exodus36-40ASV

Exodus 36 ►

American Standard Version The Tabernacle Underwritten 1And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom Jehovah hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Jehovah hath commanded. 2And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Jehovah had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: 3and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. 4And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they wrought. 5And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make. 6And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. The Construction Proceeds (Exodus 26:1-6) 8And all the wise-hearted men among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, Bezalel made them. 9The length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one measure. 10And he coupled five curtains one to another: and the other five curtains he coupled one to another. 11And he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling. 12Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the loops were opposite one to another.13And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was one. The Curtains of Goats' Hair (Exodus 26:7-14) 14And he made curtains of goats hair for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. 15The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain: the eleven curtains had one measure. 16And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling. 18And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. The Covering of Skins 19And he made a covering for the tent of rams'skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above. The Boards and Sockets (Exodus 26:15-30) 20And he made the boards for the tabernacle, of acacia wood, standing up. 21Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. 22Each board had two tenons, joined one to another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward. 24And he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.25And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, 26and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. 28And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. 29And they were double beneath; and in like manner they were entire unto the top thereof unto one ring: thus he did to both of them in the two corners. 30And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets. The Bars 31And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward. 33And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other.34And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. The Veil (Exodus 26:31-35) 35And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, made he it. 36And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; And he cast for them four sockets of silver. The Curtain for the Door (Exodus 26:36-37) 37And he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; 38and the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass.    Exodus 37 ► American Standard Version Constructing the Ark (Exodus 25:10-16) 1And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: 2and he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. 3And he cast for it four rings of gold, in the four feet thereof; even two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 4And he made staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. 5And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6And he made a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 7And he made two cherubim of gold; of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat; 8one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end: of one piece with the mercy-seat made he the cherubim at the two ends thereof. 9And the cherubim spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat were the faces of the cherubim. The Table of Showbread (Exodus 25:23-30; Leviticus 24:5-9) 10And he made the table of acacia wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: 11and he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about. 12And he made unto it a border of a handbreadth round about, and made a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 13And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that were on the four feet thereof.14Close by the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. 15And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. 16And he made the vessels which were upon the table, the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the flagons thereof, wherewith to pour out, of pure gold. The Lampstand 17And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, it knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it: 18and there were six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: 19three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower, and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower: so for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 20And in the candlestick were four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof; 21and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it. 22Their knops and their branches were of one piece with it: the whole of it was one beaten work of pure gold. 23And he made the lamps thereof, seven, and the snuffers thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, of pure gold. 24Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. The Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1-10) 25And he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, foursquare; and two cubits was the height thereof; the horns thereof were of one piece with it. 26And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: and he made unto it a crown of gold round about. 27And he made for it two golden rings under the crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it, for places for staves wherewith to bear it. 28And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. 29And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.    Exodus 38 ► American Standard Version The Altar of Burnt Offerings (Leviticus 1:1-17; Leviticus 8:18-21) 1And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof. 2And he made the horns thereof upon the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of one piece with it: and he overlaid it with brass. 3And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, the flesh-hooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. 4And he made for the altar a grating of network of brass, under the ledge round it beneath, reaching halfway up. 5And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be places for the staves. 6And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with brass. 7And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, wherewith to bear it; he made it hollow with planks. The Bronze Basin 8And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the mirrors of the ministering women that ministered at the door of the tent of meeting. The Tabernacle Courtyard 9And he made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; 10their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11And for the north side a hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. 12And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. 13And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. 14The hangings for the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three; 15and so for the other side: on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. 17And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver; and the overlaying of their capitals, of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18And the screen for the gate of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.19And their pillars were four, and their sockets four, of brass; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, and their fillets, of silver. 20And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. The Cost of the Tabernacle 21This is the sum of the things for the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 22And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Jehovah commanded Moses. 23And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skilful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in fine linen. 24All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 25And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:26a beka a head, that is , half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that passed over to them that were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. 27And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five'shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them. 29And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. 30And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tent of meeting, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grating for it, and all the vessels of the altar, 31and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.    Exodus 39 ► American Standard Version The Ephod (Exodus 28:6-14) 1And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 2And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 3And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, the work of the skilful workman. 4They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; at the two ends was it joined together. 5And the skilfully woven band, that was upon it, wherewith to gird it on, was of the same piece and like the work thereof; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 6And they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in settings of gold, graven with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel. 7And he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses. The Breastpiece (Exodus 28:15-30) 8And he made the breastplate, the work of the skilful workman, like the work of the ephod; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double. 10And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; 11and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 12and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jaspar: they were inclosed in inclosings of gold in their settings. 14And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, for the twelve tribes. 15And they made upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen work of pure gold. 16And they made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 17And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. 18And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof.19And they made two rings of gold, and put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which was toward the side of the ephod inward. 20And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. 21And they did bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as Jehovah commanded Moses. Additional Priestly Garments (Exodus 28:31-43) 22And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.23And the hole of the robe in the midst thereof, as the hole of a coat of mail, with a binding round about the hole of it, that it should not be rent. 24And they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen . 25And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe round about, between the pomegranates; 26a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about, to minister in; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 27And they made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, 28and the mitre of fine linen, and the goodly head-tires of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen, 29and the girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 30And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JEHOVAH.31And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it upon the mitre above; as Jehovah commanded Moses. Moses Approves the Work 32Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting: and the children of Israel did according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses; so did they. 33And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the Tent, and all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, it bars, and its pillars, and it sockets; 34and the covering of rams'skins dyed red, and the covering of sealskins, and the veil of the screen;35the ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy-seat; 36the table, all the vessels thereof, and the showbread; 37the pure candlestick, the lamps thereof, even the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for the light; 38and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door of the Tent; 39the brazen altar, and its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base; 40the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, the cords thereof, and the pins thereof, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41the finely wrought garments for ministering in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office. 42According to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. 43And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as Jehovah had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them    Exodus 40 ► American Standard Version The Tabernacle Set Up (Exodus 25:1-9; Hebrews 9:1-10) 1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen the ark with the veil. 4And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 6And thou shalt set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 8And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.9And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof: and it shall be holy. 10And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar shall be most holy. 11And thou shalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it.12And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. 13And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.14And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them; 15and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.16Thus did Moses: according to all that Jehovah commanded him, so did he. 17And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. 18And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up its pillars.19And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 20And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy-seat above upon the ark: 21and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 22And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. 23And he set the bread in order upon it before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 24And he put the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. 25And he lighted the lamps before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 26And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil: 27and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 28And he put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 29And he set the altar of burnt-offering at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 30And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith to wash.31And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat; 32when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 33And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. The Glory of the Lord (Numbers 9:15-23) 34Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. 35And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. 36And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys: 37but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38For the cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

