In light of the fact that the Muslim world is front and
center in the international press right now, we thought it would be
particularly helpful to talk with Qureshi. He began by sharing his
insights into some common misconceptions about Muslims.
+
Misconception #1: “Muslims are violent people.” Of the thousands of
Muslims I grew up with and knew as a child, not a single one promoted
violence. Without commenting on whether historical Islam teaches
violence, I can unequivocally say the vast majority of Muslims in the
West are truly peaceful people.Looked at by Marcus Ampe from a Christian viewpoint.
De wereld bekeken vanuit een Christelijke visie door Marcus Ampe
Showing posts with label Catholic Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic Church. Show all posts
Saturday 28 March 2015
1.253 billion Catholics worldwide
For the Catholic church it does not look so bad in their community. The number of priests and permanent deacons rose slightly in 2013, while at the same time there was a decrease in the number of religious men and women. This is evident from the new "Statistical Yearbook of the Catholic Church" which was published this month. According to the yearbook, there were on December 31, 2013 1.253 billion Catholics worldwide. That are 25 million believers or 2% more than in the previous year. Thereby forming Catholics 17.7% of the world population. An estimated 4.8 million Catholics are not counted in the statistics because the exact number of Catholics in countries such as China and North Korea remains unclear.
Tuesday 24 March 2015
Same sex realtionships and Open attitude mirroring Jesus
In Hiding or opening attitude for same sex relationships we pointed out that it perhaps would be better that people questioned themselves which attitude Jesus would take, before they judge somebody.
Director of Oasis Trust, Steve Chalke believes about our attitude to people who have an other feeling for giving their love to somebody are changing, albeit very slowly. Despite the Oasis Trust being forced to leave the Evangelical Alliance over his views on homosexuality,
After the rows and debates that have dominated for the past few years, one image of Britain's Christians is of a people obsessed with rules around sex and with stopping people from having sex, especially when it is gay sex or sex outside marriage.
there may not be many people in church any more but of those who are there we should not that one in 200 regular churchgoers have entered a formal relationship with someone of the same sex, according to research published in July 2014. In that survey conducted by Christian Research for Christian Today there was found that 0.6 per cent of churchgoers are in a civil partnership, slightly more than the number cohabiting.
Although statistically small, given the size of the survey, the number is high considering the widespread hostility to homosexual relationships among the leadership of many Christian churches. The Church of England and Catholic churches believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.
The poll researched 1,400 people aged over 16 who were representative of the country's churchgoing communities.
More than one in 20, or 5.8 per cent, were divorced or separated compared to six out of ten who were married. More than one in 20, or 6.5 per cent, were remarried after divorce.
More than two-thirds said that Christians should not cohabit before marriage, and nearly as many also believed Christians should marry other Christians, rather than those of other or no faith.
More than two-thirds believed that personal desire need not necessarily translate into physical sex. However, more than seven in ten agreed or strongly agreed:
Nearly eight in ten felt it important to marry another Christian and more than eight in ten did indeed marry another person of the Christian faith. Just one tenth had not been Christian before they married. those Christian communities which demand that people marry only people from the same faith-group forget to see that there are not enough people living around to provide enough partners. For smaller communities like the Christadelphians youngsters face even less possibilities to find a partner from the same Christadelphian community.
The proportion in civil partnerships is about half the number of people in the general population who describe themselves as gay. According to an Office for National Statistics survey last year 93.5 per cent of people are heterosexual, 1.1 per cent gay or lesbian and 0.4 per cent bisexual.
About getting parents and church-leaders to get to hear an other choice than the man-wife relationship the youngsters are still hesitant to let others know their taste. They are confronted with lots of talks about "healthy" and "unhealthy" physical relationships of married churchgoers. Not only is there today the problem in many church communities of being able to talk openly how to build up a sexual relationship or to discuss the feeling of becoming more confident to explore with enjoyment their God-given gift of sexual pleasure in marriage without some of the historical taboos and anxieties that have often traditionally shrouded the Christian sexual culture.
It took some time before the Belgian church wanted to react more openly after the many sex scandals about their priests and even bishops having had sexual intercourse with people of the same sex.
In 2014 on several occasions the Bishop of Antwerp, Rt Rev Johan Bonny, said that there should be "a recognition of diversity of forms" of relationship and gave the impression to be open for gay people in his community and for giving again communion to separated or remarried people.
Though the general public does not seem to be interested much in the long-standing relationship, the Roman Catholic church still finds intrinsic values more important than the institutional question and that those who want to live together should know that the Christian ethic is based on lasting relationships where exclusivity, loyalty, and care are central to each other.
That picture of "exclusivity, loyalty, and care for each other" was the main value which lots of people could not see because the wrong image given by gay-parades which accentuated a perverse form of living and presented a promotion for sodomy, which no church could ever allow to happen under its flock.
Before the Vatican's Synod on the Family in October, Bonny issued an open letter saying that the Church needed to show more respect for homosexuality, divorced people and modern kinds of relationships.
While traditional marriage between a man and a woman
Though still many may look at others with a 'bad eye'. some do not want to talk about it openly , but do not mind to talk underhanded about 'certain people living a sinful lifestyle' and 'how wrong it is'. They are happy to throw with mud, but not openly, and forget that some two thousand years ago there was a teacher in Galilee who wanted to show people they had to take on an other attitude. That master teacher also asked those who wanted to throw stones to others to look first in their own heart and if they could find no sin, than perhaps they could react heavily.
Jesus didn’t judge those who were different and asked us also not to judge them but to leave the judging to his heavenly Father, God. It is this Divine Creator Who allows people to be here on earth. When He allows those who have other feelings than us to be here what are we to say? God did not put us here to judge others.
We have the Bible that tells us what is right and what is wrong, but we’re not to pass judgement. People forget that God doesn’t grade on a curve; the heterosexual couple living together down the street is just as guilty as the gay couple living across the street. How are you to draw people to Christ if you have appointed yourself judge and jury?
