Interesting News Stories:

Here are a couple of interesting news tidbits I have run across this morning:

First, from the Telegraph:

All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days.[...]

He is said to have gone into “occlusion” in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace.

This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. Indeed, the Hidden Imam is expected to return in the company of Jesus.

Personally, I experienced an erie sense of foreshadow as I read that.

Next, we have a follow-up on the Pat Robertson case; from the Time Magazine Online Edition:

Scour the Bible all you like for an apologetic prophet—one who publicly regrets having been “insensitive” to his audience—but you'll come up empty. Not so in today's world. Take Pat Robertson, Christian Right pioneer and host of the 700 Club. Last week, within a day of Sharon's massive stroke, the televangelist asserted that it had been God's punishment for leader's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip[...]

I am not sure that Mr. Robertson ever claimed the mantle of prophethood. But I am sure he meant what he said, and pulled it back because of the threat to his pet project in Israel (see article). There is also the possibility that he re-examined the Bible, and found reason to misinterpret reinterpret it.

Call me cynical, but this guy is making a mockery of Christianity, the Bible, and all they hold true.