Tag: Christian

Opponents of a bid by Muslim states to “protect religion” claim a small success

More than one hundred people were feared dead in Nigeria following violent clashes between Christian villagers and Muslim herders near the central city of Jos. Ethno-religious violence claimed 326 lives in January in Jos, according to police although other observers put the overall toll at more than 550 in Jos.

A class experiment has left a deep mark in a strongly religious community in Ohio.  The firing of a christian, middle school science teacher has divided a town, and surfaced the undeniable truth that creationism is being taught in American public schools.

Focus on the Family, a Christian organization, will run a commercial during the Super Bowl, even though networks have often rejected potentially controversial Super Bowl ads in the past, such as an ad from PETA in 2009 and an ad from Moveon.org in 2004.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan keep a tight grip on religion, fearing both Christian and Muslim fundamentalism. Bolot, a young evangelical preacher in Kyrgyzstan, says he already been arrested twice this year after setting up a new church. He says he is the victim of a new law on religion, which critics say severely restricts religious freedoms and is forcing some groups underground. Under the law, new religious groups have to have at least 200 members before they can register with the authorities and operate legally - previously the figure was 10.

You may remember the story of Nadia Eweida, the British Airways check-in worker who was banned from wearing a small cross on a chain. This modest manifestation of her faith was as important to her as a turban or hijab to other workers. Yet the airline accommodated these other items without, perhaps, embracing the underlying values that would have protected Ms Eweida and anyone else from the blundering assertion that “rules is rules is rules”. After a public outcry that included secular, religious and political voices from across the spectrum, the airline modified its uniform policy. But not before Ms Eweida had been off work for months without pay, and crucially, without accepting the ethical and legal principle that would protect her and others of all faiths and none in the future. Worse still, BA instructed an international law firm strenuously to resist her claim of religious discrimination.

A Christian teacher was sacked within hours of offering to pray for a sick pupil during a home mentoring visit. Olive Jones, 54, said yesterday that she has been made a victim of religious persecution for discussing her faith with the child and her mother, who complained about her behaviour. After she was sacked, she was told the family had strongly objected to her approach because they are non-believers, and that a formal complaint had been lodged about her.

A US judge has ordered South Carolina not to issue a licence plate with a Christian image and slogan.

Cedars-Sinai cardiologist Dr. Lawrence Czer makes regular trips to Africa with his Christian church to help the needy by providing free medical care. On his medical missions to Africa, Dr. Lawrence Czer has dealt with poverty, lack of electricity, bad accommodations—and military checkpoints. In Sierra Leone, Czer and his team were sometimes stopped by rifle-toting soldiers who simply wouldn’t let them through.

Singapore’s prime minister last week reaffirmed the city-state’s secularism in his National Day speech. Lee Hsien Loong said that aggressive preaching by religious groups and evangelising threaten Singapore’s stability.

A personal account of the “evidence” that the religous argue is proof of a personal God.

Dr Sheila Matthews a Christian doctor barred from an adoption panel after refusing to recommend that children live with homosexual couples has been reinstated but cannot vote on whether adoption goes ahead.

A Turkish television show is offering contestants what it claims is the “biggest prize ever” — the chance for atheists to convert to one of the world’s major religions. The show, called Penitents Compete, features a Muslim imam, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and a Buddhist monk attempting to persuade 10 atheists of the merits of their religions. Atheists who convert win a trip to a holy location, depending which religion they pick.

Almost two thirds of the Church of England General Synod believe Christians are the victims of discrimination in the workplace.