The Anglican Church Calls on Zuma to Help Gay Couple

On Wednesday, the Anglican Church in Southern African requested President Jacob Zuma and the South African government to lobby for the release to the two Malawian men who were sentenced to 14 years hard labour for their homosexual relationship.

The Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa said: "We urge them to press for the swift release of these two, who have committed no act of violence or harm against anyone; for the quashing of the sentence against them; and for the repeal of this repressive legislation.

"As we have previously stated, though there is a breadth of theological views among us on matters of human sexuality, we are united in opposing the criminalisation of homosexual people.

"We see the sentence that has been handed down to these two individuals as a gross violation of human rights and we therefore strongly condemn such sentences and behaviour towards other human beings. "

Stephen Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were arrested last December at a party they held to celebrate their engagement. The court which sentenced them stated that they had committed "unnatural acts and gross indecency".

The Anglican Church believes that the South African government has a responsibility to lobby for the rights of this couple through the the Southern African Development Community treaty to promote human rights, and also because of the principles enshrined in South Africa’s own constitution, says News24.com.

(To read the full story, please go to http://news24.com)

‘Secret’ Muslim-Christian Killings Continue in Nigeria

A desire for greater political power seems to be behind the continued rise in Christian-Muslim clashes and killings. There are worries however that the situation could eventually destablise Nigeria, which is the third greatest supplier of oil to the US. The spate of latest killings shows that even a heavy military presence is failing to control the conflict.

Although, the military presence has succeeded in preventing large-scale attacks, ‘secret killings’ have now become more common, in which a lone Muslim or Christian is lured to either a Christian or Muslim part of town and then killed. Most of the conflict is still centred around Jos, a city in central Nigeria which is sandwiched between the country’s largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south.

"We have started receiving reports of corpses being found here and there. It started happening after the March 7 incident," says Femi Oyeleye, the head of the state's criminal investigation department, referring to coordinated mob attacks by Muslims on members of the mainly Christian Berom ethnic group.

According to Mr. Oyeleye, 25 corpses unrelated to any major attacks were found in Jos during March and April – far above the average rate of three corpses a month during the 12 months leading up to February. Lawal Ishaq, a local lawyer who documents secret killings against Muslims, recorded 36 deaths in March and April.

Death tolls are sensitive in Jos – and also highly unreliable because both sides have a tendency to inflate them. Religion is just one aspect of the conflict because ethnicity and politics are also definitely part of the problem, says the CS Monitor.

(To read the full story, please go to http://csmonitor.com)

Approximately 100 Clerical Sex Abuse Cases Reported in Italy

A top ranking Catholic Church official says that around 100 cases of clerical sexual abuse cases have been reported in Italy over the last 10 years. That amounts to an average of ten a year.

Mariano Crociata, a top ranking official in the Italian Bishops conference refused to say how many of the cases had resulted in disciplinary action against the priests involved. “It is the number that gives you an idea of the situation,” he said.

The sex abuse scandals continue to engulf the Catholic Church throughout American and Europe. The Vatican has been accused of covering up these scandals by victims and human rights groups.

In other news, Bishops in England and Wales have called for Catholics to set aside special days to pray for both the victims and abusers caught up in these scandals.

A statement from the Catholic Bishop’s Conference read:
"We pray for all who have suffered abuse; for those who mishandled these matters and added to the suffering of those affected."

And the Church also asked for prayers to be said for the abusers themselves, adding: "From this prayer we do not exclude those who have committed these sins of abuse.
"They have a journey of repentance and atonement to make."

(To read these stories in full, please go to http://sify.com and http://bbcnews.com )

Evangelicals Arrested in Alexandria

13 evangelicals were arrested this week in Agami, Alexandria for proselytizing. The president of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights described the arrests under Emergency Law as illegal, due to the fact their arrest had nothing to do with terrorism or drugs, which make up the entire scope of the Emergency Law.

