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UN resolution jeopardizes religious freedom worldwide
Posted on October 17, 2010 by particularkev
Christians in Muslim-dominated countries are facing increased persecution. Over the last month, churches in Indonesia have been attacked and forced to close. A mob of Pakistani Muslim extremists shot and beat dozens of Christians, including one cleared earlier of "blasphemy" charges.
These Christians, and many more worldwide, are not free to believe.
Open Doors USA is launching an advocacy campaign called "Free to Believe." The campaign will focus on helping persecuted Christians who currently do not have religious freedom like Christians do in the United States.
The campaign is a response to the United Nations Defamation of Religions Resolution which threatens the freedom of religion and expression for Christians and members of minority faiths worldwide.
This resolution seeks to criminalize words or actions perceived as attacks against a religion, with the focus being on protecting Islam. Passing this resolution would further result in the United Nations condoning state-sponsored persecution of Christians and members of other faiths.
Many of the countries supporting this resolution are the Islamic-majority countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) that persecute Christians and other religious minorities. Members of minority faiths such as Christians or Jews who make truth claims or even evangelize can be accused of "defamation," and those individuals can be punished under national blasphemy laws as frequently happens in countries like Pakistan. Tragically, the UN resolution provides legitimacy to these countries' blasphemy laws.
While the Defamation of Religions Resolution has been introduced and passed by the UN in the past–in various forms and under various titles since 1999, support for the resolution has been eroding in recent years. The Open Doors advocacy team has been lobbying countries which have voted for the resolution or abstained from voting on the issue in the past. The resolution is up again this fall for re-authorization.
It is important to encourage key countries to change their vote on this resolution. These countries are not easily influenced by American citizens. But they are more receptive to pressure from our legislators. That's why we're asking you to send a message to your legislator, asking him or her to ask key countries to change their vote on the Defamation of Religions Resolution. A sample letter is provided for you to send which includes the necessary information for your elected officials to lobby the target UN country missions.
To send a message, go to www.freetobelieve.info
"It's dangerous and alarming that a UN resolution provides legitimacy to national blasphemy laws that are used to persecuting Christians and other minority faith groups," says Open Doors USA Advocacy Director Lindsay Vessey. "The United Nations Defamation of Religions Resolution in effect amounts to the UN condoning state-sponsored persecution. We as Christians need to speak out against it and do all in our power to stop its passage. Everyone should be free to believe."
Report from the Christian Telegraph
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Buddhist Bhutan Proposes 'Anti-Conversion' Law
Posted on August 10, 2010 by particularkev
Already suppressed Christians say bill is designed to control growth.
THIMPHU, Bhutan, July 21 (CDN) — Christians in this Himalayan nation who are still longing to openly practice their faith were disheartened this month when the government proposed the kind of "anti-conversion" law that other nations have used as a pretext for falsely accusing Christians of "coercion."
The amendment bill would punish "proselytizing" that "uses coercion or other forms of inducement" – vaguely enough worded, Christians fear, that vigilantes could use it to jail them for following the commands of Christ to feed, clothe and otherwise care for the poor.
"Now, under section 463 [of the Penal Code of Bhutan], a defendant shall be guilty of the offense of proselytization if the defendant uses coercion or other forms of inducement to cause the conversion of a person from one religion or faith to another," reported the government-run Kuensel newspaper on July 9.
"There was always a virtual anti-conversion law in place, but now it is on paper too," said a senior pastor from Thimphu on condition of anonymity. "Seemingly it is aimed at controlling the growth of Christianity."
Kuenlay Tshering, a member of Bhutan's Parliament and the chairperson of its Legislative Council, told Compass that the new section is consonant with Article 7(4) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which states, "A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement."
He said that the National Council had proposed that offenses under the proposal be classified as misdemeanors, punishable by one to less than three years in prison.
Tshering said that the amendment bill "may be passed during the next session of Parliament, after the National Assembly deliberates on it in the winter session."
Asked if he was aware that similar "anti-conversion" laws in neighboring India had been misused to harass Christians through vague terms of "inducement," he said he was not.
Authorities usually act on complaints by local residents against Christian workers, so frivolous complaints can lead to their arrest, said another pastor who requested anonymity.
Of the 683,407 people in Bhutan, over 75 percent are Buddhist, mainly from the west and the east. Hindus, mostly ethnic Nepalese from southern Bhutan, are estimated to be around 22 percent of the population.
