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Vol. XII No. 5
June 1-15, 2010 l Published from Delhi
Post Box No.: 10708, Delhi-110085
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INNOCENTS CAUGHT UP:
How to break the tragic
cycle of violence ?
MPK Kutty
officials had expressed dismay over the
tendency of human rights groups to question
the legitimacy of the state using its power to
quell violence while they refuse to condemn
the deliberate violence by the extremists.
They feel that civil society, by its misplaced
zeal, had in fact weakened the efforts of the
state government in battling Maoists.
However much one might sympathise
with the lot of the poor in the Naxaliteaffected districts of the country, there can be
no support to those misguided elements who
New Delhi: As the death toll in the
accident involving the Mumbai - bound
Jnaneshwari Express near Jhargram in
West Midnapore on Friday touched 141 on
Sunday (May 30) the question uppermost
in the minds of people is how to end the
cycle of violence …
One report suggests that a faction of
the Maoist-backed Peoples Committee
Against Police Atrocities was responsible
for the sabotage that derailed the train. A
CBI inquiry has been ordered into the
seek to pursue even desirable goals through
crude violence. Violent revolutions had not
solved problems in the past and there are
numerous examples of such failed attempts.
The failure of Soviet communism, the defeat of
terrorists in Sri Lanka and Punjab are examples
from recent history.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi's
strategy of taking development initiatives to
redress wrongs at the grassroot-level while
dealing 'decisively and forcefully' with acts of
terror has been well orchestrated in her recent
mishap to uncover the whole truth.
The event endangering the lives of
innocent civilians is bound to further
alienate the Maoist groups, which while
sympathising with the poor are behaving
no different from terrorists. Human rights
activists and Civil Society spokespersons
like Arundhati Roy, Dr Binayak Sen, have
condemned the unleashing of mindless
violence on innocent passengers.
Home minister Chidambaram, besides
security experts and retired senior police
(Contd. On page 7)
Switch off that mobile!
It’s easy to blame the captain of the ill-fated Air
India Express for the tragic accident that
occurred in Mangalore, since he is not there to
defend his case. Also, one can blame the airline
management for not maintaining the aircrafts.
However, I would request all the airline
passengers to do an introspection of their role on
board, and the readers to consider the following
facts before handing over the death penalty. The
state-of-the-art plane (B-737-800) was inducted
on January 15, 2008. Hence, one cannot say that
its conditions were so bad.
Every day, 32 domestic and international
flights operate from Mangalore airport. Hence,
one cannot caregorically say that the airport or
its runway were not safe for landing.
Fifty three-year-old Captain Zlatko Glusica
who died in the crash had 10,200 hours of flying
experience and his licence had been endorsed by
the Directorate of General of CivilAviation, India.
The commander had flown in and out of
Mangalore airport at least 19 times, while the copilot had operated 66 times from the same airport.
So the pilot and co-pilot were fully
familiar with landing at Mangalore Airport,
and therefore it’s not right to put the blame
on the pilots. Further, the commander did
not report any malfunction before landing,
to the Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Visibility at the airport on the day of the
accident was six km, ‘which is more than
that required’, when the ill-fated plane
landed in Mangalore.
So then, what could be the reason for this air
crash? Possible malfunctioning of the
navigational system during the landing process
caused by a cell-phone switched on by an
ignorant passenger? I have noticed that many
passengers switch on their mobile phones while
landing as if they are in a race to inform their
arrival. It is also possible that someone did not
switch off the mobile phone while taking off
from Dubai, despite being warned by the cabin
crew, and it started searching for signals as the
flight descended at Mangalore airport, which
could have interfered with the functions of the
landing system?
It should be noted that all three recent
air crashes — the first one at Russia killing
the Polish Prime Minister and his team, the
second one at Libya last month and now Air
India Express at Mangalore — all occurred
while trying to land, thereby strengthening
my suspicion about the possible
interference in the navigational system by
Thomas
Dominic, Kuwait
cell phone signals.
Any takers?
Be aware! Be concerned! Visit www.praisethealmighty.com
2
NEWS AND VIEWS
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Church condoles
Mangalore crash deaths
May 24, 2010: The Catholic Church
condoled the death of 158 people who had
boarded an Air India flight that crashed in
Mangalore on Saturday.
President of the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of India (CBCI), Cardinal
Oswald Gracias, in a message of condolence,
said the Church in India grieved over the
"great loss of life in the air tragedy".
"We are aware that words cannot take
away the grief, sorrow and pain, but we
offer our prayers and solidarity to the
families. The Church prays that those who
have survived this ordeal may soon recover.
We extend all support to the survivors to
enable them to cope and recover, and to help
them in all ways possible," he said.
"The Church prays for the eternal
repose of the dead and implores the
Almighty and merciful God for his gifts of
comfort and strength on those who mourn
the loss of their loved ones," he added.
The Air India flight was flying from
Dubai to Mangalore with 160 passengers
and six crew members on board.
On landing the plane overshot the
runway, went down a ravine and burst into
flames, media reported. Eight persons
however miraculously survived the crash.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
President Pratibha Patil expressed deep grief
and sorrow and condoled the loss of lives.
Singh announced a compensation of Rs
2 lakh each to the family of deceased and Rs
50,000 each to the injured from the Prime
Minister's National Relief Fund.
Vice President Hamid Ansari said that he
joined all citizens in sending condolences to
the members of the bereaved families and
"praying to the Almighty to grant them the
strength to withstand this immense loss".
According to official figures, 48 of the
total of 50 passengers identified so far
hailed from the northern districts of Kerala.
Across that state, special prayers were
held Sunday for those killed in the crash and
their grieving families.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council
(KCBC) had asked its dioceses to conduct
special prayers in all its churches.
The crash of the Dubai-Mangalore
flight is said to be the worst air disaster in
India in more than a decade. (by Dibin
Samuel, Christian Today)
JUNE 1-15, 2010
Dalit Christian activists
meet Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, May 21, 2010 (Christian Today):
As part of political activism for the cause of
justice to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims,
an intense lobbying at the New Delhi circles
has been unstintingly continuing, with
several delegations impressing upon the
political leaders in granting Scheduled caste
status to Christians and Muslims of
Scheduled Caste origin.
On 21 May as the nation observed 'Anti
Terrorism Day' in commemoration of the
death anniversary of former Prime Minister
of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Rahul
Gandhi, the General Secretary of All India
Congress Committee (AICC) gave an
audience to a delegation of Dalit Christian
and Muslim activists under the auspices of
National Council of Dalit Christians.
The delegation paid rich tributes to
Late Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, remembering his
efforts to the cause of Dalit emancipation,
particularly for bringing in the SC/ST
Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989.
The delegation then briefed to Mr.
Gandhi about the injustices done to Dalit
Christians & Dalit Muslims due to the
discriminatory paragraph 3 of the
Constitution Scheduled Caste order 1950.
Mr. Gandhi expressed his surprise that
Christians and Muslims of Dalit origin are
excluded from the benefits of affirmative
actions such as contesting for elections from
Panchayats to Parliament, when the Hindus,
Sikhs and Buddhists of Dalit origin are the
beneficiaries of it.
Mr. Gandhi was patient to the concerns
and issues raised by the delegation, and
expressed his earnest desire in supporting
this genuine cause for justice, by following
up the matter accordingly.
The delegation submitted a
memorandum, seeking Mr. Gandhi's
intervention in impressing upon the present
UPA Government to act swiftly in taking an
urgent action on the National Commission
for Religious and Linguistic Minorities
report (Ranganath Misra Commission
report), particularly to the Additional Term
of Reference, and to give an appropriate
answer to the query of the Supreme Court to
the Writ Petitions demanding deletion of the
unjust paragraph 3 of the Constitution
Scheduled Castes Order 1950 and to extend
Scheduled Caste status to Muslims and
Christians of Scheduled Caste Origin
The delegation, which included Fr. AXJ
Bosco & Mr. Franklin Ceasar from National
Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC), Mr. Aariz
Mohammed from Centre for Social Justice
(CSJ) and Fr. Dr. Cosmon Arokiaraj, Rev. Raj
Bharath Patta & Mr. S. Raju from National Coordination Committee for
DalitonChristians
(Contd
page 18)
Advt.
NEWS AND VIEWS
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Christian Council
condemns train attack
May 28, 2010 (Dibin Samuel CT): The Bengal
Christian Council (BCC) today condemned
the Maoist attack on Mumbai-bound
Gyaneswari Express that killed at least 65
people in West Bengal's Midnapore district.
"We are very grieved to learn of the
tragedy this morning. The attack by the
Maoists which resulted in loss of lives must be
condemned in the strongest possible terms,"
said Rev. A. Mondal, Secretary of the BCC.
"As we send our heart felt condolences,
we want to pray that God changes the heart of
those people indulging in violence," he added.
BCC is a body uniting the CNI, Baptist,
Lutheran, Methodist and Salvation Army
churches in that region.
According to media reports, the train
derailment caused to Gyaneswari Express
was a case of bomb blast. About 13 coaches
were derailed injuring at least 200 people.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has
announced monetary assistance of Rs 2 lakh
each to the next of kin of the deceased and
Rs.50,000 each to the seriously injured.
Says Rev. Mondal, “The government must
hold talks with the Maoists to ward off such
incidents in the future.”
"An amicable settlement through
discussion must be brought to the protracted
problem. If the government delays, the
future will see more ominous situations," he
told Christian Today.
This is the second Maoist attack on
civilians this month. Naxals had blown up a
civilian bus in Dantewada district of
Chhattisgarh on May 17, killing at least 36
people, including 12 Special Police Officers.
In an appeal for prayer, Rev Asir
Ebenezer, the Officiating General Secretary
of the National Council of Churches in India
(NCCI), observed the urgent need to
address the "issues and contexts that give
rise to these conflicts".
"In the last few weeks the country has
seen a spate of unabated violence and
bloodshed. Strikes by Maoists, purportedly a
retaliation to the brute force with which their
demands are met, has been in the news. While
the leaders of the Maoist outfits and the State
battle it out, people bear the brunt of the
attacks from both sides," said Rev Ebenezer.
He called for prayer so that "the State
and the Non-State actors will uphold
governance with responsibility for
affirmation of Life to All" and "reactionary
methodologies and activities will be dealt
with introspection and in ways other than
retaliation through brute force".
Include 'religious minorities'
in ongoing census: AICC
May 17, 2010: The ongoing 2011 census
must include 'religious minorities' just like
the insertion of 'caste' in the format, said a
Christian council.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, Abraham Mathai, general secretary
of the All India Christian Council (aicc),
underlined the need for including religious
minorities in the census.
"If not included, this will certainly result
in minority groups being swallowed up in a
situation whereby the central and state
government exchequers would not have made
budgetary provisions to cater for their social
and developmental needs,” Mathai said.
Mathai, who is also the vice president
of Maharashtra State Minorities
Commission, stressed that it is imperative to
have a special column to categorise
minority religious groups so it can prevent
minority groups being in greater jeopardy at
the hands of callous governments.
Adding such a column, he said, would
enable enumerators to provide accurate
statistics to agencies such as the Planning
Commission which then would result in
adequate provisions in the respective central
and state government budget allocations.
Not providing a special column, says
Mathai, is tantamount to denying the
existence of religious minorities in a
country where religious intolerance is rife
and gross violations on the rights of the
minorities have been experienced.
The current census began on April 1
and will count an estimated 1.2 billion
population. This will be India's 15th census
since 1872. Home Minister P Chidambaram
has described it as "the biggest exercise
since humankind came into existence".
Spread across 35 states and Union
Territories, the census would cover 640
districts, 5,767 tehsils, 7,742 towns and
more than 600,000 villages.
Interestingly, caste will be included in
the present census despite opposition from
Hindu nationalist groups. The first census
that categorised people's caste was conducted
in 1931 when the British ruled India.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of
India (CBCI) welcomed the insertion of
caste in the ongoing census. The move
according to CBCI will facilitate
identification of the dalit Christians and
help them get benefits extended to dalits
belonging to other religions.
This, however, was strongly opposed
by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which
said it would strengthen casteist forces.
