A South Florida woman said she was cooking fried salami when she noticed the word "GOD" on the meat, Miami television station WFOR reported.

Nancy Simoes said she had three pieces in a skillet and flipped one of them and saw the letter G.

"Then got the O and I thought to myself how cool will it be if the third letter was a D."

Simoes realizes people may think she's crazy.

"I can't make this up. ... it's there in the burn marks."

For 20 years, her family has enjoyed fried salami for breakfast.

Now Simoes is wondering how she will preserve the "holy" salami.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is investigating the posthumous "baptism" of President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, as a "serious breach" of religious code, a spokeswoman said.

Church records published by a liberal blog, Americablog, show that Dunham, who died in 1995, was baptised last June 4 in Provo, Utah, and received endowment, another sacrament, a week later.

"The offering of baptism to our deceased ancestors is a sacred practice to us and it is counter to Church policy for a Church member to submit names for baptism for persons to whom they are not related," said spokeswoman Kim Farah in an emailed statement. "The Church is looking into the circumstances of how this happened and does not yet have all the facts. However, this is a serious matter and we are treating it as such."

Mormons believe that souls cannot enter heaven without undergoing baptism and other sacraments, and that those sacraments can be given by proxy after death. The practice of posthumous baptism by proxy has caused controversy in the past, as when Jewish groups raised objections to the baptism of victims of the Holocaust.

According to "doctrinal background" provided by an LDS spokesman, "well-meaning Church members sometimes bypass this instruction and submit the names of non-relatives for temple baptism. Others — perhaps pranksters or careless persons — have submitted the names of unrelated famous or infamous people, or even wholly fictitious names. These rare acts are contrary to Church policy and sometimes cause pain and embarrassment."

FINDLAY, Ohio — A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School's prom Saturday.

Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school's rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.

The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.

Frost's stepfather Stephan Johnson said the school's rules should not apply outside the classroom.

Frost said he thought he had handled the situation properly. Findlay requires students from other schools attending the prom to get a signature from their principal, which Frost did.

"I expected a short lecture about making the right decisions and not doing something stupid," Frost said. "I thought I would get his signature and that would be the end."

England acknowledged signing the form but warned Frost there would be consequences if he attended the dance. England then took the issue to a school committee made up of church members, who decided to threaten Frost with suspension.

My first girlfriend in High School was a Pentacostal, I think. She wasn't alllowed to dance as I recall.

I didn't mind that too much.

A prohibition against dancing seems a bit primitive to me. It's the sort of thing you'd expect to hear from people who are still chopping off people's limbs for theft - severe, draconian, and harshly unsympathetic to the human condition. To me a teenager's education shouldn't be threatened by religious authorities because they dance, though I suppose to some degree you get what you deserve when you allow yourself to fall under their authority.

I was going to make an answer of some sort to this...but I simply don't know where to begin.

Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom

WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- The Jehovah's Witnesses is the most prayerful religious group in the United States, a survey released Thursday said.

The Pew Research Center said Jews are the least likely among those professing a religious faith to say they pray every day, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday. While 89 percent of Jehovah's Witnesses and 82 percent of Mormons report daily prayer, only 26 percent of Jews do.

About 80 percent of members of historically black churches say they pray daily. They are followed by white evangelicals, Muslims, Hindus, members of Orthodox churches and Catholics.

Those least likely to pray daily are mainline Protestants, with only 53 percent saying they do, Buddhists at 45 percent and Jews at 26 percent. Rabbi Art Donsky of Temple Ohav Shalom in McCandless told the Post-Gazette that last figure may be misleading since many religious Jews believe prayer is done in the temple by a minyan or group of at least 10 adults and do not count daily rituals like the blessing of bread.

People are more likely to pray if they are elderly, poor or female.

Pew surveyed 35,000 adult U.S. residents. The survey was released in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer.

TOPEKA, Ind. (AP) -- A part-time construction job sturdied Orva Fry's financial foundation after he was laid off from an RV factory. It also kept the 41-year-old Amish father of two on steady spiritual ground.

Another way to make ends meet that Fry briefly considered - unemployment checks - went against his faith, which shuns all forms of government assistance.

That Fry even pondered signing up for jobless benefits illustrates a marked shift in the nation's third-largest Amish settlement, which is suffering steep unemployment following a decades-long shift from farming to factory work. Church and economic leaders say a growing number of the area's 23,000 Amish are breaking with centuries of tradition and taking government help to stay afloat.

Fry chose not to take jobless benefits and was called back to work at the RV factory in March after working alongside his brother for three months repairing a fire-damaged home. But the community pressure to adhere to this tradition is easing amid the worst recession in decades.

