Radio station owner Harold Camping said recently that he wasn’t wrong when he predicted that rapture would take place on May 21, but it just wasn’t obvious because the rapture took place in a spiritual sense.

Camping said on his radio program Open Forum that even though we hadn’t seen it, and nothing different seems to have taken place, God indeed bore judgment on the whole world last May 21, according to International Business Times.

Camping said, “On May 21, this last weekend, this is where the spiritual aspect of it really comes through. God again brought judgment on the world. We didn’t see any difference but God brought Judgment Day to bear upon the whole world,” International Business Times reported.

For months Camping had been predicting that 200 million Christians will be physically taken up to heaven on May 21, last Saturday. This would be followed by five months of tremendous suffering, also known as the Great Tribulation, The Washington Post said.

The suffering would end on Oct. 21, Camping said in his original prediction. Last Monday, he suggested that maybe God, in his mercy, decided to spare humanity of the five months of tribulation, The Washington Post said.

He also said he felt terrible and that last Saturday he and his wife took refuge in a motel, the AP said. But he also said that he is certain that the world will end on Oct. 21, 2011, and that his numerological timeline is accurate.

Camping said, “It won’t be spiritual on October 21^st. The world is going to be destroyed all together, but it will be very quick,” The Washington Post reported. Camping said that the globe would be taken up in a fireball, according to the AP.

Through Camping’s personal ministry, Family Radio International, millions were spent to set up to 5,000 billboards and for some 20 RVs to go around with signs announcing the May 21 apocalypse, the AP said.

Camping’s followers also put their personal funds into advertising the May 21 apocalypse. Jeff Hopkins, 52, told the AP that he spent on gas to drive his van back and forth between New York City and Long Island, so that people could see the warning sign on his van.

Hopkins, a former TV producer told the AP, “I’ve been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I’ve been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car. I was doing what I’ve been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I’ve been stymied. It’s like getting slapped in the face.”

Followers Adrienne Martinez and her husband quit their jobs and spent all their savings so that they would leave nothing behind after May 21. She is pregnant with her second child, International Business Times said.

Christians believe, as the bible says, that the exact time of Jesus’ return cannot be prophesied. Tim LaHaye, a co-writer of the apocalyptic novel series “Left Behind” cited Matt. 24:36 which says, “[B]ut about that day or hour no one knows,” except God, AP said.

LaHaye wrote on his website, “While it may be in the near future, many signs of our times certainly indicate so, but anyone who thinks they ‘know’ the day and the hour is flat out wrong,” AP reported.

No responsibility

Camping said he feels no responsibility for those who left their jobs or spent their savings because of his prophecy. He said on his radio station, “They should have relied on God and not me. Family Radio is not in the business of financial advice,” International Business Times reported.

Camping implied that these people need to go on with their lives saying, “People cope,” according to International Business Times.

This is actually the second time that Camping predicted a doomsday and that failed. The first time he predicted the Apocalypse was in 1994. Camping later said that it was a mathematical error, according to the AP.

In 2009, Family Radio, which is a nonprofit endeavor, filed its IRS report stating it had assets of over $104 million (including $34 million in stocks and other securities), and received donations of $18.3 million, the AP said.

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With the announcement of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s decision not to run for the presidency, who stands to gain the evangelical votes that would otherwise have gone to him?

Evangelicals comprise one of the largest voting communities in the Republican Party, and landed Huckabee, a Baptist minister, eight states (including Iowa), although he didn’t get the GOP nomination in 2008.

Now that Huckabee isn’t running, speculation is rife as to who will benefit most. Ralph Reed, who heads the Faith and Freedom Coalition, told CNN, “Whoever does the best job of securing a plurality of Huckabee and social conservative voters in Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and other early primary states will likely emerge as the Republican standard-bearer.”

Christian activist Michael Farris told CNN that if Christians revolve around one candidate again, as they did in 2008, it could be former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who is also an evangelical Christian.

Pawlenty has a track record in Minnesota, where he supervised his own government shutdown, increased cigarette taxes, supported re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada, and balanced the budget, The Washington Post said.