"There should not be caste based
discrimination. There was no caste based
census after 1931, why should the
government revive it now?" VHP leader
Pravin Togadia asked. (by John Malhotra)
3
Indian priest sent
home over nun
harassment
claims
May 28, 2010: An Indian priest on sabbatical in
California has been sent home while his bishop
investigates allegations that he sexually
harassed a Catholic sister in England.
The situation came to light last month,
when the nun, who allegedly received
inappropriate e-mails from the accused
priest, called Monsignor David Sork, pastor
at St John Fisher parish in Rancho Palos
Verdes, asking if the accused presently was at
the church, the Palos Verdes News reports.
On April 27, the sister e-mailed associate
pastor Monsignor Steven Zak and copied
several other staff members, detailing the
allegations. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles
received the e-mail the following day.
As the accusations heightened, the
priest left St John Fisher on May 5 and was
sent back to India to complete an
investigation into the situation.
“They’re serious enough allegations
that I can’t have somebody who’s under that
type of a cloud serving as a priest here …
Because the allegations took place [outside]
of this country, we can’t do anything in this
country about it,” Sork said.
Upon having a discussion with the
Pastoral Council, an announcement was
made during Sunday service that the priest
was recalled to India. Sork sent out a letter
dated May 10 to all 3,000 parishioners.
“All people are presumed innocent
until proven guilty, so we must not prejudge
him,” Sork wrote in the correspondence.
“When I talked with Fr John about this
matter, he denied all these allegations.”
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Commercial Property for sale in Delhi
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Contact Ph.
E-mail
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011- 25571401 / 02
[email protected]
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NEWS AND VIEWS
4
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
EFICOR reconstructing
houses of riot-victims
in Baliguda region
May 28, 2010: Two years after the antiChristian violence rendered them homeless,
Christians in Kandhamal's Baliguda region
will now have a roof over their heads.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India
Commission on Relief (EFICOR) is currently
building about 337 houses in that region.
Baliguda like other adjacent blocks
witnessed severe violence in the aftermath
of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda
Saraswati's murder.
EFICOR was involved in providing
relief for over 6000 families in Kandhamal.
The Orissa Government had invited
EFICOR to participate in the reconstruction
as well as peace process.
The Government significantly had
authorized EFICOR to distribute materials
worth Rs.10,000/- for reconstruction of
partially damaged houses and Rs.30,000/for fully damaged houses.
Additionally, EFICOR is providing
materials required for reconstruction i.e.,
bricks, sand, cement and A.C sheets for the
victims to reconstruct their houses.
EFICOR’s three volunteers assess material
requirements and ensure proper delivery of
materials to the affected families.
"Out of the total 337 houses to be
constructed in the Baliguda Block, 65 houses
have been completed so far. The
reconstruction work first started in Budrukia
and Medikia Gram Panchayats (GPs) are
progressing well towards completion, while
other GPs i.e., Bata Guda, Sindri Gaon and
Kutikia, the work has commenced," said
Sanjeev Kumar Bhanja, Director of
Programmes for EFICOR.
Construction work will also be soon
commencing in Sudra, Barkhama and
Baliguda GPs, he added.
Towards establishing peace, EFICOR
is supporting the Antaranga (Intimacy)
Peace Initiative through a consortium of
seven local NGOs including Action Aid.
The consortium has been enabling
communities to resolve their conflicts through
socio-cultural activities such as peace meeting
in the villages, organizing rallies, theaters,
sports events, and development programmes.
The Antaranga peace process,
according to Bhanja, has gained popularity
especially with the involvement and support
of the District Administration.
During the 2008 violence, Hindu
extremists reportedly destroyed 500
churches, 126 Christian shops and 5,000
homes leaving 50,000 people homeless.
Christian schools and hostels were also
attacked. (Dibin Samuel, Christian Today)
GFA missionaries
say it is
'privilege' to suffer
May 19, 2010 (Charlie Boyd, Christian
Today): Missionaries in training with Gospel
for Asia have spoken of the “privilege” they
felt in suffering for Christ after being attacked
on their Bible college campus in Mumbai,
India, earlier in the month.
Seven students were seriously injured
in the attack by suspected anti-Christian
extremists on May 9.
They were preparing the evening meal
when attackers armed with wooden sticks,
iron rods and fluorescent light tubes
stormed onto the campus, beating them and
vandalising the buildings.
The students tried to speak to the
assailants and find out why they were
attacking them but got no answer.
Hemanti Kashyap was injured when
the attackers hit him in the stomach with an
iron rod. He said the incident had given him
the chance to live out the difficult lessons he
had learned in Bible college.
“Through this situation I learned what
the Bible means when it says, “Blessed are
those who suffer for Christ,” he said. “This
opposition was the test of my faith to
march forward and to share the Gospel.
They hit my stomach with an iron rod and I
was injured, but I am grateful to the Lord
Jesus who kept me safe to be a witness for
Him.”
Sunil Pattanayap recalls the moment
the attack began: “For a moment I was
shocked about why this was happening to
me. Then I understood that the time had
come for me to glorify His name,” he said.
“It was my privilege to suffer for Christ
and I am happy today because I can testify that
God protected me and brought me safe from
death to proclaim His Word and stand as a
living testimony for Christ with a strong faith.
Three of the injured students are still
recovering in hospital. Beedram Sena had to
undergo surgery on his broken leg, while
Sudershan Yadavan required surgery to
repair his broken kneecap. Sunil Reddy
needed extensive dental surgery to replace
teeth that were knocked out by the attackers.
Brijeshware Nayan, who was injured
on his back but did not require
hospitalisation, said the attack had helped
him to see the spiritual value in suffering.
He said: “I came to serve the Lord. If
we get scared of this opposition then how
can we learn to grow up in our faith?”
The attackers broke windows and
furniture in the campus buildings, and also
destroyed teaching materials.
Gospel for Asia Vice President Daniel
Punnose also took a positive stance
towards the incident.
“While persecution is not uncommon
and many of our people suffer greatly, the
Lord has been so faithful to prove Himself
by allowing our brothers and sisters to show
love to those who need it the most,” he said.
“This type of persecution only proves
that people need to experience the love of
Jesus. It is only then they find their life has
meaning and a purpose to turn hate into love.”
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NATION
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Saffronisation of Christian
schools in Mumbai opposed
Mumbai, May 24, 2010: Christian schools
in Mumbai have demurred at the suggestion
of introducing Hindu culture for students
after a directive was issued by the Shiv
Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Brihan
Mumbai Corporation (BMC).
Archdiocesan Board of Education
(Abe) General Secretary Gregory Lobo told
the BBC that his schools promoted respect
for all faiths and there was no need to focus
on a particular faith.
The Board runs about 150-odd
Christian schools in the state. It is now
preparing to take legal action against the
proposal that is now being considered by the
Maharashtra government.
On Tuesday, last week, BMC held a
meeting after which it asked missionary
schools to increase holidays for Hindu
festivals and additionally remove a ban on
students applying mehendi and wearing
bindis and bangles.
Denying the allegation, Lobo said
schools had no such restrictions and students
were allowed to wear bindis and bangles.
Archbishop of Mumbai Cardinal
Oswald Gracias also rejected the allegations
"coming from a handful of officials in the
municipality".
Speaking to AsiaNews, he underlined
"the values of patriotism and religious
harmony" that are inculcated in the students
of Christian Schools.
Christian schools, he said, were
committed to promoting "diversity and
pluralism" as elements that can enrich India,
to contribute to "nation building" and "the
welfare of society".
He added that Christian schools were
"Models of Integration" and that it was
"inclusive and respectful of all religions".
(Babu Thomas, Christian Today)
Christian leaders unite at
prayer for Manipur
May 24, 2010 (Christian Today): Over 100
key Christian leaders from different
communities of Meitei, Chin, Kuki, Mizo,
Zomi and Naga joined hands in prayer for
peace in Manipur at the Apostles' Methodist
Church in New Delhi on May 22.
The economic blockade of the two
national highways for over 40 days have
severely affected the common and innocent
people living in Manipur. The state is home to
nearly 40 ethnic tribes belonging to different
religions and linguistic communities.
The prayer campaign for peace in
Manipur was initiated by All India Christian
Council with the theme “Blessed are the
Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God (Matthew 5:9).” It also emphasized on
verse at II Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who
are called by my name humble themselves, and
pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and
will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Apart from Christians in Delhi, there
were also those participating from
neighboring states. Prominent persons from
Manipur, Nagaland and other states also
were part of the event.
Various Christian leaders representing
different tribes of Manipur along with
Christian leaders in Delhi and national
capital regions - Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad
and Ghaziabad took part in carrying out the
prayer movement for peace in Manipur.
Remarkably, people of various tribes
n a m e l y, R o n g m e i , M i z o , K u k i ,
Zaliangrong, Tangkhul Naga, Meitei,
Vaiphei, Hmar, Zou, Paite, Gangte, etc. shed
their tears in prayers on the occasion in
favour of restoring a lasting peace and
tranquility in Manipur.
Prayers were offered for the government
of Manipur, its political leaders, students
unions, NGOs, and village/city authorities,
so that they could "work for peace, love and
harmony in the state."
“Peace, love, friendship and harmony of
people in Manipur are shaken. We need God's
guidance and wisdom so the economic
blockade can be called off and normal life can
return to Manipur,” said Rev. Madhu
Chandra, regional secretary of AICC.
The ethnic diasporas from Manipur
living in Delhi have decided to conduct
regular prayer meetings for peace to prevail.
JUNE 1-15, 2010
Christian Aid helps cyclone-hit
victims in Andhra
May 21, 2010: Christian Aid partners in
India are preparing to respond after cyclone
Laila hit the coast of southern India's
Andhra Pradesh state on Thursday 20 May.
The category one cyclone unleashed heavy
rains and 55-75mph winds across 777 villages.
More than one million people have been affected.
Thanks to the Andhra Pradesh
government's efforts to evacuate 87,000
vulnerable people into schools, government
buildings, cyclone shelters and other safe
centres on Wednesday, loss of life has been
significantly minimized.
‘If the cyclone had hit Bihar where
communities and government are less able
to cope, this could have been a lot worse,'
says Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Christian
Aid's regional emergency manager.
‘Fortunately, the government in
Andhra Pradesh is able to prepare for
disasters, and this has helped to save lives.'
Special Correspondent for Praise the Almighty
Andhra Pradesh, India : A church under construction of the Church in this place and
construction was demolished by a group of hence they attacked and demolished the
Hindu radicals at Anantpur in Andhra church building and thereafter installed idol
Pradesh state on May 23,2010.
of a Hindu god hanuman inside the
According to Global Council of Indian demolished church.
Christians (GCIC), The church was
Pastor Vijay, the minister of the Church
demolished by members of Hindu radical along with few believers approached the
group Rashtriya Swayam Sevaks (RSS) and nearest police station for help, but the sad
the incident took place at around 9 am.
part was that the police refused to file a
News source reported that, the complaint against these Hindu radicals.
believers had secured all the necessary Global council of Indian Christians (GCIC)
permissions from the concerned authorities demanded Andhra Pradesh state Chief
for the construction of the church. But these Minister Rosiah to extend protection for
Hindu radicals were not happy with the churches and Christians in the state.
However, homes and livelihoods have
been hit, standing crops of banana, betel and
mango are completely destroyed, vital trees
uprooted and 1,490 villages are now
without power and water.
Christian Aid partners report that
thousands of people are in need of food,
sanitation and drinking water.
As the extent of damage and the needs of
those affected begin to emerge, Christian Aid
partners are already mounting their response.
CASA, a Christian Aid partner with extensive
experience of emergency relief activities, is
already establishing feeding centres in five
coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, partners SNIRD and
COVA are assessing needs in camps and in
villages that have not been reached by the
government and military. You can help us
respond whenever disasters strike by
donating to our emergencies fund. (CT)
Church team meets
Manipur CM
Hindu radicals demolish
Church under construction,
Installs Hindu Idol
in Andhra Pradesh
James Varghese
5
Imphal, May 27: A day after leaders of
Manipur and Nagaland PCC leaders agreed
to hold talks with civil society groups to find
an amicable solution to the economic
blockade, Manipur chief minister Okram
Ibobi Singh today met a delegation of the
All Manipur Church Organisation.