When we look at others and when we would like to react we always should consider What Would Jesus Do! For sure we cann't put ourselves above Jesus, and should take into account his teachings. We also should take on an open attitude to draw them closer to Jesus his teachigns and to the Word of God, so that they can come to know it and live according it.
By bringing condemnation over those people we shall not be able to bring them closer to God. Just the opposite, we shall be able to keeping them at a distance or to cause that they shall come to judge All Christians as judgemental hypocrites.
We must be very careful that we live and act according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and approach people with the same attitude Jesus would do, which is with an open mind full of love and without judgement.
Let us always try to mirror our saviour Jesus Christ and remember:
+
Find also:
Director of Oasis Trust, Steve Chalke believes about our attitude to people who have an other feeling for giving their love to somebody are changing, albeit very slowly. Despite the Oasis Trust being forced to leave the Evangelical Alliance over his views on homosexuality,
"it's amazing how the conversation won't go away. In fact it's growing, I think it's unstoppable,"he said.
"We as Christians should be intolerant of intolerance. I think that we should be on the front line of human and civil rights, and I think it's a tragedy that so often, as history has recorded, we drag our feet...The church is supposed to be standing up for faithfulness, integrity and family."Chalke thinks that the Church will eventually come out in favour of faithful, same-sex relationships.
"I think the sandcastle of resistance is being overwhelmed by the incoming tide," he said.
After the rows and debates that have dominated for the past few years, one image of Britain's Christians is of a people obsessed with rules around sex and with stopping people from having sex, especially when it is gay sex or sex outside marriage.
there may not be many people in church any more but of those who are there we should not that one in 200 regular churchgoers have entered a formal relationship with someone of the same sex, according to research published in July 2014. In that survey conducted by Christian Research for Christian Today there was found that 0.6 per cent of churchgoers are in a civil partnership, slightly more than the number cohabiting.
Although statistically small, given the size of the survey, the number is high considering the widespread hostility to homosexual relationships among the leadership of many Christian churches. The Church of England and Catholic churches believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.
The poll researched 1,400 people aged over 16 who were representative of the country's churchgoing communities.
More than one in 20, or 5.8 per cent, were divorced or separated compared to six out of ten who were married. More than one in 20, or 6.5 per cent, were remarried after divorce.
More than two-thirds said that Christians should not cohabit before marriage, and nearly as many also believed Christians should marry other Christians, rather than those of other or no faith.
More than two-thirds believed that personal desire need not necessarily translate into physical sex. However, more than seven in ten agreed or strongly agreed:
"My spouse/partner and I love the physical part of our relationship."Nearly seven in ten thought their spouse or partner had been specially "put aside" for them by God, while fewer than half did or do prayer about the kind of person they wish to marry. Friends or family had tried to find matches for more than one in ten, and nearly half looked for their ideal partner within a Christian church or community. More than a third felt "carefree" during their dating days, but a fifth felt pressure to find the "right person".
Nearly eight in ten felt it important to marry another Christian and more than eight in ten did indeed marry another person of the Christian faith. Just one tenth had not been Christian before they married. those Christian communities which demand that people marry only people from the same faith-group forget to see that there are not enough people living around to provide enough partners. For smaller communities like the Christadelphians youngsters face even less possibilities to find a partner from the same Christadelphian community.
The proportion in civil partnerships is about half the number of people in the general population who describe themselves as gay. According to an Office for National Statistics survey last year 93.5 per cent of people are heterosexual, 1.1 per cent gay or lesbian and 0.4 per cent bisexual.
About getting parents and church-leaders to get to hear an other choice than the man-wife relationship the youngsters are still hesitant to let others know their taste. They are confronted with lots of talks about "healthy" and "unhealthy" physical relationships of married churchgoers. Not only is there today the problem in many church communities of being able to talk openly how to build up a sexual relationship or to discuss the feeling of becoming more confident to explore with enjoyment their God-given gift of sexual pleasure in marriage without some of the historical taboos and anxieties that have often traditionally shrouded the Christian sexual culture.
It took some time before the Belgian church wanted to react more openly after the many sex scandals about their priests and even bishops having had sexual intercourse with people of the same sex.
In 2014 on several occasions the Bishop of Antwerp, Rt Rev Johan Bonny, said that there should be "a recognition of diversity of forms" of relationship and gave the impression to be open for gay people in his community and for giving again communion to separated or remarried people.
"We have to look inside the Church for a formal recognition of the kind of interpersonal relationship that is also present in many gay couples,"the Catholic 'church-father' said.
"Just as there are a variety of legal frameworks for partners in civil society, one must arrive at a diversity of forms in the Church."We can see that the general public seems to become more open and acceptable for divorced people, which is no more considered abnormal, but more the traditional trend, nor to look surprised to find people who prefer to have an intimate relationship with somebody of the own sex or to even have a sex change. As such we get women who became man marrying with men who became woman, but also men with men and women with women.
Though the general public does not seem to be interested much in the long-standing relationship, the Roman Catholic church still finds intrinsic values more important than the institutional question and that those who want to live together should know that the Christian ethic is based on lasting relationships where exclusivity, loyalty, and care are central to each other.
That picture of "exclusivity, loyalty, and care for each other" was the main value which lots of people could not see because the wrong image given by gay-parades which accentuated a perverse form of living and presented a promotion for sodomy, which no church could ever allow to happen under its flock.
Before the Vatican's Synod on the Family in October, Bonny issued an open letter saying that the Church needed to show more respect for homosexuality, divorced people and modern kinds of relationships.
