Religious repression meets living faith

19/2 Carolyn Moynihan, Mercator.net | "... A landmark report issued recently by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life rates countries according to their level of government restrictions on religious practice and/or social friction over religion. Global Restrictions on Religion shows that China is at the top end of restrictive governments -- “primarily because of its restrictions on Buddhism in Tibet, its ban on the Falun Gong movement throughout the country, its strict controls on the practice of religion among Uighur Muslims and its pressure on religious groups that are not registered by the government, including Christians who worship in private homes,” says the report, adding, “The primary sources for this study report numerous cases of imprisonment, beatings and torture of members of these religious groups by Chinese authorities.”

On the other hand, China is low on the scale of social hostilities, probably because religious expression is a comparative novelty for today’s Chinese citizens and government rules are tight enough to stop different religious groups getting in each others way. They are all, so to speak, competing against the communist state. Vietnam, where there was an outbreak of official persecution of Christians (predominantly Catholics) last year, has a similar history and ratings very close to China’s.

The most restrictive governments among the most populous countries are those of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt, with Indonesia and Pakistan close behind, followed by Sudan, Afghanistan, India and Iraq. In most of these countries social hostilities also occur at a high to very high level. Brunei, Eritrea, Israel, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Somalia are smaller countries which also score high on either index. The Pew report notes: “Many of the restrictions in these countries are driven by groups pressing for the enshrinement of their interpretation of the majority faith, including through Shariah law in Muslim societies and through the Hindutva movement in India, which seeks to define India as a Hindu nation.” Outbreaks of violence against Christian communities are on the increase in Pakistan and India.

A striking fact that emerges from the report is that religious freedom is a comparative luxury in the world at large. Because the most restrictive countries include the most populous (notably China and India) nearly 70 per cent of the world’s 6.8 billion people live under highly restrictive regimes -- despite, in some cases, constitutional and other written protections.

Cohabitation in the 21st Century

Jubilee Centre, UK | The nature of cohabitation in the UK presents a rapidly changing landscape. This report provides an up-to-date analysis of cohabitation statistics, using the most recent British Household Panel Survey data. It shows that cohabitation is a less stable form of relationship today than it was 15 years ago and is generally short-lived. This is particularly pronounced for those couples with children. Contrary to popular opinion, cohabitation does not serve as a ‘trial marriage’ but instead significantly increases the odds of divorce.

Visit the Jubilee Centre website to download the full reporyt (Free)

U.K. LEADER SAYS FAITH SCHOOLS MUST TEACH HOMOSEXUALITY IS NORMAL

Australian Prayer Network | UK Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg says his party (the third largest in the UK) would legislate to legally oblige faith schools to teach that homosexuality is normal and without risk to health. In a magazine interview, Clegg outlined  proposals to advance '"gay rights", including forcing all schools to implement anti-homophobia bullying policies and to teach that homosexuality is "normal and harmless." He also proposed to end the ban on homosexual men being allowed to give blood, and to allow same-sex couples to marry with the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.  

Clegg's proposals were quickly condemned by church leaders. One Anglican bishop said “I think this will go down badly even among those not overtly evangelical. Instituting something that must be taught, come what may, is frighteningly fascist.” Janina Ainsworth, chief education officer for the Church of England, said "Further upheaval of the guidance for sex education would not be welcomed by many schools, church or otherwise,” Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust, said, ''Nick Clegg is totally disregarding the deeply-held views of parents.  

The vast majority of parents do not want their children’s schools to promote positive images of homosexual relationships. It is a fundamental principle of education law that children must be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents." Wells further charged that "Nick Clegg is pushing a radical social agenda which would only cause confusion among vulnerable young people and expose them to increased risks to their physical and emotional health."

Geert Wilders vs. The Multicultural Inquisition

The Brussels Journal | Some observers have compared the ongoing trial against the prominent Dutch Islam-critic Geert Wilders in the Netherlands to the case against Galileo Galilei in seventeenth century Italy. There is no question that the trial against Galileo represents a dark chapter in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, but there are some popular misconceptions regarding it.

