-
-
America is not a Christian nation. Think about it.
There are many zealous evangelical leaders in the U.S. who proclaim America was founded on Christianity and that their faith alone should determine the way the government runs -- on "Christian principles." But these high-profile evangelical Christian leaders are wrong. There are many zealous evangelical leaders in the U.S. who proclaim America was founded on Christianity and that their faith alone sho... more
-
Bill Maher Pt. 1 | The Daily Show | Comedy Central
Bill Maher says the tenets of Scientology are no crazier than Christianity.
-
Nun Gang Raped in India by Religious Fanatics
We all know that Christians are no more safe in India. According to the Indian Religious Fundamentalist group “All Christians in Gujrat should be headed”. The most and the brutal incident was when a nun was gang raped by religious fanatics. This incident occurred in the village of Nawapada at the convent of the Foreign Missionary Sisters. The convent provided medical help and facilities to the rural areas. The Catholic nun and the priests who resisted to these inhumane and outrageous acts of the extremists were being assaulted. We all know that Christians are no more safe in India. According to the Indian Religious Fundamentalist group “All Christians in Gujr... more
-
Iraqi Christians protest end to legislative quotas
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's prime minister sought safeguards Sunday for small religious communities in this mainly Muslim country as Christians protested parliament's decision to stop setting aside seats for minorities on provincial councils.
In Baghdad, a series of explosions struck mostly Shiite areas, killing at least 32 people and wounding nearly 100, police said. The attacks appeared aimed at reviving sectarian tensions that once threatened to plunge the nation into civil war.
Parliament last week approved a new law mandating elections in most of Iraq's 18 provinces. But the law removed a system that reserved a few legislative seats for Christians and other religious minorities.
Lawmakers cited a lack of census data to determine what the quotas should be. But many Christians saw the move as an effort to marginalize their community.
"I think that some political groups are pushing the remaining Christians to leave Iraq," worshipper Afram Razzaq-Allah said after services at a Catholic church in Baghdad. "They want us to feel that we are no longer Iraqis."
In a letter sent to parliament Sunday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appealed to the legislators and the electoral commission to restore the quota system.
"The minorities should be fairly represented in the provincial councils and their rights should be guaranteed," al-Maliki wrote.
Hundreds of Christians staged street protests after Sunday church services in and around Mosul, a northern city where many of the country's Christians live. Some said the removal of the quotas is an attempt to force them to leave Iraq.
"This is an unjust decision and it affects our rights as Christians," Matti Galia, a local politician, said at a rally in Mosul. "We are original citizens in this country. The politicians' goal was to divide the Iraqi people and create more struggles. Indirectly, they are telling us to leave Iraq."
Iraq's Christians have been targeted by Muslim militants since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, with priests, churches and Christian-owned businesses attacked. The violence has led many Christians to flee the country.
Sectarian violence has receded since U.S. troop reinforcements were sent in last year. However, U.S. commanders have warned that extremist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq are still trying to rekindle sectarian warfare to undermine the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
The string of explosions in the capital Sunday began near sundown as Muslims were preparing for Iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's prime minister sought safeguards Sunday for small religious communities in this mainly Muslim country as C... more -
Obama effigy hung from tree at US Christian college
Officials at a US Christian college have launched an investigation after a cardboard effigy of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was hung from a tree, a statement said Wednesday.
George Fox University, in Newberg, Oregon, said in a statement on its website that the cutout of Obama was found hanging from a tree on campus early Tuesday morning before being removed by staff.
A sign reading "Act Six reject" was taped to the cutout. Act Six is a scholarship program run by the college granted to 10 student leaders from urban Portland. Most of the students currently benefiting from the program are ethnic minorities, the statement said.
George Fox University President Robin Baker was to address the college's 1,800-strong undergraduate body later Wednesday.
"We will not tolerate such displays and condemn it in the strongest terms," Baker said in a statement.
The people responsible for the incident have not been identified, the statement said, but authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Obama_effigy_hung_from_tre... Officials at a US Christian college have launched an investigation after a cardboard effigy of Democratic presidential candidate Barac... more -
Fundamentalist Christians attack anti-homophobic bullying group
An academic conference organised by a group that works to fight homophobic bullying in British schools has been attacked by fundamentalist Christians, who "exposed" the event.
The Christian Institute is a small but vocal group who have made a name for themselves with high profile campaigns against equality for gay people. The recent story was picked up by the Daily Mail under the headline "Teach the 'pleasure of gay sex' to children as young as five, say researchers." The Christian Institute’s Simon Calvert said: "When an adult who is working in a primary school suggests that children should explore their sexuality, that should result in a complaint to the police." Patricia Morgan, a sociologist and author of books supporting the "traditional" family structures, is quoted in the Christian Institute story. "The proposal is that primary school classrooms should be turned into gay saunas," she claimed. “This is about homosexual practice in junior schools. The idiots who repealed Section 28 should consider that this is where it has got them.”
In reality the seminar at Exeter University, entitled Queering the Body; Queering Primary Education, has no connection with sex education whatsoever. It is being run by No Outsiders, who work in 14 primary schools and receive £600,000 of state funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. The group, made up of academics from Sunderland University, give schools, local authorities and teacher-training institutions sexualities equality training and resources, including a wide range of children's literature.
Dr Elizabeth Atkinson from No Outsiders told the Daily Telegraph: "The seminar is part of a long-standing academic debate and has nothing to do with schools." An academic conference organised by a group that works to fight homophobic bullying in British schools has been attacked by fundamenta... more -
'You float my ark': dating workshops for Christian singles
A new series of workshops offers to help Christians to improve their dating skills from chat-up lines to body language.
Dwindling congregations and a lack of experience in relationships have left many churchgoers struggling to find a partner. Jackie Elton, founder of the workshop agency, said that the number of people using Christian dating sites has doubled over the past year. "There's been a massive rise in internet dating sites as Christians are struggling to find a partner in church," she said. "They know what they want, but many congregations are too small or have a gender imbalance that makes it really difficult for them. As a result they are not getting the kind of experience they need and that's why they are turning to the workshops."
Peter Spalton, known as the dating doctor, said that churchgoers tended to be more reserved and could benefit from tips on how to appear more attractive. Lessons include how to greet someone, how to hold good eye contact and how to judge whether the other person wants to be kissed at the end of the evening.
"The first meeting is crucial in making or breaking a relationship," said Mr Spalton. "The workshops are all about giving people the confidence to make their date a success. They go through the whole process of what is acceptable to talk about and when it is appropriate to try to take things to the next level."
Mr Spalton said that chat-up lines can be a good way to make someone laugh and feel relaxed, but that some Christian jokes might not be well received. Among those highlighted as best to avoid by Christian Connections - an online dating agency - are one-liners such as "You float my ark" and "I didn't believe in predestination until tonight".
Christian Connections asked churchgoers for chat up lines that they had used, or that had been used on them. Examples included:
'Now I know why Solomon had 700 wives. He never met you.'
'Is this pew taken?'
'My parents are home, wanna come over?'
'Is that a thinline, duo-tone, compact, ESV travel bible in your pocket?'
'Let me sell you an indulgence - it's a sin to look as good as you.'
'How many times do I have to walk around you before you fall for me?"
'I like to arrange the substantial Christian section of my bookshelf into alphabetical order. Coffee?"
'The name is Will. God's Will.' A new series of workshops offers to help Christians to improve their dating skills from chat-up lines to body language. ... more -
Christina Hendricks on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Once again busty Christina Hendricks looks so great. Lovely red hair, pale skin, and terrific facial features with those awesome big boobs really make Christina Hendricks the most adorable redhead in TV. Just gotta love ladies who don't try to hide what they have got. Being extremely beautiful and busty does not make you any less talented actress, even if you decide to show it to the world. Once again busty Christina Hendricks looks so great. Lovely red hair, pale skin, and terrific facial features with those awesome big b... more
-
Indian Maoists kill Hindus over Christian conversions
BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Suspected Maoists killed a senior Hindu leader and four others in a remote eastern Indian village, an attack that police said may be linked to a controversy over religious conversions in the area.
Armed men raided a Hindu school in Orissa's rural Kandhamal district on Saturday and killed five people, including an octogenarian leader linked to India's main opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The remote, forested region is a hotbed of religious tensions between hardline Hindus who accuse Christian priests of bribing poor tribespeople and low-caste Hindus to change their faith.
Christian groups say lower-caste Hindus who convert do so willingly to escape the highly stratified and oppressive Hindu caste system.
Tensions came to a head on Christmas Eve last year when fights broke out in which one person was killed and churches and temples were damaged.
The region is a stronghold of Maoist rebels and police say they have evidence to link the guerrillas to Saturday's attack. BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Suspected Maoists killed a senior Hindu leader and four others in a remote eastern Indian village, an a... more -
China confiscates Bibles from American Christians
Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four American Christians who arrived in a southwestern city with plans to distribute them, the group's leader said.
