A few interesting items here... **** * TROUBLE MOUNTS FOR THE CHURCH IN ORISSA * UNITED STATES FIGHTS ISLAMIC ANTI DEFAMATION PUSH IN UNITED NATIONS * OLYMPICS ARE OVER AND LIFE RETURNS TO NORMAL FOR CHINESE CHRISTIANS * JUDGE RULES GOVERNOR CAN ORDER RECOGNITION OF HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGES * GOD'S PRIORITY FOR ORPHANS * A CALL TO PRAYER FOR THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS ----------------------------------------------- TROUBLE MOUNTS FOR THE CHURCH IN ORISSA In 1969 a Hindu nationalist named Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati established a Hindu religious centre in Orissa, north-east India, and committed himself to countering the work of Christian missionaries. He never succeeded in stopping conversions to Christianity but, with state government support, has turned Orissa into a tinderbox of communal tension. Since 2005 Hindu zealotry and anti-Christian hatred have escalated. In 2007 he organised a program of burning homes and Churches that left a swathe of destruction and thousands of Christians displaced. On 23 August 2008 Saraswati was ambushed and shot dead. Despite evidence pointing to Maoist guerrillas as the offenders, Hindu leaders charged the Christian community with killing the Swami because of his anti-conversion campaign. A violent uprising erupted, which has claimed at least 36 lives. Numerous Christians have been beaten, raped and slashed with swords. In Kandhamal alone some 13,000 Christians live in refugee camps. 50,000 Christians are estimated to have fled their homes ahead of violent religious cleansing and are now hiding in dense jungle. On 29 August over 40,000 Christian educational institutions throughout India closed in a nationwide protest against the anti-Christian violence. These institutions are now facing a backlash from militant Hindu state governments who have ordered officials to take action against the schools for closing without government permission. The level of violence is shocking. A 20-year-old nun was burned alive in an orphanage whilst another was pack-raped. A priest and nun were stripped and violently degraded before a crowd which included government officials and several police. Hundreds of churches and thousands of Christian homes have been vandalised, looted and torched. Archbishop Cheenath has petitioned the Supreme Court for an investigation into the violence and the state’s failure to maintain law and order. India’s Supreme Court wants to know what the government in Orissa state has done to stop the wave of anti-Christian rioting. New Delhi has even become involved. They’ve now promised financial aid to the victims of the anti-Christian clashes. Religious reprisals continue however with at least half a dozen churches set ablaze this week. Police arrested around 200 people in connection with the riots. JP SunderRajan from Audio Scripture Ministries says they’re concerned because the violence appears to be spreading. With anti-conversion legislation on the books, Hindu radicals often accuse missionaries of luring poor and low-caste Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering free education and health care. Those accusations have been more successful in the rural areas than in the urban areas, until recently. “The violence that started in the villages has started slowly seeping its way into the cities. Please pray: * for the protection of Christians from the violence and for God to intervene to bring it to an end. * the Holy Spirit to encourage those who have fled or been the victims of violence, assuring them of His unfailing love and granting them His peace despite their circumstances. * that God would answer the prayers of the faithful and deliver them from the hands of the enemy increasing their faith through the knowledge and experience of His perfect love. * that the violence will settle down quickly and that believers will boldly share their hope with others. Source: Compiled by APN from various sources ----------------------------------------------- UNITED STATES FIGHTS ISLAMIC ANTI DEFAMATION PUSH IN UNITED NATIONS The US and European governments together with religious rights organizations are mounting a new effort to defeat a United Nations General Assembly resolution that demands respect for Islam and other religions but has been used to justify persecution of religious minorities. The resolution, called "Combating Defamation of Religion," is sponsored by the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and has been approved by the world body annually since 2005. It comes up for renewal again this year. U.S. officials said they hope to persuade moderate Muslim nations - among them Senegal, Mali, Nigeria and Indonesia - to reject the measure, which has provided diplomatic cover for regimes that repress critical speech. "Before, it was one resolution with no impact and no implementation," Felice Gaer, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said "Now we are seeing a clear attempt by OIC countries to mainstream the concept into other areas as well. They are turning freedom of expression into restriction of expression." The European Centre for Law and Justice filed a brief with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in June warning that such anti-defamation resolutions "are in direct violation of international law concerning the rights to freedom of religion and expression." U.S. officials working on human rights said the resolutions are being used to justify harsh blasphemy laws in countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Afghanistan. The most recent version of the anti-defamation resolution, passed by the world body in December, cites the erroneous connection of Islam to terrorism and "stresses the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions and incitement to religious hatred, against Islam and Muslims in particular." The US and European governments warn that the resolution - which specifically mentions Islam but no other religions - is an Orwellian text that has been used to shut down free speech. The resolution "replaces the existing objective criterion of limitations on speech where there is an intent to incite hatred or violence against religious believers with a subjective criterion that considers whether the religion or its believers feel offended by the speech," said the brief by the European Centre for Law and Justice. "In cases we've monitored, it's minority religions - Christians, Baha'i, and non-conforming Muslims" - who are most at risk, Miss Gaer said. "People who want to interpret their religion differently than some of the more orthodox clerics would." Source: Washington Times ----------------------------------------------- OLYMPICS ARE OVER AND LIFE RETURNS TO NORMAL FOR CHINESE CHRISTIANS When Carl Moeller of Open Doors asked Chinese house church leaders how the Olympics had affected their situation, he was taken aback by their response when they said “normal.” “Of course the government has brought