Displaying items by tag: Religion

An Australian Christian Lobby blogger states ‘The cultural climate of our day often makes the politically engaged Christian in Australia feel isolated. So many issues are beyond us. Safe schools, the rights of parents, conversion therapy, abortion, euthanasia, religious freedom, moral decay, children’s innocence, political apathy, weakened churches. The voices seeking to redefine truth, justice and morality are very loud and increasingly effective.’ He went on to say, ‘Elijah faced an infinitely more desperate set of political and cultural circumstances. He was overwhelmed and desperately cried out to God, ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, demolished your altars, I alone am left, and they seek my life.’ God’s astonishing answer was, ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ God has preserved a great many in Australia who have not bowed the knee.’ We can pray for our Australian brothers and sisters to engage more vigorously, and confidently to make an enormous impact on Australian society.

The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) commented on a press release by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). Their opening comments were, ‘On 5 July, 2018, the NSCIA published an article titled LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD. In our candid estimation, rather than tell the truth, the article is the exact opposite of the truth. It might have been more proper to have titled it ‘Let the Taqiyya  be told.’ Taqiyya is religious deception and the article they refer to said that Muslims were the targeted victims of herdsmen. NCEF stated categorically that this statement is untrue and Muslims were not victimised, Christians are the victims while the government consents to ongoing genocide and ethno-religious cleansing of communities. NCEF said that the government deliberately obscures the truth as the targets of the Fulani herdsmen are natives of Middle Belt who are mainly Christians. See also next article - Five Christian youths to be hanged.

Muslim Fulani herders do not make the headlines as often as Boko Haram. Christians in the northeast state of Adamawa have fled because of Boko Haram, only to return and find their property occupied by Muslim Fulani herders. Five Christian youths have been sentenced to hang for killing one Fulani herdsman who in turn had allegedly killed 48 people. Who is stopping the violence? Where is the government's protection for citizens? Where is justice? The lack of response by Nigeria's security services is seen as complicit in crimes against Christians. The Numan Federation in Adamawa is the only predominantly Christian area remaining in northern Nigeria. In recent years migration of Muslim Fulani herdsmen into that area has increased. The judicial, military, and security agencies are all controlled by non-Christians and many fear that the Muslim President may use the violence as an excuse to cancel the 2019 elections and remain in power.

Sunni Islam was declared the state religion of Comoros in a referendum vote on constitutional reforms in the southeast African island. The amended constitution reads, ‘The state draws from this religion the principles and rules of Sunnite observance.’ Many believe this will have an impact on the country’s small Christian minority. Things are already very hard for indigenous Christians and this kind of specification is expected to make things even harder for them. The referendum was initiated by President Azali Assoumani and gives him the right to run for another presidential term. Previously power rotated between Comoros’ three islands every five years. In April, Assoumani suspended the constitutional court over ‘incompetence’ which observers saw as an attempt to diminish the rule of law in the country. Open Doors says, ‘In mosques and madrassas Muslim religious leaders teach anti-Christian sentiments and government officials obligate parents to send their children to madrassas.’

Ruth Davidson - who is the leader of the Scottish Conservatives - has been speaking out following the comments by Boris Johnson about the Burka. The Christian MSP suggested we should defend the right of Muslim women to wear the burka in the same way we defend the right of Christians to wear a cross. She was speaking after the former foreign secretary compared the burka to a letter box and women who wear it to look like bank robbers. Theresa May asked him to apologise. With no apology forthcoming, founder and president of the Conservative Muslim Forum Lord Sheikh said the party should take ‘severe action’ against Mr Johnson. On the other hand, Christian, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said there was no need for Mr Johnson to apologise and an imam who has previously criticised the burka said Mr Johnson should not ‘apologise for telling the truth’. The debate continues.

‘Prospects’ groups are based on two main principles. Firstly, that all people should have an opportunity to hear the Christian message including those with learning disabilities, and secondly, all people are capable of responding to the Christian message because it is a matter of belief and trust, not intellect and ability. In the UK one in fifty people have learning disabilities and Prospects seeks to befriend such people, explain the Christian message in a relevant way, and provide a sympathetic environment where people can grow in their understanding and respond to the message. Prospects meetings can be held in church halls, for meeting-centred ministry, or in the home of a helper, or a residential home for friendship-centred ministry. Helpers make home visits, take people out, provide transport and above all engage in personal discipleship in a way that people with special needs can respond to.

In 2016 you prayed for Nurse Sarah Kuteh who was dismissed from her job after talking to patients about her Christian faith and giving a Bible to one patient. After dismissing her, Darent Valley Hospital reported Sarah to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), questioning her 'fitness to practise'. For nearly two years the NMC has held a series of hearings to determine whether Sarah would continue to be able to practise as a nurse. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the NMC panel unanimously ruled that Sarah was fully 'fit to practise' and revoked all restrictions on her nursing practice.

The UN has urged the Algerian government to stop harassing its Christian minority, after several churches, Christian bookshops and a day-care centre for Christian children were closed down in recent months. Dozens of other churches also received notifications ordering them to close. The UNHRC is reviewing Algeria’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and said it ‘remained concerned’ over the closures. It has called on Algeria’s government to ‘guarantee the full exercise of freedom of thought, conscience and religion to all’. It also said Algeria should ‘refrain from obstructing the religion of persons who do not observe the official religion, by destruction and closure of establishments or refusal to grant registration of religious movements’.

UNHCR is calling for international solidarity and support for countries hosting Nicaraguan refugees and asylum seekers, as thousands flee mounting political tensions, violence and serious human rights violations. Many Nicaraguans could flee to America if the situation worsens, said a Catholic priest whose parish came under siege in a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests which killed 300+ people. During the church siege clergy negotiated the release of 200 university students, priests and journalists. But two were killed and dozens injured. The protests started after social security overhauls in May. They are demanding democratic reforms and that President Daniel Ortega and his wife, the vice president, step down from an alleged dictatorship marked by nepotism and brutal repression. During the initial days of the protests Ortega asked the Church to act as a mediator, but his administration began using brutal force against student protesters. Now, clergy are also being attacked. Priests are now on the opposition front lines, and Ortega’s government has declared war on the Church.

Street evangelist Allen Coote was arrested outside St Paul's Cathedral for reading the Bible aloud. No members of the public complained: it was cathedral staff who reported him. Allen believes the cathedral’s subsequent concession to allow him just 30 minutes’ speaking time per week was unreasonable and said, ‘The Bible tells us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone. Now, there are many people on the concourse of St Paul's who come from all the nations of the world, and I was just basically reading what they should hear. Some of them were really pleased to stop and just listen to me.’ The cathedral has a policy to limit any ‘source of disturbance’ outside its doors, in order to offer visitors a ‘welcoming space’. Alan is now supporting a campaign by the Barnabas Fund which is calling on Parliament to pass a new law which specifically protects the right to proclaim the Bible in public.