Watching the World
Religious Forecast—Gloomy!
A panel of Protestant scholars, organized by the Christianity Today Institute in Illinois, U.S.A., to identify future trends of America’s churches, warned that Christian faith in America faces a difficult and uncertain future. In fact, one church leader observed: “Technology, not the church, has emerged as the dominating force in our culture.” Commenting further on church conditions, Jon Johnston, of Pepperdine University in Malibu Beach, California, noted: “The church [has become] a supermarket dispensing spiritual junk food to passers-by. The pastor’s sermon is little more than the ‘special of the week,’ offered to customers at a discount of commitment.”
Unknown Best-Seller
In recent years, Bible sales in the United States have reached an estimated $300 million annually, reports The Providence Sunday Journal. The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association says that Protestants purchase 80 percent of the Bibles sold. Catholics, on the other hand, are the “sleeping giant” in the Bible market, notes a spokesman for Thomas Nelson, Inc., the nation’s largest Bible publisher. Why? Because Bible reading among Catholics, who make up the largest religious group in the United States, was not emphasized until after the Second Vatican Council, which ended in 1965.
Give Love, Not Toys!
When an Australian toy company asked 400 children what gave them the most pleasure, the answers were totally unexpected. In preference to toys, the majority of children asked for more time with their parents, reports The West Australian. A six-year old said the thing he liked best was having the evening meal as a family, “because you don’t have to worry about each other,” since everyone is together. A company official noted that the children gave priority to the family unit and viewed togetherness as of “paramount importance.”
“Genesis Version” Banned!
While state schools in Queensland, Australia, give equal time to teaching the opposing theories of evolution and creationism, The Sydney Morning Herald notes that the “Genesis version” has been banned in the state of New South Wales. The Director-General of Education warned all high-school principals that departmental action would be taken against any teacher who persisted in deliberately teaching creationism as a scientific theory.
Best Preaching Method
In most Western countries, the use of TV for religious programs has reached an all-time high. In Australia, courses are now available to teach pastors how best to use the medium of TV for their ministry. However, commenting on the value of TV evangelism, Dr. Peter Horsfield, a Uniting Church minister, noted: “If the apostles had had TV in their day far more people would have known about Christianity, but far fewer would have become Christians. TV can reach a lot of people . . . , but the best means of religious communication has always been person-to-person.”
In Germany, Bishop Karlheinz Stoll, in a letter to 4,200 parish councils, presented a program for “carrying on an evangelizing work at people’s doors.” Commenting on the ineffectiveness of past evangelical campaigns, the German newspaper Rheinischer Merkur/Christ und Welt noted that to achieve real success more is needed than strategies and programs. It said that past actions designed to build up faith have suffered because of one particular deficiency, namely: “Today we have many ministers who are specialists, but what we do not have is the minister of God who walks from door to door and from individual to individual.”
“Hijacker’s Special”
What weighs only 23 ounces (0.7 kg), costs about $450, and, when disassembled, does not register on an airport X-ray machine? That’s right, a plastic gun dubbed the hijacker’s special. Its nickname is attributed to the possibility that a potential hijacker will dismantle the gun and hide the few metal parts in separate pieces of luggage, enabling the plastic pistol to pass undetected through X-ray machines used by airports for security. The Glock 17 plastic gun is produced by an Austrian high-technology firm that specializes in military and police equipment. Since 1985 the gun has been manufactured and distributed in Norway, Sweden, and Canada. Some authorities fear the gun is to become an ideal weapon for terrorists.
Unsafe Protection!
Intent on protecting themselves and their families from burglars and rapists, many have installed “burglar bars” on doors and windows. But, according to The New York Times, those people are also subjecting themselves to great peril. Captain Richard Clark, a Washington, D.C., fire-department official, explains: “If you put yourself in . . . a fortress, you’re protected somewhat from an intruder on the outside, but you’ve also locked yourself up inside.” Fire officials note that such bars have been the cause of “many fatalities in home fires.” For that reason, bars without a release mechanism or that require a key to operate are illegal in some large cities. If you make use of such devices, can you and your family easily get out in case of fire?
Healthy Hearts
“Only about 5% of the Eskimo population is known to suffer from heart disease, compared to a 50% average in developed countries,” reports Asiaweek. Why? It’s their diet, says a team of Australian scientists. Eskimos are fish eaters, and scientists at Melbourne’s Baker Medical Research Institute claim that the fat level in the blood is substantially reduced by fish oil, thus decreasing the risk of heart attack. The scientists say that the substance known as max EPA, which reduces the level of blood fat, is found in cod-liver oil and in many varieties of cold-water fish.
Witchcraft Madness
In many parts of Africa, witches are believed to be responsible for calamities such as persons being struck by lightning. Recently, as many as ten deaths by lightning within a three-month period were reported near the village of Ramokgopa in the north of South Africa. The latest victim was a 16-year-old schoolboy. Shocked and angry, his fellow schoolmates took revenge on the village witches who they believed were responsible. “The youths,” reports The Star of Johannesburg, “went on the rampage, burning houses and business premises of suspects.”
Meandering Magnetic Pole
Earth’s north magnetic pole is now at a point “about 480 miles [770 km] northwest of its position in 1904,” says Science Digest. Why is this? The article explains that the planet’s molten core wanders, and since the core generates Earth’s magnetic field, the location of the magnetic pole has also been changing over the years. Canadian geophysicists have now pinpointed it at 77 degrees north, 102.3 degrees west. That is of interest when you know that magnetic compasses point to it rather than to the true north pole, which is 800 miles (1,290 km) farther north!
Recipe for Rain
Seeding clouds in order to make them produce rain has not often met with success. But The Times of London reports renewed interest in this method. Why? Because Professor Avraham Gagin of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University claims to have found the perfect recipe for rainmaking. What is required? From an aircraft, inject the right amount of dry ice or silver iodide into a cloud of suitable size, about four to six miles (6 to 9 km) high and containing about 650,000 cubic yards (500,000 cu m) of water. The result? Up to double the rainfall. Recognized internationally as a leading rainmaker, Professor Gagin has already succeeded in producing from 18 to 25 percent more rain in some areas.
Animal Contraceptives
A contraceptive bullet that permanently destroys the mating urge in animals has been developed in Melbourne, Australia. It has been tried on kangaroos and wallabies and boasts 100-percent success rate. Researchers claim it is equally effective on other animals, such as goats, pigs, and even elephants. How is it administered? The Australian, a Sydney newspaper, reports that this bio-bullet contraceptive is fired from a gun into the animal’s hindquarters. Apart from tenderness for a few days, there are no side effects, and it is effective on male and female animals of any age. It is being hailed as a boon to Australian farmers whose properties are overrun by kangaroos and wallabies.
Unique Birth
The first condor of the Andes to be born in captivity in Latin America had a little help, according to El Universal, a daily newspaper of Mexico City. “Medical intervention was necessary,” reports the paper, “to break the egg in order to guarantee the live birth.” The bird weighed about 5 ounces (140 gm) and was immediately placed in an incubator to ensure its survival. It was fed a special preparation of horsemeat and salt solution. A condor of the Andes reaches its sexual maturity at 8 years and may live in captivity up to 50 years.
Deadly Weight
Ironically, while millions die from starvation-related diseases, countless others die from the consequences of overeating. This year about 60 percent of Australian deaths will in some way be related to diet, reports the Sydney Sun-Herald. One in three adult Australians is overweight, as are thousands of children. Although the Heart Foundation of Australia stresses a commonsense approach to food and exercise, a recent survey found that 94 percent of Australians preferred watching television and videos to physical exercise.