A senior security official confirmed the arrests and added that Egypt is “not in need of another source of tension.” The arrests of the 13 mainly youth were made at a meeting with Father Antonios of the Orthodox Church. The arrests are part of a major clamp down on evangelical organizations in Egypt in an attempt to tone down simmering religious tensions. The Coptic Orthodox Church instructed its media committee to carefully monitor its TV and radio channels to prevent unwanted controversy and shut downs, says Almasryalyoum.com.

(To read the full story, please go to http://almasryalyoum.com)

Convicted American Missionary Freed from Haitian Jail

The leader of the ten U.S. volunteers who were accused of illegally removing dozens of children from Haiti was convicted on Monday, but then immediately released to return to the United States. The judge reasoned that she had already served her time in prison and was therefore free to return home.

Last April, the judge dropped the charges of kidnapping minors against all ten volunteers, but as the leader of the missionaries, Laura Silsby was ordered to face further charges of “arranging irregular travel.”

The case has been dragging on since January, when Silsby and her fellow volunteers from a Baptist church in Idaho were arrested for trying to transport thirty-three children to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. The children lacked the proper documentation for their removal from Haiti. The volunteers were attempting to help the children whose lives had been devastated by the massive earthquake in Port-au-Prince.
During the trial it turned out that the children they thought were orphans all had at least one living parent. The parents had voluntarily given their children to the Americans in the hope it would lead to a better life for them.

UNICEF estimates that more than 20,000 children lost their parents in the quake and its aftermath, says the Christian Post.

(To read this article in full, please go to http://christianpost.com)

Hundreds of Thousands Attend Christian Ecumenical Event in Munich

May 10-16 saw massive crowds of Christians from all over Europe attend the 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag in Munich. The event aimed to draw Catholics and Protestants together to consider how Jesus followers from different backgrounds can successfully lead a Christian life in and for the world in this day and age. The event was characterised by the large proportion of young adults who attended. Tens of thousands alone attended the opening service.

Over the course of the 6 days, more than 3,000 separate events were held which focussed on different key areas relating to faith; such as addressing political questions, environmental issues and Christian unity. Extensive cultural programmes including music concerts and theatrical performances were also held. The overall theme of the Kirchentag was Damit ihr Hoffnung habt (‘So that you may have hope’).

One very popular event was a bible study led by Margot Kässman, the charismatic and immensely popular former Chair of the Council of the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland. After only four months in office, she felt compelled to resign – along with her post as Bishop of Hannover – after having driven through a red light when well over the permitted drink-drive limit. This was her first major appearance since her resignation and while she initially looked tense, the massive affection with which she was greeted relaxed her tremendously. Kässman’s return to public ministry has been celebrated by the local media with whom she has gained a massive amount of credibility throughout her long ministry, and particularly since her mistake and resignation, because she dealt with the fallout with such humility, grace and transparency. Kässman’s bible study was followed by huge numbers of TV cameras and press photographers, and she was regularly interrupted by public applause throughout her talk.

Kässmann called for Christians to stop talking endlessly about (and take their focus off) their divisions and offer the world instead images of hope of a future – a bit like planting a tree in a desert, building a house during a war or buying a field when you are about to be thrown out of the country.

Another highlight event was the dialogue between Hans Küng (82) and Jürgen Moltmann (84), two giants of late-20th century German theology. Küng is Catholic while Moltmann is protestant. This event proved so popular that thousands arrived early to ensure a place in the auditorium, and yet still many more were locked out than could get in.

(For more on the 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag go to http://www.oekt.de/english/home_english.html)

Laura Bush Opposes Her Husband on Gay Marriage and Abortion

In an interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, Laura Bush revealed that she differed with her husband, former President George W. Bush on the key issues of gay marriage and abortion. She supports these issues while her husband is opposed to them. While they disagreed, Bush felt that they both understood and respected each other’s position.

“There are a lot of people who have trouble coming to terms with that because they see marriage as traditionally between a man and a woman,” Bush stated: “But I also know that, you know, when couples are committed to each other and love each other, that they ought to have, I think, the same sort of rights that everyone has.”