"I heard that there's freedom of religion in China, so why is there a problem for us to bring Bibles?" Klein said. "We had over 300 copies and customs took all of them from us."
The move comes as China hosts the Olympics in Beijing, where false media reports last year claimed Bibles would be banned from the games. The state-run China Daily reported last month that 10,000 bilingual copies of the Bible would be distributed in the Olympic Village, which houses athletes and media. Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four American Christians who arrived in a southwestern city ... more -
Jihadist cells urged to target Canadians
A virulent Al-Qa'ida website has issued a new call for followers to kill Canadians and other westerners and attack oil and economic targets.
The message on the password-protected al-Ekhlaas.net forum was posted July 7, the third anniversary of the London transit massacre. The website is a favoured site of hardcore jihadists.
Experts are debating the significance of the latest al-Ekhlaas threat calling for the targeting of Christians, especially those from Canada the U.S., Britain, Spain, Australia and Italy.
Most unsettling, perhaps, is the instructional nature of the posting. Details of the Arabic-language posting, titled "Clandestine work inside the city," were recently translated and reported by the Jamestown Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank.
Under the nom de guerre Abu Hajar Abdul Aziz al-Moqrin (the former leader of Al-Qa'ida's Saudi wing killed in 2004), the posting explains how a four-unit jihadist cell should be properly trained in urban terror warfare before activation.
Further, the intelligence cell that collects information on a target must not know the purpose of the information. Al-Moqrin warns jihadists not to attack religious figures because it harms the cause. Instead, urban cells should seek economic targets, such as Jewish investments in Muslim countries, international companies, international economic experts, exports from "Crusader countries" and raw materials being "stolen from Muslim countries by the enemies," with al-Moqrin calling for attacks on oil wells, pipelines and oil tankers.
Terrorism experts are divided on the message's import.
"The reference to Canada is fairly peripheral and embedded in a broad anti-'kufar' (non-believer) strategy targeting Jews, Christians, apostate Muslim leaders, and 'secular officials,' " said Wesley Wark, a security expert. "The main interest in the story would seem to me the effort taken on some jihadi websites to try to encourage professionalism and clandestinity in terrorist operations."
Martin Rudner, founding director of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies, believes the specific threat to oil interests and possibly overseas corporate executives is worrying, especially for Canadian energy interests in such places as Yemen, where the offices of Calgary-based Nexen Inc. were shaken by a bomb blast in April. A virulent Al-Qa'ida website has issued a new call for followers to kill Canadians and other westerners and attack oil and econom... more -
Gay sex is a sin, say most Protestants in the U.K
"Most Protestant Christians in Britain believe gay sex is a sin and that practising gays should not be ordained, according to a new survey.
A survey of 517 Christians found that only 3% of non-Catholic Christians believe homosexuality is not a sin, while 81% say it is and 15% say “it is more complicated than this”, reports The Times.
Taking into account all Protestant denominations, 81% believe that gay sex is sinful.
The survey was published as the Government granted asylum to a leading Nigerian gay Christian activist, Davis MacIyalla.
The Archbishop, preaching at St Dunstan's Church in Canterbury this week, had some criticism for the Church: "Our Anglican family badly needs to find some ways of resolving its internal tensions that will set it free to be more confidently what God wants it to be.""
How does your religion affect your view of gay people? "Most Protestant Christians in Britain believe gay sex is a sin and that practising gays should not be ordained, according to a n... more -
11 Mistakes That We Make As Parents
Parenting is the most important thing that we will ever do. Here are some suggestions for finding success as a parent.
-
Nigeria's all-Gay Church
In Nigeria, homosexuality is still both a major religious and social taboo. Nevertheless, the 'House of Rainbow' church is nw defying local prejudices, and contains an entirely gay congregation (though is not exclusively for homsexuals).
Jide Macaulay, the Church's Pastor, speaks of the need to "reconcile sexuality and spirituality" saying that his church's aim is to correct the self-image of gay people, who in Nigeria "are told that they are an abomination", or "children of the devil."
However in contrast to their openness inside the Church, most homosexuals in Nigeria are still forced to keep their sexuality a secret in everyday life, and live in fear of homophobic attacks, as well as the law: in Nigeria, the most liberal punishment for "homosexual acts" is 14 years in prison. This seems lenient however, when you compare it to the north of the country where, under Sharia law, homosexuals can be stoned to death.
