AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER * INDONESIA: SHARIA-BASED LAWS CREEP INTO HALF OF PROVINCES * BRITISH NURSE SUSPENDED FOR OFFERING TO PRAY FOR HER PATIENTS * THE CHANGING CHURCH - TELEVANGELISM EMPIRE IN CHAOS OVER FAMILY SPLIT * INDULGENCE OF ISLAM IS HARMING SOCIETY * CHILDREN PLACED WITH HOMOSEXUAL COUPLE INSTEAD OF WILLING GRANDPARENTS * SRI-LANKAN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS ----------------------------------------------- INDONESIA: SHARIA-BASED LAWS CREEP INTO HALF OF PROVINCES As candidates hit the campaign trail in preparation for Indonesia’s presidential election in July, rights groups have voiced strong opposition to an increasing number of sharia-inspired laws introduced by local governments. They say the laws discriminate against religious minorities and violate Indonesia’s policy of Pancasila, or “unity in diversity.” With legislative elections coming in April and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono likely to form a coalition with several Islamic parties for the July presidential election, such laws could become a key campaign issue. Sixteen of 32 provinces have passed laws influenced by sharia. These laws vary widely in form. In Padang, both Muslim and non-Muslim women are required to wear headscarves, while a law in Tangerang allows women found “loitering” alone on the street after 10.00 pm to be arrested and charged with prostitution. Other laws include stipulate Quran literacy among schoolchildren and severe punishment for adultery, alcoholism and gambling. This is unacceptable because it is not in line with the pluralism that the constitution recognizes,” according to some lawyers. Last August, Dr. Mohammad Mahfud, newly re-elected as head of the Constitutional Court, slammed regional administrations for enacting sharia-inspired laws. “These laws are not constitutionally or legally correct because, territorially and ideologically, they threaten our national integrity,” he said. Mahfud contended that if Indonesia allowed sharia-based laws, “then Bali can pass a Hindu bylaw, or North Sulawesi can have a Christian ordinance. If each area fights for a religious-based ordinance, then we face a national integration problem. Under the Regional Autonomy Law, the central government has the power to block provincial laws but showed little willingness to do so until recently when it pledged to review 37 sharia-based ordinances deemed discriminatory and at odds with the constitution. Such reviews are politically sensitive and must be done on sound legal grounds. Advocates of sharia laws stress its divine origin and resist challenges that are based on constitutional grounds. “They maintain sharia is authorized directly by God, and political opposition is viewed as apostasy or blasphemy.” Analysts believe Yudhoyono will need to form a coalition with most of the country’s Islamic parties in order to win a majority vote. The coalition formed however could come with strings attached. In 2004, Yudhoyono partnered with a number of minority parties and the PKS to achieve his majority vote. PKS is again expected to be a key player in this election. PKS draws its ideology from the Muslim Brotherhood, which believes in Islamic world dominance. PKS leaders are also vocal supporters of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Crushed by the Egyptian government in the 1960s, members of the Brotherhood fled to Saudi Arabia, where they taught in the nation’s universities, influencing the future founders of Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Sudan’s National Islamic Front. The Brotherhood took root at a university in West Java in the 1970s in the form of Tarbiyah, a secretive student movement that eventually morphed into the Justice Party (JP) in 1998. Winning few votes, JP allied itself with a second party to form the PKS prior to the 2004 elections. Since then, PKS has gained widespread support. Source: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission ----------------------------------------------- BRITISH NURSE SUSPENDED FOR OFFERING TO PRAY FOR HER PATIENTS Caroline Petrie, a committed Christian, has been accused by her employers of failing to demonstrate a "personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity". She faces disciplinary action and could lose her job. Mrs Petrie, a married mother of two, says she has been left shocked and upset by the action taken against her. She insists she has never forced her own religious beliefs on anyone but politely inquired if the elderly patient she was treating wanted her to pray for her – either in the woman's presence or after the nurse had left the patient's home. "I can't believe I have been suspended over this. All I was trying to do is help my patients, many of whom want me to pray for them," she said. Mrs Petrie, 45, is a community nurse employed to carry out home visits to sick and elderly patients. The incident in question took place at the home of a woman patient. "I had spent about 20 mins with her applying dressings to her legs. I said to her: 'Would you like me to pray for you?'