The Church delegation was headed by
its president Prim Vaiphei and the meeting
lasted for more than an hour.
Church sources said during the meeting
Ibobi Singh “responded positively” to an
appeal by the church delegation to hold
dialogues with the All Naga Students
Association, Manipur and United Naga
Council (UNC).
“We met the chief minister to urge him
to find a solution to the ongoing
economic blockade as the entire state
was suffering because of it. The chief
minister assured us that he would
extend an invitation to the Naga groups
very soon,” a member of the Church
delegate said.
He said the organisation was neutral.
“We are concerned with
the welfare of the people. So we met
the chief minister. Conflicts and
problems could be solved across the
table,” the source said.
The chief minister also
assured the delegation that the
government was always ready to hold
talks with any group to redress their
grievances.
Ibobi Singh told the
delegation that his government was also
ready to make amendments to the Manipur
(Hill Areas) District Council (Third
Amendment)Act, 2008.
The UNC, ANSAM and other Naga
organisations are opposed to the district council
election because they felt that the powers given
to the district councils were not enough.
ANSAM imposed the blockade on
Imphal-Jiribam and Imphal-Dimapur
highways since April 11 to protest against
the election.
The first phase of the election was held
yesterday in Chandel, Sadar Hills in Senapati
district and Churachandpur. In the second
phase Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong
districts would go to polls on June 2.
Civil society groups in Tangkhul has
called a 72-hour Ukhrul bandh from May 31
midnight to boycott the election.
WORLD
6
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Global Day of Prayer
celebrates tenth
anniversary
May 24, 2010 by Christian Post: The Global
Day of Prayer celebrates the tenth
anniversary of its founding by a South
African businessman today.
South African believers will gather at
Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town –
site of the first GDOP event – to pray and to
celebrate how one of their own started one
of the world’s largest prayer events.
South African businessman Graham
Power organised the first prayer event in
Cape Town in 2001, drawing around 45,000
Christians to pray in Newlands Rugby
Stadium. The prayer event then expanded to
other parts of Africa and soon after around
the world. Today, as many as 500 million
Christians from more than 200 countries
participate in the GDOP.
“I am deeply grateful that God led
Christians in the southern part of Africa to
launch a movement of prayer that has now
encompassed the globe,” commented Dr
Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of
the World Evangelical Alliance. “Given the
challenges we face in the world today the
Church desperately needs to be united in
prayer. We thank God that Global Day of
Prayer has made such a profound impact.”
For the past few days, Tunnicliffe has
been participating in the three-day GDOP
conference leading up to the prayer event.
During the May 20-21 conference, the
Canadian evangelical led a plenary on the
Church and the current global challenges
and opportunities facing it. Some of the
issues he discussed included globalisation,
persecution, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS,
the financial crisis, war, climate change, and
nuclear weapons.
“God’s vision is the church joined
together in every community around the
world effectively living out and proclaiming
the Good News of Jesus,” said Tunnicliffe,
whose organisation joins together more than
420 million evangelical Christians. “These
united churches seek transformation,
holiness and justice for individuals, families,
communities, peoples and nations.”
The evangelical leader is scheduled to
lead prayer at the Cape Town GDOP event
on Sunday.
More than 200 countries around the
world have pledged to participate in this
year’s GDOP.
Librarian challenges
porn usage,
gets flak
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - May 28,
2010 - A librarian in Salinas, California, has
been reprimanded after catching a 10-yearold boy viewing pornography on one of the
library's computers.
Elizabeth McKeighen, who spotted the
boy while she made her routine check through
the section of the library said, "I reacted, in all
honesty, [with] shock," she recalls.
She says she tapped the boy on the
shoulder to get his attention, but the mother
claims she swatted him. The librarian was
reprimanded and warned she could be fired
if it happens again.
"I'm just disturbed that me touching the
kid was blown out of proportion and has
suddenly become much more important
than the vital issue of pornography in the
library," the librarian laments.
She believes that filters could provide a
solution to the problem -- and though library
officials disagree, saying filters tend to
block out important information people
need, McKeighen explains that filters have
advanced in recent years.
"This is an issue. It happens all the time,
every day," she regards. "And while the
solution is very challenging, to ignore the
problem is only going to exacerbate it and
make it worse.”
Instead of using filters, the Salinas Public
Library requires employees to be vigilant in
looking over patrons' shoulders and stopping
them if they are visiting to porn websites.
Library director Elizabeth Martinez says that
approach works "better than any filter.”
Earlier this month, the Washington
State Supreme Court ruled that filters
should be installed on public library
computers in that state, saying libraries
have the authority to decline adult-oriented
material in their collections -- and that
discretion, said the court, extends with
respect to Internet materials as well.
JUNE 1-15, 2010
World Week for
Peace in Palestine Israel
Joint action for just peace convened by the World Council of
Churches: 29 May - 4 June 2010
The World Council of Churches is inviting
member churches and related organizations
to join a week of advocacy and action for a
just peace in Palestine and Israel. Those
who share the hope of justice are invited to
take peaceful actions, together, to create a
common international public witness.
During the World Week for Peace in
Palestine Israel, from 29 May to 4 June
2010, churches in different countries send a
clear signal to policy-makers, interested
public and their own parishes about the
urgent need for a peace settlement that
secures the legitimate rights and future of
both peoples. Participants are requested to
plan their activities around these points:
1. Pray with churches living under occupation,
using a special prayer from Jerusalem.
2. Educate about actions that make for peace
and about facts on the ground that do not,
especially, settlements in occupied territory.
3. Advocate with political leaders using
ecumenical policies that promote peace
with justice.
The week calls participants to seek
justice for Palestinians so that both Israelis
and Palestinians can finally live in peace. It
is now more than 60 years since the partition
of Palestine hardened into a permanent
nightmare for Palestinians. It's more than 40
years since the occupation of East
Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza
overwhelmed the peaceful vision of one
land, two peoples.
Yet the dream of one nation cannot be
fulfilled at the expense of another.
The action week's message is that now:
·
It's time for Palestinians and Israelis
to share a just peace.
·
It's time for freedom from occupation.
·
It's time for equal rights.
· It's time for the healing of wounded souls.
Franklin Graham Closes 3rd
Brazilian Festival
with Over 25,000
American evangelist Franklin Graham concluded his third evangelistic festival in
Brazil Saturday night, preaching to over 25,000 Brazilians in the city of Belo
Horizonte.
heart. It’s only Christ that can make changes
in the human life,” he added.
According to Geremias Couto, the
national coordinator for the festival in Brazil,
only 19 percent of the people in Belo Horizonte
- the country's third largest city - are considered
evangelical. And Graham's Festival of Hope is
the first-ever event of its type.
In the four months leading up to the
festival, some 800 churches were trained and
mobilized and 100,000 "Operation Andrew"
cards were sent out - 20,000 of which were
returned with 7 names on each of them.
Though the effort began one month
later than planned due to "a number of
situations," the May 27-29 festival still
drew thousands each night, starting with
10,000 the first and concluding with
Saturday night's 25,000.
As he does with each festival, Graham
brought with him the gospel of Christ as well
as inspirational music from popular Christian
artists including Michael W. Smith, Ana
Paula, and the Tommy Coomes Band.
Local musicians and a choir made up of
May. 30, 2010: American evangelist volunteers from churches across the region
Franklin Graham concluded his third also took to the stage in culminating the efforts
evangelistic festival in Brazil Saturday of what grew to become more than 1,000 local
night, preaching to over 25,000 Brazilians churches from a wide range of denominations.
According to Graham, the number of
in the city of Belo Horizonte.
Graham, who heads the Billy Graham churches that worked together to prepare for
Evangelistic Association, has preached the Festival of Hope in Belo Horizonte was
twice before in South America’s largest the largest he had ever seen.
“I don’t think I’ve seen that at any
country (and the world’s fifth largest) – the
first about 18 years ago and the second crusade that we’ve had anywhere in the
world that had that many churches
about nine years ago.
“The country has changed a lot,” said committed to evangelism,” he reported.
Since 1989, Graham has held an
the ministry leader after arriving in Belo
average of seven festivals each year as an
Horizonte for the three-night festival.
“We've seen a lot of positive economic evangelist for the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association.
changes,” he added.
Earlier this year, Graham held his first
In spite of all the benefits that Brazil
has gained economically, however, Graham event of 2010 in Chennai, India. Along with
acknowledged the presence of a “great Belo Horizonte, additional Franklin
spiritual vacuum that economy, wealth, and Graham events will be held this year in
Vancouver, Canada (Aug. 7); Calgary,
material things cannot fill."
“[T]here’s an emptiness in people that Canada (Aug. 21); Edmonton, Canada
money cannot buy,” said Graham, reiterating (Aug. 28); Osaka, Japan (Oct. 22-24); and
the words of the more than 900 churches that Riga, Latvia (Nov. 5-7).
Graham, whose father is world
invited him to preach over the weekend.
“You can’t fill a person with money. It’s renowned preacher Billy Graham, currently
only Christ that can come into a human serves as president and CEO of the BGEA.
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
7
Rick Warren tells passive, WCC welcomes Turkish
move to protect
fake christians to
religious
find another church
minorities' rights
During his weekend sermon, Warren laid out a plan for Saddleback's next "Decade of
Destiny" in which he's anticipating exponential growth. And the plan has no room for
fake Christians, he indicated.
May 24, 2010 Pastor Rick Warren has a message
for the some 20,000 people who attend
Saddleback Church: If you want to remain a
passive Christian, find another church.
During his weekend sermon, Warren
laid out a plan for Saddleback's next "Decade
of Destiny" in which he's anticipating
exponential growth. And the plan has no
room for fake Christians, he indicated.
"Let me just be honest with you as
somebody who loves you. If you passively just
want to sit around in the next 10 years and just
waste your life on things that won't last, you
probably want to find another church because
you're not going to really feel comfortable
here. Because if you're in this church, I'm
coming after you to be mobilized," said the
renowned southern California pastor.
Saddleback celebrated its 30th
anniversary last month and in preparation
for the megachurch's next decade, Warren
took the congregation back to the first
church in the New Testament for a look at
what "real Christianity" is all about.
"There are a lot of things done in the
name of Christianity in the church that Jesus
Christ would disavow," he lamented.
"There's fake Christianity, there's phony
Christianity, there's pseudo-Christianity.
"I want us to look at the real deal. What does
it mean to really be a follower of Jesus Christ?"
Preaching on Pentecost Sunday – the
anniversary or birthday of the first church –
Warren said that just as a child is born with its entire
DNA, all the DNAwas in the body of Christ when
it was birthed more than 2,000 years ago.
Unfortunately, the churches and
Christians he sees today in the 21st century
are a far cry from how they were in the first
century, he noted.
Aligning Saddleback with the DNA of
the original church – which grew from 120
believers to dominating the Roman Empire
within 300 years – Warren directed the
congregation to adopt and strengthen eight
characteristics of real Christianity as found
in the book of Acts.
They include: supernatural power
through prayer, using everybody's language
and every communication channel for
mission, mobilizing everybody from kids to
seniors, life-changing truth, loving support
or fellowship, joyful worship, generous
sacrifices and exponential growth.
"Real Christianity uses everyone's
gifts," said Warren, author of The Purpose
Driven Life, as he rejected passive and
consumer Christians.
"Everybody's a minister," he stressed.
In the original church, there were no
audiences. Rather, everyone was a
contributor and participator which led to the
tremendous growth of Christianity.
Over the next 10 years, the megachurch
will be launching Saddleback worship
services in every city in Orange County and
in other cities across the country and the
world. The Lake Forest, Calif., church also
plans to become the first church in history to
send someone to every nation in the world to
share the Good News.
"We're going to sing until the whole
world knows" is the theme song for the next
decade, Warren said.
"If we went back to New Testament real
Christianity, not the fake stuff ... do you think we
could reach more people for Jesus?" he posed.
"Without a doubt. We'd reach more people
in the next 10 years than the 30 years combined."
Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter
Development and justice
needed to address communal
conflicts in Nigeria
Although it is often portrayed as a religious
conflict, the crisis in Nigeria's Central
Plateau State is of social and economic
nature, the country's foreign minister told
church representatives. The church
delegation advocated for government
action to develop the area and to bring to
trial those responsible for an outburst of
communal violence last March.
For Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs
Henry Odein, the country faces "a lot of
challenges which are largely misunderstood
by the international community".
The situation in the central Plateau State,
where several hundred people were killed last
March, is "much more complicated" than it is
usually portrayed, Odein argued. According to
him, the religious factor compounds a conflict
between an indigenous population and an
immigrant community in that area. "The issues
are of social and economic nature", he said.
Odein expressed his views at a meeting
with the World Council of Churches (WCC)
programme executive for Africa Dr Nigussu
Legesse and the programme director of the
Christian Council of Nigeria Rev.
Babatunde Olusegun on 21 May.
The church representatives met the
minister at his residence in Abuja on behalf
of a WCC Living Letters team that had
visited the country 15-20 May. “We came
here in solidarity with the people of
Nigeria”, Legesse told Odein, explaining
the purpose of the WCC Living Letters visit.
“We visited the villages near Jos, in the
Plateau State. We were in Bukuru, where
houses and markets were burnt and in
Dogonahawa, where 323 people killed last
March have been buried in a mass grave. We
have met the survivors, talked to them,
listened to them and prayed along with them
and assured them that the global community
of churches is with them in their moment of
crisis”, Legesse said.
Legesse urged the minister to "help
facilitate development in Jos through the
federal government". He pleaded that those
responsible for the killings are brought
before the court of law, "as the question of
impunity was a concern widely mentioned
by the people we met during our visits”.
Living Letters are small ecumenical
teams visiting a country to listen, learn, share
approaches and help to confront challenges in
order to overcome violence, promote and pray
for peace. The team visiting Nigeria was made
of representatives of churches and WCC staff
from Ghana, Kenya, Germany, Norway,
Switzerland, Finland, India and Ethiopia.
(Gbenga Osinaike, the publisher of the
Church Times of Lagos, Nigeria, reported
from Abuja.)
27.05.10 The World Council of Churches
(WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav
Fykse Tveit has welcomed a recent Turkish
government decree allowing for a better
protection of the rights of non-Muslim
religious minorities in Turkey.
"It is only fair that this new and positive
development is commended by all those
concerned about the situation of Christian
and other non-Muslim religious minorities in
Turkey", said Tveit commenting on the news.
According to a 21 May report by
Ecumenical News International, the Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a
decree in mid-May ordering local officials "to
do more to protect the rights of Christian and
other non-Muslim religious minorities, such as
by returning their confiscated properties and
taking action against anti-Christian groups".
"We hope local Turkish officials will
expedite the application of this decree and
thus bring about an improvement in the
situation of communities which, as the Prime
Minister has said, are an inseparable part of
the Republic of Turkey and must feel fully
valued as citizens of the country", Tveit said.
"Of course, more needs to be done, but this is
a sign that goes in the right direction", he added.
"We don't feel that we enjoy our full
rights as Turkish citizens", the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew said as recently as
17 December 2009, when he was featured
by the US TV show 60 minutes.
During the last week of November
2009 representatives of the WCC and the
Conference of European Churches made an
official visit to Turkey so as to encourage
the authorities to improve the situation of
religious minorities.
In Istanbul and Ankara, the delegation
met with the Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, Archbishop Aram Atesian
from the Armenian Patriarchate, and the
Archbishop Mor Timotheos Samuel Aktas of
the Syrian Orthodox Mor Gabriel Monastery.
It also met representatives of the Jewish
community as well as with government
officials. The exercise of religious freedom,
the legal status of churches, including
property issues, and the right to religious
education were on the agenda.
Amongst the pending issues for the
Ecumenical Patriarchate are the obstacles to
the re-opening of the Theological School of
Halki, which was the patriarchate's main
theological seminary until its closure.
Situated on Heybeliada island in the
Marmara sea off Istanbul, the school was
closed by the Turkish authorities in 1971.
“I visited the Halki school during my
visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch last March
and was impressed by the fact that it has
been maintained in complete repair and
ready for the day when it will be allowed to
reopen", commented Tveit. "And indeed we
pray for this to happen soon."
How to break the
tragic cycle...
letter to the party organ, Congress Sandesh,
This seemingly contradicted the tougher
posture of Chidambaram, who often
'complained of the 'limited mandate' he has in
dealing with extremists. He is equally
concerned with the alienation, deprivation
and sense of injustice prevailing among the
tribals; but then if development activities are
to make an impact in those areas, or if the
grievances are to be removed, violence and
insecurity should be ended as well.
The stepped up activities of the Maoists
resulting in more and more deaths
subsequent to the articulation of the Sonia
Gandhi strategy are not likely to lead to any
changes in the plans before the Central
government. There is, of late, a growing
impression that states like Jharkhand are not
playing their roles effectively in checking
violence at the local level.
Having opted for a democratic form of
government, there can also be no sympathy
from any quarters for the Maoist goal of seizing
power through an armed struggle in the
country by 2050. Democracy may not be a
foolproof system to ensure equality, justice and
all round prosperity, but the people through
their sovereign will had opted for that system
after winning independence from the British.
The latest instance of Maoist terror
highlights the enormity of the problem and a
government invested by the people with the
duty of maintaining law and order can not but
take serious measures to put down those who
seek to disturb the peace. The BJP has already
accused the government of lacking in will
power to deal with the serious problem.
The Maoists must understand that if they
are concerned with the lot of the poor and the
oppressed, they must find means other than
violence to realize their cause. In the cycle of
violence caused by their conflict with the
governments, the innocents become the victims.
No one gains through mindless violence. They
must be willing to talk to the government, if they
earnestly hope to help the poor on whose behalf
they claim to have taken up the gun.
As Martin Luther King Jr stated long
ago hatred cannot drive out hatred. Efforts
must be made to strike at the root of hatred by
starting a dialogue between the government
and the extremists through mutual friends.
Men of goodwill and peace activists should
strive to bring the conflicting parties to the
conference table to eliminate mutual
suspicion and promoting understanding.
While doing so it must be made clear that
extremists have no right to disturb the peace
and cause trouble to the lawfully elected
government of the people.
Meanwhile the Bengal Christian
Council (BCC) has condemned the Maoist
attack on Mumbai-bound Express train .
The BCC consists of the CNI, Baptist,
Lutheran, Methodist and Salvation Army
churches in that region. Several other
religious organizations have also come out
against the violent attacks.
'Those who take the sword shall perish
by the sword.' This scriptural truth remains
an eternal principle written into the
constitution of this world. Peace activists
and Christian groups must play active role in
bringing about the awareness in society that
violence in any form doesn't pay and will
only halt the march towards progress.
Christians need also to pray for a change
of heart in the peoples and leaders in the nation
so that they come to recognize the need to
eschew violence and work towards peace with
8
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Jews for Jesus
founder
dies at Age 78
May. 20, 2010 The founder of Jews for Jesus
died Wednesday, leaving behind a prewritten message to members of the ministry.
In the letter posted on the Jews for Jesus
website after his death, Moishe Rosen
encouraged members of Jews for Jesus to stay
with the ministry, especially as they “stand on the
edge of a breakthrough in Jewish evangelism.”
“Just a little more. Just another push.
Just another soul - and we will have reached
critical mass where we begin generating
that energy that the whole world might
know the Lord,” wrote Rosen, who was 78
when he died Wednesday after a protracted
battle with prostate cancer.
The son of Jewish immigrants from
Eastern Europe, Rosen came to believe in
Jesus at the age of 21 and felt a call to
ministry shortly thereafter.
In September 1973, Rosen founded
Jews for Jesus and, until 1996, he served as
the organization’s first executive director.
“Moishe Rosen has had a tremendous
influence on the field of Jewish missions, on
the Church and on so many who have
sought to serve God in making the gospel
known,” commented the organization’s
current executive director, David Brickner.
“Moishe Rosen championed the
refreshing realization that one can be a Jew
for Jesus while retaining one’s cultural
heritage,” added Dr. Mark Bailey, president
of Dallas Theological Seminary.
Aside from Jews for Jesus, Rosen was
responsible for training a significant
number of men and women who are leaders
in the field of Jewish missions today,
several as CEOs of other mission
agencies.
Rosen was also a special consultant to
the Lausanne Committee on World
Evangelization’s study group on reaching
Jewish people, which met in Pattaya,
Thailand, in 1980, and was one of the
founding leaders of the organization it
spawned - The Lausanne Consultation on
Jewish Evangelism, an umbrella group
for Jewish mission agencies around the
world.
Rosen also authored a number of books
in his field.
“In modern times, no one has
championed such creative and effective
ways of winning Jewish people to Christ
as has our brother,” stated Dr. David
Larsen, professor emeritus of preaching
at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
In his final remarks, Rosen expressed
how concerned he was by the support
some believers were giving to the efforts
of rabbis “who, frankly, not only don't
know Christ, but don't want to know
Him.”
“I would urge you to think very
seriously before you support any
‘ministry’ that involves Jewish people
and doesn't actually bring the gospel to the
Jews,” wrote Rosen to Jews for Jesus
members.
He also expressed his disappointment
in Jesus-believing Jews who “feel that their
primary purpose is to promote Jewishness
and Judaism to the Jews.”
“I hope I can count on you to show love
and respect for the Jewish people, but
Jewishness never saved anybody,” Rosen
stated. “Judaism never saved anybody no
matter how sincere. “
Though Rosen also made clear his
disagreement with some of the decisions
made by the leadership of his own
organization after he stepped down as
executive director in 1996, he said the core of
what the ministry stands for is still central.
He also said the ministry has been in
competent hands for many years and urged
ministry members to encourage the leadership.
“The executive director and the staff
need to hear that you intend to continue
standing with us,” he wrote.
In lieu of flowers, Rosen’s family has
encouraged well-wishers to make gifts to
Jews for Jesus in Rosen’s honor.
Moishe Rosen is survived by his wife
of sixty years, Ceil, his brother Don, his
daughter, Lyn Bond and her husband, Alan,
his daughter Ruth Rosen and two
grandchildren, Asher and Bethany Bond.
A special memorial service has been
scheduled for June 1 at First Baptist Church in
San Francisco, where Jews for Jesus is based.
Joshua A. Goldberg, Christian Post Reporter.
Seminar against euthanasia
follows defeating
assisted suicide
in Canada
Seattle, WA (LifeNews.com) -- On the heels
of defeating a bill that would have legalized
assisted suicide in Canada, an anti-euthanasia
group is organizing a national conference to
coordinate strategy to respond to additional
attempts to promote the practice. The
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition will host the
event next month in Seattle.
The bill to legalize euthanasia and
assisted suicide in Canada was
overwhelmingly defeated by a vote of 228
to 59 last month.
Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia
Prevention Coalition tells LifeNews.com
that was an "unprecedented victory.”
"The massive victory was accomplished
by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
quarter-backing a focused campaign that
involved groups and individuals from many
different organizations," he said. "In other
words the incredible victory was achieved by
maintaining a strict focus and working in
coalition with many different groups who
shared one goal, opposing the legalization of
assisted suicide.”
Now that the battle to soundly defeat
Bill C-384 has come to an end, Schadenberg
is ready to move ahead to the next fight.
"Similar strategies need to be
employed in every jurisdiction in the United
States and around the world," to ward off
euthanasia and assisted suicide, he said.
"It is maybe necessary to express our
opposition to legalizing assisted suicide in
different ways, but what remains the same is
the need for a focused leadership that is
willing to work with groups from every
political and social constituency," he said.
The June 5th Push Back Seminar in
Seattle will help pro-life advocates, Catholics,
disability rights advocates, medical groups and
others who oppose assisted suicide to develop
new coalitions that can work with a focused
strategy and purpose.
Experts will provide information and
give attendees the opportunity to work
through the ideas that enabled the Euthanasia
Prevention Coalition and its coalition
partners to convince politicians from across
the political and social spectrum to oppose
euthanasia and assisted suicide.
"We also need to recognize that the
euthanasia lobby does not provide equal
opportunity. We cannot allow them to
control the language and the direction of the
issue," the activist told LifeNews.com. "A
prime example is how the film about the I1000 Initiative in Washington State went
from being a documentary of a campaign to
a propaganda film that demonized our
leaders. We must turn the tide now.”