There are around 6,000 Christians, mostly ethnic Nepalese, but there is neither a church building nor a registered Christian institution. The Bible, however, has been translated into the national language, Dzongkha, as well as into Nepali.
The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the government has not officially recognized the presence of Christians, whose practice of faith remains confined to their homes.
The Drukpa Kagyue school of Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion, with Hinduism dominant in the south, according to Bhutan's official website, which adds, "Some residues of Bon, animism and shamanism still exist in some pockets of the country," but makes no mention of Christianity.
Still, since Bhutan became a democracy in 2008 after its first-ever elections – following more than 100 years of absolute monarchy – people have increasingly exercised their freedom, including religious choice.
'Why More Religions?'
Home and Culture Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji told Compass that Bhutan's government had "no problems" with Christianity or any other faith.
"But Bhutan is a small country, with a little more than 600,000 people, and a majority of them are Buddhist," Dorji said. "We have Hindus, also mainly in southern parts. So why do we need more religions?"
Buddhism is closely linked with political and social life in Bhutan. Dorji's office sits in a gigantic monastery in Thimphu known as Tashichho Dzong. Buddhism unites and brings people together, Dorji said, explaining that the social life of a village revolves around its dzong (monastery).
Dorji said India's multi-religious society had led to tensions and bloodshed.
"India can survive riots and unrest," he said, "but Bhutan may not, because it is a small country between two giants [India and China]."
With leaders who have been proud that they have not allowed it to be colonized, Bhutan historically has been keenly concerned about its survival. Bhutan's people see their distinct culture, rather than the military, as having protected the country's sovereignty. And it is no coincidence that Dorji's portfolio includes both internal security and preservation of culture.
The constitution, adopted in July 2008, also requires the state to protect Bhutan's cultural heritage and declares that Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan.
A government official who requested anonymity said that, as Tibet went to China and Sikkim became a state in India, "now which of the two countries will get Bhutan?"
This concern is prevalent among the Bhutanese, he added.
Sikkim, now a state in India's northeast, was a Buddhist kingdom with indigenous Bhotia and Lepcha people groups as its subjects. But Hindus from Nepal migrated to Sikkim for work and gradually outnumbered the local Buddhists. In 1975, a referendum was held to decide if Sikkim, then India's protectorate, should become an official state of the country. Since over 75 percent of the people in Sikkim were Nepalese – who knew that democracy would mean majority-rule – they voted for its incorporation
into India.
Bhutan and India's other smaller neighbors saw it as brazen annexation. And it is believed that Sikkim's "annexation" made Bhutan wary of the influence of India.
In the 1980s, Bhutan's king began a one-nation-one-people campaign to protect its sovereignty and cultural integrity, which was discriminatory to the ethnic Nepalese, who protested. Their non-compliance, however, resulted in a harsh crackdown by authorities, leading to the expulsion or voluntary migration of over 100,000 ethnic Nepalese, many of whom were Christians, to the Nepal side of the border in Jhapa in the early 1990s.
"Bhutan did not want to become another Sikkim," said a local resident, explaining why the government did not tolerate the protests.
Bhutan is also rigorous in implementing its laws related to the use of the national language, the national dress code and the uniform architectural standards throughout the country to strengthen its cultural integrity. Bhutanese men are required to wear the gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt, when they go to work or attend a public function. Women have to wear the kira, an ankle-length dress clipped at one shoulder and tied at the waist. Non-compliance can lead to fine
and imprisonment.
Brighter Future
One hopeful pastor said he expects the government to officially acknowledge the existence of Christianity in Bhutan in the near future.
"Religious freedom will be good for both Christians and the government," he said. "If Christians are not officially acknowledged, who will the government go to if it wants to implement an executive decision related to religious communities?"
Explaining the reason for his hope, he recalled an incident in the Punakha area in January, when a house under construction was demolished after rumors that it was used as a church.
"The house owner, a Christian, went to his majesty [King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck] and told him he was not constructing a church but would have worship with other believers on Sundays," the pastor said. "The king allowed him to build the house."
He also said that a delegation of Christians met with Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmey Thinley in May 2009, who reassured them that there would be more freedom soon.
Christianity is gradually growing, but through word-of-mouth – testimonies of those who have received healing from sickness – and not public preaching, he said, adding that Christians needed to understand and be patient with the government, "which cannot and should not make changes or give freedom overnight."
Christians' Skulls, Bones Used for Buddhist Ritual
The ambiguity in Bhutan over the status of Christians has brought with it a new difficulty: A national daily recently reported that at least eight graves of Christians had been exhumed and the skulls and thigh bones extracted for a Buddhist ritual.