Pawlenty also raised Minnesota’s standard of education, lobbied for market-based health reforms, and proposed funding for alternative energy. He governed as a conservative, at the same time was a change agent, according to The Washington Post.

Pawlenty’s conservatism gives him the chance of getting support from Tea Party voters. His fiscal performance may win the vote of mainstream Republicans. In due time, independents may go his way. The Washington Post said his candidacy has “great potential breadth,” but right now, he is not widely known and his work is cut out for him.

If Pawlenty lands the GOP and makes it to a general election, he could refer to his performance as Minnesota governor to show that while conservative, he has free-market ideas and a creative economic approach that can lead the country to economic mobility, The Washington Post said.

Pawlenty’s biggest competition in Iowa is Newt Gingrich. However, both Gingrich and Mitt Romney got the ire of conservatives recently , The New York Times said, when they endorsed the concept of an individual mandate regarding health care.

Other possibilities

Rick Tyler, spokesman for Gingrich, told CNN the candidate has met with a lot of Iowa pastors in the last four years, which should reap hefty evangelical support. But Gingrich’s personal life, having married three times and admitting to an affair with his current wife, Callista, while still married to his second wife, does not shine well with evangelicals.

Romney may be conservative enough for evangelicals, but his Mormon faith may be an obstacle. Other possible, though long-shot beneficiaries are Michelle Bachmann, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, and Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, all of whom are social conservatives, msnbc said.

There is also the possibility that the evangelical votes may be split among two or more candidates. Mark DeMoss, an adviser to Romney, told CNN, “I don’t think anybody lays claim to the so-called evangelical vote. It’s much less monolithic than it may have been in previous elections.”

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The U.S. Holocaust Museum is joining forces with Ancestry.com to digitalize information about victims of Nazi persecution, whether Jewish or non-Jewish.

Ancestry.com is an online family history site. By working together, people can research the lives of anyone who was a victim or who survived the holocaust, The Washington Post said.

The project has been called WorldMemoryProject.org, and it will open the portals to information culled from millions of World War II documents of murders of Jews and other people for interested researchers, using the specially-designed software that has been specially designed by Ancestry, The Washington Post reported.

In due time, WorldMemoryProject.org will provide the largest online database of information about individual victims of Nazi persecution. This information will, for the first time, be available online for free, according to The Washington Post.

Volunteers are being recruited to sort through the museum’s 170 million documents which, curators say, contain data on some 17 million people whom the Nazis targeted, the AP said.

At present, some 50,000 records can be found on the website Lisa Yavnai, museum director told the AP. However, a lot still must be done. Yavnai said, “You might have a collection of 700 microfilm reels from Poland, but if you’re looking for one person, it’s really hard to find.”

Ancestry has some 60,000 volunteers who helped to index records, including municipal records and genealogies, to make them easy to search through. However, this was before the partnership was forged with the museum, the AP said.

Volunteers will be welcome to assist in indexing Holocaust records, such as German occupation records and community documents that cross through Europe recording displaced persons from Allied forces when the war ended, the AP reported.

Anyone is welcome to help, and the more who do, the faster the indexing can be accomplished in a project that is expected to take a number of years to accomplish, according to the AP.

Today, the youngest survivors of the holocaust are in their 70s and 80s. It is hoped that the information can be ready and indexed appropriately before it would be too late for them, the AP said.

Expected outcome

With the completion of the project much more information will be available and can be assorted much more quickly. The contrast can be seen in the experience of Joseph Finkelstein, 59, who was researching about his grandfather, Jacob Finkelstein.

For years Joseph and his father pored through microfilm and original documents in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and even traveled to Poland and Austria. They learned ultimately that Jacob survived the holocaust, but died four days afterwards because he was very weak and sick. The even found his burial spot in Austria, the AP said.

Joseph, of Bala Cynwyd, Pa. was able to put a gravestone on his grandfather’s unmarked grave, and to see his grandfather’s picture for the first time. He told the AP, “What I found is there’s truth to be discovered that has been unknown for almost seven decades. What I discovered is my grandfather — that he existed in that world. It’s part of my past and I’ve recovered part of it.”