Similar divisions to those in the UK and US have arisen in Nigeria's Anglican church, with anti-gay conservatives also threatening to separate in defiance of gay marriages performed by the Church in other countries. In Nigeria, homosexuality is still both a major religious and social taboo. Nevertheless, the 'House of Rainbow' church is n... more -
Switzerland to ban minarets?
Switzerland is to vote on banning Mosque minarets as there has been over 100,000 signitaures asking for a ban nation-wide against Mosque minarets led by Swiss People's party.
Earlier this week a channel 4 documentary "It Shouldn't Happen to a Muslim" showed how many press reports have reported false reports on Muslims & Islam and how many Muslims are living in fear in the UK with some even go as far as buying homes in places like Muslim-Turkey incase things get worse.
The documentary was hosted by a Peter Oborne a devout-Christian who was shocked to find what was happening. Switzerland is to vote on banning Mosque minarets as there has been over 100,000 signitaures asking for a ban nation-wide against Mosq... more -
'I won't marry gays' registrar wins landmark case
A Christian registrar who refused to conduct gay weddings because she believes they are "sinful" has won her case, the Telegraph reports.
So religious autonomy has been prioritised over LGBT rights? Interesting...
I don't really understand why my fellow gaylords and lady gardeners would actually *want* to get married and join an institution that actively rejects them, but ho hum...
The question really is, what should take precedence: the right to be a Christian, the right to be gay, the right to be a gay Christian, the right to be a married gay Christian, the right to be a gay Chrstian married by an un-gay Christian, or... Um, it's all getting a bit complicated. What do you think? A Christian registrar who refused to conduct gay weddings because she believes they are "sinful" has won her case, the Teleg... more -
Muslim-run organisation throws "Pizza for the hungry" parties!
The pizza parties -with live music- saw people of all faiths caming together across U.S. states which saw 15,000 pizza slices donated to the homeless & hungry at soup kitchens through eyeBLINK’s business (a not for-profit-organisation)!
The Muslim-run eyeBLINK’s business's manager and creator of 'Pizza for the Hungry: A Smile Brings Hope' Obai Kadwani said:
“It is a part of our religion to feed the hungry,”
“Charity is both encouraged and required in Islam. Muslims are encouraged to feed the hungry irrespective of the religions of the hungry. It is great to showcase such a great characteristic of Islam. As everyone knows, actions speak louder than words.”
http://www.free-press-release-center.info/pr00000000000... The pizza parties -with live music- saw people of all faiths caming together across U.S. states which saw 15,000 pizza slices donated ... more -
Obama talks about late term abortions
from The Huffington Post
....... Barack Obama says "mental distress" should not qualify as a justification for late-term abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.
In an interview this week with "Relevant," a Christian magazine, Obama said prohibitions on late-term abortions must contain "a strict, well defined exception for the health of the mother."
Obama then added: "Now, I don't think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term."
Last year, after the Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on late-term abortions, Obama said he "strongly disagreed" with the ruling because it "dramatically departs form previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women." from The Huffington Post ... more -
Christians, We Have A Problem With Our "Good" News
I have always believed that God is love and a loving God does not tortue people eternally. Serious bible study shows how certain words chosen in the New Testament to translate the texts into Greek, added Greek mythology concepts that the Old Testament doesn't support-namely the hellfire doctrine.
Finally the "good news" of Jesus Christ is really "good news". I have always believed that God is love and a loving God does not tortue people eternally. Serious bible study shows how certain word... more -
Muslim Morocco using Music as a bridge between world faiths?
As Saudi Arabia held its first ever conference on interfaith dialogue Morocco is hosting its 14th festival of World Sacred Music.
The president of the festival, Mohamed Kabbaj, said:
"Religion is too important to leave to clerics alone"
There was even a Christians & Muslims performing together which was shown on France24 on its 'Culture' Magazine.
Other performers from across the globe include a Christian singing in Syriac related to Aramaic the language of Jesus (pbuh) & Indian Madhup Mudgal who will sing in Hindustani (classical Indian) even using Hindu scriptures like the Vedas. A Greek Othordox choir & other Muslim sufi perfomers also performed.
The city of Fez has been the spiritual & cultural capital of Morocco & has ties with Europe such as Andulusia, (modern day Spain) as it use to be part of the Islamic Empire where Muslims, Christians & Jews use to live & coexist peacefully. As Saudi Arabia held its first ever conference on interfaith dialogue Morocco is hosting its 14th festival of World Sacred Music. ... more
-
related topics
Christians
Contributors (159)
Christians