Although the report marked the first time the practice had made the news, Christian leaders said more than 100 graves have been dug up as the trade in human bones has been going on for more than five years.
A local resident of the Lamperi area, near Thimphu, identified as Namgay, told the Bhutan Observer that he found eight graves in a "secret forest graveyard" that had been exhumed by hunters of craniums and thigh bone.
"We saw skulls without craniums and a hand sticking out of a grave," he was quoted as saying in the daily on May 27.
A human skull garners between 5,000 ngultrum (US$105) and 10,000 ngultrum (US$211) in Bhutan, with men's skulls considered more valuable. The skull of a man affected by leprosy is not considered ideal for purification. Rather, such skulls are considered best for rituals to subdue evil spirits.
In a visit to the graveyard, the Bhutan Observer found at least eight graves freshly dug up. "Hand gloves, khaddar [a coarse homespun cotton cloth], a currency note, a wooden cross, and a wooden hammer lay scattered all over," it reported.
The daily said the graveyard apparently belonged to the Christian community in Thimphu and nearby areas.
"Christians in the country say that there should be an official recognition that there are Christians in the country, and other things like burial rights will naturally follow," the report noted.
A local pastor told Compass that since Christians did not have a burial ground, they buried their dead in forests.
"More than 100 bodies have been dug up, even though we have changed several locations for burial," he said. "I wonder how the traders in human bones discover these locations. Where do we go now?"
Some local residents reportedly believe that a Christian grave brings bad luck.
Damcho Wangchu, a resident of Thinleygang area, told the daily that the area surrounding the graveyard was holy. He attributed all misfortune in the area – including storms, the death of three students and of four others – to the Christian cemetery.
"We never experienced such misfortunes in our gewog [cluster of villages] before," he said.
The daily explained that the tradition of use of human skulls and thigh bones in Buddhist rituals was as old as Tantric Buddhism itself. "Thoepai Dagpa is a generic name for the text that illustrates the use and study of quality of skulls," it reported.
Tantric Buddhism, widespread in Bhutan, involves rituals as a substitute or alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.
An editorial in the same newspaper noted, "Our hunt for the criminal will probably lead us from the unplanned graveyard to the sacred altar."
Report from Compass Direct News
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Lutheran denomination splitting after gay pastor vote
Posted on November 28, 2009 by particularkev
The nation's largest Lutheran denomination is splitting following a controversial decision at its August conference to allow noncelibate homosexuals to serve as pastors, reports Baptist Press.
It will take months to determine how truly significant the change to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA) is, but a conservative group of Lutherans calling themselves Lutheran CORE already is calling for the more orthodox churches to leave the denomination. Lutheran CORE leaders voted Nov. 18 to form a new Lutheran body, and churches nationwide are now taking sides in the dispute. It takes a two-thirds vote for a church to leave the ELCA and join Lutheran CORE, which has formed a committee that will draft a proposal for how the new church body will function. The committee's recommendations will be released in February and voted on in August.
The ELCA claims 4.8 million members and 10,500 churches.
"Many ELCA members and congregations have said that they want to sever ties with the ELCA because of the ELCA's continued movement away from traditional Christian teachings," Lutheran CORE chair Paull Spring said. "The vote on sexuality opened the eyes of many to how far the ELCA has moved from Biblical teaching."
Meeting in Minneapolis in August, delegates to the ELCA's biennial conference voted 559-451 to allow openly practicing homosexuals to serve as pastors. It became the largest denomination in America with such a policy. The Episcopal Church, a smaller denomination, has a similar stance.
The Minneapolis conference was followed by a meeting of 1,200 Lutheran CORE supporters Sept. 25-26 in Fishers, Ind., where delegates to that meeting voted to authorize the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee to "initiate conversations among the congregations" toward a possible "reconfiguration" of Lutherans. That steering committee voted Nov. 18 to begin the process of forming a new denomination. The word "CORE" is an acronym for "Coalition for Renewal."
Neither side is predicting how many churches will leave or stay. In Erskine, Minn., 80 percent of Rodnes Lutheran Church members voted Oct. 18 to leave the ELCA, the INFORUM.com website reported. But in Waseca, Minn., Nov. 22, 77 percent of Grace Lutheran Church members voted to stay, the Waseca County News newspaper reported.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, believes the issue of homosexuality eventually will divide all mainline denominations.