But for those who don’t have the years to spare poring through documents or the money to travel to Europe, a resource such as WorldMemoryProject.org can be invaluable.

The archives of 17 million people are not limited to just Jews, but also Roma, Political prisoners, Ukranians, Poles and others. With the WorldMemoryProject.org, millions of others can easily find answers to their questions online, The Herald Sun said.

One volunteer is Alfred Traum, 82, who is retired. For three years he went through the museum’s documents to help index the information list. He told The Washington Post, “There was a ledger card at the top of each list, written in this beautiful handwriting. Then the list of people being sent to their death was typewritten.”

One day he was surprised to find two names on a list, his parents Elias and Geselle Traum. He told The Washington Post, “I had known that they didn’t survive the war for many years. It wasn’t any surprise. But seeing it written in this cold manner was horrific. It had the place where they were born, the date they were born and when they were deported to Minsk.”

Sara Bloomfield, museum director told the Herald Sun, “We hope to remind the public that the Holocaust is not about numbers but about individuals, just like us, and to help families uncover histories they thought were lost.”

Bloomfield said to the Herald Sun, “The Museum’s vast archives contain documentation that may be the only remaining link to an individual life. Preserving these personal histories and making them available online is one of the most powerful ways we can learn from history and honour the victims.”

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There has been a rise in the incidence of anti-gay attacks in Africa, and Christian evangelism is taking the brunt of the blame for it.

Homosexuality has long been taboo in Africa. According to The Washington Post, more than two-thirds of African countries have laws that render homosexuality a crime. In many of the countries, the laws date back to the colonial era.

The majority religion in the continent is Islam at 47 percent. However, Christianity is also sizeable, and a number of the African countries mentioned that are taking extreme actions against homosexuality are predominantly Christian.

Kenya

The Prime Minister of predominantly Christian Kenya said recently that gay people who are discovered having sex together should be arrested, The Washington Post said.

According to The Washington Post, gay people also have been denied health care, and have been jailed, tortured and even killed. Njeri Kabeberi, executive director of the Center for Multiparty Democracy in Nairobi told The Christian Science Monitor, “We’ve seen this same issue come up in Uganda, in Zimbabwe [and] in Malawi.”

Wanyeki Muthoni, executive director of the independent Kenya Human Rights Commission blamed three converging trends for the rising antagonism against gays. First, Kenyan gays are becoming politically active and are demanding “basic equality and nondiscrimination,” The Christian Science Monitor reported.

Second, Muthoni told The Christian Science Monitor, the global debate over the ordination of gay priests has had an effect in Africa. Third, African churches are being influenced by American evangelicals in Africa.

Uganda

In Christian Uganda, a pending bill seeks to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment on repeat homosexual “offenders.” Failure to report a homosexual is punishable by three years in jail. Promoting homosexuality can result in five to seven years imprisonment if the bill is passed, the UPI reported.

Newspapers in Uganda listed down the names and addresses of gays with the heading, “Hang them.” Sheila Hope Meugisha, a Ugandan activist, told UPI she was forced to stay home for several days because of this.

The rise in attacks is blamed on visits last year by three evangelical preachers, UPI said. However, The Christian Science Monitor noted that homosexuality had been illegal in Uganda even during the British colonial era.

According to The Christian Science Monitor under the British, parliament had debated for a while, but withdrew a bill that would have imposed heavy sentences, including death, on homosexuals.

Malawi

In majority Christian Malawi an openly gay couple was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison based on a colonial era law that banned “unnatural acts.” The sentence was retracted amid international retribution, The Christian Science Monitor said.

Blame

Aside from Christian fundamentalist preachers, The Washington Post blames the rapid growth of Islam in Africa, intolerance on the part of governments, and some politicians who are homophobic.

In Senegal and Gambia Christianity is a minority faith. But The Washington Post noted that in Senegal, the graves of homosexuals are sometimes desecrated, and in Gambia, President Yahya Jammeh said he will expel gays from the country and has urged citizens not to rent their homes to them.