The Italian philosopher and occultist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) was a supporter of the Sun-centered model of Copernicus and championed the idea that the universe is filled with an infinite array of stars similar to our Sun and that life exists elsewhere in this vast universe. He was embroiled in a long trial with the Roman Inquisition and burned at the stake in 1600. His case remains controversial to this day. In author John Gribbin’s view he was a religious heretic rather than a “martyr for science”, and his execution, while certainly deplorable, happened mainly because of his unorthodox theological ideas, not his scientific ones:

"But after 1600 Copernicanism was distinctly frowned upon by the Church, and the fact that Bruno was a Copernican and had been burned as a heretic was hardly encouraging for anyone, like Galileo, who lived in Italy in the early 1600s and was interested in how the world worked. If it hadn’t been for Bruno, Copernicanism might never have received such adverse attention from the authorities, Galileo might not have been persecuted and scientific progress in Italy might have proceeded more smoothly."

U.K. CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE VICTORY OVER EQUALITY BILL

Australian Prayer Network | The prayers of many Christians were answered when the House of Lords last week defeated changes to a law that would have required church groups to hire people whose lifestyle was inconsistent with Christian teaching. Lady O'Cathain, who proposed an amendment to the Equality Bill exempting religious groups from the new laws, said: "I know that many Christians were praying that justice would prevail as we voted on this important issue. We give thanks to God for the outcome, as we continue to pray for our Government, as Scripture exhorts us to do."  

The Christian Institute's Mike Judge commented, "The prayers of thousands of Christians and letter writing to peers has protected our freedom. Churches should be free to employ people whose conduct is consistent with church teaching. It's called freedom of association, a key liberty in any democratic society." Andrea Williams, director of Christian Concern For Our Nation, also praised the vote. "This is a great day for religious liberty in the UK. We are thankful that the freedom of churches to control their own affairs has not been restricted any further.  

"The results show what can happen when Christians pray and take action. Let us be encouraged that even in an increasingly secular society, the voice of the Church can still be heard." Ms Williams said. The report cautions that Harriet Harman, whose name is attached to the Equality Bill, may yet decide to force the bill through the House of Commons or revert to an EU directive prohibiting discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

USA: Spiritual Profile of Homosexual Adults Provides Surprising Insights

The Barna Group | The gay and lesbian population, which constitutes about 3% of adults, has garnered national attention in the past several years thanks to issues like gay marriage, gay adoption, and other gay rights conflicts. In the wake of those controversies and the spotlight aimed at gays, Americans have developed numerous assumptions about the lives of the homosexual population. A new survey by the Barna Group explores the spiritual life of gay and lesbian individuals, providing some surprising results.

IRAQ: Female candidate gunned down

Suha Abdul Jarallah, a candidate on the list of pro-Western former prime minister Iyad Allawi, was shot dead as she left a house in the Ras al-Jadda neighbourhood in central Mosul, 350km north of Baghdad.

"She was getting out of a relative’s home when she was shot dead by an unidentified gunman who then fled in a car carrying two other men," the officer said.

FRANCE: Man denied over burqa demand in France

The Age | A foreign national who forced his French wife to wear the full Islamic veil will be denied French citizenship, the immigration minister said on Tuesday.

Eric Besson said he had signed a decree rejecting the man's citizenship application after it emerged that he had ordered his wife to cover herself with the head-to-toe veil.

"It emerged during the inquiry and the interview process that this person forced his wife to wear the full veil, deprived her of freedom of movement with her face exposed and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women," said Besson in a statement.

The man's name and nationality were not made public

USA: America’s Seven Faith Tribes Hold the Key to National Restoration

The Barna Group | Apart from the current economic woes of the nation, bestselling author and researcher George Barna warns that the United States is immersed in a serious decline that shows no signs of reversal – and that it is not politicians but the country’s dominant faith communities that hold the key to restoring the nation to strength and stability.

