CP World Report: U.S. Protestant Population, Sandusky, Syria Defector, Sudan

By World Report, The Christian Post in partnership with Crossroads, Wednesday, October 10, 2012

For the first time in its history, the U.S. does not have a Protestant majority. According to Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life the percentage of Protestants has reached a low of 48 percent. One reason given: the number of Americans with no religious affiliation is on the rise. That also includes a growth in nondenominational Christians. Demographically speaking: One-third of adults under age 30 have no religious affiliation, compared to 9 percent of people 65 and older. Scholars have long debated whether people who say they no longer belong to a religious group should be considered secular. American faith leaders worry that the U.S.-- a highly religious country—will go the secular way of Western Europe.

A Pennsylvania judge has sentenced 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach--Jerry Sandusky-- to at least 30 years but no more than 60 years in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys….. over a 15-year period For Sandusky, that's essentially a life sentence. He will get credit for time already served since his June conviction on 45 counts of child sex abuse. Sandusky released an audio statement claiming his innocence and that he had been a victim of the court. The judge that heard that statement described it as "unbelievable". Sandusky's attorneys say they will appeal the conviction.

Gloria Taylor, the BC woman at the center of the assisted suicide court battle has died peacefully of natural causes. The 64 year old ALS sufferer passed away before her efforts could be completed to overturn Canadian laws that ban assisted suicide.Earlier this year Taylor won a court-approved exemption from those laws when Judge Lyn Smith ruled Canada's ban on physician-assisted suicide infringes on the rights of disabled people. Smith also granted an immediate exemption to the law, allowing Taylor to die with a doctor's help. Grace Pastine, litigation director for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, called Taylor a "heroic woman" and says the case will continue.

Abdullah Al Omar used to rub shoulders with some of the most powerful people in Syria:
government ministers, foreign dignitaries and even the Syrian president.
for five years, Omar says he worked in the presidential palace and his main job was propaganda . He also trashed the reputation of defectors. But then he defected and is giving CNN details, although impossible for CNN to independently verify. Take a listen…..

Barnabas Fund—which supports persecuted Christians-- is airlifting Christians from Sudan because of tensions following the secession of the pre-dominantly Christian South last year . So far it has flown about 500 Christians to South Sudan as part of a major operation to rescue 2,000 women and children trapped in the North. After the South gained independence , Southerners in the largely Muslim Sudan were stripped of their citizenship and given a deadline to leave. Many made their own way to the South, but some were unable to make the journey. Barnabas Fund believes there are hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Christians still trapped. And there is growing concern for those remaining in the North after President Omar al-Bashir stated his intention to strengthen Sharia law in the country. Barnabas Fund is appealing for donations to support the ongoing airlifts, and of course…prayer.

For all you pet lovers, here's a cute to brighten your day. A little dog named Oliver who seems to have a serious case of the sneezes! Monique Anthony posted this video on YouTube.
She says Oliver was sensitive to black pepper from his family's dinner.