While traditional marriage between a man and a woman
"will continue to retain its own particular sacramental character and liturgical form", he said, "this particularity does not have to be exclusive nor does it have to close the door on a diversity of relationships whose inner qualities the Church can acknowledge".He continued:
"Indeed, we need to seek a formal recognition of the kind of relationship that exists between many gay and lesbian couples. Does that recognition have to be a sacramental marriage? Perhaps the Church could much better reflect on a diversity of forms of relationships."The last few years we have seen this diversity of forms of relationships growing a lot. We also find more and more clergy who agree that the church often did not treat other feeling people rightly. as such we could find Rt Rev Alan Wilson, who said at a PinkNews Awards that he is "ashamed" at the way gay people have been treated by the Church of England; and theologian Tony Campolo, who says he is
"conservative on the issue of the Bible and same-sex relationships".We also can notice that more Christian artists and theologians are coming out and not only tell that they are gay but also are not ashamed any more to show their relationship with the other.
Though still many may look at others with a 'bad eye'. some do not want to talk about it openly , but do not mind to talk underhanded about 'certain people living a sinful lifestyle' and 'how wrong it is'. They are happy to throw with mud, but not openly, and forget that some two thousand years ago there was a teacher in Galilee who wanted to show people they had to take on an other attitude. That master teacher also asked those who wanted to throw stones to others to look first in their own heart and if they could find no sin, than perhaps they could react heavily.
Jesus didn’t judge those who were different and asked us also not to judge them but to leave the judging to his heavenly Father, God. It is this Divine Creator Who allows people to be here on earth. When He allows those who have other feelings than us to be here what are we to say? God did not put us here to judge others.
We have the Bible that tells us what is right and what is wrong, but we’re not to pass judgement. People forget that God doesn’t grade on a curve; the heterosexual couple living together down the street is just as guilty as the gay couple living across the street. How are you to draw people to Christ if you have appointed yourself judge and jury?
When we look at others and when we would like to react we always should consider What Would Jesus Do! For sure we cann't put ourselves above Jesus, and should take into account his teachings. We also should take on an open attitude to draw them closer to Jesus his teachigns and to the Word of God, so that they can come to know it and live according it.
By bringing condemnation over those people we shall not be able to bring them closer to God. Just the opposite, we shall be able to keeping them at a distance or to cause that they shall come to judge All Christians as judgemental hypocrites.
We must be very careful that we live and act according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and approach people with the same attitude Jesus would do, which is with an open mind full of love and without judgement.
Let us always try to mirror our saviour Jesus Christ and remember:
Jas 4:10-12 The Scriptures 1998+ (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Master, and He shall lift you up. (11) Brothers, do not speak against one another. He that speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against Torah and judges Torah. And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of Torah but a judge. (12) There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
+
Find also:
+++
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- Dateline Rice for March 18, 2015
- Same-Sex Relationships & Global Legalities - Jones Day's Guide
Tuesday 25 November 2014
Identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the Latin American region
English: Common geographical regions of Latin America Español: Regiones geográficas típicas de América Latina (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Historical data suggest that for most of the 20th century, from 1900 through the 1960s, at least 90% of Latin America’s population was Catholic. Today, the Pew Research survey shows, 69% of adults across the region identify as Catholic. In nearly every country surveyed, the Catholic Church has experienced net losses from religious switching, as many Latin Americans have joined evangelical Protestant churches or rejected organized religion altogether.
On Nov. 13, 2014, the Pew Research Center brought together members of the Latin America community, religious leaders, scholars, members of the media and other experts for a round-table discussion about the latest data on religion in Latin America.
Speakers:
Jim Bell, Director of International Survey Research, Pew Research Center
Neha Sahgal, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center
Andrew Chesnut, Professor of Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University
Moderator:
Alan Cooperman, Director of Religion Research, Pew Research Center
> Event Transcript: Religion in Latin America
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Sunday 23 November 2014
Vatican lifts ban on married priests for Eastern Catholic churches in US, Canada, Australia
Catholic World News - November 17, 2014
The Vatican has lifted a longstanding ban on the ordination of
married men to the priesthood in the Eastern Catholic churches.The tradition and discipline of the Eastern churches allows for the ordination of married men to the priesthood. (Bishops must be unmarried, however, and once ordained, a priest cannot marry.) The Vatican has repeatedly approved this tradition, while insisting on the importance of priestly celibacy in the Latin rite.
However, in the late 19th century, with the arrival of many Byzantine Catholic immigrants in Canada, Latin-rite prelates complained that the presence of married Catholic priests could create a “grave scandal.” The Vatican eventually ruled that the Eastern churches could not ordain married men in the countries where their communities form a minority of the Catholic population. The rule has historically applied primarily to Canada, the US, and Australia.
With a decree approved by Pope Francis, and signed on June 14 by Cardinal Leonard Sandri, the Congregation for the Eastern Churches has now rescinded that ban. Catholic bishops of the Eastern churches serving in eparchies (dioceses) in the West are explicitly authorized to ordain married men.
The decree requires a bishop of the Eastern Catholic Church to “give prior notice, in writing, to the Latin Bishop of the candidate’s place of residence, so as to obtain his opinion and any relevant information [regarding the candidate].” An Eastern-rite bishop who ordained a married man for service in another country is directed to inform the episcopal conference of that country, and the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, of this action.
In practice, the ban on married priests had been relaxed in recent years, with the tacit acceptance of the Holy See. Some married priests from the East have been assigned to serve parishes in the West, and some men from the West have traveled to the East to be ordained before returning to serve at home. In a few cases, bishops of the Eastern churches have simply ignored the ban, ordaining married American men to serve in American parishes.
The new Vatican document allowing for the ordination of married men notes that when the ban was originally imposed, thousands of Catholics of the Ruthenian Catholic community in Canada left to join the Orthodox Church. The document also notes that when Pope Benedict XVI issued Anglicanorum Coetibus, allowing for the reception of Anglican communities into the Catholic Church, he explicitly provided for the presence of married Catholic priests. In 2012, Pope Benedict remarked that “the ministry of married priests is a component of the ancient Eastern traditions,” which he encouraged the Eastern Catholic churches to maintain.
Additional sources for this story
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Wednesday 8 October 2014
More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
England has to come to face what can be seen already in many cities at the continent.