Schadenberg hopes having the event in
the state that became the second to legalize
assisted suicide will yield learning
opportunities.
“Seattle is also located near Montana, a
state that is also in need of forming a strong
and effective coalition. We also predict that
California will once again face a new
challenge by the euthanasia lobby and
Oregon is constantly under social attack,"
he said of two other states that allow assisted
suicide and a third that has repeatedly
considered it. (by Steven Ertelt)
Christians pray for
Britain's healing
London, May 27, 2010, Charlie Boyd (CT):
Christians gathered in every borough of
London on Pentecost Sunday to pray for
God to heal Britain.
The prayer gatherings were held as part of
the Global Day of Prayer, which united an
estimated 250 million Christians worldwide as
the movement marked its tenth anniversary.
Global Day of Prayer London
facilitated prayer gatherings in churches
and parks in all 33 London boroughs,
testimony to the movement's huge growth in
the UK since it was launched in
Westminster Chapel, London, in 2006.
Convener of the Global Day of Prayer
London, Jonathan Oloyede, told Christians
at a prayer gathering in Southwark, south
London, to pray for a “new Britain.
“We're asking God to open up a new
Britain, that it no longer is to be broken
Britain, but for it to be healed,” he said.
Mr Oloyede invited Christians to take
part in a major GDOP London event on June
13 at West Ham football stadium, to be
joined by London Mayor Boris Johnson,
worship leader Graham Kendrick and X
Factor finalist Beverly Trotman.
He said: “We're inviting churches to
come to West Ham and send a delegation to
come down as a church, as a family, and
come and join thousands of other people as
we pray 'Lord heal our land'.
“This is like a foretaste of Heaven,
when we're lifting up holy hands united at
the throne room of God worshipping.
“It's an indescribable feeling. You have
to be there to appreciate it when you're
worshipping with Christians of different
traditions but united by the blood of the
Lord and by the cross.”
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
9
MATRIMONIAL
PTA-ML/2010/001 Marriage Proposals
Pentecost fair BBA girl 26/5'.2”,
accounts executive (Muthood Finance)
seeks Pentecost, born again, fair,
graduate, 28 to 30/5'.5 5'.8” Delhi
based working boy. Interested
Kerala/Tamil family settled in
Delhi/North India may please be
contact: 9711192559 or
[email protected]
PTA-ML/2010/10 Marriage proposals
invited for a Pentecostal North Indian
girl, 28 years 5', spiritual, B.A. B.Ed.
working as teacher.
Contact : 011 25150323,
Mobile : 981 022 0781.
Contact No. 9910487037
PTA-ML/2010/12 Marriage proposals
invited from parents of born
PTA-ML/2010/03 Marriage proposals
again employed girl for a
Missionary Malayalee parents from
Malayalee Pentecostal born again
central India invite proposals for their
boy from Hindu background
daughter 31years, 5'3", wheatish,
working with a Mission in
doctor, looking for spiritual, well
Ludhiana 30 years 5'3”, B.Sc. ITI.
educated settled men.
Contact: 9424285898 / 07782-225472, Contact: Phone : 9258923171.
E-mail: [email protected]
U.S. settled parents invite proposals
for their daughter 29 years, 5'4"
employed as pharmacist.
Professionally qualified and spiritually
inclined men may contact:
0017134556843, E-mail:
[email protected].
PTA-ML/2010/24 Marriage proposals
Pentecostal parents belong to
Sambavar
community settled in North India
invite
proposals for their 26 year old
daughter 5'2" medium colour,
M.B.E. (Master of Business
Economics) now working with a
private company. Knows Malayalam
also with other languages, from the
parents of working boys having any
degree and also interested in gospel
ministry.
Contact : 0261-6531127, Mobile:
09377346816
PTA-ML/2010/11 Marriage Proposals
Invite marriage proposals for a
born again Malayalee boy, 31 years
6.cm,working in Indian Air force,
PTA-ML/2010/002 Marriage Proposals from parents of suitable girls,
IProposals invited by North Indian
preferably gold wearing.
Pentecostal parents for their daughter, C o n t a c t
09447188451,
25 years, 5'2", BBA Final, from parents
9313990763.
settled in Delhi.
PTA-ML/2010/04
PTA-ML/2010/19 Marriage proposals
are invited from the parents of
employed pentecostal boy for a
pentecostal girl 28 years 5' 3" B.Sc.
MBA Computer - having private Job,
settled in Ahmedabad with Central
Government employed parents.
Contact Mob. 09427698493.
PTA-ML/2010/13 Marriage proposals
invited for a north Indian Methodist
girl, fair & good looking, 28 years,
5'4" Nursery Trained Teacher,
working, settled in Delhi. Preferred
north Indian boys.
Contact : 9899000788, E-mail:
[email protected]
PTA-ML/2010/20 Invited Marriage
proposals from parents of employed
boys for a Malayalee Marthomite girl
employed completed 23 Years, height
5.3 wheatish BBA, MBA (Finance)
Studied at Oxford University,
Bangalaore Contact Mob.
09427340209 & 02772-228832.
PTA-ML/2010/21 Marriage proposals
Parents of Pentacostal girl;5.1ft, 28
yrs, Convent educated MA, B.Ed.
Born and brought up in North India
are looking for a qualified Malyali
North Indian brought up Boy in
ministry preferably a Bible college
teacher, may contact: 01912430740, 0941 9230 920, 0963
4712 796.
******
PTA-ML/2010/22 Invite marriage
proposals for a Pentecoste boy 27
years 5.4" Diploma in
Telecommunication Technology
and working as Senior Engineer in
HCL, Gujarat, Hindu Vishwakarma
background, from parents of
suitable girls. Contact Mob.
09974043739.
PTA-ML/2010/14 Marriage proposals
PTA-ML/2010/05 Marriage Proposal
invited for a Punjabi Pentecostal boy,
26 years, 5' 10", working, settled in
Delhi.
Contact Cell : 9910412606
PTA-ML/2010/23
Marriageproposals Invite for
Pentecostal Nair boy, Trivandrum
native, 33 years, 168 cm working as
a Technician in Saudi Arabia.
Preference to Nair girls (Nurses)
Interested
Pastors may please
PTA-ML/2010/15 Marriage proposals
invited for a for girl born in Nair family, contact with Bio-data in the
brought up in Pentecostal, 167 cm
following address. Y. Levi, MISPA,
studied in seminary 3 years, ",B.A. 3rd K.P. Villas, Jayaprakash Lane,
year student same time working in old
Kudappanakunnu P.O., Trivandrumage home.
PTA-ML/2010/ 06 Invite marriage
695043,
proposals for Pentecoste girl 25 yrs 5.1" Contact Cell : 9656092863
Kerala Phone: 0471-2733984
B.A.English Literature employed in HCL
Proposals invited for a Punjabi born
again Pentecostal girl, 28 years, have
done post graduate management(
PGDBA) and work in the IT sector.
Spiritual boy with 5'5 to 6' , 28 to 35
years, Preferably settled in Delhi
Contact E-mail:
[email protected]
Gujarat with HCL as HR Executive,
Hindu Vishwakarma background, from
parents of suitable employed believer
boy. Contact 09601601918.
PTA-ML/2010/16 Marriage proposals
invited for a Punjabi Pentecostal
girl, 26 years, 5' 5", working,
settled in Delhi.
Contact Cell : 9278799237
PTA-ML/2010/07 Marriage Proposals
invited for a bachelor, believer, 38
years, MA (Hindi) working in
security in Agra. Alone. Parents
passed away.
Contact : 09528504673
PTA-ML/2010/08 Marriage proposals
invited for a North Indian Delhi settled
Pentacostal girl from Hindu
background. 27 years, 5.3, good
looking B.A +music diploma[dress
designing,cutting and tailoring from
Govt ITI] dedicated for ministry.
Contact : 9971727958
PTA-ML/2010/09 Marriage proposal
invited for Keralite Pentecostal boy,25
years, Evangelist,settled in Delhi NCR.
Contact : 09911964543
Email- [email protected]
PTAML/2010/17 Marriageproposals
Invited for Born Again North Indian
Punjabi girl 32/ 5'2.5” / MBA-HR
/fair complexioned seeks alliance
from Protestant /God fearing
family. Boy should be well
educated. Caste no bar.
Mail:[email protected]
Cont :0997 191 9499,0971 996 865
PTA-ML/2010/18 Marriage proposals
invited for a Malayalee boy, 26 years,
160 cm, Catholic background, BA Litt.
doing Copa Dco Hardware
Networking, now doing own business
Proposals from educated girls only
please.
Contact Cell : 09747844183,
PTA-ML/2010/25 Marriage proposals
invited for Pentecostal girl 24 years,
5'2" ,B.A., pursuing MBA, fair
complexion.Father is a senior class
one officer in Central Government,Boy
required government,Semi
government or MNC with good
package. Contact : Mob. 9889475500,
E-mail: [email protected]
PTA-ML/2010/26 Marriage proposals
invited by Malayalee Pentecostal
parents (Syrian Christian background)
invite alliance for their north Indian
raised son, 31 years, 5'6" D.B.M.,
M.Div., Involved with teaching and
evangelism in UP. - from born again,
baptised, educated, mission oriented
girls. Mob.08004203570,09847765482
E-mail: [email protected]
PTA-ML/2010/27 Marriage proposals
invited by Malayalee Pentecostal
parents boy, 29/5'7'' currently working
in a private firm in Delhi. Contact
9899710806
Please e-mail The matrimonial
to [email protected]
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to
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EDITOR’S PAGE
10
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
EDITORIAL
Speak up for the
perishing
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Finally, molester
Rathore is behind bars
The long wait of this nation to see a rich, famous and powerful criminal
punished has finally ended. After a twenty year legal battle, Mr. S. P. S.
Rathore, the one who molested a teenage budding tennis player, was finally
sent to jail. The ever-present smile of derision was absent on Rathore’s face
when he was taken to jail.
The trial court had earlier sentenced the former top cop to rigorous
imprisonment for a period of six months. There was a media outrage at this
lenient sentence meted out to this criminal who spared no efforts to threaten
and intimidate witnesses and the members of the Ruchika’s family. The judge
who increased the sentence now says that the trial court’s verdict was a
mistake. Indeed, the whole nation felt so.
Public support for justice in this case is not surprising. In a battle of unequals,
the people of India stood with the weak family that fought for justice. They lost
their daughter. Their son was arrested and tortured after being falsely implicated
in various criminal cases. A police officer who was supposed to protect people
used every power under him to hide his crime and to intimidate all who were bent
on nailing him. In this land, where the powerful think that they can get away with
anything, it is only too natural for people and the media to highlight this case. We
usually see such criminal characters who misuse government offices and power
in films. Here was a real life story that was taken to a fitting conclusion.
Mr. Rathore’s lawyer-wife is now trying to get him out on bail. However, the
concerned court remarked that Mr Rathore’s bail application was not an urgent case
despite him being a 68-year-old man with several health complications. This is
indeed a welcome move. Otherwise, as per the honourable court’s admission,
granting of bail to Mr Rathore would make a “mockery” of the whole justice
delivery mechanism in this country.
There may be hundreds of young women in India who silently bore the assault
of those in power because their future was in the hands of their molesters. Only a few
have the courage to come forward and file a complaint against the high and mighty.
In such a situation, Ruchika’s friend Aradhana, who now lives in Australia, deserves
a mention here. If it were not for her bold stand, this case would not have reached this
end. Aradhana was the only one who saw Rathore molesting Ruchika. Her initial
reaction was shock. But she overcame her fear and troubles and stood with
Ruchika’s family for the past two decades.
Recently, two young women in Madhya Pradesh were driven to suicide
after a policeman forcefully dis-robed and filmed them without their consent.
The cops then harassed them and threatened to spread their multimedia clips.
This only shows how widespread and deep rooted is this problem in our
country. Protectors turn predators and hapless victims kill themselves for they
are unable to bear their shame and trauma.
The one factor that keeps a molester bold enough to continue this exploits is his
confidence that most Indian girls or women will not fight back. Unwanted physical
contact, indecent remarks, staring, teasing, etc., are common on our streets, in our
workplaces and in our trains and buses. These incidents are on the rise. Yet, few women
display the courage to turn and identify the criminal or to expose him publicly.
