First Links – 7.29.10

River Jordan Baptismal Site Closes Over Pollution Scare

Thousands of Christian pilgrims immerse themselves in the river’s sluggish water each year in faithful recreation of the biblical story of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist.

But officials closed the site this week to test the water’s quality. Local environmentalists have long complained of intolerably high levels of sewage and farming chemicals that, they say, pose a risk to human health.

Holy Communion to be offered on Twitter

Rev Tim Ross will tweet out the lines of the Eucharist next month to his hundreds of followers, who can tweet back “Amen” while taking bread and wine in front of their PCs.

He hoped it would unite the faithful across the world: “Where could it lead, who knows? Maybe one day to a baptism by Facebook,” he said.

‘In God We Trust’ Again Upheld by Federal Appeals Court

In a 3-0 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington, DC, ruled that the National Motto, “In God We Trust,” is constitutional and does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Quoting the 1970 decision in Aronow v. United States, the Court wrote: “It is quite obvious that the national motto and slogan on coinage and currency ‘In God We Trust’ has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion.”