The former first lady stated she could accept gay marriage and she believes the legalization of same-sex marriage will eventually occur in the United States.

For political reasons, and to support her husband, Laura Bush had previously kept her personal opinions to herself on these contentious issues during their 8 year term in the White House. Bush also outlined how she disagrees with her husband about Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized abortion on demand.

“I think it’s important that it remain legal, because I think it’s important for people, for medical reasons and other reasons,” she said.

While in office, President Bush was a strong opponent of abortion and gay marriage, says the Christian Post.

(To read the full article, please go to http://www.christianpost.com).

Why the Amish are America’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs

America’s most successful entrepreneurs can’t be found in New York or Silicon Valley, but rather are hidden in rural Amish valleys.

Amish businesses have an awe-inspiring 95% success rate in terms of breaking the five year barrier for staying open. This is compared to the average five-year survival rate across the board in the States which sits at around 50%. This is despite the fact that many Amish businessmen avoid modern digital business communication techniques (websites, cell phones, fax etc) which are seen as indispensable.

In his new book, ‘Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive’, author Erik Wesner assesses what other entrepreneurs can learn from the Amish. In a nutshell, he believes their success is founded upon their culture of mutual support, and in resolutely sticking with what they know, says CNNMoney.com.

(To read the full article, please go to http://money.cnn.com)

Pope Makes a Statement on the Sex Abuse Scandal

Recently, Pope Benedict XVI informed journalists that the guilt in the clerical sexual abuse scandal was a result of sin from within the Catholic Church and not from outside. The Pontiff was on a visit to Portugal when he issued this statement. Pope Benedict said that: “The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification, learn forgiveness, but also justice. Forgiveness cannot substitute justice.”

This is the closest that the Pope has come to acknowledging responsibility for the long list of sexual abuse claims against Catholic priests from all over the globe.

However, many victim support groups are complaining that the Pope has not enforced his statement at all (that forgiveness cannot substitute justice) because so many of the offending priests have not yet been punished or defrocked for their crimes, says the Daily Maverick.

(For more on this story, please read http://thedailymaverick.co.za)

Mojave Cross Stolen

Last weekend, thieves stole away the renowned 7-foot metal cross in the Mojave Desert, which was first erected in 1934 as a World War I memorial. The Mojave Cross is recognizable across the world as a famed landmark, but recently has been the centre of controversy. A legal protest was filed to remove the cross because it was beleived to be religiously exclusive and therefore did not properly represent the many Jewish (or those of other faiths) Americans who lost their lives during World War I.

A local court ordered its removal, but last month the Supreme Court overruled this ruling, and scolded the lower court for concentrating "solely on the religious aspects of the cross, divorced from its background and context."

This particular "cross in the desert evokes far more than religion. It evokes thousands of small crosses in foreign fields marking the graves of Americans who fell in battles, battles whose tragedies are compounded if the fallen are forgotten," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the 5-4 decision.

The group in charge of the cross, the Veterans of Foreign Wars have vowed to find or replace the war memorial, says the Washington Post.

(To read the full story, please go to http://washingtonpost/onfaith/com)

Rick Warren and Saddleback Promote the Cause of Orphans and Adoption

This last Monday, the world renowned church Saddleback founded by Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life,”) hosted the Saddleback Civil Forum on Orphans and Adoption. A team of expert speakers was assembled to speak at the event which aimed to sensitive Americans to the possibilities of trans-national adoptions as a way of easing the suffering experienced by so many children.

Thousands of people attended this event in person and online through a live webcast as they sought more information about the global orphan crisis and ways they can help.

"Orphans and vulnerable children are not a cause," Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren emphasised. "They are a biblical mandate and they are a social mandate that we cannot ignore.

"Imagine a country half the size of the United States; that's how many orphans there are in the world. We're not talking about a small problem here."

Dr. Susan Hillis, senior HIV scientist at the Center for Disease Control, informed the audience that currently there are 163 million orphans in the world. Only six nations in the world have populations that exceed that number.