Which is why a recent incident in Kochi, Kerala, was highlighted by local
newspapers. A woman in her 30s was walking to her place of work. A passer-by
deliberately touched her even when she tried to avoid him. The woman then turned and
stopped the man to demand an apology. The man, who was drunk, beat her several
times. This incident was noticed by another road user and he used his mobile phone to
capture pictures of this encounter.As a result, the man was arrested by local police.
A country where girls and women are not safe will not progress beyond a
certain extent. In a charged-up society in which men think that all women are as
immoral as the women they see in their favourite media, such incidents of
harassment are bound to increase. Policemen should use modern technologies
such as digital cameras to gather evidence as these crimes happen. It is the duty
of the government to nab these criminals, successfully convict them and to win
them maximum punishment. Thus, we may be control this menace.
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Pastor M K Babu
For if you remain silent at this time, …... And who knows whether you have not
attained royalty for such a time as this?" Est 4:14
Intercession is an integral part of Christian life. God has given us the
freedom in Jesus Christ to approach the throne of grace anytime for God’s
favour. A child of God is ornamented with the confidence to receive mercy and
help in time of need from God. The Bible says: “Therefore, let us draw near
with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16).
God answers our prayers because today His heart is for the ‘lost’ in the world.
He showed His unfathomable love for the nations through His Son Jesus Christ
who was sent to die on a cross in order to do away with sin. His initiative to save
the world declares the fact that His plan is for everyone irrespective of religion,
caste and language. When God is at work to save the people from every nation,
tribe, language, inevitably it is the obligation of Christians to intercede for the
perishing people in their respective cities and nations. “Also, seek the peace and
prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for
it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jer 29:7. The Bible teaches us to
ask forgiveness for the sins committed in their ignorance by the our ancestors or
the people in the city (Neh. 1:6).
The Great Intercessor, Lord Jesus Christ, who sits in the right hand of God
prayed: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in
me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in
me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you
have sent me.” John 17:20-21.
It is God’s plan under His perfect will that every single person must know
that God sent His Son to this world so that the world can be saved through Him.
Our Lord’s heart longs to see His servants love each other and work in unity
and oneness. There cannot be a greater message than that to the world which
will draw people to the Lord. Those who pray earnestly for any cause shall
work for it wholeheartedly. We are coming to an agreement to work according
to God’s will when we offer prayers for the salvation of people. Through the
intercessory prayer in unity and in one accord among His disciples enhances
the spirit of oneness to stand for the same cause.
Paul sought prayers for him, for the word of God to spread. “Finally,
brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be
glorified, just as it did also with you” 2Th 3:1. Ministers of the Word need this
prayer from the church so that they can minister effectively to the people. A
message prepared without prayer lacks heavenly anointing and the
transformation power of God.
Moreover, God wants us to be an aroma to God through our prayers and
deeds. He has made us righteous to pray for the lost. “But thanks be to God,
who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads
everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. “For we are to God the
aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are
perishing.” 2Cor 2:14-15.
Comfort zones of life sink the passion to intercede for the less fortunate for
our affluence gives us a feeling of (false) security and protection. Mordecai
prompted Esther to speak up for her people in order that they can be saved from
being destroyed by the hands of Haman. He alerted her regarding her election
and positioning as the queen of the nation for a time such as that! Esther was
ready to put her life in risk and resorted to present herself before the king with
her request. Prior to that she wanted to fast and pray and requested her people to
fast and pray for her.
God, in His nature, will not be silent spectator when someone is
determined to put their life in risk for His sake. He proves that the He is
sovereign and supreme authority of heaven and earth.
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Rev. Dr. Valson Thambu
M P K Kutty
Rev. M.K. Babu
E-mail
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Annie M. Babu
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Philip P Eapen
E-mail
Dilan Marandi
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Raj Masih
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Madan Mohan
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Neeraj Kumar
Mobile
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
11
Quietly, the Christian-Muslim killing
continues in Nigeria
Access to power and lucrative oil contacts are driving a rise in Christian-Muslim clashes and killings. Nigeria's heavy military presence is not
enough to quell violence that plagues the No. 3 supplier of oil to the US
Jos, Nigeria: Patience Dassah, a smartly
dressed young Nigerian, has recently had
trouble getting a taxi. But her trouble with
okadas, the motorcycles that zip through the
streets here in Africa's most populous
country, does not lie with the typical traffic
jams or fuel shortages.
"I live in a mostly Christian area, and
now my Muslim okada driver will not take
me there," she says, explaining that he is too
afraid of being attacked or even killed. "He
won't even pick up my calls.”
Ms. Dassah lives in Jos, a city in central
Nigeria now caught in a cycle of religious
and ethnic violence.
Sandwiched between the country's
largely Muslim north and mostly Christian
south, Jos has endured a decade of periodic
clashes between followers of the two faiths, a
conflict that has flared up in recent months.
In two massacres this year, gangs with
machetes from both sides descended on
nearby villages and killed hundreds.
A boosted Army presence and nighttime
curfew in Plateau State, of which Jos is the
capital, has reduced the risk of more largescale attacks. But some residents of Jos are
resorting to "secret killings," in which a lone
Christian is lured to a secluded Muslim part of
town – or vice versa – and killed.
They are the reason Dassah says her
okada driver no longer answers her calls.
And they appear to show once again that a
heavy military presence is not enough to
quell the religious violence that plagues the
No. 3 supplier of oil to the United States.
Targeted killings of ethnic individuals:
Secret killings have been on the rise since this
year's second massacre, in early March, say
Christian and Muslim community leaders,
government officials, and police.
"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.
Those March killings are said to have
been reprisals for religious clashes that
killed scores in January.
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
highly unreliable.
The figures for the March massacre, in
which mostly Christians were killed, range
from 150 to 450 Similar uncertainty
shrouds the January massacre, in which
mostly Muslims died.
"Each side inflates the figures, and then
the high numbers are used to justify revenge
attacks," says Henry Mang, a researcher at Jos
University's Centre for Conflict Management
and Peace Studies.
Ethnicity and politics also play a role: In Jos,
religion is just one cause of conflict. The
fighting falls broadly along ethnic lines, with
the mostly Christian Berom group against the
largely Muslim Hausa and Fulani groups.
The Hausa and Fulani are officially
deemed settlers in Plateau State, even
though some have lived here for
generations, and say that as a result they are
excluded from political office.
The state government counters that the socalled settlers have been given a small number of
roles and are now trying to take over.
Political office is prized throughout
Nigeria – holders of such jobs can grant
lucrative public contracts to their allies and
access oil revenues in what is sub-Saharan
Africa's biggest energy producer. "[The
violence in Jos] is not about religion," says
Murray Last, an anthropologist at
University College in London and an expert
on Nigeria. "That is just the glove that
covers the hand. That hand is politics: the
access to power and the access to land."
Faith-based ghettos emerging- As killings
continue, and suspicion between Christians
and Muslims grows, residents say the city is
splitting into faith-based ghettos. Some say
Berom farmers are afraid to travel to remote
rural areas, missing the opportunity to plant
crops during the rainy season.
In a sweltering car yard in the midday
sun, Vincent Chungzi, a mechanic, fears
that his missing cousin, a Christian okada
driver, has become another victim.
He was last seen with a female Muslim
passenger more than a month ago.
"We keep calling him, but he is not
13 evangelicals
A.P.C. MINISTRY arrested in Alexandria
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All donation are tax exempt under section 80G of the IT Act.
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State Security Investigations Service
arrested yesterday in Agami, Alexandria 13
evangelical Christians for proselitizing. The
arrests were made at a meeting with Father
Antonios of the Orthodox Church.
Naguib Gobrail, president of the Egyptian
Organization for Human Rights, described the
arrest of the 13 youths under the Emergency
Law as illegal, given that their activities had
nothing to do with terrorism or drugs, which
make up the entire remit of the Emergency
Law since its amendment this month.
Gobrail said he had a phone
conversation with a senior security official
who confirmed that the 13 Christians had
been arrested, and who added that Egypt is
not in need of "yet another source of tension".
Gobrail also talked with Safwat el-Bayadi,
president of the Evangelical Organization,
who expressed his regret over the incident.
In a related development, the Holy
Synod of the Coptic Orthodox church
instructed the synod's media committee to
supervise Coptic television channels and
report on their performance.
Meanwhile, Zakaria Boutros, a radical
Coptic priest, confirmed two days ago that
his program on Al-Hayah channel has been
suspended, as was reported by the BBC last
week. Boutros said he is launching a new
TV channel that "promises salvation" to the
Muslims of the Arab World.
12
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
Obama Admin may Evangelicals Promote
`Theology of Sex,'
have illegally
spent $10 million Abortion Reduction
promoting abortion
in Kenya
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- New
information obtained by a member of
Congress makes it appear the Obama
administration has spent $10 million
potentially illegally promoting a proabortion constitution in Kenya. Obama
officials were thought to have spent $2
million but Rep. Chris Smith says that
figure could exceed $10 million.
Lobbying for or against abortion is
prohibited under a provision of federal law
known as the Siljander Amendment
annually included in the State, Foreign
Operations Appropriations Act.
The amendment reads, “None of the
funds made available under this Act may be
used to lobby for or against abortion,” and
violations are subject to civil and criminal
penalties under the Antideficiency Act, 31
U.S.C. § 1341.”
Smith, the leading Republican on the
House Africa and Global Health
Subcommittee, and two other members of
Congress have called for a probe into the
Obama administration's spending in
support of a campaign to get the proabortion constitution approved in Kenya in
August.
The three sent a May 6 letter to the
Inspectors General at the State Department
and U.S. Agency for International
Development seeking a probe.
Today, Smith's office informed
LifeNews.com that subsequent information
uncovered by investigators has revealed
that actual U.S. taxpayer expenditures in
support of the pro-abortion constitution are
estimated to exceed $10 million.
“This week I learned that U.S. taxpayer
expenditures in support of the proposed
constitution may exceed $10 million—five
times the level we original suspected,"
Smith said.
“This massive spending will
undoubtedly be directed to those entities
that are pressing for ratification of the
proposed constitution. Such support will
further enable passage of a constitution that
is opposed by many pro-life leaders in
Kenya, because it enshrines new rights to
abortion. As such, the funding is a clear
violation of federal law against use of U.S.
taxpayer funds to lobby for or against
abortion,” Smith explained.
He added, “Learning of significant
additional U.S. donations gives even more
urgency to our request for thorough and
Adelle M. Banks, May 29 Religion News morally acceptable, and three-quarters
Service: - The National Association of consider abortion and unmarried sex to be
Evangelicals on May 20 launched an morally wrong. Less than a third -- 30
initiative to reduce abortions by promoting percent -- think national religious leaders
a "Theology of Sex" for churches and are doing a good or very good job at
pledging to find common ground with addressing the issue of abortion.
opponents on abortion.
NAE officials have planned nationwide
"There's a sense that, whatever our laws forums to promote dialogue about abortion
are, abortion is a problem because of the reduction. Carey hopes they will include
underlying issues of how we treat sex," said academics, counselors, teachers and
Galen Carey, director of government affairs for representatives of pregnancy resource centers.
the Washington-based umbrella organization.
"These conversations should build on
NAE leaders have concluded that our shared concerns for human dignity,
churches are not doing a "good job" of protecting children and promoting healthy
teaching about sex and marriage and should families and communities," the NAE said in
better address the high percentage of a resolution.
cohabiting unmarried young adults,
Its new 24-page "Theology of Sex"
including many evangelicals.
booklet declares "Yes, sex is good!" within
"Addressing that subject will do a lot, the context of heterosexual marriage and says
we think, to reduce the number of that "God is forming a new life in his image"
unplanned pregnancies and the number of in both planned and unplanned pregnancies.
abortions," Carey said.
"Sex is a responsible act only in a
A Gallup poll commissioned by the relationship in which the couple is willing to
NAE found that 90 percent of evangelicals care for any children that can come from
objective investigations into all State consider "hormonal contraceptives" to be that union," it states.
Department and USAID funded activities
related to Kenya’s proposed constitution. I
hope that all investigative agencies will take
our request seriously and act swiftly in this
matter.”