This frightens many Christians. What I do find strange is that of those scared Christians nobody wonders why so many Caucasians coming form a Catholic or protestant family (Anglican, Church of England) wanted to convert to a religion which was not for a long time originally present in their surroundings.
I do agree with Professor Ted Cantle, of the ICoCo Foundation who said:
It is far too easy to point the finger to a so called "pace of demographic change" and saying that the Government has no policy to combat segregation
Why do not more people come to see that the churches in the West lost their flock? Churches are running, even so much that many churches already became closed and that in many villages there are not any more weekly services. For Sunday Mass people now have to go a few kilometres out of their doorstep, but this is perhaps demanded too much for them. So where is their connection with their faith and what do they want to do for their faith. The same can be said for their clergymen, are they really going out preaching, proclaiming the Word of God? How many Christians are willing to testify for their faith and do go out preaching the Gospel of the Good News?
Do Christians not have to see in their own bosom, to find that not many Christians really have a true faith?
There is still hope for the Christian community to have it back growing or not diminishing any more.
Sughra Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Britain, said:
- Statistics from 2011 Census show more Muslim children than Christian growing up in Birmingham
- Of 278,623 youngsters, 97,099 were registered as Muslim compared with 93,828 as Christian
- A similar trend has emerged in the cities of Bradford and Leicester
- Experts said more must be done to ensure that society does not become polarised along religious lines
English: More crowds on Brick Lane (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
In England’s second* city of Birmingham, of 278,623 youngsters, 97,099 were registered as Muslim compared with 93,828 as Christian. The rest were of other faiths such as Hindu or Jewish, or none.
writes Paul Alexander in his article Children in many UK Towns and Cities now more likely to be Muslim rather than Christian.A similar trend has emerged in the cities of Bradford and Leicester, the towns of Luton, in Bedfordshire, and Slough in Berkshire, as well as the London boroughs Newham, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets, where nearly two-thirds of children are Islamic.
I do agree with Professor Ted Cantle, of the ICoCo Foundation who said:
‘What we are seeing are several trends running together. There is a long-term decline in support for the established religions, notably Christianity; continuing immigration from the Asian sub-continent; and higher fertility among the Muslim population, which has a considerably lower age profile.But to me it is not only by deepening segregation exacerbated by the loss of white population from cities, which the professor and many white people say. It is not only in the cities where we can find more intensive concentration of black and minority ethnic groups as a result of replacement, that we do find Muslims. In Belgium for example there are a lot of Belgians, with Belgian Caucasian ancestors, who converted to the Islam.
It is far too easy to point the finger to a so called "pace of demographic change" and saying that the Government has no policy to combat segregation
"because it inevitably reduces understanding and tolerance on both sides of the divide."We should more come to see that we are going to a secularization because lots of people are not anymore interested in relgion and have no message in the god of others.
Why do not more people come to see that the churches in the West lost their flock? Churches are running, even so much that many churches already became closed and that in many villages there are not any more weekly services. For Sunday Mass people now have to go a few kilometres out of their doorstep, but this is perhaps demanded too much for them. So where is their connection with their faith and what do they want to do for their faith. The same can be said for their clergymen, are they really going out preaching, proclaiming the Word of God? How many Christians are willing to testify for their faith and do go out preaching the Gospel of the Good News?
Do Christians not have to see in their own bosom, to find that not many Christians really have a true faith?
There is still hope for the Christian community to have it back growing or not diminishing any more.
writes Paul Alexander.The figures show that Christianity is still the dominant religion in every local authority area in England and Wales, even in the most culturally diverse towns and cities.Of the 45.5million participants, 27.9million subscribed to Christianity, compared with 1.8million Muslims, the second largest grouping.However, among dependent children – defined as those aged up to 15, or between 16 and 18 and in education and still living at home – the gap is narrower.Of 12.1million youngsters, 6.1million were Christian and 1million were Muslim. And in some places, the balance has now tipped towards Islam.In Bradford, 52,135 children are Muslims (45 per cent) next to 47,144 Christians; in Leicester the figures are 22,693 and 18,190 respectively.The widest gap is in Tower Hamlets where 62 per cent of children are Islamic, outnumbering Christians by 34,597 to 8,995.
Sughra Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Britain, said:
‘Britain’s Muslims make up just 5 per cent of the population but have a younger demographic profile than other faiths, as these figures show. It matters to us all that this next generation of young British Muslims develops a clear and confident sense of their British identity alongside their Muslim faith. It’s important that schools teach all of our children the values of respect and tolerance.For every Western country it is important that all children learn to respect all other cultures and religions.
+Note: *The Daily Mail, Sept. 15, 2014, denotes Birmingham as England’s “second city” but some estimates rank Birmingham as the third largest city by population, below Manchester and London.
+++
Related articles
- Children Now More Likely to be Muslim than Christian in Some British Cities (seattle.thedailydigest.org)
There are now more Muslim children than Christian children growing up several British towns and cities. Figures from the 2011 census show that in places such as Birmingham, Bradford and Leicester, a child is more likely to be raised in Islam than Christianity as Britain's demographics radically change. - Britain: Muslim Kids Outnumber Christian Kids in 2nd Largest City (cnsnews.com)
A Sept. 15 report in the Daily Mail on the “changing face of Britain,” shows that in Birmingham, the second largest city in England by population, there are 93,828 children registered as Christian and 97,099 registered as Muslim, out of a total child population (age 18 and under) of 278,623. - 'Trojan Horse 2' in London (schoolsimprovement.net)
The Sunday Times is reporting that as many as a dozen schools in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets face investigation after claims they have fallen under the influence of Islamic fundamentalists…
According to government sources, officials at the Department for Education (DfE) are concerned that the situation may be worse than that uncovered in the “Trojan Horse” scandal earlier this year, in which Islamic fundamentalists attempted to infiltrate secular schools in Birmingham. Emergency inspections of 21 schools in the city by the schools regulator Ofsted resulted in five schools being placed in special measures.
“Tower Hamlets is expected to be the next Birmingham, but even worse, because the problems surrounding Muslim fundamentalists imposing their views on education seem to be more embedded,” said a senior Whitehall source.
Both secular state schools and private Islamic schools are under suspicion, and there are concerns that non-Muslim teachers are staying silent for fear of losing their jobs.
“The DfE will rely on whistleblowers to come forward about non-Muslim teachers being sidelined by Muslim fundamentalists in the borough,” the source said. “But potential whistleblowers fear they may be bullied, further sidelined or fired if they raise concerns.”
- The changing face of Britain: A child in Birmingham is now more likely to be a Muslim than Christian (dailymail.co.uk)
- "Christians flee Muslim-dominated areas for fear of being stoned to death" [Darleen Click] UPDATED (proteinwisdom.com)
Christians with Middle Eastern backgrounds in Denmark experience harassment, verbal attacks and in some cases direct violence from Muslims. TV2 News has been in contact with a number of Christians here in Denmark who tell of violent experiences.Christians with Middle Eastern backgrounds in Denmark experience harassment, verbal attacks and in some cases direct violence from Muslims. TV2 News has been in contact with a number of Christians here in Denmark who tell of violent experiences. - See more at: http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=55193#sthash.DiVRmF25.dpuf
+Christians with Middle Eastern backgrounds in Denmark experience harassment, verbal attacks and in some cases direct violence from Muslims. TV2 News has been in contact with a number of Christians here in Denmark who tell of violent experiences. - See more at: http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=55193#sthash.DiVRmF25.dpuf - Islamist extremism spreads to London schools? (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
Allegations about the imposition of extreme views in Tower Hamlets classrooms come as UK schools inspectorate Ofsted prepares to publish the findings of emergency inspections of 40 schools in England in the past fortnight.
The prospect of a new Trojan Horse-style scandal in Tower Hamlets will alarm ministers.
The original plot, first revealed by The Sunday Times, resulted in the removal of several head teachers and boards of governors in Birmingham.
A report into the scandal by Peter Clarke, a former head of counter-terrorism at Scotland Yard, found evidence of a "sustained" attempt to impose hardline Muslim views, with female staff bullied and Christian assemblies scrapped.
- Into the blast furnace (voxday.blogspot.com)
The UK's demographics are illustrating the truth of GK Chesterton's observations concerning the human disinclination to believe in nothing:
+
If he thinks segregation is a problem, just try desegregating those communities. Because communities that can't peacefully segregate will always eventually find another, less palatable means of doing so.
Well done, secular Britain. Out of its desire to weaken Christianity's societal dominance, it imported Islam. That's like leaping out of the frying pan and into the blast furnace. - Archbishop of the Anglican Church Says It's Acceptable to Have Doubt, and Still Be a Christian (nollywoodmagazine.com)
Some are coming for his head but I totally agree with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who has said he sometimes has doubts in his belief in God.In an interview with BBC, Bristol the leader of the Church of England said he doubted in “lots of different ways”.Some are coming for his head but I totally agree with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who has said he sometimes has doubts in his belief in God.
In an interview with BBC, Bristol the leader of the Church of England said he doubted in “lots of different ways”.
- See more at: http://www.nollywoodmagazine.com/2014/09/archbishop-of-the-anglican-church-says-its-acceptable-to-have-doubt-and-still-be-a-christian.html#sthash.8O3gHcp6.dpufSome are coming for his head but I totally agree with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who has said he sometimes has doubts in his belief in God.
In an interview with BBC, Bristol the leader of the Church of England said he doubted in “lots of different ways”.
- See more at: http://www.nollywoodmagazine.com/2014/09/archbishop-of-the-anglican-church-says-its-acceptable-to-have-doubt-and-still-be-a-christian.html#sthash.8O3gHcp6.dpuf - Vicars 'Set to Report Confessed Crimes to Police' (ibtimes.co.uk)
- (Telegraph) Some Anglicans in the same-sex marriage debate sign 'love letter' to Bishops (kendallharmon.net)
Monday 6 October 2014
Malaysia requires sole use of God's title for Muslims
In June Malaysia authorities ruled that non-Muslims cannot refer to God as 'Allah'.
A Muslim-majority country, many Malays believe that the national
conscience must be firmly rooted in Islam, therefore they are happy that Putrajaya’s persistence in refusing non-Muslim Malaysians the right to
use the word “Allah” so that their faith can be honoured by having the only right to use that title.
The Malaysian people and government forget that God belongs to the whole world. I would have thought the court ruling will soon be made unfinished, but it did not. Holding strong to this court ruling it is not only tantamount to the systematic destruction of the language and culture of the Bumiputera community in Sabah and Sarawak,but also does damage to all other languages where they use "Allah" as title for the the Divine Creator.
Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok said the word “Allah” has been part and parcel of the community’s language for generations and has become “embedded” in every aspect of their culture, including for the Bumiputera Christians, who make up the majority of Malaysia’s Christian population.
The government’s prohibition and the Federal Court’s denial for the Catholic Church to appeal for the right to publish the “Allah” in its weekly newspaper, had made the Bumiputera Christians feel they had been wronged, said the Sarawakian senior clergyman.
In its landmark ruling on June 23, a seven-judge panel at the top court had in a majority decision dismissed the Catholic Church’s bid to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision last year, which held that the word of Arabic origin was not “integral” to the religious practice of Malaysia’s Christians.
The Federal Court has however noted that the “integral” comment in the Court of Appeal was non-binding on other cases as it was just a remark made in passing.
The Catholic Church recently applied for a review of the Federal Court’s June decision while a Sabah evangelical church, Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), succeeded in clearing the first hurdle for its “Allah” challenge to be retried at the High Court, providing a glimmer of hope for Malaysia’s native Christians.