"You either approve gay and lesbian sexually active pastors and clergy or you don't," he told Baptist Press. "Opinion is divided enough in the mainline denominations that if you approve it, then you're going to have conservatives leaving and if you don't, then you're going to have liberals leaving. I believe that this issue will end up reconfiguring the entire mainline Protestant landscape. It is in the process of dividing the Episcopalians. It's dividing now the Lutherans. It's in the process of dividing the Presbyterians, and it eventually will end up dividing the Methodists."
Land asked, rhetorically, referencing the ELCA's namesake, "Does anyone have any doubt what Martin Luther believed about this? The question is whether you're going to be under the authority of Scripture or not. And, clearly, there are large chunks of mainline Protestantism that have decided they are going to stand in judgment of Scripture."
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Euthanasia bill unexpectedly defeated in South Australia
In a surprise victory for pro-life advocates, South Australia's Upper House has narrowly voted down an amendment to their palliative care legislation that would have legalized euthanasia, reports Patrick B. Craine, LifeSiteNews.com.
The bill was proposed by Greens member Mark Parnell. It was expected to pass 11-10, with the support of independent member Ann Bressington, the swing vote. Bressington opted to abstain, however, after amendments she had sought failed. This abstention would have resulted in a tie, meaning that Upper House President Bob Sneath would vote to pass the bill.
In the end, however, member David Ridway announced to the shock of pro-life observers that personal reasons had led him to change his mind, and he voted against the bill.
Parnell has stated his intention to make another attempt at legalizing euthanasia after the state elections in March 2010. With the upcoming retirement of two pro-life members, pro-life advocates have indicated that such an attempt has a real risk of succeeding.
The UK-based anti-euthanasia group SPUC Pro-Life called the vote "a victory for civilised values."
Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager and an expatriate Australian, stated: "Those seeking to develop civilised values which respect the sanctity of human life should be encouraged by this vote.
"In spite of all the money, media support and propaganda of the euthanasia lobby, many politicians recognise the dangers to public safety in introducing such legislation. This victory for civilised values joins the recent defeat of a similar bill in Tasmania, as well as the repeated votes by the British House of Lords against assisted suicide."
Posted in Australia, Euthanasia, Law and Legislation, South Australia, Tasmania, United Kingdom | Tagged abstain, abstention, advocates, against, amendment, amendments, Ann Bressington, announced, Anthony Ozimic, anti-euthanasia, assisted, attempt, Australia, Australian, based, bill, Bob Sneath, British House of Lords, called, care, change, civilised, communications, dangers, David Ridway, defeat, defeated, develop, down, elections, encouraged, Euthanasia, expatriate, failed, Greens, group, human, independent, indicated, intention, introducing, led, legalized, legalizing, legislation, life, lobby, manager, Mark Parnell, meaning, media, member, mind, money, narrowly, observors, opted, palliative, pass, personal, politicians, President, pro-life, propaganda, proposed, public, real, reasons, recent, recognise, repeated, respect, resulted, retirement, risk, safety, sanctity, seeking, shock, similar, sought, South Australia, spite, SPUC Pro-Life, state, succeeding, suicide, support, surprise, swing, Tasmania, tie, UK, unexpectedly, Upper House, values, victory, vote, voted | Leave a comment
US Evangelical Lutheran Church approves homosexual clergy
On Friday, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted in favor of allowing practicing homosexuals, in committed relationships, to hold positions of authority within the sect, reports Thaddeus M. Baklinski, LifeSiteNews.com.
By a vote of 559 to 451 at last week's national convention, representatives of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States decided "to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships."
"The actions here change the church's policy, which previously allowed gays and lesbians into the ordained ministry only if they remained celibate," ELCA information director John Brook told AFP.
"This is not simply rules and procedures for implementing something new," said Rev. Stanley Olson, executive director of ELCA Vocation and Education. "We have these policies because we are committed to having the kind of leaders who will serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who will respect this church and other churches, and who will have the world in view."
Members of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform), representing over 400 conservative congregations that fought against the homosexualist resolution, renounced the ELCA vote.
"ELCA has broken faith with its members and Lutherans worldwide," CORE said in a statement released on Friday.
"Lutheran CORE is continuing in the Christian faith as it has been passed down to us by generations of Christians," Rev. Paul Spring, chairman of Lutheran CORE, said in the statement. "I am saddened that a Lutheran Church that was founded on a firm commitment to the Bible has come to the point that the ELCA would vote to reject the Bible's teaching on marriage and homosexual behavior. It breaks my heart."
