A statement has been released by almost 200 Hollywood stars condemning the “ideologies of hatred” that drive the terrorist group Hamas along with a call for peace in Gaza.
“We, the undersigned, are saddened by the devastating loss of life endured by Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza. We are pained by the suffering on both sides of the conflict and hope for a solution that brings peace to the region,” the statement begins.
“While we stand firm in our commitment to peace and justice, we must also stand firm against ideologies of hatred and genocide which are reflected in Hamas’ charter, Article 7 of which reads, ‘There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!’ Hamas cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities, nor can it be allowed to hold its own people hostage. Hospitals are for healing, not for hiding weapons. Schools are for learning, not for launching missiles. Children are our hope, not our human shields.”
The document was published on the website Creative Community For Peace.
Stars that signed the statement included Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwartenegger and Seth Rogan. The statement even had far-left wing celebrities that normally do not support conservative issues like creator of “The West Wing” Aaron Sorkin and atheist activist and commentator Bill Maher.
The group bills themselves as “an organization of prominent entertainment industry executives devoted to using art and music to build bridges for peace.”
Pope Francis made an passionate plea for peace as part of his New Year’s address saying that too many people are indifferent to war, violence and injustice.
The Pope hoped that the world would listen to his “cry for peace” saying that the heart of humanity has gone too far astray from God.
According to Vatican officials, Pope Francis strayed from his prepared text when addressing the issue of depravity in men’s hearts.
“What on earth is happening in the hearts of men?” the Pope declared. “What on earth is happening in the heart of humanity? It’s time to stop!”
“Everyone must be committed to building a society that is truly just and caring.”
The Vatican announced the Pope will choose the first batch of cardinals to join the exclusive group that will pick his one day successor on February 22. The cardinals being considered reportedly will reflect the Pope’s desire for the church to move away from its previous pompousness and focus more on caring for the poor and afflicted.
Pope Francis divested from his prepared text during his Christmas address to the world, calling on atheists to walk away from their hostility toward people of faith and join with them in seeking peace for the world.
The Pope said that atheists can join with believers of all religions for a “homemade peace” that can spread around the world.
“I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace,” the Pope said.
Much of the Pope’s address focused on bringing peace to the world. He specifically spoke of places that have suffered significant turmoil or civil war during 2013 such as Syria and South Sudan.
“Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!” the Pope declared. He went on to speak of how wars impact the most vulnerable in a society such as children, the elderly, the sick and battered women.
The Pope reminded all that Jesus was the light of the world and that God can bring peace to our land.
“God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world,” Pope Francis said.
Most people associate free-falling with an exhilarating experience that many skydivers crave. Jumping out of an airplane without deploying your parachute until you absolutely must, is an example of free-falling through the air. I’ve been told that there is no feeling like it – and I believe it! The only control you have when you are free-falling is over the ripcord, hopefully.
Our recent visit from Bobby Conner was very eventful to say the least. One of the things we talked about was how I had felt so out of control in my recent bout with stress – stress that landed me in the hospital and produced some frightening symptoms. I had no idea where to find the ripcord as my body’s defenses plummeted. Continue reading →
I’m pretty sure that most people are feeling the pressure of a world gone wild, especially those who are a little older and can remember a safer, more stable world of a few decades ago. I know that what I’m seeing happen around the world in social issues, weather related events, global unrest and violence and the general hostile climate of our world is the stuff that makes people crazy and causes some to lose hope.
And, if our hope was only in this world, we may as well lose it. Continue reading →