Bishops who once might have censured those who sought public assistance are reluctantly looking the other way.

"We prefer to supply ourselves, but I told people that if they have no other option and no other way to make ends meet then they can take it," said Paul Hochstetler, bishop of an Amish district east of Goshen.

The Amish's refusal to take assistance such as unemployment and welfare is shared by like-minded Anabaptist traditions that grew out of 16th century German sects that sought to separate themselves from the world, said John Farina, an associate professor of religious studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. That would include Hutterians, the Church of the Brethren and the Church of the United Brethren.

It's part of a simpler way of life for the Amish, a Christian denomination with about 227,000 members nationwide that uses bicycles or horse-drawn buggies instead of owning cars and avoids hooking up to the electrical grid because of a belief that doing so will lead to a dependence on the outside world.

Madeline Kara Neumann is shown working on chalk art last summer during downtown Wausau's Chalk Fest.

Neumann is charged with second-degree reckless homicide in the Easter 2008 death of her 11-year-old daughter Madeline from undiagnosed diabetes. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Neumann has said her family believes in the Bible, which says healing comes from God, and she never expected her daughter to die.

According to the criminal complaint, Madeline's father considered the girl's illness "a test of faith" and Neumann never considered taking the girl to the doctor because she thought her daughter was under a "spiritual attack."

An autopsy has determined that Madeline died from diabetes that left her with too little insulin in her body. The girl likely had some symptoms of the disease for several weeks and months, court records said.

The parents told investigators Madeline had not been to a doctor since she was 3.

Dan and Sara Bell of Dallas found a Jesus-shaped Cheeto while on a road trip last week. They have since nicknamed the figure "Cheesus."

Many people have seen and heard about the likeness of Jesus turning up in unlikely places. Now, one North Texas family says they found Jesus in a cheese snack.

Dan Bell found his vision of Jesus last week at the gas station. "We were leaving town. I stopped by to fill up with gas and bought some snacks."

Inside a 99-cent bag of Cheetos brand cheese snacks, Dan and his wife Sara found something unique.

Sara recalls the discovery. "I was putting them in my hand and I had eaten most of the ones in my hand, and one was left lying there. And I said, 'Oh my gosh, look at this. It really looks like a person in a robe praying.'"

Dan looked over. "I said, 'Wow, it does look like a praying Jesus.'"

The couple nicknamed it "Cheesus."

"Cheesus" is about two inches tall. Despite missing a right arm, the Bells see a body, hair, robe and even a tiny face.

Various incarnations of "Cheesus" have shown up before; in Houston, Missouri and on the internet site YouTube.

Dan says his first reaction was, "Let's put this on eBay. How much do you think we should ask for it? It could be 25 cents, could be 25 dollars. If it's only 25 cents, we're just going to eat it."

DA: Girl Whose Parents Prayed to Defeat Illness Suffered 'Needless' Death

Atheist Joshua Witter sells cards to Christians that he will deliver to those left behind after the rapture. (Roberto Gonzalez, Orlando Sentinel / May 15, 2009)

There are those who believe in the Rapture prophesied in the Bible. And there is Joshua Witter, avowed atheist.

They need each other.

At least some people think so -- those willing to pay Witter to be their post-apocalyptic postman, delivering cards and letters to their non-believing friends, relatives and neighbors who will be left behind when the Day of Reckoning arrives.

About 70 people have paid the Orlando man about $5 apiece to get their messages to those doomed to face the plagues, pestilence and darkness of Armageddon.

Witter started his website -- postrapturepost.com -- as a joke, a satiric jab at those who see things like the swine flu, economic collapse and the election of a liberal president as sure signs the end is near.

But then he started receiving orders for his merchandise.

Witter doesn't have a stack of cards or letters with Post-Rapture messages in a dresser drawer or safety deposit box. All the messages are stored in his computers, encrypted to protect their privacy and backed up by a fail-safe system. His website might be all in jest, but when it comes to his paying customers, Witter is a responsible entrepreneur.

I'm guessing that for homo raptures ... deliveries are by hand.

I'm guessing that for homo raptures ... deliveries are by hand.

Children branded as witches protest on February 26, 2009, in the southern Nigerian city of Eket.

(CNN) -- Christian Eshiett was a rambunctious pre-teen who spent a lot of time cavorting with his friends in southern Nigeria. He would skip school and run away from home for days, frustrating his grandfather, who oversaw the boy's care.

"I beat him severely with canes until they broke, yet he never shed a tear," said Eshiett Nelson Eshiett, 76. "One day, I took a broom to hit him and he started crying. Then I knew he was possessed by demons. ... Nigerian witches are terrified of brooms."

From that day two years ago, Christian, now 14, was branded a witch. The abuse intensified.

"They would take my clothes off, tie me up and beat me," he told CNN in a telephone interview.

The teen is one of the so-called witch children in Eket, a city in oil-rich Akwa Ibom state of Nigeria.

"Children accused of witchcraft are often incarcerated in churches for weeks on end and beaten, starved and tortured in order to extract a confession," said Gary Foxcroft, program director of Stepping Stones Nigeria, a nonprofit that helps alleged witch children in the region.

The issue of "child witches" is soaring in Nigeria and other parts of the world, Foxcroft said.

The states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River have about 15,000 children branded as witches, and most of them end up abandoned and abused on the streets, he said.

Belief in witchcraft thrives worldwide. About 1,000 people accused of being witches in Gambia were locked in detention centers in March and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, human rights organization Amnesty International said.

Pastors have been accused of worsening the problem by claiming to have powers to recognize and exorcise "child witches," sometimes for a fee, aid workers said.

But some are true believers, such as one minister in Lagos, Nigeria. He pinpoints children affected by witchcraft for free, he said.

"Sometimes, we get a dream that shows us a certain person is suffering from witchcraft," said the Rev. Albert Aina, a senior pastor at Four Square Gospel Church. "Sometimes, you have a child who has inexplicable body marks because of struggling in the night. They are easy to identify, but why charge when you have been given a gift by God?" Aina said.

"The role of the international Christian community in this cannot be underestimated," Foxcroft said. "Unfortunately, the fact remains that this belief system is being spread by so-called Christians."

Just give it a rest! It's getting very boring. And really, really, really low-class.

Just give it a rest! It's getting very boring. And really, really, really low-class.

Yeah, not as entertaining as the constant, constant, constant religious digs by esteemed perverts.

Nothing biased about your observations, huh professor...

You might as well constantly harp and talk poop about Innocent's overly fair complexion. It's about as relevant substantively as the sex of the consenting adults he prefers sexually.

It's not about substance...it's about your myopia.

Dear Margo: Our daughter started college a year ago, and we’ve noticed during her visits home that she’s not the sweet, innocent girl we sent away for higher learning. We raised her with strong Christian beliefs, but lately she’s saying that she’s joined an atheist club on campus and is questioning everything we taught her. Now my husband refuses to let her in the house and is threatening to turn her in to the FBI. I’ve tried to cure our daughter and reconcile with her, but nothing seems to work. I’ve prayed over her at night while she sleeps, enlisted friends in a phone prayer tree and even spoken to my priest about the possibility of an exorcism. I’m at my wits’ end. How can I recover my daughter and keep her from hell? — God-fearing

Dear God: Whoa, dear. While I am sympathetic to anyone’s devotion to their religion, you need to realize that your daughter is a sentient being with the right to reject your religious views if she so chooses. Your husband is pathetically misguided if he thinks he can call the FBI to report the "crime" of your daughter joining an atheists club. Ditto for the exorcism. This young woman is not possessed, demonic or doing weird things; she is merely thinking and questioning the religion she grew up with. I would encourage you to understand that all people, your daughter included, have the right to think for themselves, particularly about something as meaningful as religion. As for hell, well, she appears willing to take her chances. — Margo, contemplatively

Dear Margo: Religious Fanatics on the Lunatic Fringe

How can I recover my daughter and keep her from hell? Margo Howard’s bright advice …

Dear Margo: Religious Fanatics on the Lunatic Fringe

How can I recover my daughter and keep her from hell? Margo Howard’s bright advice …

Just give it a rest! It's getting very boring. And really, really, really low-class.

Good god, bub and JT are some really twisted individuals.

The Vulcan greeting is based upon a blessing gesture used by the kohanim (koe-hah-NEEM) during the worship service. The kohanim are the genealogical descendants of the Jewish priests who served in the Jerusalem Temple.

The actual blessing is done with both arms held horizontally in front, at shoulder level, with hands touching, to form the Hebrew letter "shin." This stands for the Hebrew word for "Shaddai", meaning "Almighty [God]."



Nimoy modified this gesture into one hand held upright, making it more like a salute. So, technically, the Vulcan greeting is not the same thing as the ceremonial Jewish blessing. Still, the resemblance is close enough to evoke instant recognition among knowledgeable Jews.

Did Gene Roddenberry know, at the time of filming, that the Vulcan salute was based on a Jewish ritual? That question remains unanswered. My sense is that he probably didn't, or he would have objected to it, on the grounds of its being too "Judeo-Christian." More likely, he thought it was a weird variation of the peace sign. Certainly, that's how gentile Trekkers saw it for many years. Only much later did Nimoy publicly explain the source of his inspiration.

In addition to the salute itself, the ceremonial use of "Live long and prosper" and it's lesser-known reply, "Peace and long life," also show a strong Jewish influence. The format is similar to a traditional greeting in Hebrew: "Shalom aleichem" (peace be upon you) and the answer, "Aleichem shalom" (upon you be peace.) Muslims have a similar greeting in Arabic.

Blessing gesture depicted on the gravestone of Rabbi and Kohen Meschullam Kohn (1739-1819)

In his autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy wrote that he based it on the Priestly Blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin here stands for Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)", and has a superb significance in Judaism. Nimoy wrote that when he was a child, his grandfather took him to an Orthodox synagogue. There he saw the blessing performed, and was very impressed by it.[1]

Egyptology specialists have found that the Ancient Egyptians used a phrase which, when translated, is an almost perfect representation the phrase, read as "May he live long, prosper, and be in health."

Blessing gesture that was the inspiration for the Vulcan salute.

WEST PALM BEACH — It's the start of the Jehovah Witnesses' convention season, and this year they'll be preparing for the end of the world.

Starting Friday, the Witnesses will host 14 consecutive weeks of conventions at the Christian Convention Center on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard.

This year's theme, "Keep on the Watch!" is designed to discuss world events and how they relate to the Bible's prophecy of the apocalypse.

While all conventions are open to the public, the Witnesses are specifically inviting the public to a discussion with the provocative title, "How to Survive the End of the World," which will be at 11 a.m. Sunday.

"We feel it is imminent," spokesman Richard Ferris said. "We can't really put a date on it, and the scriptures tell us that nobody knows days or hours, but we'll look at the signs as a theme of our convention and keep on the watch."

"The fighting against nations, we're seeing more earthquakes, you can look at the swine flu, all this, and it just points to the things that shows we are getting very close to what we feel is the end," Ferris said.

Mario Beltrami, the spokesman for this weekend's convention, said it is about more than just discussing the apocalypse - it's also about preparing for it.

"We take Jesus' warning seriously and try to take note of world events that indicate that Jesus's prophecy is being fulfilled regarding the last day," Beltrami said.

Jehovah Witnesses brings apocalyptic topic to West Palm Beach's 'leaky teepee'



The end of the world is happening again this year. Personally I'm going to skip this year's end of the world and celebrate next year's end of the world. Or maybe the one after.

I thought Muslims used the thumbs up for FO. Or was it just Arabs?

"Thumbs up" traditionally translates as the foulest of gesticular insults in some Middle Eastern countries — the most straightforward interpretation is 'Up yours, pal!'[citation needed] The sign has a similarly pejorative meaning in parts of West Africa, South America, Iran, Iraq, and Sardinia, according to Roger E. Axtell's book Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World."[5]

In Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Thailand it is traditionally an obscene gesture, equivalent to the use of the middle finger in the Western world.

I don't think you'll wanna be around for the real one...

NEW ULM, Minn. – A 13-year-old cancer patient and his mother, who fled Minnesota last week to avoid court-ordered chemotherapy for him, returned voluntarily Monday, and the boy was being evaluated by a doctor, a sheriff and the family's attorney said.

Daniel Hauser was "immediately checked over medically" when he and his mother arrived on a charter flight at 3 a.m., Brown County Sheriff Rich Hoffmann said.

He did not say where the pair have been since they missed a court hearing last Tuesday, or whether Daniel received medical treatment for his Hodgkin's lymphoma while they were gone.

"It is a good day as Daniel and Colleen Hauser have been safely returned to Minnesota," Hoffmann said.

Because Colleen Hauser returned voluntarily, a warrant for her arrest was lifted. Hoffmann said he could not comment on whether there could be possible charges against her.

Daniel Hauser was being evaluated at a hospital in the Twin Cities on Monday, according to Tom Hagen, an attorney at the law office representing Daniel's parents.

"I'm delighted," Bostrom said. "I've been so worried that he was going to die in Mexico. I've been praying for his safe return, so I think my prayers will be answered."

You either! Fortunately no one will ever have to worry about it.

Okay folks, I have to do a presentation and paper on the topic of religion in the media and Im having trouble figuring out what exactly Im going to talk about, so I need your help.

Basically I need to think of a religion that has been prominently shown in the media and talk about the image of it that has been portrayed. So far, Ive considered mormonism and scientology, but neither have really piqued my interest so Im open to anything. Any ideas?