If the science is so settled why are Darwinists going 'cruisin''?

Chicken or Egg? More Flirting with Lamarck

Evolution News & Views July 3, 2015 4:19 AM

Here's a cute paper, "The Lamarckian chicken and the Darwinian egg," inBiology Direct, by a couple of Israeli researchers. It's open access so you can read the whole thing.

The Abstract is concise:

"Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?" We suggest this question is not a paradox. The Modern Synthesis envisions speciation through genetic changes in germ cells via random mutations, an "Egg first" scenario, but perhaps epigenetic inheritance mechanisms can transmit adaptive changes initiated in the soma ("Chicken first").

More:

In this commentary paper we wish to use the well-known "Chicken and Egg" paradox as a gateway for discussing different processes of evolution. While in the biological sense this is not a paradox at all, the metaphor is still useful because it allows examining of the distinction between Lamarckian and Darwinian evolution, and specifically, since it enables us to raise an important and unsolved question: "Can the phenotype affect the genotype?" or in other words, "can epigenetics translate into genetics"?

What makes speculative articles such as this ultimately disappointing is the absence of supporting data (i.e., evidence) for the mechanisms being proposed.

From a philosophical standpoint, however, the speculations are fascinating -- because they indicate what researchers are willing to try, in the face of the supposed "highly confirmed" status of textbook evolutionary theory.

If the current Darwinian theory were in such good shape, why do so many people keep wandering off into heresy?

