In the past few weeks there has been a disturbing trend of persecution of Christians by the government. On October 10, police arrested eleven Christian evangelists, after they preached and distributed biblical information during Philadelphias Outfest a homosexual pride event.
At this time, the arrested Christians six men and five women from Repent America were jailed for 21 hours and charged with five misdemeanors and three felonies, including one count of ethnic intimidation.
Meanwhile, in Australia two Christian pastors have been convicted of vilifying Muslims, a decision which Bill Muehlenberg of The Australian Family Association said “could mark the beginning of the end of freedom of speech in Australia and the official restriction of proclaiming the Christian Gospel.”
According to a news release, the two pastors, Daniel Scot and Danny Nalliah, breached section 8 of Australia’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act of 2001. That law forbids a person to engage in conduct that “incites hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, that person or class of persons.” In other words, words and thoughts are punished in Australia.
The judge in the case found that though the law does contain exemptions, the pastor’s conduct could not be “regarded as reasonable and in good faith.” Much of what the judge considered offensive were quotations from the Quran.
Center for Reclaiming America -- NEWS You Won't hear on the News!:
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Friday, December 10, 2004
Chinese House Church leader arrested
One of the most prominent Chinese House Church leaders, Pastor Zhang Rongliang, was arrested on December 1, 2004.
Zhang’s wife and children were not at home when the arrest occurred; they were able to escape and are now in hiding. The apartment was searched and all Pastor Zhang’s Christian DVDs, materials and photos revealing relationships with foreigners and foreign agencies were confiscated. According to reliable sources, on the evening of December 1, Xuzhai village was surrounded by police and every house was searched. It is believed that pastor Zhang’s wife and children were the targets of the search.
Pastor Zhang has already spent twelve years in prison for his faith during five separate detentions since his secret baptism in 1969. He experienced harsh torture, including electric shocks, during his prison terms.
His arrest comes in the midst of a serious crackdown on Chinas house churches. In addition to a generally worsening situation and increased arrests, it is reported that there is now a disinformation campaign, similar to that used against the Falun Gong before the major crackdown against them. In recent weeks, the Chinese government has launched an international media propaganda campaign. It was reflected from articles both in an overseas pro-China website called DUOWEI news and the New York Times. The articles portrayed house churches as secret religious fanatics who even commit murder in the fight for new membership.
It is believed that the Chinese government purposely provided misleading and untrue information to these news outlets by linking the house church with a criminal group disguised as religion called Eastern Lightning.
In September in Kaifeng city alone there were over 100 pastors arrested. At least 11 have been sentenced to one to three years of so-called “re-education through labor.” They are Pastor Zhang Wanshun, Ping Xinsheng, Guo Zhumei ,Yang Jianshe, Zhang Weifang, Zhang Tianyun, Yu Xiangzhi, Yu Guoying, Shun Fu, Chen Yanjing and Pastor Li Qun. These pastors, from 25 to 57 years old, were all accused as “leaders of an evil cult” and already have experienced harsh treatment, including severe beatings. Among them, Pastor Ping Xinsheng has lost consciousness three times due to continuous beatings since his arrest in August.
“This is yet another example of how the Chinese government treats Christians,” said Todd Nettleton, Director of News Services for The Voice of the Martyrs. “We are very concerned for our Christian brother, Pastor Zhang, who has suffered from diabetes for five years.”
The Voice of the Martyrs - News
Zhang’s wife and children were not at home when the arrest occurred; they were able to escape and are now in hiding. The apartment was searched and all Pastor Zhang’s Christian DVDs, materials and photos revealing relationships with foreigners and foreign agencies were confiscated. According to reliable sources, on the evening of December 1, Xuzhai village was surrounded by police and every house was searched. It is believed that pastor Zhang’s wife and children were the targets of the search.
Pastor Zhang has already spent twelve years in prison for his faith during five separate detentions since his secret baptism in 1969. He experienced harsh torture, including electric shocks, during his prison terms.
His arrest comes in the midst of a serious crackdown on Chinas house churches. In addition to a generally worsening situation and increased arrests, it is reported that there is now a disinformation campaign, similar to that used against the Falun Gong before the major crackdown against them. In recent weeks, the Chinese government has launched an international media propaganda campaign. It was reflected from articles both in an overseas pro-China website called DUOWEI news and the New York Times. The articles portrayed house churches as secret religious fanatics who even commit murder in the fight for new membership.
It is believed that the Chinese government purposely provided misleading and untrue information to these news outlets by linking the house church with a criminal group disguised as religion called Eastern Lightning.
In September in Kaifeng city alone there were over 100 pastors arrested. At least 11 have been sentenced to one to three years of so-called “re-education through labor.” They are Pastor Zhang Wanshun, Ping Xinsheng, Guo Zhumei ,Yang Jianshe, Zhang Weifang, Zhang Tianyun, Yu Xiangzhi, Yu Guoying, Shun Fu, Chen Yanjing and Pastor Li Qun. These pastors, from 25 to 57 years old, were all accused as “leaders of an evil cult” and already have experienced harsh treatment, including severe beatings. Among them, Pastor Ping Xinsheng has lost consciousness three times due to continuous beatings since his arrest in August.
“This is yet another example of how the Chinese government treats Christians,” said Todd Nettleton, Director of News Services for The Voice of the Martyrs. “We are very concerned for our Christian brother, Pastor Zhang, who has suffered from diabetes for five years.”
The Voice of the Martyrs - News
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Pray for Andy Rooney
"The CBS star said he was chagrined over reports that religious values played such a critical role in this year's election.
'I am an atheist,' Rooney told Tufts. 'I don't understand religion at all. I'm sure I'll offend a lot of people by saying this, but I think it's all nonsense.'
He accused Christian fundamentalists of being ignorant, saying Christians turned to religion because of 'a lack of education.'
'They haven't been exposed to what the world has to offer,' he explained. "
Andy Rooney Blames Bias, 'Moneychangers' at CBS:
'I am an atheist,' Rooney told Tufts. 'I don't understand religion at all. I'm sure I'll offend a lot of people by saying this, but I think it's all nonsense.'
He accused Christian fundamentalists of being ignorant, saying Christians turned to religion because of 'a lack of education.'
'They haven't been exposed to what the world has to offer,' he explained. "
Andy Rooney Blames Bias, 'Moneychangers' at CBS:
Monday, November 01, 2004
Palestine vs. Israel as the Name of the Holy Land
There is a propaganda war going on now with regard to the term Palestine.
At one time it might have been argued that Palestine was an innocuous designation of the Middle Eastern area, that is generally thought of as the Holy Land. During the last few decades, however, the term Palestine has been adopted by Arabs living in Israel in the area west of the Jordan River. It is specifically employed to avoid the use of the name Israel, and must be considered an anti-Israel term. In all Arab maps published in Jordan, Egypt, etc., the area west of the Jordan River is called Palestine, without any reference to Israel. Palestine is the term now used by those who want to deny the legitimate existence of Israel as a genuine nation among the family of nations.
Palestine vs. Israel as the Name of the Holy Land:
At one time it might have been argued that Palestine was an innocuous designation of the Middle Eastern area, that is generally thought of as the Holy Land. During the last few decades, however, the term Palestine has been adopted by Arabs living in Israel in the area west of the Jordan River. It is specifically employed to avoid the use of the name Israel, and must be considered an anti-Israel term. In all Arab maps published in Jordan, Egypt, etc., the area west of the Jordan River is called Palestine, without any reference to Israel. Palestine is the term now used by those who want to deny the legitimate existence of Israel as a genuine nation among the family of nations.
Palestine vs. Israel as the Name of the Holy Land:
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