Rev. Spring said CORE will encourage ELCA members and congregations to withdraw financial support from the denomination.
"Lutheran CORE leaders are inviting faithful Lutheran congregations and individuals to direct funding away from the national church body because of the decisions made this week by the Churchwide Assembly. Lutheran CORE will participate in and support faithful ELCA ministries, but cannot support ELCA ministries that reject the authority of God's Word," the group's statement stated.
Rev. Richard Mahan, pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Charleston, W.Va., told AFP that he believed a majority of his congregation would want to now break away from the ELCA.
"This will cause an ever greater loss in members and finances. I can't believe the church I loved and served for 40 years can condone what God condemns," Mahan said. "Nowhere in Scripture does it say homosexuality and same-sex marriage is acceptable to God. Instead, it says it is immoral and perverted."
Lutheran CORE announced it will hold a convention in Indianapolis, September 25-26, to plan its further response to the ELCA announcement.
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US Episcopal Church votes to lift ban on consecrating gay bishops
The U.S. Episcopal Church on 14 July overwhelmingly voted to lift a three-year-old moratorium on consecrating gay and lesbian bishops, despite warnings that the ban was necessary to preserve unity in the wider Anglican Communion, reports Ecumenical News International.
A large majority of Episcopal bishops, priests and lay delegates gathered here for the church's triennial General Convention asserted that "God has called and may call" gays and lesbians in lifelong committed relationships "to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church."
Posted in Anglicans, Homosexuality, USA | Tagged Anglican, asserted, ban, bishops, call, called, church, committed, community, consecrating, delegates, despite, episcopal, Episcopal Church, gathered, gay, gays, General Convention, God, large, lesbian, lifelong, lift, majority, ministry, moratorium, necessary, ordained, overwhelmingly, preserve, priests, relationships, triennial, unity, USA, voted, votes, warnings, wider | Leave a comment
Muslim extremists in Somalia enforce brutal sharia law
Open Doors reports that Islamic extremists in Somalia are beginning to enforce the brutal aspects of Sharia law. In March, Somalia's cabinet voted to implement it throughout their country, reports MNN.
They're responding to a recent case involving thieves who were punished by amputation. The punishment was carried out by members of al-Shabaab, an Arabic word meaning "The Lads," who follow a strict version of Sharia law.
Al-Shabaad also took credit for the assasination of two legislators, the country's security minister, a member of parliament, and 30 others. According to Compass Direct, it is clear Al-Shabaab has no intention of backing down but every intention of extending its rule politically and spiritually across Somalia.
The Open Doors team expressed concerns over the severity of the punishment for petty crime, wondering what it would be for forsaking Islam. The following story could likely be that answer:
Islamic extremists beheaded two young boys in Somalia because their Christian father refused to divulge information about a church leader; the killers are searching Kenya's refugee camps to do the same to the boys' father.
Across the country, evangelism is frowned upon and in many areas, prohibited. Somalia is almost exclusively Sunni Muslim, with 0.05 percent of the population Christian. The persecution of Christians is severe in most regions of Somalia, and many have fled to neighbouring countries.
Only a handful of Somalis are Christians, practicing their faith in secret.
Posted in al Shabaab, Christianity, Islam, Kenya, Open Doors, Somalia | Tagged al Shabaab, amputation, answer, Arabic, aspects, assasination, beginning, beheaded, boys, brutal, cabinet, case, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, concerns, countries, country, credit, crime, divulge, enforce, evangelism, exclusively, expressed, extending, extremists, faith, Father, fled, follow, forsaking, frowned, implement, information, intention, Islam, Islamic, Kenya, killers, law, leader, legislators, meaning, member, members, minister, Muslim, muslims, neighboring, Open Doors, Parliament, Persecution, petty, politically, practicing, prohibited, punished, punishment, recent, refugee camps, refused, responding, rule, searching, secret, security, severity, Sharia, Somalia, Somalis, spiritually, story, strict, Sunni, team, The Lads, thieves, version, voted, wondering, Word | Leave a comment
INDIAN BISHOP WARNS OF 'SECRET AGENDA' TO REMOVE CHRISTIANS
Posted on April 25, 2009 by particularkev
As India conducts its month-long national elections, a leading Indian bishop has accused Hindu nationalists of threatening Orissa state voters with violence and pursuing a "secret agenda" to flush Christians out of the region, reports Catholic News Agency.
Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, speaking in an interview with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), claimed that leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have made death threats against people unwilling to vote for them. He said the BJP was determined to eliminate Christianity from Orissa state's Kandhamal district, where the vast majority of the state's churchgoers live. Catholic priests in Orissa report that the BJP has warned Christians in Kandhamal district that if they voted for other candidates, the party would bully them into leaving the area, ACN says.
Nearly 30,000 people fled the district in 2007 and 2008 during anti-Christian attacks on nearly 300 villages in Kandhamal. Eighty people, including a Catholic priest, were killed. About 270 churches and chapels were desecrated while 6,000 homes were destroyed.
Archbishop Cheenath told ACN that people in relief camps in Kandhamal were generally able to vote. However, he said "several thousands" who fled the district during the violence were denied the vote because they were prevented from registering.
"The BJP party officials have threatened to attack the Christians and chase them away. The threats were very serious and there has been a great fear among the people," the archbishop said, speaking from Bangalore.
"The problem for the people was made worse because the authorities in Orissa took no tangible steps to prevent such things from happening."
"The secret agenda of the [BJP politicians] is to remove the Christians from Kandhamal," Archbishop Cheenath said. "It was clear that this was what they wanted to do before the elections and if they win again there is no doubt that they will continue in that way."
A Catholic priest in Kandhamal on election day reported that trees had been felled to block access to villages in order to prevent people from voting. The same tactic was used during the anti-Christian violence.
The priest said there was hardly any movement of the people.
"My colleagues and I were scared… I reached the polling booth of my village but after only two hours [of voting] the booth was literally empty. We were the first ones to cast our votes."
The priest told ACN it was important to remember that thousands of people are still living outside the district and had not exercised their vote.
"Are these not citizens?" he asked.
The priest also alleged that four Hindus gang-raped a girl after learning that her uncle had refused to abandon his Christian faith.
In the run-up to the elections, BJP Kandhamal candidate Ashok Sahu was arrested for making an anti-Christian speech in the village of Raikia. He has since been released.
According to ACN, Sahu was closely linked to Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the militant anti-Christian Hindu leader whose murder last August, allegedly by Maoists, sparked widespread violence against churchgoers.
Posted in Christianity, Hinduism, India | Tagged abandon, access, accused, ACN, agenda, Aid to the Church in Need, alleged, allegedly, anti-Christian, Archbishop, Archdiocese, area, arrested, Ashok Sahu, attacks, authorities, Bangalore, Bharatiya Janata Party, bishop, BJP, Block, booth, bully, candidate, candidates, cast, Catholic, chapels, charity, Christian, Christianity, Christians, churches, churchgoers, citizens, claimed, clear, colleagues, conducts, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, death, denied, desecrated, destroyed, determined, district, elections, eliminate, empty, exercised, fear, felled, fled, flush, gang-raped, generally, girl, great, happening, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindus, homes, important, India, Indian, interview, Kandhamal, killed, leader, leaders, leading, learning, leaving, linked, live, majority, making, Maoists, militant, movement, murder, national, nationalists, officials, Orissa, party, people, Persecution, politicians, polling booth, prevent, prevented, priests, problem, puruing, Raikia, Raphael Cheenath, refused, region, registering, released, relief camps, remember, remove, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholics, scared, secret, serious, sparked, speaking, speech, state, steps, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, tactic, tangible, things, threatening, threats, trees, uncle, unwilling, vast, villages, violence, vote, voted, voters, warns, widespread, win, worse | Leave a comment
'LEGAL' PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN EU CONTINUES
Posted on March 28, 2009 by particularkev
Christian lobbyists in the UK are calling a pending EU directive that would introduce a policy similar to Britain's Sexual Orientation Regulations to all member states, a "threat to religious freedom." Pro-family activists fear that the inclusion of sexual orientation as a protected grounds for discrimination may leave European Christians and others vulnerable to legal actions, reports Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com.
The proposed directive aims to outlaw discrimination in the provision of goods and services and may also outlaw 'harassment.'
Critics have also said that the directive would mean that countries which legally recognise same-sex civil partnerships would be required to expand their provisions to include homosexual adoption. It is also feared that the directive's definition of harassment is so broad that even explanations of Christian beliefs on sexual conduct or those of other religions like Islam, could fall foul of the law.
In April 2008, the BBC reported that the directive had been "shelved." Jan Jarab of the Employment Department of the Commission told the BBC that "signals" from some member states indicated that there would not be the required unanimous consent on a blanket anti-discrimination law that would include "sexual orientation."
