iPod Is the Devil, Says Israeli Orthodox Court
Very, very Orthodox Israelis are all in a tizzy over iPods. Israel's Orthodox Righteous Court of Law, often averse to "chastity-threatening" gadgets, recently put the iPod and its cousin MP4 devices (next-generation portable media players) on trial and found them guilty! of driving the chosen people to unspeakable sins.
The court declared a ban on the offending devices, and is giving merchants three weeks to purge them from store shelves. Those who do not comply may have to stand trial, they say.
iPod is the devil's plaything, say hard-core Orthodox community leaders, who allege that the device weasels its way into good homes by masquerading as a tool for listening to Torah lessons, while in effect serving as an instrument of corruption. Its detractors worry that the faithful will be tempted by "sinful" movies and other media that is readily available on the iPod.
"A great plague is upon us!" proclaim anti-MP4 posters plastered on the walls of Jerusalem neighborhoods.
Sounds like Israeli iPods could use a little makeover, kosher-cell-phone-style. [Source: YNet News]
If you're in charge of getting new worshippers to come and check out your church, you have several options: Tell sinners they're all going to hell, promise them salvation, hope for positive word-of-mouth, or offer $15 iTunes Music Store gift certificates. If you chose the last option, you would be David Hughes, Church By The Glades' pastor.
Everyone's gotta change with the times, including religious faiths, and we're not talking about same-sex marriage here. We're talking about plastic. Cash has been on the outs with the American public for a while now. Some Americans don't even bother to carry any at this point, and churches are trying to keep pace. Many now accept credit cards or automatic bank transfers for donations. 
