Dead Sea Scrolls available online. Five of the Dead Sea Scrolls—stored for decades in a climate-controlled exhibit at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem—now are available online. A website— http://dss.collections.imj.org.il —developed by the Israel Museum and Google allows online visitors to examine the scrolls in minute detail with the help of a magnifying feature. Pages for each of the five scrolls—the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on the Habakkuk Scroll, the Temple Scroll and the War Scroll—also contain brief videos and explanatory notes. According to the museum announcement, details invisible to the naked eye are made visible through ultra-high resolution digital photography at up to 1,200 megapixels each. Dating from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D., the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near the Dead Sea. The region's arid environment helped ensure their survival.
Ban on creationism in British schools urged. A group of 30 prominent scientists, including Nobel laureate Paul Nurse and noted atheist Richard Dawkins, are pressing the British government to ban all teaching of creationism in the nation's publicly funded schools. The scientists delivered a petition to the coalition government of Prime Minister David Cameron as part of a new campaign to make it illegal to teach the biblical story of creationism as a scientific theory in schools.
Alternative sentencing on hold. An alternative sentencing plan that would give inmates the choice between time in jail or a year in church will be delayed while lawyers review it to make sure there are no legal issues. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama sent a letter to city leaders in Bay Minette, Ala., demanding an immediate end to the program, which it says violates the separation of church and state. The faith-based Operation Restore Our Community program offers first-time, nonviolent offenders the option of attending the house of worship of their choice each week for a year instead of receiving jail time or other punishments. Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland said because no one will be forced to take part in the program, he believes there is no violation of church-state separation, and he is confident it can be begin soon. So far, 56 churches have agreed to help monitor offenders, said Rowland, and 40 congregations have submitted inventories of their community resources, such as parenting, counseling and educational programs.
BBC drops traditional references. British Christians are incensed after the state-funded BBC directed B.C.E. (Before Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era) be used in place of the traditional B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, or Year of the Lord) in historical date references on its television and radio broadcasts. The BBC said since it is "committed to impartiality, it is appropriate that we use terms that do not offend or alienate non-Christians." The new edict drew immediate accusations that the network was guilty of political correctness run amok as the BBC's phone lines were jammed by calls from irate listeners and viewers.
–Compiled from Religion News Service
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