: Trump Picks Pence as His Running Mate

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According to NewsMax, Mike Pence is hired:

Mike PenceRepublican Donald Trump chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

The move puts at Trump’s side a conservative with the potential to unify divided Republicans.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is to announce his choice on Friday at 11 a.m. in Manhattan. The choice of Pence was first reported by Roll Call, with The New York Times and CBS News following suit.

Trump is to be formally nominated as the party’s candidate for the Nov. 8 election at the Republican National Convention next week in Cleveland. Traditionally, the vice presidential choice is used to build enthusiasm among party loyalists.

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“Very clear signs of trouble” at Trinity Broadcasting Network as revenue shrinks, attractions close

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According to Teri Sforza of The Orange County Register, TBN “was built on the ‘Have a need? Plant a seed’ philosophy, or what critics call ‘the prosperity gospel.’  The idea is that if you give money to God, God will send riches back to you.  Trinity’s tax filings suggest the seed hasn’t been sprouting as it once did.”

Trinity Broadcasting Archagel MichaelIt has inspired awe in the God-fearing, and in those who mock them.

The elaborate campus of Trinity Christian City International in Costa Mesa – home of Trinity Broadcasting Network’s studios – has been likened to a mashup of a Disneyland castle, the White House and a wedding cake.

Visitors are free to wander the opulent grounds, marvel at historic Bibles, have their pictures taken with the giant archangel Michael, and get what no other attraction in Orange County can give: “A creepy adventure AND salvation!” one fan recently enthused online.

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GOP Platform Calls for Constitutional Personhood Amendment, Defunding of Planned Parenthood

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According to Christian News Network:

In what is being called the most pro-life platform to date, the Republican Party’s platform committee agreed on Tuesday to adopt language calling for a constitutional amendment protecting children in the womb, as well as the defunding of the abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

lanned Parenthood.

“The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can be deprived of life, liberty, or property deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that ‘all’ are ‘endowed by their Creator’ with the right to life,” it reads. “Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.”

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Digest This: Heavy People May Die up to 3 Years Early

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According to NewsMax:

Fat catBeing too heavy may cost you your life — literally. Scientists say overweight people die one year earlier than expected and that moderately obese people die up to three years prematurely.

Doctors have long warned that being overweight can lead to health complications including heart disease, stroke and cancer, and previous studies have already found that extra pounds can take years off your life, based mostly on data from Europe and North America.

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