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Christians Urged, Equipped to Pray During Islam's Holy Month
Chinese Government Destroys Christian-Owned Factory
Former Muslims pay heavy price for faith
Modern-Orthodox Rabbis, educators, and mental-health professionals from the US and Israel issued a statement this week urging support and respect for gays and lesbians. The document, which has more than 100 signatures, was issued last week on the eve of the one-year anniversary of a deadly shooting at a gay club in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem's annual gay pride parade. While the statement, called a "Statement of Principles," condemns disrespectful behavior towards homosexuals, it does not accept homosexual acts or same-sex marriage.
The statement was initiated six months ago by a panel that included three homosexual Jewish leaders, according to the San Francisco Sentinel. While the statement is designed to be inclusive, it pushes the limits of traditional Orthodox Judaism, which continues to believe that homosexuality is an abomination, according to the Religious News Service. The statement attempts to distinguish between homosexual acts, which are forbidden by the Torah, and people with homosexual orientation, who deserve respect and kindness.
According to Haaretz, the statement says that, "Jews with homosexual orientations or same sex-attractions should be welcomed as full members of the synagogue and school community." The statement also points out that while Orthodox Judaism does not condone homosexual acts, sexual orientation is unrelated "to our obligation to treat human beings with same-sex attractions and orientations with dignity and respect." LINK
'Based on Pew's figures, one out of every four persons in the world today is Muslim.'
As Muslims around the world marked the start of Ramadan on Wednesday, Christians were urged to make a deliberate effort to learn about, pray for, and reach out to Muslim neighbors across the street and around the world during Islam’s holiest month.
For the next 30 days, Muslims around the world will fast, pray, give to charity, and put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. From dawn to dusk, Muslims will try to abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse. They will also try to overcome emotions such as anger, envy, greed, lust, sarcasm, and gossip in their effort for self-control.
“They believe this is a time of purification accomplished through good deeds and self control,” remarked Christian ministry Open Doors, which is one of several groups mobilizing Christians in prayer this month.
And many Muslims during this time have visions of Jesus and are led to faith in him, the ministry added.
“This is why it is so urgent for Christians to be united in prayer throughout Ramadan,” Open Doors stated.
To equip Christians to pray for Muslims, Open Doors USA is offering a Ramadan Prayer Calendar that has multiple prayers points to help enable Christians to pray for Muslims around the world during the 30 days. READ MORE
Last September, a mob of over 200 men led by a Chinese Communist official injured at least thirty people and demolished a Christian-owned factory in Linfen, along with its house church, Worthy News learned on August 11.
The Gospel Shoe Factory was owned and operated by Christians. Although it had a building permit, and its business license current, it also operated as a house church, and thus Chinese officials deemed it was illegal. In China, all house churches are required by law to be registered and is assigned a government appointed body that oversees the groups activities.
A mob of over 200 men, led by a communist party official and supported by uniformed police stormed the factory, assaulted the sixty workers and demolished the factory using bulldozers and excavators. The workers, who sleep at the factory, were woken at 3 am on a Sunday morning and dragged from their beds by the mob.
Workers were brutally attacked and injured, including fractured legs and head injuries due to being clubbed. Over thirty people were taken to local hospitals by car and tractors.
MOST VIOLENT ATTACK IN RECENT TIMES
This was the most violent attack on a house church in China in a decade, says Li Fangping, a Beijing lawyer who later defended one of the church leaders.
This has been seen as one of the most violent attacks in Chinas ongoing campaign against Christians in China. It is believed that the communist party, which has only 70 million registered members, is growing wary of the explosion of house churches across the country, considering that there are now an estimated 100 million Christians, a number which is growing rapidly.
GROWTH IN HOUSE CHURCHES SEEN AS A THREAT
Speaking about House Churches, Li Fangping was quoted as saying The government is beginning to realize that theyre beyond their control. Protestant Christianity is experiencing explosive growth both in the countryside and in the cities at a rate estimated to be above seven percent annually. And the government can neither stop them, nor control them.
The government has long held the belief that religion is nothing but "superstition and foolishness" and that as China modernizes and becomes a world power, that religion would fade away. Instead the contrary has occurred and religious belief, especially in Christianity, is growing.
What troubles Chinas central government is the fact that the house churches are growing into a potentially formidable force with leadership, organizational structures, independent financing and a loyal and growing following.
The Gospel Shoe Factory is an example of "freedom of religion" in China, and a business based on Christian Principles, with independent funding, that is seen as a threat by the communist party. The government has recently held closed door conferences in order to decide a way forward with regard to the growth of Christianity and the explosion of house churches springing up around China. SOURCE
Christian Persecution ~
In more than 40 nations around the world today Christians are being persecuted for their faith.
In some of these nations it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus.
Those who boldly follow Christ—in spite of government edict or radical opposition—can face harassment, arrest, torture and even death. Yet Christians continue to meet for worship and to witness for Christ, and the church in restricted nations is growing.
Areas of the world where Christians face persecution include:
Afghanistan Egypt Libya Somalia
Algeria Eritrea Malaysia Sri Lanka
Azerbaijan Ethiopia Maldives Sudan
Bangladesh Gaza and the West Bank Mindanao, Philippines Syria
Belarus India Mauritania Tajikistan
Bhutan Indonesia Morocco Tibet (China)
Brunei Iran Nepal Tunisia
Burma (Myanmar) Iraq Nigeria Turkey
Chiapas, Mexico Jordan North Korea Turkmenistan
China Kuwait Oman United Arab Emirates
Colombia Kyrgyzstan Pakistan Uzbekistan
Comoros Laos Qatar Vietnam
Cuba Lebanon Saudi Arabia Yemen
For more information on these countries and persecution worldwide, sign on at:
Uzbekistan Jails Baptists, Threatens Church
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Worthy News)-- Police in Uzbekistan jailed ten Baptists for three to five days, and fining them 80 times the monthly minimum wage, according to a religious rights group, Worthy News learned on Monday, August 9.
Forum 18 said that Uzbekistan continues short-term jailing of prisoners of conscience and large fines against Christians meeting together. Twenty-three people, including small children were detained, after Uzbekistan police raided a house church last week.
House Church Raided
The Baptists from an unregistered church had gathered at the home of Yuriy Garmashev, in Tashkents Mirzo-Ulugbek District on July 28, to celebrate the spiritual birthday of a church member, according to the Forum 18 report. They were involved in nothing illegal, but having tea and spiritual songs. Source
Vietnamese officials incite youth to attack Christian house church
A group of youths attacked recently a Christian house church in a Vietnam village while a worship service was ongoing.
They gang broke into the house of evangelist Mang Vuong, smashed the walls, stole over $3,000, and destroyed furniture, books and utensils while jeering at Vuong for building his Xi Thoai village home which doubles as a house church, Compass Direct News said.
The same youth gang had long been harassing Vuong and sending death threats. Vuong works for the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, the country’s largest government registered denomination, CDN said.
They formerly were part of a Christian church at Soi Nga village nearby. However as the church grew the leaders decided to build a roomy home to double as a church in Xi Thoai village, CDN said.
A month before its completion the house was attacked by the youth for the first time. In a June 12 petition sent by Vuong to officials of the commune, district and province, he states that the youth had been assembled by village officials three days before where they were given liquor, then attacked the house at midnight, CDN said.
Many among the attackers were sons of commune officials. The petition mentioned village chief La Mo Duc and his deputy Le Minh Dien (both Communist Party leaders) among others, for inciting the gang to mount the attack, CDN said.
Make New York mosque an interfaith center
(CNN) -- The United States must resolve what I call the Great American Conundrum by clarifying its policy toward Muslims. It cannot treat its Muslim citizens as second-class citizens at home and hope to win them over abroad.
American Muslims complain of their second-class status by pointing out that their religion and houses of worship can be attacked with near impunity. When they do object, they are told that this kind of abuse is a small price to pay for living in a free society. Yet it is blatantly clear that only Islam is being attacked in such a crass fashion. It is virtually unimaginable to hear of any other ethnic or religious group being so targeted without an uproar.
The conundrum came into being on 9/11. That day, we saw how 19 men could plunge two world civilizations into world confrontation. They succeeded in creating conflict between America and the Muslim world, and almost 10 years later, nothing but a big black hole remains where the World Trade Center once stood. Muslims have not fully understood how deeply symbolic 9/11 has become for Americans. They have neither forgotten nor have many forgiven.
Now a plan to create an Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center has exacerbated tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims. The imam behind the center is a well-meaning and scholarly man who did not clearly think of the consequences of his actions. Most Americans see the befuddled actions of the imam as rubbing salt in their raw wounds. Non-Muslims are already threatening to blow up the center as soon as it is constructed. MORE