Those people should know that all people who speak Arabic or do have words in their language which came from Arabic, will have "Allah" for the title of "God", be it atheists, Hindus, Jews, Christians or Muslims. It is not a word which Muslims can claim only for themselves. In case such a thing happens all sorts of groups could claim singular words in any language claim for their own use, and forbidding others to use it in their own daily language.
Syed Putra Jamalull writes:
Muslims also should be aware that in many countries is spoken about "Allah" in respect, presenting the Divine Supreme Being, Whose Name was also given to His People, the Israelites and should come to be known all over the world as Jehovah.
In several churches not always is used the Name, but more often the title of the Elohim, as such
While it may be mostly Malaysian Muslims who are offended by the Christian use of the word 'Allah', many Christian believers the last decennials also have been reluctant to use the Name of God (Jehovah) as well as His title "Allah". With the growing of non-trinitarian Christians and with the growing of the Islamic faith more Christians find the use of "Allah" to be controversial.
Lots of Christians and Muslims do think they have a different God. This makes that people wonder if it is really possible to reconcile the name 'Allah' with the God of the Bible?
An other difficulty by Muslims is that they do get more and more a distorted image of Christians and cannot come to see that a person can really embrace a genuine faith in Christ Jesus, accepting this rabbi and prophet as their Messiah, but still believing in the Only One True God.
Beaumont also says:
Read more about it:
Allah in Arabic (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The Malaysian people and government forget that God belongs to the whole world. I would have thought the court ruling will soon be made unfinished, but it did not. Holding strong to this court ruling it is not only tantamount to the systematic destruction of the language and culture of the Bumiputera community in Sabah and Sarawak,but also does damage to all other languages where they use "Allah" as title for the the Divine Creator.
Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok said the word “Allah” has been part and parcel of the community’s language for generations and has become “embedded” in every aspect of their culture, including for the Bumiputera Christians, who make up the majority of Malaysia’s Christian population.
The government’s prohibition and the Federal Court’s denial for the Catholic Church to appeal for the right to publish the “Allah” in its weekly newspaper, had made the Bumiputera Christians feel they had been wronged, said the Sarawakian senior clergyman.
“We feel there has been a miscarriage of justice. It is insidious. It is tantamount to an act of language and culture genocide,” said Bolly, who also chairs the Association of Churches in Sarawak.Malaysia’s Bumiputera Christians are accustomed to praying in their native tongues and the national language, Bahasa Malaysia. Their bibles, scriptures and hymns too have been translated into their respective indigenous languages, many of which contain the controversial “Allah” word as reference to God.
In its landmark ruling on June 23, a seven-judge panel at the top court had in a majority decision dismissed the Catholic Church’s bid to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision last year, which held that the word of Arabic origin was not “integral” to the religious practice of Malaysia’s Christians.
The Federal Court has however noted that the “integral” comment in the Court of Appeal was non-binding on other cases as it was just a remark made in passing.
The Catholic Church recently applied for a review of the Federal Court’s June decision while a Sabah evangelical church, Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), succeeded in clearing the first hurdle for its “Allah” challenge to be retried at the High Court, providing a glimmer of hope for Malaysia’s native Christians.
Those people should know that all people who speak Arabic or do have words in their language which came from Arabic, will have "Allah" for the title of "God", be it atheists, Hindus, Jews, Christians or Muslims. It is not a word which Muslims can claim only for themselves. In case such a thing happens all sorts of groups could claim singular words in any language claim for their own use, and forbidding others to use it in their own daily language.
Syed Putra Jamalull writes:
This whole problem can be traced to the home ministry directive way back in 1986 prohibiting non muslims from using certain arabic terms that snowballed malay intolerance. Who was the home minister then? It could either be Musa Hitam or Dr M. Just like books and ideas, words should never be prohibited from being used as its the foundation.Mark Beaumont, senior lecturer in Islam and mission at the London School of Theology, says that while there is controversy regarding the way that God and Allah are referred in Malaysia, in other parts of the world it's considered far less of a contentious issue.
"In the Arab speaking world there's no difficulty in calling God 'Allah' – they've been doing it in the Christian church and in the Bible for hundreds of years,"he explains. Which is logical, because it is a word like any other word in the Arabic language and is in that language also used to indicate other gods that the Most High Divine Creator of heaven and earth form the Abrahamic faiths. In the early days of Egypt Pharao was also called Allah.
Muslims also should be aware that in many countries is spoken about "Allah" in respect, presenting the Divine Supreme Being, Whose Name was also given to His People, the Israelites and should come to be known all over the world as Jehovah.
In several churches not always is used the Name, but more often the title of the Elohim, as such
"In the Coptic Church in Egypt, the church in Syria, Jordan, Iraq and even Iran, it's always been the practice to call God 'Allah' using the Arabic form. Although the Arabic Bible wasn't translated fully before Islam came, it's obvious that people were reading the Gospels using 'Allah' before the rise of Islam.Whatever people want to believe about creation and all that, accepting or not believing in a Divine Creator, they should know that in the ancient history of the Middle East, 'Allah' was the equivalent of 'Elohim', the Hebrew word for the Most High God.
While it may be mostly Malaysian Muslims who are offended by the Christian use of the word 'Allah', many Christian believers the last decennials also have been reluctant to use the Name of God (Jehovah) as well as His title "Allah". With the growing of non-trinitarian Christians and with the growing of the Islamic faith more Christians find the use of "Allah" to be controversial.
in Arabic language. The book was written by the end of 16th century (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Lots of Christians and Muslims do think they have a different God. This makes that people wonder if it is really possible to reconcile the name 'Allah' with the God of the Bible?
"Anything is possible! You just have to think about the person who is saying 'I believe in Allah,'"Beaumont insists.
