Vatican Bans Vuvuzelas

You either love them or hate them, and it seems that the Vatican is in the latter camp. The controversially noisy horn made famous during the recent Soccer World Cup has been banned from the Pope’s four day tour in the U.K. next month, reports The Daily Telegraph.

In anticipation of the pope's visit to the United Kingdom next month, the official papal visit site has a helpful list of what pilgrims coming to the Mass and other events can and cannot bring.

On the do not bring list (among other things) are "alcohol, gazebos and musical instruments."

A green light was given to banners and flags, picnic blankets, torches instead of candles, and of course cameras.

Over 80,000 people are expected to attend the pope’s prayer service in London's Hyde Park on September 18.

Another 65,000 are expected to be present at the formal beatification of English convert Cardinal John Henry Newman in Birmingham, the following day. This ceremony is the last step before official sainthood.

A spokeswoman for the Vatican said: "The banned items are standard concert arrangements.”

"Musical instruments or anything that makes that [vuvuzela] noise would be included in this." Candles were banned for health and safety reasons, she added.

Don’t Do It! Church’s Take a Stand against Planned Quran Burning Event

International controversy has been stirred up by the plans of the nondenominational Dove World Outreach Center to host their self-styled ‘International Burn a Quran Day.’ Newspaper columns and opinion pieces have been filled with varying reactions, with the majority registering dismay and anger at the insensitivity of the planned event.

In the meantime, various churches and church organizations have pleaded with the Gainesville based church to cancel their plans. The National Association of Evangelicals, America’s largest umbrella evangelical group, issued a statement urging the church to call off the event, warning it could cause worldwide tension between the two religions.

Other local Gainesville faith organizations have decided to work together in protest of the event by organizing a ‘Gathering for Peace, Understanding and Hope,’ which will take place on September 10, the night before the planned burning of the Quran.

The Peace Gathering is the brainchild of the Gainesville Interfaith Forum - made up of Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus. Trinity United Methodist Church will host the event and their senior minister, Dan Johnson, said on Monday that their plans had been exceptionally well received by church members throughout Gainesville.

"One member told me after church Sunday that they've never been as proud to be a member of this church as they are now," Johnson said.

Johnson went onto emphasise that:
"We feel compelled to raise our voices to proclaim that the action the Dove World Outreach Center is proposing is absolutely wrong and counter to the life and teaching of the Jesus whom we love, follow and call Savior and Lord."

Despite widespread opposition, Dove World Outreach Center has no plans to cancel the event saying that it is doing this in remembrance of 9/11 victims and to take a stand against Islam, which it repeatedly refers to as a religion that is “of the devil”. On its website and Facebook page, the church invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at their premises from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In other news, it appears that the city of Gainesville has denied a burn permit to the center, said Bob Woods, City of Gainesville spokesman. "It was a question of public safety," said Woods. "The Gainesville Fire Department has notified the center through a letter."

But that isn't stopping the church. The Gainesville Sun reported that, in an e-mail newsletter sent out last Wednesday, the church announced: "City of Gainesville denies burn permit - BUT WE WILL STILL BURN KORANS."

(The image depicts Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center and the International Burn a Quran organiser, standing in front of his church in Gainesville, Florida).

North Korea Executes Leaders of Underground Church

News has only recently filtered through of three underground church leaders who were executed in North Korea in mid-May. Twenty other Christians were imprisoned at the same time.

AsiaNews reports that North Korean police conducted raids in the Pyongan province and arrested all twenty-three believers who had gathered together for worship. The leaders were immediately sentenced to death and executed soon after. The rest were sent to the infamous prison labour camp No. 15 in Yodok.

For the last eight years, Open Doors has ranked North Korea as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians.

There are approximately 400,000 Christians in North Korea who endure life under an oppressive regime which threatens imprisonment, torture or execution if their Christian faith is discovered.

All North Koreans are forced to follow a personality cult revolving around the worship of the current dictator, Kim Jong-il, and his deceased father. All other religious beliefs are banned. As a result, there are an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Christians are currently in prison labor camps because of their faith.

Due to the government's secretive nature and its reluctance to allow in foreigners, North Korea is today considered the world's most isolated country, thus it is difficult to know exactly what is happening beyond its borders.

(Image from file).

One in Five Americans Believe Obama is Actually a Muslim

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently released statistics which reveal that a sizable and fast growing section of the United States falsely believe that President Obama is a secret Muslim. This despite Obama confessing numerous times that he is a practicing Christian.

According to the survey, nearly one in five Americans think that Obama is a Muslim, which is up from around one in ten who believed that last year.

Interestingly enough, the number of Americans who are left uncertain about Obama’s religion has also expanded drastically, including many among Obama’s political base. For example, fewer than half of Democrats and African-Americans now say that Obama is Christian. Also, almost 46 percent of African-Americans admit uncertainty about Obama’s religion, compared to 36 percent last year.

In March 2009, 36 percent of African-Americans said they didn't know what religion Obama practices. Now, 46 percent of African-Americans say they don't know.

"We had eight years of George W. Bush, who was very public about religious debates and high profile about religious practice and that's followed by Barack Obama, who is much lower profile about religious beliefs and practices," said Alan Cooperman, the Pew Forum's associate director for research.

"It could be that in the relative vacuum of information coming out of the White House about his personal religious beliefs, others step in to feel the breach," Cooperman stated. "It allows others who say that 'Oh, he's really this or that' to gain some currency."

Six in 10 of those saying Mr. Obama is a Muslim said they got the information from the media, with the largest portion — 16 percent — saying it was on television. Eleven percent said they learned it from Mr. Obama's behavior and words.

False rumors that Obama is Muslim have dogged him since he declared his candidacy for president in 2007. It is believed that this may stem from the fact that his father was a Kenyan Muslim, and because Obama has been much quieter about his faith than other recent Presidents.

Obama has also courageously stood up for the rights of minority religions in America, most especially for Islam and this could have contributed to these perceptions of him.

However, well known pastors and other spiritual figures such as the Rev. Joel Hunter, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell and Franklin Graham (the son of Billy Graham), all of whom are in regular personal contact with Obama, have hastened to inform the media of their knowledge that he is in fact a practicing Christian who prays every day.

Reacting to the polls on Thursday, the White House released the following statement:

"President Obama is a committed Christian, and his faith is an important part of his daily life," Deputy White House Communications Director Jen Psaki told CNN. "He prays every day, he seeks a small circle of Christian pastors to give him spiritual advice and counseling, he even receives a daily devotional that he uses each morning. The President's Christian faith is a part of who he is, but not a part of what the public or the media is focused on everyday."

Yet, perhaps reaction to this story is best summed up by one American who wrote to CNN.com to say that “it's just really sad that the White House had to release this statement on so many levels.”

Max Lucado Donates the Royalties of His Latest Book to World Vision

Well known pastor and best-selling author, Max Lucado has promised that all of the royalties from his latest book would benefit children and single mothers.

In his 25th year of book publishing, Lucado has partnered himself with the international Christian aid group, World Vision, to secure sponsorships for 25,000 currently unsponsored children.

“None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help someone,” says Lucado, who is marking this year with a call for people, churches and communities to pursue “compassionate living.”

Lucado’s latest book, “Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference,” will be released next month and implores readers to live in such a way that they make a difference for those who live on the margins of society.

World Vision is not the only organization that will benefit from the royalties of Lucado’s book. Portions will also be donated to the James 1:27 Foundation, which seeks to provide financial, emotional and spiritual assistance to women and children in times of distress.

In the span of his 25 year writing career, Lucado has had more than 65 million books in print and has regularly featured on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Obama Caught in the Crossfire of the Ground Zero Mosque Debate

Over the last weekend, U.S. President Obama walked straight into the heated controversy of the proposed Ground Zero mosque build and seemingly managed to offend parties on both sides of the debate, and in the process even raised negative reactions from members of his own political party.

The proposed $100 million Muslim cultural centre which includes a 500-seat auditorium, a swimming pool, art exhibition spaces, space for multi-faith dialogue, education programs and a mosque, has generated huge debate because of its proximity to Ground Zero – the epicentre of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released last week, almost 70 percent of Americans oppose the plan to build a mosque near the 9/11 site. Opponents say that the proposed build by the Muslim group Cordoba displays a lack of sensitivity to Americans killed in the attack. These same opponents were also offended that Obama voiced support for the plan at a White House iftar (evening meal to break fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan) Friday without also properly addressing their concerns.

Obama has long been criticized by conservative Christians for what they perceive as a lack of support for the Christian faith.

Likewise, those who support the Islamic centre were disappointed that Obama changed his tune on the Saturday following these comments when he told a CNN reporter that he was “not commenting on the wisdom” of the plan, but was rather addressing in his statement the overarching value that the government should treat “everyone equal, regardless” of religion.

Obama has therefore managed to raise the ire of everyone involved in the emotionally-charged debate.

Obama is also being opposed politically, most tellingly in a statement by the No. 1 Democrat in the Senate, Harry Reid, who said that while the First Amendment protects freedom of religion, he still believes that the mosque should be built elsewhere.

The New York governor, David Paterson, has offered the developers of the site state-owned land to build the centre a greater distance from Ground Zero and thus to cool down the heated debate.

Although Obama has taken flack from all sides, Republican Michael Gerson said that Obama’s position as president meant that he had no choice but to take the position he did.

“A president does not merely have opinions; he has duties to the Constitution and to the citizens he serves – including millions of Muslim citizens,” Gerson wrote. “His primary concern is not the sifting of sensitivities but the protection of the American people and the vindication of their rights.”

“By this standard, Obama had no choice but the general path he took. No president, of any party or ideology, could tell millions of Americans that their sacred building desecrates American holy ground.”

The Aid Response Required for Pakistan Floods is ‘Almost Incomprehensible'

It has been estimated that almost twenty million lives have been turned upside down by the recent floods in Pakistan. The Christian aid group, World Vision Pakistan, has said that the response required from aid groups around the world is “almost incomprehensible” to imagine.

Anita Cole, program development and quality director for World Vision Pakistan, said that they are assessing circumstances in the Southern district of Sindh and preparing human and financial resources in response to the floods once immediate perils are over. The area affected by the flood is roughly the size of Italy.

The flooding began two weeks ago and since then almost 900,000 homes have been destroyed and billions of dollars worth of crops and food stores have been damaged. 2 million people are now homeless and more than 1,500 are dead.

“This has been a heart-wrenching day for me,” admitted U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reporters on Sunday after visiting the affected regions with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

“I will never forget the destruction and suffering I have witnessed today. In the past I have witnessed many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this.”

“The scale of this disaster is so large so many people, in so many places, in so much need.”

World Vision has already distributed food and water to more than 21,000 people. Soon it plans to distribute water purification packets and hygiene kits to 150,000 people, tents to 22,500, cooking items to 75,000, and food to at least 37,500 people. The agency has also opened five emergency health clinics and treated more than 1,100 people who are suffering from water-borne diseases and other illnesses related to the floods.

The United Nations is seeking $459 million to help provide Pakistan’s flood-affected families with food, clean drinking water, shelter, medicine, and non-food items. As of Saturday, the U.N. stated that is has received only 20 percent of this total.

The flooding has followed several powerful earthquakes that devastated regions of Pakistan. Reports say that what little recoveries had been made after the earthquakes were swept away by the flood. What is even more concerning is that more rain is expected over the next few weeks as Pakistan faces its monsoon season.