 Citing statistics that underscore the demise of the U.S. in its fundamental institutions – such as families, schools, media, churches, and government – Barna shared research results from his analysis of more than 30,000 personal interviews with Americans that outlined the identity, nature and restoration potential of the seven dominant religious groups – which he entitled “faith tribes” – in America.

Hidden danger in tampering with the veil

01/02 The Australian | LIKE the Americans waging war in Afghanistan, the French demanding their government ban the burka would do well to look back in history at the experience of others who pursued a similar path.

In 1935, the shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, embarked on a sweeping program of modernisation. He built railways, factories and a university and prohibited the photographing of camels, which he believed made Iran look backwards. He also outlawed the chador, urging his countrywomen to "cast their veils, this symbol of injustice and shame, into the fires of oblivion".

The move was "part of a continuous Westernisation campaign whose primary aim was to weaken Islam", Iranian historian and author Mohammad Gholi Majd wrote.

Women who resisted had their veils forcibly removed and troops killed hundreds of protesters at mosques.

USA: Palin targets Obama in Tea Party Rally

OneNewsNow | Taking aim at President Barack Obama and the Democrats, Sarah Palin has told a 'tea party' convention in Nashville that the country is ripe for another revolution.

 Noting his party's dismal showing in elections since Obama moved into the White House a year ago with talk of hope and promises of change, Palin asked the gathering: "How's that hope-y, change-y stuff workin' out for you?"

 Her audience waved flags and erupted in cheers during multiple standing ovations as the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee gave the keynote address Saturday at the first national convention of the "tea party" coalition. It's an antiestablishment, grass-roots network motivated by anger over the growth of government, budget-busting spending and Obama's policies.

British Supply Teacher Fired for Offering Prayer Able to Return to Work

Dan Wooding | Olive Jones, a British Christian supply teacher from Weston-super-Mare, has been offered the opportunity to return to her old job after North Somerset Council recognized that it can be appropriate for a tutor to share their faith with a pupil or a family, depending on the situation.

According to the UK-based Christian Legal Centre, Mrs. Jones, 54, was dismissed in November 2009 after attending a meeting with her employers who had received a complaint from a parent that Olive had shared her faith with a sick pupil and asked the pupil’s mother whether she could pray for the pupil.

Study of Leaders Identifies Their Weaknesses

The Barna Group | Effective leaders are expected to possess a variety of skills that produce measurable results. A new study from The Barna Group shows that most leaders are at their best when it comes to using existing resources – and at their worst when it comes to developing needed resources.

The Barna study interviewed 1,736 individuals who qualified as leaders. Those individuals were then evaluated in relation to 15 core leadership competencies. The results indicated that the three competencies which leaders struggle with the most all relate to developing the tools needed to succeed. Specifically, leaders are most likely to have difficulties developing the tangible resources (e.g., funds, personnel, facilities) needed to accomplish plans; developing the skills of other leaders to facilitate more effective organizational performance; and developing the systems required to efficiently complete the tasks at hand. Each of those dimensions encompasses a variety of tasks and efforts.

UK students recruited for Somali jihad

Times Online | STUDENTS from some of Britain’s top universities are travelling to Somalia to fight with a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda.

Almost a dozen young British Muslims, including a female medical researcher, are said recently to have joined Al-Shabaab, an extremist rebel organisation blamed for hundreds of deaths in the east African state.

Somali community leaders in the UK say students from the London School of Economics (LSE), Imperial College and King’s College London are among those who have been recruited within the past year. The youngest recruit is believed to be 18

USA: Christian Father Faces Jail for Taking Daughter to Church

AUSTRALIA: Training tomorrow's leaders

There is a great need in this nation to assist those students and recent graduates who demonstrate a high potential to become influential leaders for Christ across strategic areas of our nation including politics, law, media, science, education, arts and philosophy.
The Compass program, an eight-day course in Christian worldview, aims to address this need.

The inaugural program kicks off this Sunday with 40 students at the University of Queensland. For more information and to register interest for 2009, please go to www.compass.org.au .

Lyle Shelton
National Chief of Staff , Australian Christian Lobby