"When I lived in Morocco, there was a Christian man who was being interrogated by the police. He had grown up as a Muslim but came to know Christ and became a Christian. He was told to confess his faith, and he said:
Normally Jews, Christians and Muslims should have one and the same God, but I do agree with Jews and Muslims, in case certain Christians take Jesus to be the God of gods, than I as a Christian would also dare to question those trinitarian Christians if they have the same God as me.'There is no God but God, and Jesus Christ is my saviour and Lord'. He confessed it in Arabic, using the word 'Allah', and so he was quite happy to use the Muslim testimony of faith as a Christian because of course we also believe there is no God but God! He was able to affirm the basic statement of faith for Muslims – There is no God but Allah – but wasn't able to affirm Mohammed as God's prophet, which is the second part of it.
An other difficulty by Muslims is that they do get more and more a distorted image of Christians and cannot come to see that a person can really embrace a genuine faith in Christ Jesus, accepting this rabbi and prophet as their Messiah, but still believing in the Only One True God.
Beaumont also says:
"It's usually not that big a difficulty using the word 'Allah' and filling it with a Christian meaning. There are of course people in the West who worry about that – it makes some Christian missionaries feel uncomfortable, and I can understand that – but it's not my personal position."Beaumont contends that it is not only just possible to use Islamic terminology while offering a Christian meaning, but it is, in fact, a vital part of helping Muslims to understand the message of Christ.
"I favour beginning where Muslims are, with what they understand, and trying to draw them into another way of thinking," he explains.According to him
"The word 'God' came when the Bible was translated into Anglo-Saxon, and comes from a pagan name for a deity – it's a northern European understanding.and as such in our regions it is also used regularly for indicating higher or in the picture standing figures, like fashion queens, film-stars, sports-favourites, etc.
So when Christians have strict view on using the word 'Allah' but are very happy to use the King James translation of the Bible, or even more recent, I smile to myself,"Beaumont says.
"Language can take a word and change it – you can fill an old word with a new meaning, and that's what's going on here. Some people feel uncomfortable with that – they say 'you can't fill an old wineskin with new wine' but nobody says you can't use the Anglo-Saxon word for God.
"There's also a parallel with William Carey, who translated the Bible into Bengali and used the word 'Ishvara' – 'Ishvara created the heavens and the earth' – and that's the word Christians in India still use today.
"Ishvara is the God Hindus believe created the earth, and so Carey thought it would be best word for the Biblical creator – it's interesting to see how different translations use local deities to help explain the Bible, rather than 'Elohim'."
Read more about it:
- For Bumiputera Christians, ‘Allah’ ban akin to cultural ‘genocide’, says archbishop
- Continues Syrian conflict needing not only dialogue
- Islamic State forcing the West to provide means for Kurdistan
- Migrants to the West #5
- Migrants to the West #10 Religious freedom
- An Ex-Muslim’s Open Letter
- Muslims should also Fear God
- Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
- Prophets making excuses
- Jesus begotten Son of God #12 Son of God
- Pluralis Majestatis in the Holy Scriptures
- Quran versus older Holy Writings of Divine Creator
- Being Religious and Spiritual 1 Immateriality and Spiritual experience
- Are Christians prepared to Rejoice in the Lord
- Sharing a common security and a common set of values
- Not true or True Catholicism and True Islam
- Why is it that Christians don’t understand Muslims and Muslims do not understand Christians?
- Al-Fatiha [The Opening/De Opening] Süra 1:1-3 In the name of Allah the Merciful Lord Of The Creation
- The Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity
In Dutch:
- Sharia een kwaad voor Islam
- Rellen en Oude Geschriften
- Koran tegenover veel oudere Heilige Geschriften
- Onze God ook deze van de moslims
Related articles
- For bumiputera Christians, 'Allah' ban akin to cultural 'genocide', says archbishop (yahoonewsdigest-intl.tumblr.com)
It is in our language and culture DNA. We feel that the judgment was made without taking into due consideration of what the word means to us.
Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok - Dr. Reza Azlan's Argument on the 'Kalimah Allah' (aimanamani.wordpress.com)
Dr. Aslan mocked the Court of Appeals for unanimously ruling against allowing the Catholic Church to use the word “Allah” as the Malay translation for the Christian god in its weekly publication the Herald for which Justice Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali said:
“It is our common finding that the usage of the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity. From such finding, we find no reason why the respondent is so adamant to use the name ‘Allah’ in their weekly publication. Such usage, if allowed, will inevitably cause confusion within the community.”
The Malaysian Insider reported that Dr. Aslan said,
“We Are Laughing At You”.
“Allah is constuction of the the word al-Ilah. That’s what the word is,” he explained. “Al-Ilah means ‘The God’. Allah is not the name of God.” - Arabic Bibles has been falsified to please Muslim converts (ivarfjeld.com)
Most of the Christian media have been silent in regards to new “Muslim-friendly Bibles”. But one American media has sounded the alarm about the corrupt modern “bible translations”.
This is what has been reported:
It includes the controversial development is the removal of any references to God as “Father,” to Jesus as the “Son” or “the Son of God.” One example of such a change can be seen in an Arabic version of the Gospel of Matthew produced and promoted by Frontiers and SIL. It changes Matthew 28:19 from this:
“baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”
to this:
“cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiah and his Holy Spirit.”
A large number of such Muslim-sensitive translations already are published and well-circulated in several Muslim-majority nations such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.
According to Joshua Lingel of i2 Ministries,
“Even more dramatic a change is the Arabic and Bangla (Bangladesh) translations. In Arabic, Bible translations err by translating ‘Father’ as ‘Lord.’ ‘Guardian.’ ‘Most High’ and ‘God.” In Bangla, ‘Son of God’ is mistranslated ‘Messiah of God’ consistent with the Quran’s Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah), which references the merely human Jesus.”
- For Bumiputera Christians, 'Allah' ban akin to cultural 'genocide', says archbishop (sg.news.yahoo.com)
Bolly had cited the “Allah” prohibition as an example of the challenges that Charles Kumar Samuel — who was yesterday installed as the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia’s new assistant bishop — would face as the country experiences growing “irrational racial and religious polarisation”.