As LifeNews.com reported, US
Ambassador to Kenya Michael
A Jewish human rights organization denounced an upcoming World Council of
Ranneberger called last month on the
Churches’ peace event as “blatantly anti-Israel.”
African nation's political leaders to rally the
May 28, 2010 A Jewish human rights encompass the West Bank and the Gaza
people to pass the referendum.
organization
denounced an upcoming Strip. In return, Palestine and other Arab
Smith authored the May 6 letter with
World
Council
of Churches’ peace event as states must recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the
Under the proposal, Israel also needs to
Ranking Republican on the House Foreign “blatantly anti-Israel.”
The Simon Wiesenthal Center was dismantle its settlements in the West Bank
Affairs Committee and Rep. Darrell Issa,
the top Republican on the House Oversight referring to the World Week for Peace in and Gaza Strip, while Palestinians need to
Palestine Israel, which begins Saturday and end their suicide bombings and other
Committee.
will
run until June 4. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, violent attacks on Israel.
Ranneberger issued a statement
But some of WCC's rhetoric does not
praising the Kenya parliament for passing associate dean of the center, accused the
the proposed constitution and urging WCC of never standing up for Israel in the 62 sit well with Jewish groups. Last year,
President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister years of its existence but being “fixated” on former WCC general secretary the Rev.
the plight of Palestinians.
Samuel Kobia called Israel’s occupation of
Raila Odinga to rally support for it.
“It (WCC) never issued a single Palestinian territories “a sin against God” in
He also suggested the Obama
administration would fund a national response to Arab attempts to annihilate it a report to the group’s main governing body.
campaign to persuade the people to adopt (Israel), to drive the Jews into the sea, to mass He noted the WCC’s stance that antimurder Jews at prayer through suicide
Semitism is a “sin against God,” and
the document.
Although the draft contains language bombings,” said Cooper. “It is remarkably asked WCC leaders if they were “ready to say
advocating the right to life for unborn fixated on the single democracy in the Middle that occupation is also a sin against God?”
The American Jewish Committee, one
children, it contains a section with a health East, while it cannot find its voice in countries
that
criminalize
the
practice
of
Christianity
of
the
oldest Jewish advocacy organizations
exception that essentially opens the nation
and
tolerate
the
murder
of
Christians.”
in
the
United States, condemned Kobia’s
to unlimited abortions throughout
Cooper said the “hate-fest” against Israel statements for ignoring the root cause of
pregnancy for any reason.
Before the revised constitution can this coming week will not improve the life of Israel’s presence in the West Bank.
“Israel does not seek to govern another
come into force, it must be approved by Palestinians because it fails to bring the two
people
together
for
genuine
negotiations.
people,”
Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s
popular vote -- expected in July or August.
“Christians are the ones who should be international director of interreligious
“Kenya’s current constitution includes
no reference to abortion and abortion is not worrying even more than Jews,” added Rabbi affairs, maintained. “Rather, Israel has
legally permitted in Kenya except to save Yitzchok Adlerstein, the interfaith affairs offered in direct negotiations with the
the life of the mother," the pro-life director at the center. “The WCC evangelizes a Palestinians repeatedly to withdraw from
gospel of political activism, not Christian love most of the West Bank in exchange for
Republican lawmakers said.
They added that “any expression of and understanding. Protestant leaders and peace and security.”
Rosen criticized Kobia for repeating
support for or opposition to the proposed laypeople should be wary of an organization
that
seeks
to
hijack
their
faith,
and
ask
the
“same
hypocritical statements” about
new constitution (including by drafting,
themselves
whether
they
should
continue
to
Israel
that
the
WCC has regularly issued.
offering technical advice or providing
WCC has had a long troubled relationship
foreign assistance of any kind that is support the divisiveness of the WCC.”
During the World Week for Peace in with Jewish groups, which criticize the
designed to influence public approval in the
Palestine
Israel, the WCC invites member ecumenical body for favoring Palestinians and
upcoming plebiscite) unavoidably involves
churches
and
organizations to advocate for just ignoring constant terrorism threats against
lobbying for or against abortion.”
The letter went to Gene L. Dodaro, peace in Palestine and Israel. The WCC website Israel in its Middle East policies.
The WCC is the largest Protestant
Acting Comptroller General of the U.S. says participants will seek justice for both
Palestinians
and
Israelis,
but
highlighted
the
organization
in the world, claiming to
Government Accountability Office; Harold
partitioning
of
Palestine
and
the
“permanent
represent
more
than 560 million Christians.
W. Geisel, Acting Inspector General, U.S.
The ecumenical body brings together 349
Department of State, Office of Inspector nightmare” that Palestinians live under.
Last year, WCC supported a “just peace churches, denominations and church
General, and to; Donald A. Gambatesa,
Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for initiative” proposed by the United Church fellowships in more than 110 countries and
of Canada that requires Israel to recognize a territories in the world. Ethan Cole,
International Development.
fully sovereign state of Palestine that would Christian Post reporter.
Jewish Group Condemns
WCC Peace Week
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
13
BOOK REVIEW:
The thread of God in my life
MPK MPK
KuttyKutty
Author : R M Lala
Publisher Penguins India,2009
This autobiography by an author,
publisher and journalist R M Lala Is
notable for the insights it makes
available to the reader on finding a
faith. Strongly influenced by the
Moral Re-armament movement and
closely associated with the Tata
establishment, he had authored more
than a dozen books that could be read
with profit by men in various fields of
human endeavour.
The author observes that among
his books, no book has given him and
the readers greater satisfaction than
the 'Celebration of Cells.'
It was in 1989 that doctors
examining a swelling on one side of
his neck and after proper tests,
pronounced that he had a battle
ahead—the battle with cancer. ‘When
I was diagnosed with cancer, I
acquired a new perspective, on my
seemingly normal life. I learnt many
things. To meet the challenge. I
awakened to the deeper issues of life
and death. I needed to face realities,
reorder my priorities, embark on a
journey of faith. I had to summon the
doctor within myself and to channel
my thoughts in a positive direction . I
understood once again the value of a
sense of purpose. I learnt to cultivate
joy, to embrace laughter and humour,
and to face death squarely and with
equanimity. I also began to appreciate
the immense power of prayer and
healing,’ he recalls. It is all these and
more that he had tried to communicate
to cancer sufferers in his book,
Celebration of Cells.
Quite understandable because its
comforting messages must have touched
the hearts of people whose lot in life
consisted struggles of various kinds and
shapes--not necessarily cancer. Words
that offer hope for those under pain would
always create an impact. The more than
80-year old author had sought comfort
from the scriptures and he has very
skillfully communicated to others the
palliative gems that reach the very depths
of human hearts. Dr Abdul Kalam who
read the same book gave copies to several
friends. So too several other readers who
felt convinced of its messages.
'The Thread of God in my life' is an
autobiography with a difference.
Rajmohan Gandhi's counsel to Russi M
Lala that he should write is biography
so that his life could be a source of light
to many more, did not go in vain.
Though he thought, unlike many
others, that he had no greatness to
dwell upon nor startling disclosures
to make, he felt, after initial
reluctance, his search for God and
answers to life's perplexities were
worth writing about. And that is what
makes the book valuable to many in
search of God. Unlike Gandhi, he does
not start with a backlog of a
'nationalistic spirit' having to defend
his own concepts and the cultural
background from which he originated.
Lala had his share of problems and
struggles ; hopes and achievements.
But these are not the substance with
which he builds up his autobiography.
There are passing references to events
in his life but then belief in God and
supportive evidences for such belief in
a personal God are found throughout
the pages of the book.
His canvass for painting God
should be considered far broader than
that of many writing from an Indian
background. If 'Celebration of Cells'
abounded in Biblical verses and
quotes from Christian authors, this
book again exposes his wide reading.
His thoughts and influences seem to
have been inspired by the works and
lives of such persons like Mother
Teresa, St Augustine, St Francis of
Assisi, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr
Schweitzer, Henry Drummond. No
doubt he had his circle of Parsi friends
which included his one time boss,
JRD Tata. But zoroastrian or Hindu
beliefs such as emphasis on 'karma',
incarnations and idol worship do not
figure prominently in the book.
Going by the book, the Moral ReArmament (MRA, now renamed
Initiatives of change) seems to have
exercised the strongest influence on him.
(Refer Page 30) When he started the
Himmat weekly along with Rajmohan
Gandhi and others, it was the moral
standards of society he wanted to uphold
rather than mingling in politics. The four
years stay in London from the ages of 31
to 35 were significant for what he learnt
about the MRA, life in general and about
human nature.
One play by Peter Howard,
'Ladder', had a deep influence on him.
It was about a politician who was
going fast up the ladder of success and
fame. The lead was played by Paul
Campbell, who had given up his own
promising career, to work with the
MRA. Towards the climax, recalls the
author, Campbell would climb up the
ladder, with a velvet belt of the awards
he had received. In the background
would be the strains of the hymn, 'Old
Rugged Cross' The words '...all my
trophies at last I lay down. I will cling
to the old rugged cross and exchange
it someday for a crown' would
continue to ring in his heart. They
drove home man's vanity and passion
for power and self-aggrandisement.
Equally fascinating to read
is his reaction to watching
the film, 'The Robe' by
Lloyd C. Douglas on the
wide screen. 'During the
scene of the soldiers
whipping Christ, as he
carried the cross up the hill,
'I wanted to hold their
hands.'(Page 136) When
from the cross Jesus
uttered those famous
words: 'Father forgive
them, they know not what
they do!' they pierced his
heart. A stream of tears
flowed down his cheeks.
But a still greater impact of
the scene was felt eight
days later, when a Baptist
pastor spoke of men recrucifying Christ. The
Pastor recalled how he
once thought of taking his
own life and desisted from
the same because ' it would
amount to crucifying
Christ again!'
At that time, he was
carrying the pain of a
deeply hurt fellowship, that happened
while he was 21. He nursed the hurt
for four more years. That bitterness
was in him when he watched the
crucifixion scene. Now the pastor’s
remarks worked on his mind. It
dawned on him that his refusal to let
go his hurt would be like crucifying
Christ again. A wave of repentance
came over him. He walked to a room
and in the silence knelt down
imagining that he was at the foot of a
cross. He then 'wrapped up my parcel
of bitterness and respectfully placed it
at the foot.' Surrendering his long
stored up ill feelings at the Cross, he
felt light: as if all the burdens had been
lifted up from him in a moment!’
Reading some of these incidents
were like testimonies straight from
‘Born Again ‘ Christians who felt a
touch of God and underwent a renewal.
This is the renewal the Bible also
speaks about by which a person gives
up old ways and puts on a new nature.
All those authors whom he had
admired, it must be noted, hold a
Christian world view. Further the author
himself extensively reproduces verses
from the Psalms, St Paul’s letters and
other portions of the Book of Books with
which even some Christians may not be
familiar. And how many educated
Christians could boast of having read at
least some of the books listed herein by
the Parsi author?
Former president Abdul Kalam,
releasing the book at a Mumbai
function had said: ‘When I read the
book, I found that it is a book of
books…you feel every page is
scholarly and touches the heart. Many
authors appear in the book; many
poets appear in the book; many
scriptures appear in the book….’Of
course only the Bible is called the
‘Book of Books.’ What the president
meant was probably that he found
much resources that would be useful
for a person in the search for faith.’
The good Lord has caused all the
laws of life to be sown in the literature
of the world. No particular country or
culture can claim monopoly of the
knowledge of God. Russi M Lala has
accomplished a great task by bringing
into focus all these laws written on the
tablets of the human heart by the Spirit
of God. And it is his agreement with
that Spirit that enables him to
conclude the book with those famous
lines: ‘ Heaven’s morning breaks, and
earth’s vain shadows flee, In life, in
death, O Lord Abide with me.’
Certainly the book has succeeded
in realizing the lofty aims of the
author, who wrote: 'After my
radiation treatment in 2003, I realised
that nothing was more important than
bringing people closer to God, ' he
writes in his preface and adds: 'If this
book can give faith and point to a path
that enables others to find a deeper
meaning to life, I shall feel amply
rewarded.' Did he succeed? To me, the
answer is ‘yes.’