In May 2008, however, the European Parliament issued a memo reminding MEPs of the "commitment to put forward a comprehensive directive covering disability, age, religion or belief and sexual orientation."
Accordingly, the EU Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) last week voted to approve the final version of its report on the issue. This will now go to the EU Parliament for a vote in early April on whether to adopt the report as its own recommendations on the directive. Power to enact, amend or reject the directive lies with the Council of the European Union, a body composed of government representatives from each of the 27 member states.
The Christian Institute, the UK's most prominent Christian lobby group, argues that similar laws in the UK and other nations have caused serious erosion of religious liberty and the exclusion of Christianity from the public sphere.
The Christian Institute called the "harassment" provision one of the "most alarming" aspects of the proposed legislation. The directive defines it as the creation of an "intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment."
(With files from the Christian Institute)
Posted in Christianity, European Union, Homosexuality, Islam, Law and Legislation, marriage, United Kingdom | Tagged actions, activists, adopt, adoption, age, aims, alarming, amend, anti-discrimination, apects, approve, argues, BBC, beleiefs, blanket, body, Britain, broad, calling, caused, Christian, Christian Institute, Christianity, Christians, civil, commission, Committee on Civil Liberties Justice and Home Affairs, committment, composed, comprehensive, conduct, consent, continues, Council of the European Union, countries, covering, creation, crtics, defines, definition, degrading, directive, disability, Discrimination, Employment Department, enact, Environment, erosion, EU, European, European Parliament, European Union, exclusion, expand, explanations, fear, feared, Final, forward, foul, goods, government, grounds, harassment, homosexual, hostile, humiliating, include, inclusion, indicated, intimidating, introduce, Islam, issue, issued, Jan Jarab, law, leave, legal, legally, legislation, LIBE, lies, lobby group, lobbyists, member, memo, MEPs, nations, offensive, oprotected, orientation, outlaw, partnerships, pending, Persecution, policy, power, pro-family, prominent, proposed, provision, provisions, public, recognise, recommendations, reject, religion, religions, religious freedom, religious liberty, reminding, representatives, required, same-sex, serious, services, sexual, Sexual Orientation Regulations, shelved, signals, similar, sphere, states, threat, UK, unanimous, United Kingdom, version, vote, voted, vulnerable | 1 Comment
CENTRAL INTERIOR ASSEMBLY SAYS 'YES' TO SAME-SEX BLESSINGS
Posted on November 8, 2008 by particularkev
The assembly of the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (APCI) has requested its bishop, Gordon Light, to allow clergy whose conscience permits to bless civilly-married gay couples where at least one party is baptized. The assembly passed the motion when it met Oct. 17 to 19, reports Anglican Journal.
A notice of a similar motion was filed at the synod of the diocese of Ontario but was declared out of order by the diocesan bishop, George Bruce, who acted on the advice of the diocesan chancellor (legal advisor). The ruling was appealed at the synod held Oct. 16 to 18 but was upheld by a majority vote of delegates.
At the APCI assembly, Bishop Light gave concurrence to the motion but suspended any action pending consultations with the Canadian house of bishops, which meets Oct. 27 to 31 to discuss, among others, how best to respond to renewed proposals for moratoria on the blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of persons living in same-sex unions to the episcopate, and cross-border interventions.
Since the 2007 General Synod four dioceses have already passed similar motions – Ottawa, Montreal, Niagara, and Huron. The diocesan synod of New Westminster approved same-sex blessings in 2002.
Of the 50 clergy and lay delegates at the APCI assembly, 36 voted yes (72 per cent), 10 voted no (20 per cent), and four (8 per cent) abstained. APCI is composed of 18 parishes (including 35 congregations) which was constituted after the former diocese of Cariboo closed its diocesan office in 2001 because of financial pressures surrounding lawsuits about abuse at the St. George's Indian Residential School in Lytton, B.C.
"We had a very respectful discussion. All voices were heard," said Rev. Susan Hermanson, rector of St. Peter's Anglican church in Williams Lake, who moved the motion. She said that approval of the motion "allows us to accept gays and lesbians fully as part of our family and, as in all families, we can disagree with one another and still be part of the family."
In a telephone interview, she added that the motion was also meant to "take a reading" of where APCI was on the issue. She noted that in 2000, the diocesan synod of Cariboo had approved a motion affirming the full inclusion of gay and lesbian couples in the life of the church. Since then, parishes have been discussing and studying the issue further, she said. "We have, in fact, been discussing this issue for the last 30 years now," she said.
