Charisma Magazine

Christians across the globe will gather on Sunday to pray for the millions of Christians who are beaten, tortured and imprisoned for their faith in Christ.

On Sunday roughly a half-million congregations will observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church by dedicating at least a portion of their worship services to prayer and remembrance.

The prayer day is co-organized by Open Doors USA, which advocates for persecuted Christians worldwide.

Gone are the days when Christians had to watch out only for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal, which are closely linked with the most influential Hindu extremist umbrella organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). With voter support faltering for the RSS's political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), moderate and extremist sections within the Hindu nationalist movement are blaming each other, and militant splinter groups have emerged.

Christian conservatives saw several victories during Tuesday's election, including the repeal of Maine's gay marriage law.

Republican Chris Christie won a close governor's race in Democratic-leaning New Jersey, ousting incumbent Jon Corzine, while Bob McDonnell emerged a clear winner in Virginia's gubernatorial race, defeating Democrat Creigh Deeds.

Both Republican candidates are pro-life and support traditional marriage.

"Shadow" operates using a Virtual Reality Controller (VRC) created by Hope for Homeless Youth. Instead of functioning like a traditional joystick, the VRC simulates the motion of an aircraft's control column.

(Photo: Teddy Campos, a member of Hope for Homeless Youth's Inventor's Club, flies the Shadow helicopter.)

Voters in Maine will decide today whether to repeal a gay marriage law passed by the legislature in May.