In Cameroon, where 40 percent of the people practice traditional indigenous religion, and 40 percent are Christian, with the remaining 20 percent Muslim, gays have been assaulted by police and attacked by media, The Washington Post said.

South Africa

Surprisingly, the exception is South Africa, where 80 percent of the population is Christian. South Africa was the first country in the world to outlaw discrimination against gays in their constitution, and is one of very few countries in the world where gay marriage is legal, The Washington Post said.

The situation leaves Christians challenged to carefully tread a thoughtful line in Africa where scripture is not filtered, but where leadership should call for love for all people including gays, and an end to violence against gays and to ensure that scripture is not used to tolerate injustice against homosexuals.

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A new study shows that highly educated Americans are more likely to get married, go to church regularly, and say that they are happy with their marriages.

The 2010 edition of The State of Our Unions also said that highly educated women are least likely to become single parents, and tend to have the lowest incidence of divorce, according to CNN.

This is a clear reversal of trends. In the 1970s Americans with moderate education—working class Americans or blue collar workers—were more likely to go to church regularly than those with college degrees, The Washington Times said.

Today, more Americans who are college graduates (34 percent) go to church regularly compared to moderately educated Americans (28 percent). W. Bradford Wilcox, author of the study, said that while college graduates tend to be more progressive regarding social issues, “when it comes to their own lives, they are increasingly adopting a marriage mindset and acting accordingly,” The Washington Times said.

CNN described the “marriage mindset” as a tendency to integrate church attendance and faith in marriage as a way of life.

Wilcox is the director of the National Marriage Project of the University of Virginia. The report was jointly released with the Center for Marriage and Families from the Institute for American Values, The Washington Times reported.

Other findings of the study are:

• College educated American women are less likely to become single mothers at 6 percent compared to 44 percent with moderate education, and 54 percent among the least educated, CNN said.
• College educated Americans, at 69 percent, will more likely say they are “very happy” with their marriages, compared to 57 percent of moderately educated Americans, The Washington Times said.
• College educated Americans experienced a decline in divorce/separation in the first 10 years of marriage at 15 to 11 percent in the last 40 years, compared to a 10 percent among least educated Americans, and an increase by one percent among moderately educated Americans, CNN said.
• The teenage daughters age 14 of college educated mothers are more likely to be living with both parents (81 percent), compared to teenage daughters age 14 of moderately educated women (58 percent), The Washington Times said.

Wilcox told CNN, “On average, marriage plays a key role in securing the welfare of children. Children are much more likely to thrive if they are raised in a married home with their own mother and father.”

Implications of study

Christianity Today said the study shows that in middle America marriage is being assailed by high rates of divorce and single parenthood, which were once more prevalent among poor communities.

The movement of these social problems to the middle class will adversely affect the social and emotional wellbeing of children. According to Christianity Today, adults who do not marry nor stay married also tend to be less likely to save for the future and to succeed.

The Washington Times noted that only 30 percent of Americans are college graduates, while 58 percent of Americans are moderately educated, and 12 percent, high school dropouts.

If the trend continues, Wilcox said, “it is likely that we will witness the emergence of a new society,” where a stable family and upward mobility will be “beyond the reach of too many Americans,” The Washington Times reported.

To offset the trend, Wilcox told CNN there is a need for more church and civic outreaches, which help establish meaningful relationships and bring purpose to life. More effort must also be exerted to convey to general society the benefits of marriage, especially in regard to the children.

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/12/06/marriage.trouble.report/index.html?section=cnn_latest

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/6/faith-gap-seen-among-married/

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/decemberweb-only/58-11.0.html?start=2

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New Jersey lawmakers are bent on passing new, strong anti-bullying legislation amid the rash of teen suicides, but others say the bill’s wording is inadequate and can be used to harass teachers who express religious beliefs.

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights encompasses both emotional harm and physical harm, with added criminal charges. It also establishes a “Week of Respect” annually, The Christian Post reported.

The process in formulating the bill included hearing the stories of bullied people. Matthew Zimmer, 16, was bullied for being gay, even by his teachers, one of whom called him gay in class. The principal never did anything about it, so Zimmer withdrew from school, The Washington Post reported.

Corey Bernstein, 15, was harassed and bullied in middle school, and his plight was ignored by school administrators and the principal, who would not admit that any problem existed, according to the Daily Record.

Some 160,000 students try to avoid school because of bullying, whether on campus or on the internet, The Washington Post reported. Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle told the Daily Record, “This is not a gay bill. This is for every kid.”

Implementation of bill

Under the new bill teachers, school staff and administrators must undergo bullying training, and administrators must record all bullying incidents and response actions taken. Every quarter, a school will receive a bully grade, The Christian Post said.

Administrators will also have to hire anti –bully specialists, and districts will have to institute anti-bullying courses, The Christian Post reported.

Bullying off school grounds, including online, are also covered in the bill. Ed Barocas of the American Civil Liberties Union noted this may pose legal challenges, The Washington Post said.

The bill will require an accompanying budget, which is slated for review by the state Senate’s budget committee on the following day, according to The Christian Post.

Needs revision

While there is overall agreement of a need for anti-bullying legislation, concern has been raised on the bill’s wording. Greg Quinlan of the New Jersey Family Policy Council told The Christian Post, “We need to put a culture of dignity and respect in schools,” but added that the bill contains flaws that can limit its effectiveness.

John Tomicki, executive director of the League of American Families opposed the bill saying that it is unwieldy and flawed. The Daily Record quotes Tomicki saying, “It requires significant redraft.”

Quinlan said the bill is not fully inclusive. It cites color, race, ancestry, national origin, religion, gender identity and expression relating to homosexuality and physical, mental and sensory disability which can trigger bullying, The Christian Post reported.

But Quinlan told the Christian Post, “Obesity is not on the list. Ex-gays like myself are not on the list. Bullying is bullying,” Quinlan said, stressing the need for all-inclusiveness in the bill language.

According to the staff of those who sponsor the bill, the list of groups is merely examples, and it also uses the phrase, “any other distinguishing characteristics,” The Christian Post reported.

Still, Quinlan said teachers and students will be denied their first amendment rights to express what they believe, fearing disciplinary action. For example, if a teacher would say, “There is no gay gene,” it could be construed as bullying. Or, expressing one’s faith could be seen as excluding or putting down other faiths, The Christian Post said.

Tomicki cited free speech and said the bill may violate the U.S. Constitution which protects this fundamental right. Others noted the added cost to implement the bill shouldered by districts that don’t have the budget, The Washington Post said.

In 2009 over one third of all U.S. students were bullied—half of them on a weekly or daily basis. Because of this, the state legislature has more than the required support for the bill with 28 Senate members and 46 assembly members, The Christian Post reported.

Nonetheless, Quinlan has set forth his own version of anti-bullying legislation which has no list and simply includes bullied characteristics. The model is easier to implement and does not have the burden of additional cost, The Christian Post reported.

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Six Vietnamese Catholics were arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to jail recently after a one-day trial where they were not even permitted to have lawyers present to speak in their defense.

Two of the defendants were given nine months and one-year sentences, while the other four were given nine month suspended sentences. They were charged with inciting disturbance after the police assaulted a peaceful funeral procession to bury an 82-year-old woman last May, according to The Washington Post. The reason for the clash was because the ownership of the cemetery ground was in question, according to CatholicCulture.org.

The clash occurred as villagers attempted to bury the deceased at Con Dau cemetery in Danang, a major port city. The local government had banned use of the cemetery because they plan to use the land for a residential development. For decades, Catholics and the Vietnamese government have clashed over the seizure of church property, among other issues, the Winnipeg Free Press said.

A number of U.S. congressmen allege that the Catholics had been tortured by the police, The Washington Post said. The U.S. called the case a violation of human rights, and the U.S. embassy in Hanoi, in a statement, said the convictions contradicted “Vietnam’s own commitment to internationally accepted standards of human rights,” urging the government to release the prisoners, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

The two who were imprisoned are Nguyen Huu Minh, 46, and Phan Thi Nhan, 45, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. The Winnipeg Free Press quoted a New York-based Human Rights Watch which said a seventh villager who was arrested during the melee died after undergoing interrogation and being beaten by police several times. However, authorities claim the man had died from a stroke.

