Religion Today Summaries - January 11, 2012

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Published: Jan 10, 2012

Religion Today Summaries - January 11, 2012

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

  • Tim Tebow Makes John 3:16 Most Searched Item on Google
  • Somali Woman Whipped in Public for Converting From Islam
  • Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood to Electorate: 'No Israel'
  • Study: A Home With a Mom and a Dad Improves Boys' Behavior in School

 

Tim Tebow Makes John 3:16 Most Searched Item on Google

Not only did Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow lead his team to a stunning victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the NFL AFC wildcard playoff game, but his performance led to an explosion of Google searches for John 3:16 when the facts and figures emerged, TIME reportsTebow threw for exactly 316 yards -- averaging 31.6 yards per completion -- and fans soon began pointing out the allusion to John 3:16, whichTebow famously painted in his eye black in 2009 when he led the Florida Gators to victory in the college national championship game. By Monday morning, John 3:16 was ranked as the top-searched item on Google, followed by "Tebow" and "Tim Tebow." Coincidence or not, Tebow's passing yards had millions of people discovering the verse where Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

Somali Woman Whipped in Public for Converting From Islam

A Somali Christian convert from Islam was paraded before a cheering crowd last month and publicly flogged as a punishment for embracing a "foreign religion," Compass Direct News reports. Sofia Osman, 28, was taken into custody by Islamic al Shabaab militants in November, and the public whipping was meant to mark her release. While jeered by hundreds of spectators on Dec. 22, she received 40 lashes. "Osman was whipped 40 lashes at 3 p.m., but she didn't tell what other humiliations she had suffered while in the hands of the militants," an eyewitness said. "I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away." Nursing her injuries at her family's home in the days after the whipping, she would not talk to anyone and looked dazed, a source close to the family said. "Please pray for her quick recovery," the source said.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood to Electorate: 'No Israel'

Although Egypt's newly elected Islamic-majority parliament has yet to take office, it has already given an indication of how it may govern -- members of the Muslim Brotherhood say they will never recognize Israel's right to exist, CBN News reports. Rashad Bayoumi, the deputy chairman of the Brotherhood, reportedly said his organization would not recognize Israel "under any circumstances," calling it an "occupying criminal entity." He also said the Brotherhood would take steps to cancel the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, although the U.S. State Department said he told them privately he wouldn't. Middle East analyst Walid Phares said, "The Muslim Brotherhood's aim [and] final goal is to establish an Islamic state like Iran, or like Sudan, or ultimately like the Taliban." Those elected to parliament are expected to be seated by the end of February.

Study: A Home With a Mom and a Dad Improves Boys' Behavior in School

An analysis of 20 years' worth of school suspension rates nationwide shows that the greatest influence on boys' behavior at school is not the type of school they attend or the teacher they have, but the type of home in which they're being raised, according to WORLD News Service. Researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business found that boys in intact homes with both parents had the least behavioral problems and school suspensions, while boys being raised by single mothers had the most. This was not found to be the case among girls, however. "This supports over three decades of consistent research showing that kids who grow up in a home with their married parents tend to do better in all measures of educational attainment than their peers being raised in single, divorced and cohabitating-parent homes," said Glenn T. Stanton of Focus on the Family. "This is true from everything from grade-point average, behavioral issues, high school graduation and going on to graduate from college."

Publication date: January 11, 2012

Religion Today Summaries - January 11, 2012