Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 31, 2007

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Updated: Oct 31, 2007

Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 31, 2007

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

  • Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' Now Available Online as 16 Billion Pixel Image
  • California Lawmaker Lauds Christian Charity in Wake of Wildfires
  • Catholic Group Rejects Miller's Apology for 'Last Supper' Poster
  • National Day of Care Gives Hope to Millions of African Orphans

Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' Now Available Online as 16 Billion Pixel Image

The Christian Post reports that technology is allowing people everywhere to get an up-close view of Leonardo Da Vinci's “The Last Supper,” one of the world's most famous paintings made even more so by The Da Vinci Code and other controversies. The painting is now available online as a high resolution image for up-close viewing down to the square millimeter. Officials photographed the original in Milan using a high-tech process. Amazingly, the high resolution image, composed of 1,677 individual images, not only allows experts and art lovers incredible accessibility, but details such as traces and drawings the painter put down before painting can be seen, as can images that time has obscured. For example, where The Da Vinci Code contained a premise that there were no cups on the table (meaning the 'Holy Grail' was something else entirely), “You can [now] see how Leonardo made the cups transparent... something you can’t ordinarily see,” said art curator Alberto Artioli.

California Lawmaker Lauds Christian Charity in Wake of Wildfires

OneNewsNow.com reports that a California assemblyman says quick action by elected officials, along with compassion from the Christian community, has made it easier for those affected by the recent rash of wildfires. Joel Anderson's district was hit hard by last week's fires, but he notes that local, state, and national officials responded quickly and efficiently, saving, he believes, many lives. Additonally, Anderson says Christian charity during the fires was overwhelming and he cites a specific example: "The city of La Mesa... got together and said they wanted to do something, and so they took it upon themselves to organize a big relief. They took the community center, brought in 300 volunteers, assembled over 19,000 meals and distributed them over the last three days at the shelters and out to firefighters." Anderson adds that many Christians helped out in a number of ways.

Catholic Group Rejects Miller's Apology for 'Last Supper' Poster

An apology issued by the Miller Brewing Company over a poster that promoted a homosexual event in San Francisco by copying Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of "The Last Supper" was rejected on Monday by the leader of a national Catholic group, who charged that either the corporation doesn't "get it" or "they think we're stupid." The apology, which was released late Friday, "is nothing but a rehash" of what the company has been saying all along, said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious Civil Rights, in a statement of his own on Monday, CNSNews.com reports. "It limits its apology to the use of its logo on the offensive 'Last Supper' promotional poster," Donohue said, which replaced Jesus and his disciples with half-naked homosexual sadomasochists, but "it still refuses to apologize for the anti-Catholic nature of the event itself." That event was the Folsom Street Fair.

National Day of Care Gives Hope to Millions of African Orphans

The National Day of Care, held on Feb. 10, 2008, offers Americans an opportunity to respond to the world’s biggest disaster, HIV/AIDS. Over 15 million children have become orphaned primarily because of the disease. The National Day of Care is a day for everyone – individuals, groups, businesses and churches – to respond to this crisis, specifically by providing assistance to orphans who struggle to access food, education, medical care and love. UNICEF reports that three-fourths of people living with AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the nonprofit group focuses its efforts. “America needs a day set aside to address the critical situation in Africa,” said Ronna Jordan, founder and president of the National Day of Care. “Just as our country helped save Europe during World War II, it is now our responsibility to do the same for Africa.” Participants of the National Day of Care are encouraged to donate to a relief organization of their choice that helps African orphans, or other children in crisis in the United States and around the world.

Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 31, 2007