. "She said 'No, thank you.' And I said: 'OK.' I only offered to pray for her because I was concerned about her welfare." However, after the incident she was contacted by the trust and asked to explain her actions. Mrs Petrie will not disclose the woman's name or reveal the precise nature of her ailment because it would breach patient confidentiality. Mrs Petrie said she was initially confronted the next day by a nursing sister who said the patient had been taken aback by her question about prayer. "I said: 'I am sorry. Did I offend or upset her?' The sister said: 'No, no. She was just a bit taken back. You must be aware of your professional code of conduct. I would be careful.' "But the next day my coordinator left a message on my home phone and I realised this had been taken further." Mrs Petrie said that she often offers to pray for her patients and that many take her up on it. The nurse has been a committed Christian since she was ten – after her mother died of breast cancer. Initially, she was Church of England but she switched to the Baptist faith nine years ago. "My faith is very important to me," she said. Mrs Petrie has already taken legal advice from the Christian Legal Centre, which seeks to promote religious freedom and, particularly, to protect Christians and Christianity who are backing this case all the way. A spokesman for North Somerset Primary Care Trust said: "Caroline Petrie has been suspended pending an investigation into the matter. "She has been told we will not be using her again until the outcome of our investigation is known. "We always take any concerns raised by our patients most seriously and conscientiously investigate any matter of this nature brought to our attention." STOP PRESS:As we go to press news has come through that Mrs Petrie has been reinstated by her employer. North Somerset Primary Care Trust, have issued a statement saying they recognized that Mrs Petrie had been acting in the "best interests of her patients" and that nurses did not have to "set aside their faith" in the workplace, and could "continue to offer high quality care for patients while remaining committed to their beliefs." We Praise God that the pressure applied by concerned Christians in this case has resulted in common sense prevailing. Source: UK Telegraph ----------------------------------------------- THE CHANGING CHURCH - TELEVANGELISM EMPIRE IN CHAOS OVER FAMILY SPLIT Once one of America's most popular televangelists, Robert Schuller is watching his life's work crumble. His son and recent successor, Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, a program that has been on the air for more than three decades. The church is in financial turmoil: It plans to sell more than $65 million worth of property to pay off debt. Revenue dropped by $5 million last year, according to a recent letter from the elder Schuller to donors. "The final months of 2008 were devastating for our ministry," the 82-year-old pastor wrote. It is clear that the elder Schuller's carefully orchestrated leadership transition, has stumbled badly. It's a problem common to personality driven ministries. Most have collapsed or been greatly diminished after their founders left the pulpit or died said Nancy Ammerman, a sociologist of religion at Boston University. Church-based televangelism led by powerful personalities filled TV in the 1980s, but now only a handful of shows remain. The elder Schuller founded his ministry in a drive-in theatre in 1955. He studied marketing strategies to attract worshippers and preached a feel-good Christianity, describing himself as a "possibility thinker" and spinning his upbeat style into a 10,000-member church and a broadcast watched by millions worldwide. The younger Schuller's 2006 appointment was sanctioned by the Crystal Cathedral's parent denomination, the Reformed Church in America. The church has since instituted a rotating roster of high-profile guest preachers, including Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church, the Chicago-area megachurch, and evangelist Luis Palau. Schuller Sr.'s daughters and sons-in-law remain involved in the church, some in key roles. But Juan Carlos Ortiz, the interim senior pastor, hopes to appoint a senior pastor with no ties to the Schuller family within two years. Source: OneNewsNow ----------------------------------------------- INDULGENCE OF ISLAM IS HARMING SOCIETY Islam is the fastest-growing religion in Britain. The number of Muslims has grown from 1.6 million to two million since 2000. Moreover, every major public institution has changed its policies to accommodate the demands of Islamic "community leaders". The Government, the Opposition, the police, schools, the Church of England, the BBC and now Channel 4 are all helping Muslims construct a parallel Islamic state. One school website links to al-Qaeda; another directs pupils to a scholar who advocates the murder of Jews. Self-censorship is crucial to this growing separatism. The BBC's director-general, Mark Thompson, says that Muslims should be treated more sensitively than Christians. In America, Random House cancelled publication of Sherry Jones's novel The Jewel of Medina, about Mohammed's six-year-old bride Ayisha. But Martin Ryna of Gibson Square in London did agree to publish. Three men were subsequently charged with conspiring to damage his home. Islamic groups have threatened Borders bookshops with violence if they sell the novel. Although most Muslims do not condone such attacks, many believe that Islam should enjoy privileged status. A report commissioned by the Home Office recommended special treatment for Muslim children; Muslim oversight of policing methods; and a new etiquette in which Islamist terrorism would be referred to as "criminal" rather than religiously inspired. There were also hints that British Muslims should be allowed an unofficial veto over foreign policy. The Government backed away from some of the more extreme demands, however others have been met. Sharia law has now begun to encroach into public life. Muslim Arbitration Tribunals (MATs) have been set up. In theory, these bodies are just a form of "alternative dispute resolution" and cannot deal with criminal offences yet they can assist police with domestic violence "with a view to pressing criminal charges". The Government is also anxious to attract Muslim investment by regulating British banking, which requires them to grant legal recognition to Sharia. For the first time in decades, religion is moulding public life in Britain; but that religion is not Christianity. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- CHILDREN PLACED WITH HOMOSEXUAL COUPLE INSTEAD OF WILLING GRANDPARENTS British grandparents, wanting to adopt their own grandchildren, have been refused permission, with the children adopted instead by two homosexual men. For two years the grandparents fought for their right to care for the children, a 5 year old boy and 4 year old girl, whose mother is a recovering heroin addict. But at 46 and 59 they were ruled to be too old to adopt. They reluctantly agreed to the children being adopted by another couple, on the basis they would be brought up by a loving mother and father figure. But although several heterosexual couples were available to adopt them, the children were handed over instead to two homosexual men. When the devastated grandparents objected they were threatened that unless they dropped their opposition they would never see their grandchildren again on account of their ‘negative’ attitude towards homosexual adoption. I believe no-one should be discriminated against simply on the grounds of his or her sexuality. That does not mean, however, that homosexual lifestyles must be regarded as of equal value to heterosexual households when it comes to the raising of children. Tolerance has turned into gross intolerance; and upholding human rights has turned into an onslaught upon human rights. The hapless Scottish grandparents are but the latest victims of a dogma that represents an attack on justice, humanity and common-sense. Source: Melanie Phillips writing for Mail Online ----------------------------------------------- SRI-LANKAN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS The Sri Lankan Parliament may soon enact laws to restrict religious conversions. A final vote on a draft “Bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions” is expected this month. The provisions of the bill criminalize any act to convert or attempt to convert a person from one religion to another by the use of force, fraud or allurement. Those found guilty of breaking the law could be imprisoned for up to seven years and/or fined up to 500,000 rupees (US$4,425). Civil rights groups and Christian churches say it will infringe on the constitutional rights of freedom of religion and legitimize harassment of religious minorities. Sri Lankan Christians have repeatedly expressed concern that key sections of the draft bill are open to wide and subjective interpretation that could criminalize not only legitimate religious activity but also legitimate social action by faith-based organizations or individuals. Many Christians are now expected to think twice before helping the poor or needy, for fear of being accused of committing a criminal act. Source: Intercessors Network http://www.ausprayernet.org.au/ Feb 2009
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