While the number alone may seem overwhelming, Hillis has been encouraged by the tremendous response of churches to the orphan crisis.

In Ukraine, churches have helped reduce the number of children who are in institutions or on the streets from 300,000 to 30,000, Hillis highlighted. The mother of eight adopted children has seen a fire ignited in the hearts of pastors in the east European country and churches really making a dent in the problem.

"What I'm seeing is a movement of God through the church," she said Monday, adding that she's sensing the movement around the world, says the Christian Post.

(To read the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com)

Church of England Faces Further Controversy over Women Bishops

The Church of England on Saturday released draft legislation that would open up the way for women to become bishops. It is expected that these new proposals would create great controversy and possibly even division, as most of the provisions accommodating opponents to female bishops were disregarded.

In a 142-page report, the revision committee acknowledged "the fact" that they "have not been able to come up with a set or proposals that everyone now says that they can live with." But the committee went on to state that the conclusions they reached reflect what the majority of them believe to be "both principled and pragmatic."
"The status quo, with women able to minister as priests but not as bishops, no longer accords with the wish of the majority of the Synod," the report states. "But the journey to a new destination remains contested and challenging."

The new draft will be debated at the General Synod in July.

Opponents of female bishops, including some in the review committee, have indicated that if such legislation is approved and adopted, they "will seriously have to consider whether they can continue to hold office within the Church of England, or continue as members of it," says the Christian Post.

(For the full story, please go to http://christianpost.com)

Obama Death Prayer Page on Facebook

In just a few weeks, well over a million people have signed up as ‘fans’ of a Ohio-based Facebook page that seemingly prays for Barack Obama’s death.

The page's title is, "Dear Lord, this year you took my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze. You took my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett. You took my favorite singer, Michael Jackson. I just wanted to let you know, my favorite President is Barack Obama. Amen."

The page’s owner has chose to remain anonymous but is reported to have posted that the page should be taken lightly. Other fans of the page agree with one writing on the wall, "Chill out. It was just a joke (and a funny one at that.)"

Others have strongly disagreed, with someone else posting: "Since when is it OK to pray that the father of two young girls should die, just because you disagree with his politics?" Another poster wrote. "Oh, it’s just a joke? Then not funny."

The page has attracted attention from the secret service. The U.S. attorney's office stated that incidents such as this are about determining what free speech is, and what constitutes a clear threat.

Facebook said while the company is sensitive to content that includes hate speech and threats of violence, this particular page is not in violation of company policies and thus there are no plans to remove it.

(To read the full article, please go to http://www.10tv.com).

Muslim Leader Condemns NY Attack

The following is a transcript of comments recently made at the National Press Club by Naseem Mahdi, national vice president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the U.S.:
"We live in an expanding universe but the world is shrinking daily and it is so highly important for us all to discover and follow the paths that lead to peace.

"I am going to make a few brief comments prompted by the recent attempted bombing in New York, but necessitated by much broader considerations.

"Islam condemns terrorism unreservedly and totally.

"The Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India, had declared over 120 years ago that there is no place or justification found in Islam for violence whatsoever.

"He said that Islam requires all Muslims to live in peace and harmony wherever they may be.

"It is thus the duty and responsibility of all Muslims living in the U.S. to be loyal to the flag and to be law-abiding citizens.

"It is clear from the events happening all around that a small, fanatic, extremist minority of Muslims has hijacked the faith and continues to mislead and misguide the Muslims and ruin their total life.

"In my considered opinion, such fanatics present a distorted view of Islam based on false and misguided interpretations.

"For example such people say that it is not necessary for a Muslim to follow any non-Islamic government...This is utterly false.

"If the vast majority of reasonable, peace-loving and law-abiding population of Muslims living in the US do not speak out and speak out loudly this will continue and ultimately ruin the lives, economic and social, of all Muslims and the community at large.

"I am calling today on ALL MUSLIMS IN THE U.S. to join me in condemning all actions of violence and terror caused or carried out by anyone whoever he or she may be.

