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... The number of adult baptisms in France has increased by 30%, from 5,463 in 2023 to 7,135 in 2024, the French bishops’ conference reported March 27. ... The number of adult baptisms has also continued to rise over the border in Belgium, almost doubling in a decade, from 186 in 2014 to 362 in 2024, the Belgian bishops’ conference announced March 26....

When Trevor Bickford was 19 years old, on Dec. 31, 2022, he ventured to Times Square along with multitudes of New Year’s Eve revelers, but he was not interested in joining the festivities. Instead, he attacked three NYPD officers with a machete. He recently plead guilty to three charges of attempted murder, and while his motive is abundantly clear, authorities appear to be completely indifferent about what its implications are for the future. The Associated Press reported that Bickford, who came down to Times Square from his home in Wells, Maine, said this as he entered his guilty plea: “On...

The man who police have questioned in relation to the death of a Jewish man during a clash with pro-Palestinian protestors is a 50-year-old college professor, DailyMail.com can reveal. Loay Alnaji, who teaches computer science at Ventura Community College in California, allegedly hit Paul Kessler with a megaphone knocking him to the ground. Police raided his home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Moorpark, California, on Sunday evening, we have learned. ‘My husband was getting home from Costco when he saw a SWAT team, six cops with rifles and full gear. Their vehicles were not police cars, they were unmarked,’ neighbor...

Sofia Richie, a model and the daughter of musician Lionel Richie, married Jewish music executive Elliot Grainge on Saturday, less than a month after she said she completed her conversion to Judaism. Earlier this month, Richie had posted on Instagram that Nathan Lam, a prominent Los Angeles cantor, had been “helping me along this journey of converting to Judaism.” Pronouncing her conversion complete on April 3, she posted on Instagram, “It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.” Richie, 24, and Grainge, 29, tied the knot at a hotel in Antibes, France, where they were married by...

These “love jihad” incidents stem from supremacist assumptions. Muslim women are forbidden to marry non-Muslim men: “Do not marry idolatresses until they believe, for indeed, a believing slave woman is better than an idolatress, even though she pleases you. And do not give your daughters in marriage to idolaters until they believe, for indeed, a believing slave is better than an idolater, even though he pleases you. These people invite you to the fire, and Allah invites you to the garden, and to forgiveness by his grace, and explains his signs to mankind so that perhaps they will remember.” (Qur’an...

In his sleepy Maine hometown, teen-aged Trevor Bickford was just one of the guys. The Wells High School student won an honorable mention two years ago for his entry in the state’s Scholastic Arts Awards, cited for his submission in the jewelry category. He played on the town football team, winners of the 2018 state title, and spent summers as a groundskeeper at the local golf course in what locals called “The Friendliest Town in Maine.” “He was chill,” recalled an old friend who worked alongside the accused terrorist at the Old Marsh Country Club. “He was always just quiet...

While many might see this “invitation” as harmless, the “call” or “invitation” to Islam is a legal requirement before Muslims wage jihad against non-Muslims. As the Moroccan players returned to their hotel in their bus after their victory against Spain, Zakaria Aboukhal and Abdelhamid Sabiri took part in a live broadcast in which they thanked Allah ﷻ and “invited” people to embrace Islam. While many might see this “invitation” as harmless, the “call” or “invitation” to Islam is a legal requirement before Muslims wage jihad against non-Muslims. As the counter-terrorism group UTT explains, “the Koran speaks of Dawah – the...

In my previous review of the novel Joseph the Huron by Antoinette Bosco, I mentioned briefly a scene in the book describing the capture and torture of an Iroquois prisoner by the Hurons. The details of this scene were drawn from the true story which appeared in the Jesuit Relations. Of course, Mrs. Bosco softened the story somewhat to make it more suitable for her audience of younger readers. When writing the review, I revisited the original account of this prisoner in the Relations. Written in 1639 by an eye-witness—Jesuit Fr. Jerome Lalemant—I recalled the impression the account had made...

The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed the case of an Iranian convert to Christianity, who is appealing his deportation from Germany back to Iran, on the grounds of religious freedom... Hassan – whose name has been changed to protect his identity and is recorded only as “H.H” in public records – is a cabinet maker who applied for asylum in 2018 and is currently residing in Germany where he can freely practice his faith. After he, his wife and his family converted to Christianity, security forces in Iran stormed their house confiscated their books, computer, passports and Bible....