The archbishop added that the churches would be “irresponsible” if they were to stay silent in the face of injustice to the Bumiputera Christians, most of who hail from Sarawak and Sabah but also include the Orang Asli in the peninsula.
“They can’t understand why certain people take offence and go ballistic when all they do is simply live and pray the way they have been [doing] for generations,” Bolly said, and vowed to “use the word till kingdom come”.
Despite the Federal Court ruling, the “Allah” dispute is far from over as Malaysia’s churches step up to defend their constitutional rights.
- Five Questions With a Former Muslim Who Converted to Christianity (theaquilareport.com)
Nabeel Qureshi was raised in a Pakistani-American family and grew up a devout Muslim. While he was in medical school, he read the Bible for research in his debate against a Christian friend, and this began a journey that eventually led to his becoming a Christian. He shared his conversion story in his book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, and he also works with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries telling his story and providing encouragement to those who seek to share their faith with a changing world.
Misconception #2: “Muslims are all the same.” From Sufis to Salafis, Arabs to Bosnians, nominals to zealots, that could not be further from the truth.
Misconception #3: “Muslims are godless.” Devout Muslims live their lives in constant remembrance of Allah, trying to follow their creator in prayers, fasts, scripture memorization, sacrificial alms, adherence to tradition, and Sabbath congregations.
- Secularism and a more honest Islam (limkitsiang.com)
Secularism and liberalism are not unfamiliar terms in this country, although how Malaysians understand them is a different matter altogether.
In the halcyon post-Merdeka days, our founding fathers would proudly proclaim such ideals to be their philosophical bedrock, so much so that the word liberal actually appears in the preamble to the Rukunegara (national principles). To be secular and liberal was to be constitutional and inclusive.
Things have changed much since then. Today, the very same terms are used deleteriously as a mark of shame, such that it has become the proverbial scarlet letter of the Malay-Muslim society. To be secular and liberal is to be ungodly and aberrant.
+
Far from threatening Islam, a secular state based on democratic ideals would actually emancipate the religion from the vested interests of the state. This would in fact further the cause of Islamic thought and discourse.
+
it is suggested that secularism and liberalism are philosophical ideals that would strengthen and embolden Islam. A truly Islamic society is one that is free in thought and conscience, where Islam is practised honestly and where rituals are performed out of firm belief and not out of fear or pressure. - Malaysia: Muslims confiscate Bibles, police threaten arrests if non-Muslims use word "allah" (creepingsharia.wordpress.com)
I write to alert you to the latest development in Malaysia whereby the religious authorities of Selangor (a state closest to the capital) raided the Bible Society and confiscated 300 bibles in Malay and Iban (an indigenous language). Allah is used in Malay and other Malaysian indigenous languages – it has been used for over 100 years, even before Malaysia was formed as a country. This might be due to Arab influence on the local languages when traders came to the Malayan peninsula in the 1300s.
In this country, Allah has been used to refer to God, whereas Tuhan, which the ruling party wants Catholics/Christians to use, is a generic term which is non specific, hence the refusal by the Malay/indigenous language speaking Catholics and Christians to budge.
+
Today’s raid comes after the editor of Catholic weekly, Herald, Rev Father Lawrence Andrew said that Catholic churches in Selangor would continue to use the word “Allah” in their weekend services in Bahasa Malaysia, which are primarily attended by Sabah and Sarawak folk.
+Police will take action over the “Allah” word issue in Selangor if its Islamic Religious Department (Jais) requests police to intervene in enforcing the ruling on the issue.Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic) said this was because Islamic religious matters were under the jurisdiction of the state government, and police respected its jurisdiction over the issue.“All quarters should stop playing up this sensitive issue… those involved should adhere to the decree by the Sultan of Selangor (Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah) and the court order for (non-Muslims) not to use the ‘kalimah Allah’ (in their scriptures),” he told reporters today. - Islamic Authorities Seize Bibles Because Christians Use the Word 'Allah' (frstephensmuts.wordpress.com)
Islamic authorities in Malaysia on Thursday seized 321 Bibles from a Christian group because they used the word Allah to refer to God, signaling growing intolerance that may inflame ethnic and religious tension in the Southeast Asian country.
The raid comes after a Malaysian court in October ruled that the Arabic word was exclusive to Muslims, most of whom are ethnic Malays, the largest ethnic group in the country alongside sizeable Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities.
- Will you people stop irritating Muslims? Gaaaah! (iowntheworld.com)Why irritate Muslims by using allah? Why irritate Muslims by not converting? Why irritate Muslims by breathing?
+Against a backdrop of Selangor religious authorities preparing to clamp down on non-Muslims’ use of “Allah”, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today questioned Christian motives for “annoying others” with their insistence on using the Arabic word to refer to God.The country’s longest-serving prime minister said the Arabic term for God was only a common usage among Christians in Sabah and Sarawak.
“All this while, we have never quarrelled about this because they (Christians in the peninsula) never use the word, so why irritate other people, it won’t hurt them not to use the word Allah.
“They have never used it before. Those who use it are in Sabah and Sarawak, there is no objection. But here in the peninsula, why do we want to find a cause to quarrel,” he told reporters at the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) New Year open house today.
- GE13: Political Religion in Malaysian Politics (dinmerican.wordpress.com)Between 2004 and 2008, Malaysia witnessed, for the first time, the rise of politicised Hindusim in the form of the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) movement. Its appeal was specifically to the Hindus of the country rather than to Malaysians of Indian or South Asian origin. Then, in the general election of 2008, it was evident that some Christian leaders were also involved in mobilising their fellow Christians, and that trend seems to have continued and even sharpened today.These developments indicate that Muslims are not the only ones who are now politically active in Malaysia, but other religious communities too. There is every reason to believe that religion in general, and Islam in particular, will be a key variable that impacts the voting process.
+
Malaysia’s complex electorate seems to be guided by theological, as well as ideological, concerns.
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