All the defendants were charged with “disturbing public order, disorderly conduct, and attacking state security officers.” During the hearing, hundreds of police dressed in riot gear and armed with guard dogs stood in front of the Da Nang courthouse while protesters held a sit-in on the street outside of the court building, according to CatholicCulture.org.

The Winnipeg Free Press noted that Vietnam’s one-party communist government does not tolerate challenges to its authority. Of late, Vietnam has escalated arrests not only of Catholics and Christians but also of bloggers and labor activists. The Washington Post says the increased arrests come as Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is set to visit the country.

Some analysts (mostly diplomats) blame the increased crackdown on the Vietnam Communist Party’s pending congress—its first in five years, slated for January. Others, (mostly diplomats) link it to internal party struggles and Vietnam’s growing relations with the U.S. Both countries see the relationship as a hedge against China, even as some in the communist party fear the U.S. may want to overthrow their political system, The Washington Post reported.

There are six million Catholics in Vietnam, making it the second most populous Catholic community in Southeast Asia after the Philippines. Hanoi adamantly states the recent sentencing of the six Catholics from the melee that occurred in the funeral procession in May is not related to religion, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

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Virginia may have nativity scenes on government property during the Christmas holiday–provided secular symbols are displayed alongside them, a Virginia state attorney general said recently.

In his legal opinion, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said on holidays outright Christian symbols like depictions of the baby Jesus are permitted on public property if they are balanced with symbols of other faiths and secular symbols like Santa Clause and candy canes, the UPI said.

Cuccinelli’s opinion was written in response to an inquiry from Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) who wanted to know if the U.S. and Virginia constitutions and state law would allow these to be displayed in Loudoun County, The Washington Post said.

Cuccinelli, analyzing the Federal Establishment Clause jurisprudence said two conclusions are clear, “(1) governmental accommodation of religion is constitutionally permitted, and in some circumstances is required; and (2) holiday displays erected by governments can be validly exhibited depending on content,” he wrote in his response.

Regarding separation of church and state, he cited a Court opinion in Lynch V. Donnelly which explained that the “metaphor itself is not a wholly accurate description of the practical aspects of the relationship that in fact exists between church and state. 15 That is so because “[i]t has never been thought either possible or desirable to enforce a regime of total separation ….,,16 Not only does the Constitution not “require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any,” Cuccinelli’s response noted.

Cuccinelli said local governments are not required to ban holiday displays that incorporate religious symbols, “because governments enjoy considerable discretion in accommodating the religious expression of their citizens and employees and in their own recognition of traditional seasonal holidays,’ The Washington Post said.

He added in his response that depictions of Jesus Christ would be appropriate and are constitutional if surrounded by secular symbols like lights, poinsettias, wreaths, snowflakes, fir trees, and green and red ribbons.

Kent Willis of the ACLU in Virginia expressed agreement with Cuccinelli’s opinion noting that it would be fair either to ban all displays, or to allow all of them equally, The Washington Post said.

According to Marshall, the inquiry was relayed to Cuccinelli because Loudoun residents aired complaints last year when the 100-year-old Leesburg courthouse did not have any holiday display on the lawn because County officials had banned them, The Washington Post said.

Cuccinelli noted in his response that the Constitution has long accommodated religion, and its history of such goes as far back as the time of the Quakers. He cited Article II and I cl.8, and Article VI, cl. 3 which allowed affirmation in place of swearing to men of denominations that do not allow taking of oaths (including the Quakers).

Cuccinelli’s response also noted that the United States House of Representatives had for a very long time held nondenominational Sunday church services which were regularly attended by President Thomas Jefferson and President James Madison, who sponsored the First Amendment when he was in Congress.

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The dailies and the blogs have made much ado over Tim Tebow’s new hair style.

Tebow, the popular rookie of the Denver Broncos, had a haircut which is part of a hazing ritual of the team. Known for his evangelical Christian faith, The Washington Post wondered if his tonsure-styled do was a play on his religious beliefs.

The Huffington Post, which simply called Tebow’s hair a friar’s cut, said the sheer celebrity of Tebow turned it into a media frenzy. They did not speculate, however, if the star athlete’s fame was strong enough to start a new hair trend.

The cut was done to “build [team] chemistry,” and is done on all Denver Bronco rookies. The style of the cut varies per rookie however, The Washington Post said.

Tebow earned stature as a first-round draft pick and has earned big buck endorsement contracts, but he said he was glad to sport the haircut for the team. Tebow said, “I just took it, tried to be a good sport with it. It was fun, you know? I think all the rookies had a good time with it,” The Denver Post said.

The tonsure is famously known because it was worn by the Catholic St. Francis of Assisi. It also shares tradition with Hinduism and Buddhism. The Hindus consider the remaining locks around the crown as a sacrifice to show humility. Buddhists see it as a release from attachments. Orthodox Christians see the tonsure as a signal of willingness to serve sacrificially in the Army of Christ, The Washington Post said.

Other Bronco rookies who had haircuts were Eric Decker who had an “odd Mohawk,” Nathan Overbay who was half shaved, J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles who had bald patches, and Eric Olsen who was given some large bald spots and a long thick ponytail in back, The Denver Post said.

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A Christian aid group will not be deterred from its work despite the recent massacre of nine of its members and one nonreligious sympathizer on a mountain in northern Afghanistan.

Dirk Frans, executive director of International Assistance Mission said the murders of six Americans, one nonreligious Briton, one German and two Afghans were “devastating.”

Still, after 44 years of working openly as a Christian aid group in this traditionalist Muslim nation they will not be daunted by the tragic deaths, The Washington Post said.

Among the deceased were team leader Tom Little, a New York optometrist who had been in Afghanistan for decades, and Karen Woo, a nonreligious British surgeon who only joined the group last year and planned to leave within two weeks to get married, The Washington Post said.

Woo, a humanist, went with the group because she had a personal desire to “make a difference.” Her close friend, BBC World Service journalist Firuz Rahimi said she felt confident because she was going with an experienced group, The Guardian said.

Rahimi said on the night Woo was going on the trip she expressed more concern about the physical challenge of travelling through the mountains, but was confident because they were taking a safe route, The Guardian said.

The lone survivor of the attack was the group’s Afghan driver Saifullah who is currently with the Interior Ministry for questioning, The Washington Post said.

The Taliban, who has claimed responsibility for the murders, said the aid workers did not obey an order to stop, and they were shot while attempting to flee. They claimed that the group’s belongings revealed a bible in Dari (the local language) and maps that pinpointed Taliban hideouts indicating they were spies who planned to convert Muslims, The Guardian said.

Dr. Tom Little was an IAM aid worker killed in Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “We are heartbroken by the loss of these heroic, generous people. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless act. We also condemn the Taliban’s transparent attempt to justify the unjustifiable by making false accusations about their activities in Afghanistan,” The Washington Post said.

Frans denied the medical team was proselytizing. A press release on the IAM website addressed these claims:

“IAM is a Christian organization – we have never hidden this.  Indeed, we are registered as such with the Afghan government. Our faith motivates and inspires us – but we do not proselytize.  We abide by the laws of Afghanistan.  We are signatures of the Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs Disaster Response Programmes, in other words, that, “aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.”

“But more than that, our record speaks for itself.  IAM would not be invited back to villages if we were using aid as a cover for preaching.  And in particular, this specific camp led by Tom Little, a man with four decades experience in Afghanistan, has led eye camps for many years to Nuristan – and was welcomed back every time.”

Frans said the group chose the safest route and had been to the area six times before. They also had documents from Nurestan’s health directorate endorsing the group’s visit. Two members among the deceased had worked in the country for decades.

IAM has 50 foreign volunteers and 500 Afghan staff. The group’s members work in seven provinces in the country. They have a mental health education program, an English school and minor hydroelectric projects in depressed rural areas, The Washington Post said.