A line in the sand XVI

China criticized over Ramadan restrictions

by Ivan Watson, Serena Dong and Shen Lu, CNN

Beijing (CNN)Some schools and local government agencies in China's restive Xinjiang province have adopted policies that critics, including the Turkish government, say prevent residents from fasting during the Muslim holy month ofRamadan.

The fast -- traditionally observed from dawn until dusk -- is a central tenet of Islam, the religion practiced by many of the ethnic Uyghurs native to China's western province of Xinjiang.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry published a statement this week saying that reports of Uyghurs being "banned from fasting and fulfilling other acts of worship have been received with sadness by the Turkish public opinion."

The ministry said it had conveyed Turkey's "deep concern" to the Chinese ambassador in Ankara.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry representative responded Wednesday, telling journalists in Beijing that "China has already demanded that Turkey clarify these reports, and we have expressed concern about the statement from the Turkishurkey, a majority Muslim country, has close ethnic, religious and linguistic ties to China's Uyghur minority.

In Malaysia, another country with a large Muslim population, the Chinese Embassy said in a statement on its website that "reports from foreign media regarding the banning of fasting during Ramadan are complete nonsense."

READ: Rare access to China's far west

Religious freedom?

Senior Chinese officials insist they do not force Muslims in Xinjiang to break the Ramadan fast, citing clauses in the Chinese Constitution that enshrine freedom of religion.

But statements posted on the official websites of two middle schools, a village Communist Party branch and two county governments all include instructions that appear to be aimed at restricting people from observing religious rites during Ramadan.The Food and Drug Administration for Xinjiang's Jinghe County instructs employees to sign a statement that includes a "pledge to obey political discipline to firmly ensure that families that have (Communist) party members and students will not fast and will not participate in any forms of religious activities."

Contacted by phone, an employee of the agency who refused to be named told CNN that "our main goal is to prevent extremists from threatening them."

"Ordinary people can fast, have religion and worship ... people are not forbidden from Ramadan as long as they are not Communist Party members," the employee added. Within several hours of the conversation, the statement was removed from the Jinghe County government website.

The website of a middle school in the town of Bole published instructions calling for teachers to ensure that "students and juveniles do not fast during the holy month and do not participate in religious activities."

A middle school in the city of Tunshuq published a statement on its website ordering department heads "to conduct thorough inspections of classrooms, canteens and dormitories before Ramadan; to completely prohibit teachers and students from participating in Ramadan activities."

Reached by phone, a person from the school who also refused to be named told CNN that the policies against Ramadan were "a region-wide ban" aimed at preventing public servants and students from practicing religion. The Chinese communist government is being two-faced, trying to fool the international community," said Seyit Tumturk, a Turkey-based leader of the World Uyghur Congress, a Munich-based group of Chinese Uyghur exiles.

"What they do to test you is, if you're a student or teach or government worker, they give you water or food during lunch, and if you don't accept it, they start a process against you," he said in a phone interview with CNN.

"It can be fines or jail time depending on your past and how old you are and what you do," Tumturk added.

Beijing has vehemently denied accusations by human rights organizations that Uyghurs face widespread discrimination and curtailed religious freedom.

Recent violent incidents have rocked Xinjiang. The arrival of waves of Han Chinese, the country's predominant ethnic group, over past decades has fueled ethnic tensions.

Chinese officials have blamed recent attacks on Uyghur separatists, whom they also label as "religious extremists."

In January, lawmakers in Xinjiang passed legislation banning residents of the provincial capital of Urumqi from wearing burqas in public.

There have also been reports of bans of Muslim veils, long beards, and the star and crescent symbols in other cities in the province.

CNN's Gul Tuysuz contributed reporting from Turkey, and CNN's Steven Jiang contributed reporting from Beijing.

On Michael the great prince.

MICHAEL

(Mi′cha·el) [Who Is Like God?].

1. The only holy angel other than Gabriel named in the Bible, and the only one called “archangel.” (Jude 9) The first occurrence of the name is in the tenth chapter of Daniel, where Michael is described as “one of the foremost princes”; he came to the aid of a lesser angel who was opposed by “the prince of the royal realm of Persia.” Michael was called “the prince of [Daniel’s] people,” “the great prince who is standing in behalf of the sons of [Daniel’s] people.” (Da 10:13, 20, 21; 12:1) This points to Michael as the angel who led the Israelites through the wilderness. (Ex 23:20, 21, 23; 32:34; 33:2) Lending support to this conclusion is the fact that “Michael the archangel had a difference with the Devil and was disputing about Moses’ body.”—Jude 9.

Scriptural evidence indicates that the name Michael applied to God’s Son before he left heaven to become Jesus Christ and also after his return. Michael is the only one said to be “the archangel,” meaning “chief angel,” or “principal angel.” The term occurs in the Bible only in the singular. This seems to imply that there is but one whom God has designated chief, or head, of the angelic host. At 1 Thessalonians 4:16 the voice of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is described as being that of an archangel, suggesting that he is, in fact, himself the archangel. This text depicts him as descending from heaven with “a commanding call.” It is only logical, therefore, that the voice expressing this commanding call be described by a word that would not diminish or detract from the great authority that Christ Jesus now has as King of kings and Lord of lords. (Mt 28:18; Re 17:14) If the designation “archangel” applied, not to Jesus Christ, but to other angels, then the reference to “an archangel’s voice” would not be appropriate. In that case it would be describing a voice of lesser authority than that of the Son of God.

There are also other correspondencies establishing that Michael is actually the Son of God. Daniel, after making the first reference to Michael (Da 10:13), recorded a prophecy reaching down to “the time of the end” (Da 11:40) and then stated: “And during that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of the sons of [Daniel’s] people.” (Da 12:1) Michael’s ‘standing up’ was to be associated with “a time of distress such as has not been made to occur since there came to be a nation until that time.” (Da 12:1) In Daniel’s prophecy, ‘standing up’ frequently refers to the action of a king, either taking up his royal power or acting effectively in his capacity as king. (Da 11:2-4, 7, 16b, 20, 21) This supports the conclusion that Michael is Jesus Christ, since Jesus is Jehovah’s appointed King, commissioned to destroy all the nations at Har–Magedon.—Re 11:15; 16:14-16.

The book of Revelation (12:7, 10, 12) specifically mentions Michael in connection with the establishment of God’s Kingdom and links this event with trouble for the earth: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled. And I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down . . . On this account be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea.’” Jesus Christ is later depicted as leading the heavenly armies in war against the nations of the earth. (Re 19:11-16) This would mean a period of distress for them, which would logically be included in the “time of distress” that is associated with Michael’s standing up. (Da 12:1) Since the Son of God is to fight the nations, it is only reasonable that he was the one who with his angels earlier battled against the superhuman dragon, Satan the Devil, and his angels.

In his prehuman existence Jesus was called “the Word.” (Joh 1:1) He also had the personal name Michael. By retaining the name Jesus after his resurrection (Ac 9:5), “the Word” shows that he is identical with the Son of God on earth. His resuming his heavenly name Michael and his title (or name) “The Word of God” (Re 19:13) ties him in with his prehuman existence. The very name Michael, asking as it does, “Who Is Like God?” points to the fact that Jehovah God is without like, or equal, and that Michael his archangel is his great Champion or Vindicator.

A reproduction of Matthew Henry's commentary on Daniel 12:1

Jesus Christ shall appear his church’s patron and protector: At that time, when the persecution is at the hottest, Michael shall stand up, Dan. 12:1. The angel had told Daniel what a firm friend Michael was to the church, Dan. 10:21. He all along showed this friendship in the upper world; the angels knew it; but now Michael shall stand up in his providence, and work deliverance for the Jews, when he sees that their power is gone, Deut. 32:3. 6. Christ is that great prince, for he is the prince of the kings of the earth, Rev. 1:5. And, if he stand up for his church, who can be against it? But this is not all: At that time (that is, soon after) Michael shall stand up for the working out of our eternal salvation; the Son of God shall be incarnate, shall be manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Christ stood for the children of our people when he was made sin and a curse for them, stood in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the cure for them, to bear it from them. He stands for them in the intercession he ever lives to make within the veil, stands up for them, and stands their friend. And after the destruction of antichrist, of whom Antiochus was a type, Christ shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, shall appear for the complete redemption of all his.

 Matthew Henry's commentary on the identity of Michael at revelation12:7.

The parties—Michael and his angels on one side, and the dragon and his angels on the other: Christ, the great Angel of the covenant, and his faithful followers; and Satan and all his instruments. This latter party would be much superior in number and outward strength to the other; but the strength of the church lies in having the Lord Jesus for the captain of their salvation.

 

 

A Freudian slip?

Researcher Almost Admits, then Quickly Retracts, that "Intelligent Design" Is Needed to Explore Origin of Life

Casey Luskin July 1, 2015 6:11 AM | 

Here is a video of a lecture, delivered last year at Case Western University, by University of Akron origin-of-life researcher Nita Sahai. Her subject is "The Origins of Life: From Geochemistry to Biochemistry." She starts by making a comment that I agree with: "One of the most fundamental and profound questions that all human societies have asked from prehistory until now is where did we come from." She then gives a highly competent presentation of various issues in the origin of life, including a nice discussion of the "chicken and egg" problem of "which came first: replication or metabolism?"

Offering more criticisms of the RNA world hypothesis, she admits that RNA self-replication has never been achieved, nor has monomer polymerization to yield RNA enzymes. Dr. Sahai seems to like the model that minerals led to the origin of life -- something like the infamous "on the backs of crystals" model that Michael Ruse prefers.

Towards the end of the video (around 48:30) she lists some of the different types of molecules that would need to be coordinated to form life, including (as she puts it), "four nucleotides, twenty amino acids, ... a few lipids ..., several clays and other minerals." She then calls the task of getting just the right components to form life in a lab experiment "a combinatorial nightmare" and says "we need to use intelligent -- not intelligent design," at which point she is looks a tad bit embarrassed and is immediately and abruptly interrupted by another professor who wants to rescue her and help her find better wording. He tells her to say "careful selection," so she then settles on the wording: "We need to carefully select which nucleotides to start with, which amino acids and minerals..."

But if you look up the etymology of the word "intelligence" then we find that it comes from the Latin word intellegentia which has the roots "inter" (meaning "between") and "legō" (meaning "choose, pick out, read") which together translate literally, as "the act of choosing between." The meaning of "intelligent design" might just as well be rendered as "to carefully choose or select."

So we have here an origin-of-life researcher admitting the "combinatorial nightmare" faced by researchers trying to model the origin of life in the lab, and then admitting that "intelligent design" -- I mean "careful selecting" -- is needed to do this.

But if this is such a nightmare for smart researchers like Nita Sahai working in the lab, what makes us think that blind and unguided processes can do the job? The answer, classically, is time. Yet during her talk, Sahai admits that life arose "very early" in earth's history. The combinatorial nightmare and the lack of time to solve it via undirected chemical reactions is perhaps the biggest problem facing origin-of-life theorists.

A line in the sand XV

Tolerance vs. Pride? Spat on by parade-goers, Catholic priest has this message

Editor's note: The following column originally appeared on ToddStarnes.com.

There were g-strings galore at Gay Pride celebrations across the fruited plain as scantily-clad celebrants took to the streets to herald the Supreme Court’s decision to redefine marriage.Supporters of LGBTQI and A marriages waved rainbow-colored flags from San Francisco to New York City.

Unfortunately – the festivities in the Big Apple turned ugly.

Instead of responding with anger Father Jonathan responded with grace.

Father Jonathan Morris – was walking near Broadway — wearing his cleric’s collar – when he stumbled up the Gay Pride Parade.

Father Jonathan, who is also a Fox News contributor, tweeted what happened:

“Two men walked by and spat on me,” he wrote. 

Related Image

They spit on a priest!

What kind of a person hurls their sputum at a priest? What kind of a human being does that?

But instead of responding with anger Father Jonathan responded with grace.

“The two men who spat on me are probably very good man (sic) caught up in excitement and past resentment,” he wrote. “Most in that parade would not do that.”

He dismissed their act of ugliness as simply being caught up in the moment.

“Oh well, I deserve worse,” he wrote.

In a way it’s a modern-day parable – those who preach tolerance are the least tolerant of all.

But Father Jonathan demonstrated that he not only preaches tolerance – he practices it.

A lesson for us all.

To continue reading more from Todd on ToddStarnes.com, click here.

Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.