"I call on all of them to boldly claim and express with their tongue and action that they are loyal and law-abiding and obedient citizens of the United States of America.
"This is fully in accord with the teachings of Muhammad, peace be on him, the Holy Founder of Islam, who said that hubbul watanay minal eeman..

"Love of one's homeland, one's place of residence, is a part of the Muslim's faith..
"It is high time that Muslims living in the U.S. wake up to their responsibilities and declare openly and repeatedly and loudly that they stand for peace and loyalty and are proud of it and that this is in fact what Islam itself requires of them.

"Let me end by being totally forthright.

"I say to those among Muslims living in the U.S. who are not loyal or who do not want to be loyal that they are benefiting and enjoying all that this open, free, country has to offer and yet they say that their loyalties are to another country or government.
"I want to say to such people that they are not only living a false and hypocritical life but that they are thus also ungrateful and my advice to them is to be bold and leave and go and live in the lands where their loyalties belong."

(For more in this topic, please go to http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith)

Serious Health Risks for Jordan River Baptisms

Gidon Bromberg, of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), recently spoke about the extreme healty dangers which are posed to participating in baptism ceremonies in the River Jordan.

"If you drink the water, you're likely to get diarrhea or stomach problems, and if you have a cut, you will probably get a rash," he told AOL News. "Israel bans people from being baptized here, and the Jordanians advise against it, but it's still hard to stop people."

What is more is that it seems the Jordan River, important to all three major monotheistic religions, is drying up. Since the 1930s, the amount of water flowing has dwindled from 1.3 billion cubic meters to just 20 million cubic meters. This is because Israel, Syria and Jordan consume up to 98 percent of the river water for their own uses. What is left behind is extremely polluted.

At Alumot Dam, just a few miles downriver from Yardenit, the official Israeli site for baptism, raw sewerage is allowed to pour into the river. The smell is so bad that it is difficult to stand beside the river for any length of time.

FoEME recently released two studies on the damage that has been done to the Jordan River, and on its possible rehabilitation.

"We have lost at least 50 percent of the biodiversity in and around the river due to the near total diversion of fresh water. Some 400 million cubic meters of water annually are urgently needed to bring the river back to life," said Munqeth Mehyar, the Jordanian director of FoEME.

While that sounds like a massive and expensive task, other studies how shown how Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank could together save over a billion cubic meters of water using better conservation, at prices cheaper than desalination.

"In the middle of the desert we continue to flush our toilets with fresh water rather than using gray water (water that has been used for washing dishes or showering), and we continue to grow tropical fruits for export," Bromberg told AOL. "We can do much better in reducing water loss, and we need to treat and reuse all of the sewage water that we produce."

Bromberg believes that rehabilitating the Jordan River would also help stabilize the Dead Sea, which is shrinking ever year.

(For the full story, please go to http://www.aolnews.com)

Bible Written By Drunks Says Pop Star

A hugely controversial Polish pop star is faced with the possibility of a hefty fine or even a jail sentence after she publicly commented that the Bible was authored by drunks and smokers of “herbal cigarettes”.

Dorota Rabczewska, is renowned for unashamedly flashing flesh, and also a string of popular hits, has now been charged by prosecutors in Warsaw for extremely insensitive comments she made in an interview of over a year ago.

Going by the stage name of Doda, the 26-year-old ruffled religious feathers in Catholic Poland by saying that she held more belief in dinosaurs than the Bible because "it is hard to believe in something written by people who drank too much wine and smoked herbal cigarettes." This prompted furious Catholic groups to lodge numerous complaints against her.

"It is clear that Doda thinks that the Bible was written by drunkards and junkies," said Ryszard Nowak, chairman of the Committee for the Defence Against Sects, an organisation dedicated to protecting Christian values. "I believe that she committed a crime and offended the religious feelings of both Christians and Jews."

If found guilty the pop star faces a two-year jail sentence or a hefty fine under Polish blasphemy laws, says the Telegraph.

(To read the full article, please go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk)