A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – A group of Satanists is challenging a Missouri law that requires women seeking an abortion to receive a booklet that says life begins at conception, arguing before the state Supreme Court that the measure violated a member’s religious beliefs.

An organization called the Satanic Temple filed the lawsuit on behalf of a woman identified as Mary Doe, who went to a clinic in St. Louis for an abortion in 2015. She received the procedure, after she had an ultrasound and completed a required 72-hour waiting period, according to court records.

Missouri is one of six U.S. states that require that women seeking abortions be told that personhood begins at conception, and one of 27 states that make women wait a certain amount of time before the procedure, according to the website for the Guttmacher Institute. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is set on Thursday to denounce US President Donald Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.

“The assembly regrets the declaration of the president of the United States of America on 6 December 2017 that it was ‘time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel’ and that preparations would start ‘to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,’” stated the latest draft of a resolution before the assembly.

Israel, which has a delegation in Strasbourg, where the council’s Parliamentary Assembly has gathered, believes the resolution’s passage is assured, but is hoping to add some amendments. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Only four of out 100 teenagers have a true biblical worldview, according to a new survey from the Barna Group.

The survey, “Gen Z: The Culture, Beliefs and Motivations Shaping the Next Generation,” said that teenagers who are part of Generation Z (born from 1999 to 2015) are the most non-Christian generation in U.S. history.

The survey found that more teens today identify themselves as atheist, agnostic, or not religious affiliated. [ Source: Christian Headlines (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – This may come as a suprise to many, but Christianity is growing faster in the Islamic Republic of Iran than in any other country in the world.

Tens of thousands in this overwhelmingly Muslim nation are abandoning that faith.

Experts say the ongoing political crisis and economic challenges are fueling widespread anger against the regime. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – A special full moon is expected on Jan. 31 and if you’re in the western part of the U.S. you’ll have the best view.

It’s being called a “Super Blue Blood Moon” and it’s special for three reasons according to NASA: it’s the third in a series of “supermoons,” that’s when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit and is brighter than usual.

It’s also the second full moon of the month which is known as a “blue moon.” [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Philippine scientists say a volcano that’s been erupting for almost two weeks still appears to be swelling with magma under the surface.

More than 74,000 people are staying in dozens of emergency shelters as Mount Mayon continues to belch lava, ash and superheated gas and rocks. Officials are worried the eruption may become a humanitarian emergency that could last months.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said tremors, pyroclastic flows and emissions of sulfur dioxide were detected Wednesday and early Thursday. It said GPS and other measurements indicated a sustained swelling or inflation of the mountain surface, which was consistent with magma rising and creating pressure. [ Source: Fox News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Chinese scientists have cloned monkeys using the same technique that produced Dolly the sheep two decades ago, breaking a technical barrier that could open the door to copying humans.

Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, two identical long-tailed macaques, were born eight and six weeks ago, making them the first primates — the order of mammals that includes monkeys, apes and humans — to be cloned from a non-embryonic cell.

It was achieved through a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which involves transferring the nucleus of a cell, which includes its DNA, into an egg which has had its nucleus removed. [ Source: NBC News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – New data from state geologists show that an earthquake fault runs below Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills’ shopping district, heightening the known seismic risk in an area famous for Cartier, Gucci, Prada and other luxury brands.

The California Geological Survey’s final map has the Santa Monica fault zone cutting through the so-called Golden Triangle, running between Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards.

The new map is a change from a draft version released last year that showed the fault zone ending on the western edge of Beverly Hills, near the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards. Based on more information, the state now says the fault zone extends a mile farther northeast, through Beverly Hills’ central district and into the city’s civic center area. [ Source: LA Times (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – President Trump on Monday will release his own framework for an immigration deal, the White House said Wednesday, saying he’s determined to lead Congress to a solution.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said there’s no agreement on the table right now that brings all sides into the conversation, and Mr. Trump’s plan will correct that.

“After decades of inaction by Congress it’s time we work together to solve this issue once and for all,” she said. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved Sam Brownback’s bid to be U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom, setting the stage for him to resign the governorship in Kansas after seven contentious years in office.

With two Republican senators absent, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Capitol Hill to cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Brownback, a favorite of Christian conservatives for his views on same-sex marriage and abortion. The vote was along party lines, 50-49, underscoring the narrow margin Republicans hold. Pence’s vote also was needed earlier in the day to get Brownback’s nomination over a procedural hurdle.

Fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer will be elevated to governor in Kansas once Brownback submits his resignation. That could come as early as next week. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]