The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus last week released a music video titled, "A Message From the Gay Community." The video begins with one singer introducing the tune by saying, "As we celebrate Pride and progress we've made over these past years, there's still work to be done. So to those of you out there who are still working against equal rights, we have a message for you." Whitlock dishes on his ESPN exit, Bill Simmons, John Skipper, Deadspin and the Undefeated With that he begins to sing over a lone piano: You think we're sinful You fight against our...

VideoIn this episode, we will meet a 25 year old grad student, who, as a faithful evangelical, felt Catholicism was dead. But during his theological scripture studies, his preconceived biases were challenged, and in search for Truth, studied his way into the Catholic faith! Like everybody else in this series, today’s guests came home to the Church, with the help of Catholics Come Home and responding to the call of the Holy Spirit. I’d like you to meet, Tyler Lynch. catholicscomehome.org

On Wednesday night, Pastor David Platt of McLean Bible Church hosted a simulcast called Something Needs to Change, part of an ongoing initiative from The Gospel Coalition. In the simulcast, Platt, an author and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, shared an interview with a missionary named Yazim. “He lives and works in a part of the Middle East where, not only is it illegal to share the Gospel, it’s life-threatening to talk about how the Gospel is advancing,” Platt shared. In the simulcast Yazim, a Middle East church planter shared with Platt and the listeners...

Canadian govt may deport refugee Muslim family who converted to Christianity and faces death upon return WELLAND, Ontario, September 18, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― A Christian family, who converted from Islam and are now illegal refugees in Canada, is in danger of being deported back to their native country of Nigeria where they say they face certain death for abandoning Islam for faith in Jesus Christ.  “They face a ‘fatwa’ (a pronouncement of death) against them for converting to Christianity from Islam,” Randy Lorenz of Canadian Aid to Persecuted Christians told LifeSiteNews. “They believe they face certain death if they...

Muslim Convert Dreams about Jesus and Reverts to Christianity (Mike's Testimony) 9-15-19 Acts17Apologetics 383K subscribers Mike was a Christian corrections officer who converted to Islam in 2001. After spending several years as a committed Muslim, he began to doubt Islam. He watched videos and read articles that challenged his faith. Discussions with Christian apologist Joe Carey and ex-Muslim Abdu Murray increased his doubts about Islam, and a dream about Jesus affected him deeply. Mike returned to Christ in 2013.

Americans were stunned on October 11 when the Justice Department unsealed its complaint against Mansour Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old used-car dealer from Corpus Christi now in federal custody, and Ali Gholam Shakuri, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. Shakuri remains inside Iran. The pair have been charged with conspiring to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, Adel Al-Jubeir. As disclosed by the Treasury Department, the plot was coordinated by Arbabsiar’s cousin, Abdul Reza Shahlai, a top Quds Force functionary whom the Treasury designated in 2008 as one of several “individuals and entities fueling violence in Iraq.” Shahlai was...

Governor Wolf’s official Islamic conversation has not yet been made public, other than these photographs circulating on social media. It has become evident through the photographs that Wolf has in fact already converted. According to Islam it is not permissible for a non-Muslim to pray either in the ranks or on his own. It is required that one converts to Islam before he prays, then to purify himself [by doing ghusl], and then fulfil the conditions of prayer. He is included in the obligation of prayer, and he is to be punished if he does not become Muslim and pray,...

Pope Francis warned Catholics in Morocco not to attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity, as he addressed a large crowd of his Moroccan flock on Sunday.The head of the Catholic Church issued the warning during an address at St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, Morocco before roughly 400 Christian followers.

Three converts from Islam to Christianity who live in the Netherlands recently spoke about their experiences, and it’s clear that they’re not exactly finding diversity, in the form of mass Muslim migration into Europe, to be their strength. An ex-Muslim from Kurdistan named Faraidoun Fouad recounted: “I converted in 1999. In 2002 God called me to reach out to my own people. Directly after my conversion to Christianity I received the first threats. People who I thought were my friends, became my enemies.” Nor were his former friends all jihadis: “Even Muslims who are not very conservative told my wife...

WASHINGTON — An American kidnapped two years ago in Yemen while helping coordinate aid for Unicef and the Red Cross also had a second, secret role: He was shipping materials for elite military commandos under a clandestine contract his employer had with the Pentagon. The arrangement with Special Operations forces has never been made public. {snip} Mr. Darden’s work offers a rare look into the shadowy world of military contractors that operate in lawless war zones like Yemen, Somalia and Libya. But arrangements like the one Transoceanic had with Special Operations forces can cast suspicion over aid workers, potentially putting...

This man didn’t threaten to kill converts from Islam to Christianity. He just threatened to rape them. He must be a “moderate.” The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89) A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed...