Harold Camping

Who is Harold Camping and how did he decide the rapture will take place Saturday? Read details here.

The Site of Jesus' Baptism

Israel is removing land mines from the area traditionally viewed as the site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan River and where the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land after their flight from Egypt. Israel has spent millions on removing the land minds, which the government placed there during the 1970s. The number of visitors to the area, located on the West Bank near Jericho, has tripled in last seven years.

Jakes to Graham: Apologize

Dallas megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes is calling on Franklin Graham to apologize for casting speculation onto the president’s Christian faith. The son of evangelist Billy Graham has said he believes President Barack Obama was born a Muslim and that those religious roots affect his presidential policies and “the Islamic world sees the president as one of theirs.” Here's what Jakes said to one interviewer:

“We didn’t question the Christianity of President Bush when he said he accepted Christ, and I’m disappointed in Rev. Franklin Graham in that regard. And I would hope that he would see the rationale in apologizing for such statements — because if the president’s faith is suspect, then all of our faiths are suspect, because the Bible is quite clear about what it takes to be saved and the president has been quite open about his accepting Christ and him openly confessing it before men. And if it’s good enough for the Bible it ought to be good enough for the rest of us.”

As recently as last year, about 20% of Americans polled said they believed Obama was a Muslim.

Son No Billy Graham?

A religion scholar argues that Franklin Graham is an embarrassment to his father and a political hack. Read the article at CNN here.

So help me God

The Supreme Court has turned aside an appeal from atheist Michael Newdow. He claimed it was unconstitutional for Barack Obama to include “so help me God” in his inaugural oath of office in January 2009. A federal judge threw the suit out. Newdow also challenged the addition of “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Chief Justice Roberts, who was named in the suit for administering the oath, excused himself from the case.