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Bishops within the Church of England have raised concerns that certain Christmas carols might be “problematic” because of their explicit references to Jesus as the “true Messiah.” The Birmingham Diocese recently communicated to its clergy the need to reassess the language used in hymns to create an “inclusive” environment during the festive season. The Birmingham Diocese instructed clergy to “use language that won’t add further confusion or tension or take away anything from the good news of the Nativity,” The Mail on Sunday reported, citing the email. The hymns under scrutiny include “Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending,” a favorite...

GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday said he believes he will be able to qualify for the next Republican primary debate, despite doubters. “You know that many people didn’t think I was gonna make the last debate stage, and I heard your prognosticators already say you don’t think we’re gonna make the next one at the Reagan Library,” he told NBC “Meet the Press” anchor Chuck Todd on Friday. “So I intend to prove it all wrong. I expect to be there.”

Blowing snow caused all kinds of travel problems in the mountains late Tuesday afternoon. U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass was closed because of poor weather conditions. Westbound I-70 at Vail Pass was closed for the same reason. Traffic was moving slowly throughout the I-70 corridor in the high country. The storm is good news for Loveland Ski Area, which opens Thursday morning.

But when I hear a United States senator say, “I’m not a scientist so I can’t make a judgment,” or a candidate for president for that matter, I’m absolutely astounded. I mean, it’s incomprehensible that a grownup who has been to high school and college in the United States of America disqualifies themselves because they’re not a scientist when they’ve learned that the Earth rotates on its axis but they’re not a scientist; where they’ve learned that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and it does so 24 hours a day; and you can run...

The Associated Press made quite a notable change today in how it refers to individuals with skeptical views about climate change science. The AP announced the change on its blog today, explaining the changes: Our guidance is to use climate change doubters or those who reject mainstream climate science and to avoid the use of skeptics or deniers.

The idea of pulling nearly all American troops out of Afghanistan in 2016 suddenly seems pretty lousy, after so much of Iraq has collapsed under a similar scenario. When President Obama announced his plan to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2016, U.S. intelligence said it could be done safely. Now, intelligence and military leaders are privately warning that the U.S. counterterrorism forces could be needed there for much longer. During the internal administration debate earlier this year over the way forward in Afghanistan, the CIA supported a plan to degrade al Qaeda to the point that America could withdraw

RELIGIOUS leaders have used their Easter sermons and messages to condemn the rise of atheism, with Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen describing the philosophy as an "assault on God". A day after Sydney Catholic Archbishop Cardinal George Pell criticised non-believers, Dr Jensen said in his Good Friday sermon at Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral that atheism was a form idolatry. "As we can see by the sheer passion and virulence of the atheist - they seem to hate the Christian God - we are not dealing here with cool philosophy up against faith without a brain," Dr Jensen told worshippers. "Atheism...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former US vice president Al Gore took a swipe at global warming doubters Saturday as he opened the Washington leg of the worldwide Live Earth concerts that he helped organize. Washington was a last-minute addition to the global event months after organizers failed to find a space on the US capital's National Mall, a sprawling green space featuring monuments including the Congress building. Other events had reportedly already booked spaces for the same day on the Mall, while a subsequent bid by some lawmakers to bring the show to the doorsteps of the US Capitol was blocked...

If you have tried to reason with a GWF (Global Warming Fanatic), you know it's a waste of time. They believe GW with a passion that has no room for facts and data. Tell them the planet has been warming (slightly) since 1977 because it's on the up side of a solar-driven warming and cooling cycle going back hundreds of thousands of years. Tell them CO2 (carbon dioxide) - not a pollutant but a harmless gas that every oxygen-breathing animal breathes out and plants breathe in to survive - is a tiny fraction of the Earth's atmosphere, man-made CO2 a...

NAIROBI, Kenya - Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the U.N. conference on climate change Wednesday that those who would deny global warming or delay taking action against it are "out of step" and "out of time." "Let no one say we cannot afford to act," Annan declared. The United States is among those who contend that reducing global-warming gases would set back economies too much. The U.N. chief lamented "a frightening lack of leadership" in fashioning next steps in reducing global emissions. "I would want leaders around the world to really show courage and to know that if they do, their...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Agreement on a use-of-force resolution reached between the White House and House leaders Wednesday is beginning to sway many Democrats in Congress, but Rep. Robert Matsui of Sacramento is among those wondering if he can support it.</p> <p>While the deal would give President Bush the authority he wants to attack Iraq, he could do so unilaterally only after certifying to Congress that diplomatic and other means are inadequate to protect the country from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.</p>