Church // Current

10 Common Misunderstandings of the Catholic Church EXPLAINED!

why are there so many misunderstandings regarding the Catholic Church and the areas... more

eva2
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The Atheist Recruiting Machine

From subway ads to “Blasphemy Day,” nonbelievers are proselytizing louder than... more

atomiclegion
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15,000 Bibles seized in Malaysia

Malaysian authorities have confiscated more than 15,000 Bibles in recent months... more

eva2
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Concentration camps

Among the silence of the press and taking advantage of the ignorance of most of the... more

hyperion74
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11 days ago
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The French Government Has a Cult-Fighting Unit?

Cult Busters How governments decide whether a religion is real or not. A French... more

atomiclegion
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11 days ago
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Church Burning Bibles on Halloween

Church ib West NC will be burning Bibles which are not Authentic King James; scheduled... more

wncchase
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13 days ago
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Paul Haggis Ditches Scientology

After 35 years as a member of the Church of Scientology, Paul Haggis is calling it... more

TrevTar
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14 days ago
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Five ways churches can fill the pews

Nashville-based Christian youth ministry Rocketown has a unique way to attract youth... more

CGrantham
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17 days ago
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Andrew Bird Plots North American Church Tour

Still in the midst a North American tour, Andrew Bird has announced additional U.S.... more

CarlosG
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18 days ago
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Vatican Lures Anglicans Back into Fold

Story Highlights * Vatican opens door to disillusioned Anglicans wanting to join... more

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20 days ago
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Churches involved in torture, murder of thousands of African children denounced as witches

EKET, Nigeria (AP) — The nine-year-old boy lay on a bloodstained hospital sheet crawling with ants, staring blindly at the wall.

His family pastor had accused him of being a witch, and his father then tried to force acid down his throat as an exorcism. It spilled as he struggled, burning away his face and eyes. The emaciated boy barely had strength left to whisper the name of the church that had denounced him — Mount Zion Lighthouse.

A month later, he died.

Nwanaokwo Edet was one of an increasing number of children in Africa accused of witchcraft by pastors and then tortured or killed, often by family members. Pastors were involved in half of 200 cases of "witch children" reviewed by the AP, and 13 churches were named in the case files.

Some of the churches involved are renegade local branches of international franchises. Their parishioners take literally the Biblical exhortation, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

"It is an outrage what they are allowing to take place in the name of Christianity," said Gary Foxcroft, head of nonprofit Stepping Stones Nigeria.

For their part, the families are often extremely poor, and sometimes even relieved to have one less mouth to feed. Poverty, conflict and poor education lay the foundation for accusations, which are then triggered by the death of a relative, the loss of a job or the denunciation of a pastor on the make, said Martin Dawes, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund.

"When communities come under pressure, they look for scapegoats," he said. "It plays into traditional beliefs that someone is responsible for a negative change ... and children are defenseless."

The idea of witchcraft is hardly new, but it has taken on new life recently partly because of a rapid growth in evangelical Christianity. Campaigners against the practice say around 15,000 children have been accused in two of Nigeria's 36 states over the past decade and around 1,000 have been murdered. In the past month alone, three Nigerian children accused of witchcraft were killed and another three were set on fire.

Nigeria is one of the heartlands of abuse, but hardly the only one: the United Nations Children's Fund says tens of thousands of children have been targeted throughout Africa.

...More...EKET, Nigeria (AP) — The nine-year-old boy lay on a bloodstained hospital sheet... more

tcmfan08
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22 days ago
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Signallers Club of Canada - Signals Links

THE LITTLE PRINCE, WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY TO LEON WERTH... more

Gilbert_Schramm
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23 days ago
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A VIABLE SOLUTION TO WORLD HUNGER?

It takes Silverman a minute to get to the punchline, but it's worth the wait. Brilliant!

Betico
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27 days ago
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How the Church can Save the State

As we walk out of Kibera, the world’s largest slum, we leave behind the burning smells of feces, dead animals and waste. The sound of the 400 children playing at the school slowly fades with each step, as we weave around “poop river.” We have made our way out of the slum and the group's psyche mirrors the slight incline of the terrain as we shift from grim to cheery. We stop on a one-acre plot, the hills peak. As we turn back we’re overlooking the endless sea of tin-roofed shacks that make up Kibera and the green, opulent land that lay around it.

I am not a particularly religious person, definitely not someone who goes to church every Sunday and never was. The only downfall to going on my lifelong dream trip to Africa was that the group leader, Sandy Baird, was “concerned it won’t be a trip you’d enjoy,” he emailed. I was introduced to MANNA Worldwide and chairman Sandy Baird through a high school friend via e-mail and at the time only read that it was a non-profit organization, which raises money to feed needy children. I later discovered the group traveling to Tanzania and Kenya consisted of my non-religious self, and 15 Baptists from Houston, TX, but that wasn’t going to stop me. Once I’d seen pictures of my friend’s experience, I too wanted to smell, taste and feel all things Africa. I too wanted to do my part.

MANNA Worldwide was created in 2001 with the help of Sandy Baird and his wife Karen, who continue to serve on the original board to this day. In 1992 the Baird’s took a trip with best friends Vernon and Mary Smith, each couple bringing along their two young children. The families started their trip in Arusha, Tanzania where the Smiths related so much to the people’s moral and spiritual beliefs, they later decided to call it home. They have lived in Arusha for nearly 17 years where they raised their two children and have worked religiously, both physically and mentally, to help build the “Bible Baptist Academy” church, school and MANNA Clinic. In a matter of 7 years, the Smiths significant presence in Arusha has helped create jobs for locals, medicine for the community, a belief system and hope for a better future for the children.

The families trip continued on to Nairobi, Kenya where Sandy and Karen Baird were anxious to visit a place they’d heard so much about, one of the world’s largest slums: Kibera. The second anyone enters Kibera you immediately notice the strong divide between Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya, and Kibera where 1.5 million slum dwellers live within a 1.5 mile radius. The Baird's knew they wanted to do something, but “what” and “how” are the most common questions organizations ask when faced with the daunting task of helping Kibera. Some people give up with helplessness, others find a quick fix, but over time the Baird's saw how their belief system was instilled in Arusha and decided to implement the same plan in Kibera.

Before the Baird’s came to town, the Baptist church and school children would not wear their uniforms, got into regular fights and wouldn’t take education seriously. The school had lost all faith and faced extinction when MANNA began to partner with the Baird’s and changed the name of the school, appropriately, to “New Hope.”

The “New Hope Baptist Church and School” is at its maximum capacity with 400 students caged in a 2,000 square foot radius surrounded by barbwire fence and a gate. With average salaries of 1 USD daily, most parents can’t afford the 5 USD annual tuition for their children to attend school five days a week and be fed three meals per day. MANNA Worldwide has recently began scholarship programs for passing students, helping some to reach a college level education.

Relying heavily on active members such as the Baird’s, MANNA Worldwide receives zero government funding and gives 97.4% of its income directly to the children. The Baird’s have raised money, purchased and are now contracting builders for the new church and school site to rest on theAs we walk out of Kibera, the world’s largest slum, we leave behind the burning... more