The organization’s main focus of work is its National Organization for Ophthalmic Rehabilitation project which last year treated some 180,000 patients in blindness prevention, no small feat in a country where one is considered blind if one has only a single cataract.

Saifullah said they were attacked by 10 bearded gunmen who covered the relief worker’s faces and who communicated only with hand gestures. The gunmen lined the team up and executed the members of the group as they pleaded for mercy, The Washington Post said.

Saifullah survived because he recited a verse from the Koran, “There is no god but god and Muhammad is the messenger of god,” and said he was Muslim, according to The Washington Post.

As the gunmen led him uphill he continued to recite from the Koran and swore he was a devout Muslim, The Guardian reported.

Saifullah said he was beaten and kept overnight and that the men spoke in code or languages that he did not understand. He was set free the following day.

More information about those murdered:

Mahram Ali, 50, Afghanistan
Mahram Ali worked as a watchman at NOOR’s maintenance workshop since the end of 2007. He stayed guarding the vehicles in Nawa when the rest of the team walked over the pass into Nuristan. He leaves behind a wife and three children, at secondary school age and below.

Cheryl Beckett, 32, U.S.
Cheryl Beckett was working as an aid worker in Afghanistan since 2005 and had been involved in community development with a focus on nutritional gardening and mother-child health. She had been asked to assist the IAM medical team as a translator for women patients. Cheryl was a Pashto speaker who worked in a clinic in Pul-e Charkhi on the outskirts of Kabul. She is survived by her parents and 3 siblings.

Daniela Beyer, 35, Germany
Daniela was a linguist and a translator in German, English, and Russian. She also spoke Dari and was learning Pashto. She worked for IAM from 2007-2009 doing linguistic research and joined the eye camp so that she could translate for women patients. She is survived by her parents and 3 siblings.

Brian Carderelli, 25, Pennsylvania
Brian Carderelli was a professional freelance videographer.  Brian served a number of other organizations in Afghanistan active in development and humanitarian efforts throughout the nation.  Brian quickly fell in love with the Afghan people and culture and hoped to stay within the country for another year.

Jawed, 24, Afghanistan
Jawed was employed as cook at the Ministry of Public Health’s Eye Hospital in Kabul and had been released from there in order to attend the Eye Camp. He leaves behind a wife and three children below school age. Besides being the team’s cook, he also assisted with the dispensing of eyeglasses. Jawed had been on several eye camps into Nuristan in the past, and was well loved for his sense of humor.

Dr. Tom Grams, U.S.
Dr. Tom Grams was a dentist and personal friend of Dr. Tom Little and had come to Afghanistan specifically for this trip to Nuristan.

Glen Lapp, 40, U.S.
Glen trained as an intensive-care nurse and worked in Lancaster, New York City and Supai, Arizona, and had previously worked in the responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He came to Kabul in 2008, and initially worked in the IAM HQ. Then after five months of Dari language training he began his work with NOOR, he was responsible for organizing the mobile eye camps that reached the remote areas of Afghanistan.

Dr. Tom Little, 61, U.S.
Tom was affectionately known as “Mister Tom” amongst the many staff at the National Organization for Ophthalmic Rehabilitation (NOOR). He arrived in 1976, with his family, and worked as an Optometrist and Manager at NOOR, setting up clinics and ophthalmic workshops. He was much loved by both foreigners and Afghans, and was the inspiration for other IAM team members coming to Afghanistan. Tom leaves behind his wife and three daughters.

Dan Terry, 63, U.S.
Dan came to Afghanistan in 1971; he had a heart for the rural areas of Afghanistan and worked for many years in Lal-wa Sarjangal. Dan specialized in relating to local communities and liaising with aid organizations and the government to improve services in remote areas. Dan is survived by his wife, three daughters, and one granddaughter.

Dr. Karen Woo, U.K.
Karen was a General Surgeon who came on the Nuristan Eye Camp to be the team doctor and to bring maternal health care to the communities in Nuristan.

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