In her written background and explanation, Ms. Hermanson noted that APCI "is a diverse community and therefore respects and honours those who, because of their theological position or as a matter of conscience, cannot agree with the blessing of same-sex unions."
Anglicans opposed to same-sex blessings believe that homosexuality is contrary to scripture and to Anglican teaching. To date, 14 of about 2,800 congregations have left the Canadian Anglican church over theological disagreements over homosexuality. These churches have joined a group called the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) and placed themselves under the episcopal oversight of the primate of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Gregory Venables.
Posted in Anglicans, Canada, Christianity, Homosexuality | Tagged 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, abstained, abuse, accept, acted, action, advice, agree, allow, Anglican, Anglican Network of the Southern Cone, Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior, Anglicans, APCI, appealed, approved, Archbishop, assembly, background, baptized, bishop, bishops, bless, blessings, British Columbia, called, Canada, Canadian, Cariboo, central, Chancellor, church, civilly-married, clergy, closed, community, composed, concurrence, congregations, conscience, constituted, consultations, contrary, couples, cross-border, declared, delegates, diocesan, diocese, dioceses, disagree, disagreements, discuss, discussing, discussion, diverse, episcopate, explanation, families, family, filed, financial, former, fully, gay, gays, General Synod, George Bruce, Gordon Light, Gregory Venables, group, heard, Homosexuality, honours, house, Huron, inclusion, interior, interventions, interview, issue, lawsuits, lay, legal advisor, lesbians, life, living, Lytton, majority, meets, Montreal, moratoria, motion, New Westminster, Niagara, no, noted, notice, office, Ontario, opposed, ordination, Ottawa, out of order, parishes, party, passed, pending, permits, persons, position, proposals, reading, rector, renewed, reports, requested, respectful, respects, respond, Rev, ruling, same-sex, Scripture, similar, St. George's Indian Residential School, St. Peter's Anglican Church, studying, surrounding, Susan Hermanson, suspended, synod, teaching, telephone, theological, unions, upheld, voices, vote, voted, Williams Lake, written, yes | Leave a comment
News reports of persecution and other information posted here does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 'Blog Author-Master.'
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text:
Student Texts (8)
(-) Action
Bullying & Bias (2)
Gender & Sexual Identity (7)
Rights & Activism (10)
A Personal Mission: Sammy Younge Jr.
Although raised in a prosperous and prestigious African-American home in Tuskegee, Ala., Sammy Younge found himself drawn most to the civil rights movement. While the cause cost him his life, his actions and determination helped to transform this Southern city.
Teaching Tolerance Staff
6-8 9-12
Race & Ethnicity Class
Social Justice Domain
Identity Diversity Justice Action
Wangari Maathai
"In Kenya, a modern 'Johnny Appleseed' has initiated a successful program to counteract the alarming destruction of Africa's forests."
Race & Ethnicity Class Gender & Sexual Identity
Diversity Justice Action
"In response to legislation that would have criminalized immigrants, thousands of high school students from across the country walked out of their classrooms and into history."
The Negro Motorist Green Book
These images are from The Negro Motorist Green Book 1940 edition. The Green Book, published from 1936 – 1964, served as a guide for African Americans traveling around the country during the Jim Crow segregation era. To explore the complete issues visit the New York Public Library Digital Collections at https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/the-green-book#/?tab=ab…
William H. Green (editor)
Race & Ethnicity Class Rights & Activism
Una Vida de Esperanza
In this interview, Luis Rodriguez describes how the systemic demoralization he faced in school and society at a young age drove him to join a street gang and how writing his book, Always Running, was an attempt to call his son and other young people in similar situations to change their lives.
Luis Rodriguez and Sara Bullard
Race & Ethnicity Class Immigration Bullying & Bias
The Child's Defender
In this interview, Marian Wright Edelman expresses the importance of each American sending children "signals of fairness and tolerance" and helping to give them "a life that transcends boundaries of race, class, gender and other differences."
Marian Wright Edelman and Sara Bullard
In his 1941 State of the Union Address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined four fundamental human freedoms—the freedom of speech, of worship, from want, and from fear—for the United States and the rest of the world.
Religion Class Bullying & Bias Rights & Activism
Commonwealth Club Address
Cesar Chavez delivered this speech on November 9, 1984. Chavez was a high-profile leader of the United Farm Workers and remains an inspiring figure in the larger labor movement.
Race & Ethnicity Class Immigration Rights & Activism

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