VIDEO: Science confirms location of Christ's tomb

This is more than a little out of season, but good news is always good news, no matter how long it takes to travel to our corner of the forest.

An article which appeared in National Geographic confirms that the truths of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition can often be proven to the skeptical by the methodologies of modern science. An example of a recent find corroborating an ancient belief is the confirmation by archaeologists that early Roman Christians were correct in the location that they believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ. The results of scientific tests appear to show that the limestone cave whose remains are enshrined within the venerable Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was in fact the burial site of Our Lord and Saviour.

Mortar sampled from between the original limestone surface of the tomb and a marble slab that covers it has been dated to around A.D. 345. According to historical accounts, the tomb was discovered by the Romans and enshrined around 326. Until now, however, the earliest architectural evidence found in and around the tomb complex dated to the Crusader period, making it no more than 1000 years old. But new dating results put the original construction of the tomb securely in the time of Constantine the Great (c. 306-337), Rome's first Christian emperor.

When Constantine's representatives arrived in Jerusalem around 325 to locate the tomb, they were allegedly directed to a Roman temple built some 200 years earlier. The Roman temple was razed and excavations beneath it revealed a tomb hewn from a limestone cave. The top of the cave was sheared off to expose the interior of the tomb, and the Aediculum (little house) was built around it. Inside the Aediculum is a long shelf, or "burial bed", which according to tradition was the place where the body of Jesus was laid out following His Crucifixion.

Here's a link to the National Geographic article (26/10/16), from which this video was taken.



Dear Catholic readers, the things we have always believed, on the foundation of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition -- dogmatically the two fonts of the Catholic Faith -- are every day being confirmed by modern science. We have nothing to fear from science. What we must fear, and pray for protection against, are the false teachings of those who would lead us into skepticism, or, worse, non-belief, or, worse yet, heretical denial of that which the Church has always declared to be true.

VIDEO: Strippers at funerals a matter of grave concern to Chinese

Interesting news out of China, a country ruled by a political party with no sense of humour -- none whatever. According to AFP, Communist Chinese authorities today bared the details of their latest battle against vice. Specifically, they intend to stamp out the hiring strippers to entertain at funerals.

In a statement posted on its website, China's Ministry of Culture pledged a "crackdown" [Don't go for any more cheap puns. Ed.] on the practice, which it said has become increasingly common in rural areas. "From time to time, 'stripteases' and other illegal performances have occurred in the countryside," the statement said, adding that authorities will "promptly investigate and punish" businesses and individuals involved in the risque shows.

China's official Xinhua news agency said such performances are typically organized in order to draw a larger crowd at last rites. One example cited by the Ministry of Culture was a funeral in north China's Hebei province. "Two strippers wearing revealing clothes danced on a stage at a public square in our village at night on February 15," an eyewitness told the state-run Global Times newspaper earlier this month.

"They first danced passionately and then took off their clothes piece by piece," the man said. "Behind them, an electronic screen was displaying a picture of the deceased with elegiac couplets on either side." And yes, we do have a picture, scraped off Weibo, the popular Chinese microblog site.

In another case later that month, a troupe in east China's Jiangsu province was detained for funeral performances that drew crowds of as many as 500 local residents. The troupe engaged in "erotic performances on the stage with sexual organs exposed and imitating sexual acts," police officer Tang Jinyang told xichu.net, a provincial news site.

According to China's Ministry of Culture, such shows "disrupt the order of the rural cultural market and corrupt the social atmosphere." Yeah, right... The hundreds of spectators who turn out must be shocked, shocked!

Walt's Chinese agents say the Party has an uphill battle to put an end to traditions which have been observed for centuries, if not millennia. Processions and entertainment have always been a part of Chinese celebrations, they say, no matter whether it's a wedding or a funeral.

The point is made in the video below, posted on the National Geographic website in 2012. This mini-documentary shows a funeral procession in Taiwan, which some say isn't part of China. But the participants look Chinese to me, and appear to be having a pretty good time too. What a way to go out!

Swazi girls slip to third place in WWW hit parade

Ed. here. I've just finished reviewing the WWW readership stats for October. We know who's reading Walt... and why! And we know some of you just look at the pictures, especially the National Geographic-style picture accompanying "Where next? Swaziland next?", an article about misrule in Swaziland that appeared way back in April of 2011.

But here's a surprise. The article -- and accompanying photo of the nubile Swazi girls doing the reed dance -- has been at the top of the WWW hit list almost every week since it appeared... until now. Two days ago it slipped to second, and today finds it in third place!

I can't understand it. Are men no longer interested in T&A? Or is it possible that every horny teenager on the planet has looked at it and finished doing whatever it is they do?

Walt and I will take the high road and not post the picture again. Well, not this week, anyway.

Too young to wed

As mentioned a couple of days ago, I don't mind having to wait to be seen by my dentist because his* palatial office has a pretty good selection of reasonably up-to-date magazines -- "up-to-date" meaning published in the 21st century.

Among them is National Geographic, which has the best pictures in the world of the world, IMHO.But reading National Geographic is like reading Playboy. [Does Playboy still exist? Ed.] It actually has articles to go with the pictures, and the articles are often worth reading. Case in point: "Too Young to Wed", in the June 2011 issue.

In the article, which you can read online by clicking this link, you can read about the practice -- supposedly illegal but still persistent -- of marrying girls as young as 6 to much older men. The story documents examples in Yemen (pictured above), Rajasthan (in northwestern India), and Nepal. And, of course, Afghanistan, where westerners are still laying down their lives to change the culture and emancipate girls.

What are the chances of putting an end to this centuries-old tradition? Christian missionaries have been trying for centuries to show these heathens -- for that's what they are -- the error of their ways. To no avail. Anyone who thinks there's any hope for change tomorrow or next year or anytime this century should think again.

Read the article. If you want to see more pictures of these pretty sad little girls, you'll have to buy the magazine. Walt recommends it.

* Footnote: Walt's dentist is of indeterminate gender. I call my dentist "the tooth fairy".