many of us in to be questioned on our activities during the course of this time in the last few months, and this is normal. And of course some of our dear friends and some of our mutual friends in the area are in hiding, or even under arrest right now because of the situation. But again, they say ‘this is normal.’” In July, the U.S. Commission on International Freedom reported that more than 700 unregistered Protestant leaders were placed in police custody in the last year. The most notable arrest was made on July 18th when Pastor Zhang Mixuan and his wife were taken from their home in Beijing so that he wouldn’t be able to visit foreign officials who would be in China for the Olympics. Zhang was prohibited from visiting Beijing until August 29th when he was released. The Olympics were an exciting time for the Chinese who were proud to present their beautiful country. “Believers also felt very proud, and rightfully so, of the way their nation was presented in the world’s eyes. But they’re also quite concerned about the increasing and ongoing pressure that Christians face there,” said Moeller. Before the Olympics there was a sort of cleansing of Beijing as the games drew near. As a result, there are a lot of churches whose old leaders are no longer involved. That could push the church in one of two directions. Moeller explains: “It could have a chilling and fear-inducing effect on the church, or, and perhaps more likely, it will surface new leaders in the church and raise up an entirely new and fresh generation.” There is still hope and a positive tone, despite the hardships house church leaders are facing. They are a powerful testimony to Christian joy and perseverance, Moeller said. He asks that people pray for all the churches of China as they reach out to an intellectual and actively seeking culture. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- JUDGE RULES GOVERNOR CAN ORDER RECOGNITION OF HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGES A New York State judge dismissed a lawsuit against Gov. David A. Paterson, ruling that he acted within his power when he ordered state agencies to recognize "homosexual marriages" from outside the state. Although the decision by Justice Lucy Billings could be appealed, it nevertheless is a victory for "homosexual marriage" supporters nationwide. If Paterson's directive stands, it will mean that the nation's first (California) and third most populous states will recognize "homosexual marriages" in one form or another. The lawsuit against Paterson was filed by the Alliance Defence Fund, a pro-family group. The suit stated that the governor "does not have authority to declare which unions will be recognized as valid marriages in New York" and that such authority belongs to the legislature. But Billings disagreed, saying "homosexual marriage" is not specifically banned in New York. She ruled that Paterson's directive was a "permissible, if not mandated, step toward the objective of equality for a group for whom legal as well as practical barriers to equality persist." The Alliance Defence Fund noted that the legislature has considered the legalization of "homosexual marriage" and thus far rejected it. The Democratic-controlled New York Assembly last year passed a bill that would legalize such relationships, although it has yet to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Opponents of "homosexual marriage" also say the controversy over Paterson's directive underscores the need for states clearly to define the definition of marriage in state law. Jim Campbell, an attorney with the Alliance Defence Fund, criticized Billings' logic. "This decision enshrines the radical notion that the State of New York should forfeit its autonomy to define marriage for itself," he said, according to The New York Times. Source: Baptist Press ----------------------------------------------- GOD'S PRIORITY FOR ORPHANS God is the Father to the fatherless! One respected Swiss-based research organization estimates that, based on a survey of 88 countries, there will be 100 million orphans under the age of 15 around the world by 2010. That is huge! Half of them will be AIDS orphans. No wonder God is alerting His people to the need to care for orphans. James reminds us that what God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this – to look after orphans and widows in their distress (James 1.27). But God is also looking for more – for children who are orphans to get to know Him as their Father – to learn to hear His voice, pray, live by faith, reach out to others, plant churches and become nation changers – even by the age of 14! If children can be Olympic stars by this age then surely they can be stars for God too! We hear much about the abuse of orphans the world over. But where are the stories of those whom God has raised up? Moses was an orphan. Joseph as a child was rejected and sold as a slave by his brothers, and became separated from his family. Samuel was handed over by his mother to be raised by a priest. David was ignored by his brothers and father from an early age. Yet all of these became stalwarts of faith, trust and obedience to God, and leaders of their nation. He was their Father! God’s word also exhorts us about support for orphans. The tithe was meant for “the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow” (Deut. 26.12). Does that mean that a quarter of our tithe should be for orphans? When crops were harvested, some were to be left for the gleaners - “for the fatherless and widows”. Source: Brian Mills as supplied by Interprayer ----------------------------------------------- A CALL TO PRAYER FOR THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT PRAYER “Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3. WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT WATER “The poor and the needy are looking for water, but there is none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them. I will make rivers flow on bare hilltops. I will make springs flow through valleys, I will turn deserts into lakes. I will turn land into springs.” Isaiah 41: 17-18. WATER FACTS 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water; this is roughly one sixth of the world’s population. 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation; this is roughly two-fifths of the world’s population. 1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This amounts to around 5000 deaths a day. 97.5 percent of the earth’s water is saltwater. If the world’s water fitted into a bucket, only one teaspoonful would be drinkable. At any one time, half of the developing world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-related diseases. 40 billion working hours are spent carrying water each year in Africa. In the past 10 years diarrhoea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II. Today, the average Westerner uses 101 gallons of water a day, more than 15 times that used by many in third-world countries. Source: Intercessors Network
top of page