A strong correlation exists between religiosity and personal happiness, according to a new study by the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture.

The study found that people who attend religious services on a weekly basis are nearly twice as likely to describe themselves as “very happy” (45%) than people who never attend (28%). Conversely, those who never worship are twice as likely to say they are “very unhappy” (4%) as those who attend services weekly (2%).

Building on prior research, this broad survey of American adults comprised a representative sample of 15,738 Americans between the ages of 18 and 60.

The study indicated that not only religious service attendance, but self-reported “religiosity” and religious “affiliation” are also linked with happiness levels. Yet of the three indicators, service attendance has the highest correlation to increased happiness. The study showed that higher levels of church attendance “predict higher life satisfaction,” even after accounting for how important religious faith is in people’s lives.

The correlation between religiosity and happiness is clear, but explanations of the connection and possible causal relationship are less clear. One theory suggests that the social support that religious communities can provide may be a key factor contributing to increased happiness, since “religious Americans are more apt to be involved in their communities.” Yet even here, the study found “that those who attend religious services often are happier than their peers with similar levels of involvement in the community.”

These statistics tying happiness to religiosity have held true over time. A similar survey conducted ten years ago generated similar results, leading to the same conclusions. When the General Social Survey asked a sample of Americans in 2004, “Would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?” religious people were more than twice as likely as the non-religious to say they were “very happy” (43%-21%). The secular people, or those who never attend worship services, were overwhelmingly more likely to say they were not too happy (21%-8%).

One could almost predict that many of those celebrating Christmas will be merry, those observing Hanukkah will be happy, but those only recognizing the “holidays” will have a little less cause for rejoicing.

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So we came across this beautiful message in an awesome video on Facebook recently. Maybe you have seen it before but today being Sunday is especially apt to share it. Watch and be inspired. No words are needed, JUST WATCH

Posted by Demic on Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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Detectives claim to have revealed how Jesus Christ looked as a child – based on computer forensics and the world’s most famous relic.

Using the Turin Shroud, the supposed burial cloth of Jesus, police investigators have generated a photo-fit image from the negative facial image on the material. And from this they reversed the ageing process to create an image of a young Jesus, by reducing the size of the jaw, raising the chin and straightening the nose.

The technique effectively reverses the method that Italian police use to generate current likenesses of criminals, including senior mob bosses, for whom new photo fit images are needed when they have been on the run for decades.

Such techniques were used to produce an image of Mafia boss of bosses Bernardo Provenzano, from a photo taken in 1959. Provenzano was eventually captured in 2006.

This image of Jesus as a young boy, and the methods used to create it, will be the subject of an upcoming programme on Italian television. But the exercise was done to mark the latest ostensione – a  rare public display of the Shroud at Turin Cathedral.

The 14-foot-long sheet, made of herring-bone linen cloth, appears to show the front and back impression of a bearded man with long hair.

The body imprinted on the cloth appears to bear numerous injuries consistent with crucifixion, plus a gash in its side, consistent with the lance-wound suffered by Jesus.

It will be on public display for two months, with millions of visitors expected. Pope Francis is due to visit and pray before the relic on June 21.

The ingenuity of the Italian police is unlikely to dispel the doubts of the many regarding the veracity of the image on which their detective work was based, however.

Carbon dating tests reported in 1998 in the prestigious research journal Nature, appeared to spell curtains for Shroud wavers. The researchers estimated that the image was made between 1260 and 1390 – and therefore nothing more than a medieval hoax.

[Source]

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The Vatican's official English-language translation of Pope Francis' prepared homily, delivered in Italian, during Christmas Eve Mass on Wednesday in St. Peter's Basilica. Spelling and style are the Vatican's.

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"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined" (Is 9:1). "An angel of the Lord appeared to (the shepherds) and the glory of the Lord shone around them" (Lk 2:9). This is how the liturgy of this holy Christmas night presents to us the birth of the Saviour: as the light which pierces and dispels the deepest darkness. The presence of the Lord in the midst of his people cancels the sorrow of defeat and the misery of slavery, and ushers in joy and happiness.

We, too, in this blessed night, have come to the house of God. We have passed through the darkness which envelops the earth, guided by the flame of faith which illuminates our steps, and enlivened by the hope of finding the "great light". By opening our hearts, we also can contemplate the miracle of that child-sun who, arising from on high, illuminates the horizon.

The origin of the darkness which envelops the world is lost in the night of the ages. Let us think back to that dark moment when the first crime of humanity was committed, when the hand of Cain, blinded by envy, killed his brother Abel (cf. Gen 4:8). As a result, the unfolding of the centuries has been marked by violence, wars, hatred and oppression.

But God, who placed a sense of expectation within man made in his image and likeness, was waiting. He waited for so long that perhaps at a certain point it seemed he should have given up. But he could not give up because he could not deny himself (cf. 2 Tim 2:13). Therefore he continued to wait patiently in the face of the corruption of man and peoples.

Through the course of history, the light that shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and that his patient fidelity is stronger than darkness and corruption. This is the message of Christmas night. God does not know outbursts of anger or impatience; he is always there, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, waiting to catch from afar a glimpse of the lost son as he returns.

Isaiah's prophecy announces the rising of a great light which breaks through the night. This light is born in Bethlehem and is welcomed by the loving arms of Mary, by the love of Joseph, by the wonder of the shepherds. When the angels announced the birth of the Redeemer to the shepherds, they did so with these words: "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk 2:12).

The "sign" is the humility of God taken to the extreme; it is the love with which, that night, he assumed our frailty, our suffering, our anxieties, our desires and our limitations. The message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for in the depths of their souls, was none other than the tenderness of God: God who looks upon us with eyes full of love, who accepts our poverty, God who is in love with our smallness.

On this holy night, while we contemplate the Infant Jesus just born and placed in the manger, we are invited to reflect. How do we welcome the tenderness of God? Do I allow myself to be taken up by God, to be embraced by him, or do I prevent him from drawing close? "But I am searching for the Lord" - we could respond. Nevertheless, what is most important is not seeking him, but rather allowing him to find me and caress me with tenderness. The question put to us simply by the Infant's presence is: do I allow God to love me?

More so, do we have the courage to welcome with tenderness the difficulties and problems of those who are near to us, or do we prefer impersonal solutions, perhaps effective but devoid of the warmth of the Gospel? How much the world needs tenderness today!

The Christian response cannot be different from God's response to our smallness. Life must be met with goodness, with meekness. When we realize that God is in love with our smallness, that he made himself small in order to better encounter us, we cannot help but open our hearts to him, and beseech him: "Lord, help me to be like you, give me the grace of tenderness in the most difficult circumstances of life, give me the grace of closeness in the face of every need, of meekness in every conflict".

Dear brothers and sisters, on this holy night we contemplate the Nativity scene: there "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Is 9:1). People who were unassuming, open to receiving the gift of God, were the ones who saw this light. This light was not seen, however, by the arrogant, the proud, by those who made laws according to their own personal measures, who were closed off to others. Let us look to the crib and pray, asking the Blessed Mother: "O Mary, show us Jesus!'"

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Copyright Vatican Publishing House

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Welcome to the world of social media, where Jesus Christ sends you WhatsApp, BBM, Twitter and Facebook messages, and threatens to kill you if you do not send it to your contacts.

The vicious thing in all these is that Christians and the supposed cerebral people send these 'miracle messages' to their friends everyday. These messages carries lots of threats - some messages will say you will suffer or go broke for a week if you don’t send them. The story making the rounds on social media recently, is of a woman who was pursued by a rat, fell and one of her legs got disfigured since the fall - and if you do not type 'Amen', evil rat may locate you. You need to see the number of comments. Gibberish!

"Jesus is coming very soon" Send this message to 19 people, you will get good news tomorrow. If you neglect, Bad Luck for 9 years!!!

This is ARRANT NONSENSE. And you begin to see Christians furiously sending this message. Must a Godly message come with a threat? 

"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph 5:17).

So tell me, Is it God's will for you to die? When He said in Jeremiah 29:11 that "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

As Christians, we need to have open minds, we need to open our hearts and minds to healthy discussions. We need to cogitate.

Do you believe God will punish you if you refused to send those messages? Do you think your destiny is tied to a message on social media?

Do you genuinely believe you will receive instant miracles after you type 'Amen' on that??

We claim to be Children of God, but we are scared of the future, scared of little things. Don't you know what the scripture says? "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power....." (2nd Timothy 1:7) Why not walk in that understanding.

You broadcast a message to 14 people on social media and believe in your heart that you will wake up tomorrow a billionaire.

What is wrong with us? Let me tell you this: Without hard work, determination and
purpose you will only become a 'Zeroniare'.

Do not allow your destiny to rest solely miracle messages on social media. Don't tell us you are sending those messages for 'sending sake'. Don't tell us there's no harm sending miracle messages. Stop it, it is preposterous.

I have seen a quite number of puerile things in my life, but this is the most ridiculous. Let us cultivate the habit of sending Godly messages that are not backed up with evil threats. Do you know that most of this messages have put some people in bondage.

At times, you see those kinds of messages in your inbox, and you begin to look for money to buy airtime and send the message to 14 or 10 people. Christians, do not be gullible. Your Future has been written in the scripture not on social media messages.

"Understanding makes you Outstanding"

God bless you.

*Paul (M.O.E)

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