14
BLOSSOMING BUDS
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
BLOSSOMING
BUDS
Stevie Goes Home
"Isn’t that Stevie out there?" Mrs. Rains said looking out the
front window of their house. Suddenly the whole family ran to the
front of the house to stare out the different windows that look
out on the street.
"It’s raining so hard. I can hardly see who it is." Joey said with
panic in his voice. Stevie was Joey’s best friend at school. Joey
knew he was having some trouble at home but he didn’t know if it
was serious.
"It IS Stevie!” Mr. Rains, Joey’s dad suddenly gasped. "But he
lives miles from here. What is he doing wandering around on our
street in the pouring rain?"
"Can I go get him dad?" Joey asked with emotion in his voice.
"Of course," his mom interrupted. "Go quickly, son." Joey
dashed to the hall closet and pulled on his raincoat. "Here take
another one for Stevie," his mom insisted. Joey shot out the
front door and across the lawn to the street. The family watched
nervously as little Joey ran to his friend to help him. They hugged
and it was clear that Stevie was crying.
"What’s wrong Stevie? Why aren’t you home?" Joey asked his
friend as they walked toward their porch to get him out of the rain.
"I ran away." Stevie cried. "I broke my mother’s favorite
antique glass angel. I was so afraid, I just ran away."
"Joey? Stevie?" they both heard the voices of Joey's parents
calling to them. "Come in the house boys. We need to get you dried off."
S tevie was a little afraid to go in because he felt so guilty that
he thought nobody could possibly forgive and love him. He felt
such gratitude when Mrs. Rains dried his hair and Mr. Rains got
some of Joey’s clothes for him to get into while they got his
clothes into the washer/dryer.
"Would you like some warm spaghetti, sweetie?" Mrs. Rains said so
lovingly that Stevie accepted the offer gobbling down two servings.
"You must have walked five miles in the rain," she observed, "No
wonder you are so hungry.” After he ate, the boys went to Joey’s room
to play video games while his clothes finished getting cleaned up.
"How come your parents are so nice?" Stevie asked his friend.
"I bet they never hate you when you do bad things."
"Oh sure, I make lots of mistakes," Joey confessed. "But parents
don't hate their children? Oh sure, they have to correct you and
teach you and you have to make things right when you do bad, but
parents always love you, no matter what. It's how they are made."
"I don’t understand that. Can't you lose their love if you mess
up?" Stevie asked, confused. "I know. It's hard to understand,"
Joey agreed. "Oh, you know what? I just remembered that
Pastor Ashcroft explained it in Sunday School a few weeks ago.
He explained how God made parents to act like He did."
"Joey, I am really getting confused. How can parents act like
God does? They are just people too." Stevie complained.
"Because parents love you even if you are bad. You don’t have to
do anything or please them or be any certain thing because parents
just love you no matter what. There was a big word for it. Let me
see. What was it? Oh yeah, unconditional love. That’s what parents
have. That means they love you just because you are theirs."
"Is that how God is then?"
"That’s what Pastor Ashcroft said. He said God is Love and He
loves us no matter what. Even when we do bad and like sin, you
know? God just wants us to stop sinning so we will be happy." "I
would feel a lot happier if I hadn't broke my mom's angel and run
away. I feel like I'm doomed now."
"Stevie?" they both heard Joey's mom calling. "Honey your
mom is on the phone. She is so relieved you are ok."
"I can’t talk to her." Stevie started to cry again. "I know she
must hate me for breaking her angel and running away."
"Just try to talk to her, Stevie," Joey encouraged him.
“Remember, she loves you like God does. But to get her love and
forgiveness, you have to be willing to talk to her and let her love
you." Joey and his mom stepped out of the room while Stevie
talked to his mom. But when he came out, he looked like a
completely different boy.
"I’m going home now." He said with a happy melody in his voice.
"But what about the angel?" Joey asked.
"She said something that totally surprised me, Joey," Stevie
said as though he was still in shock. "She said she loved me more
than a thousand glass angels and would give them all away rather
than lose me or my sister." Mrs. Rains got Stevie his clean dry
clothes and he changed and sat on the porch bench with Joey
waiting for his mom to come for him. The rain had cleared up and
it looked like a bright happy sunshine was coming out. "You know
what, Joey?" he said to his best friend. "I learned something
today that was better than a million Sunday school lessons."
"What was that?" his pal asked.
"I learned how that kind of love works, that kind with the big
word you said before…."
"Unconditional love?"
"Yeah, that kind. I never knew parents were like that and I
sure didn’t know God was like that. I thought He was all mad about
our sins all the time."
"I don’t think He is mad," Joey thought out loud with Stevie.
"I just think he is sad when we sin because it hurts us but he loves
us so much he let Jesus die for us so the sin would stop hurting us.
And best of all, we get to go to heaven because of it because that
is where God is and we get to be with him. It's like heaven is our
home that we haven't even seen yet." They both saw Stevie's
parent's car coming down the street. Stevie stood up to say
good-bye to his friend.
"I like that last word you said the best," he confessed.
"Which one?"
"Home. That's where I'm going. I'm going home now, Joey.
Thank you for teaching me about how parents and God loves me.
I’ll see you at school tomorrow.
"Ok Stevie. Bye, bye."
And Stevie ran to the car and his mommy jumped out and
hugged him and kissed him what must have been a hundred times.
Joey watched and thought. "Wow, one thing you can say about
that unconditional love stuff. It sure involves a lot of kissing.”
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
15
The Father
seeks true worshippers
Philip P Eapen
The worship of the Living God, the father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, is our greatest
privilege and our primary duty. Although
Christians in general agree on this matter,
disagreements about the manner of
worship or its expression are common.
Evangelical Christians, including those in
Pentecostal folds, say in one voice that the
God who is Spirit should be worshipped
“in spirit and in truth.” What exactly does
that mean?
My associations are largely with
Pentecostal churches, especially with
those from Kerala. Several times, I have
heard pastors preach from John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshippers must
worship in spirit and in truth.” All of
them consider Jesus’ words as an
attestation of Pentecostal styles of
worship as opposed to worship found in
mainline churches that use a written
liturgy or congregations that follow
quieter forms of worship.
Whenever they speak of worship “in
the spirit,” they refer to glossolalia,
speech in unknown languages, as given
by the Holy Spirit. This they say by citing
Paul’s assertion that a person who prays
in an unknown Spirit-given language
prays in his spirit. Those who pray in their
own language pray with their minds
while those who pray in “another tongue”
prays in his spirit. They slap Paul’s
statement about glossolalia (1
Corinthians 14:14) on to John 4:23 to get a
definition for “worship in spirit and in
truth.” Therefore, for most Indian
Pentecostals, “worship in spirit” is
equivalent to speaking in an unknown
language to God, either individually or
together in a church service.
None of Paul’s injunctions against
the loud use of glossolalia in public
worship meetings – except with
interpretation for the edification of those
gathered – is considered worthy of
obedience. Paul’s guidelines for
increased private exercise of glossolalia
in the place of immature public flaunting
of this gift are torpedoed by the need to
“worship in spirit.”
What did Jesus mean when he said
that true worship is “worship in spirit and
in truth?” Was Jesus asking his followers
to “worship in other tongues?”
The Lord’s reference to true
worship is taken from his conversation
with a Samaritan woman. The woman
had a past and was living in sin. When
Jesus revealed her secrets, she
understood that the man who spoke to
her was a “prophet.” She quickly
switched the conversation over to a
debate that existed in that land about
worship. “Our fathers worshipped on
this mountain, but you Jews claim that
the place where we must worship is in
Jerusalem.” Samaritans preferred Mt.
Gerizim to the temple at Jerusalem. She
wanted to know what this “prophet”
thought about this issue.
Jesus’ reply was different from what
she expected to hear. She did not succeed
in pulling Jesus into a debate over where
people should gather to worship God.
Jesus said, “Believe me, woman, a
time is coming when you will worship the
Father neither on this mountain nor in
Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what
you do not know; we worship what we do
know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a
time is coming and has now come when the
true worshippers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for they are the kind of
worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit,
and his worshippers must worship in spirit
and in truth.” John 4:21-24
First, Jesus said that the Samaritans had
got it all wrong. The Jews were right. God
had revealed himself to the Jews and they
were right to worship God at Jerusalem.
Second, Jesus took the discussion to
a higher plane. He said that the time had
come for Jews and Samaritans – or
anyone for that matter – to stop arguing
about the right place to find God. God
isn’t limited to a place. He is not a part of
this material universe. Instead, He is
spirit. He transcends time and space. The
question that matters is not “where do
you worship” but “whom/how do you
worship.”
Therefore to “worship in spirit and in
truth” is to worship God sincerely with the
realisation that He is omnipresent. It is to
recognise that no place on earth is holier
than another. For the true worshipper, the
whole world is a sanctuary. He does not
recognise any special “holy” label attached
to or attributed to places of worship. A true
worshipper need not go on a pilgrimage in
search of God. As a necessary corollary, we
need to say that any form of worship that
localises God to a particular place, that
considers a “place of worship” as holier
than other places, is “false” worship.
Jesus was also announcing the
divine de-recognition of Jerusalem or its
temple as a “holy” place. If God is spirit,
and if true worship is that which
recognises God’s transcendence over
time and space, then Jerusalem can no
longer be called a “holy” city. God’s
name could no longer be tied to one city
or one temple. The Jews acted according
to the revelation that they had until then.
They got it right, compared to other
peoples who were in the dark, as far as
worship was concerned. Salvation was
to come from them. Now that the
Messiah had come to them, it was time
for the Messiah to usher in a new scheme
of things. The Jewish religious economy
and the Temple in Jerusalem – the
ultimate emblem of their religion – was
to be torn down shortly by God.
Finally, the Messianic age is
characterised by the impartation of
God’s Holy Spirit upon His people.
People have to born anew (as seen in the
previous chapter, John 3) by water and
the Spirit, in order to be a part of the
Messianic kingdom. Those outside the
kingdom are born just by the “flesh”
while those in the Kingdom are born by
the spirit. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but
the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6).
Therefore, when the New
Testament contrasts the new Messianic
order with the old Jewish order, it uses
expressions such as these:
“... for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives
life.” 2 Cor 3:6
“ ministry of death” versus “ministry of
the Spirit” 2 Cor 3:7-8
“ministry of condemnation” versus
“ministry of righteousness” 2 Cor 3:9
“... Having begun by the Spirit, are you now
being perfected by the flesh?” Gal 3:3
Therefore, when Jesus said that “true
worshippers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth,” he was referring to the
worship of God by those who received the
Messiah, those who were regenerated the
Spirit. In other words, he said that true
worship is the worship offered by the
global church of Jesus Christ. He invited
Jews to turn their backs on the old and to
welcome the new age.
Without realising this, many
Pentecostals think that John 4:24 is
about turning our backs on liturgical or a
quieter form of worship to a more noisy
form of worship marked by speaking in
“other tongues.” Such a skewed
understanding forced many Pentecostals
to discount the importance of songs,
adoration and praise in their own
languages. The songs they sing get
reduced to mere launching pads for
“speaking in other tongues,” which they
consider to be “real worship.”
Tongue-speaking is a form of
prayer. The one who speaks in a strange
tongue in the Spirit talks to God. That is
not necessarily worship. Let’s not
confuse prayer with worship. Let us use
glossolalia in our private times of prayer.
Even if we are led to burst out in ecstatic
speech in other tongues while in church,
let us do so quietly. That’s perfectly in
sync with Pauline teaching in 1
Corinthians 14:28 - “... if there is no
interpreter, he must keep silent in the
church; and let him speak to himself and
to God.”
The Father seeks true worshippers.
Let us worship God, ascribing all the
glory due unto His name. Let our
worship arise from the knowledge of
God that we get from Scriptures. Let us
worship with the full assurance that we
16
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Pastor With No Tongue Still
Has a Lot to Say
The Lutheran pastor believes that he's been able to reach
more people than if he had not had cancer.
Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch The Rev. Scott Schmieding sat in an
examination room at the MD Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston 13 years ago as a
surgeon examined a malignant tumor in the
center of his tongue.
The tumor was spreading rapidly, the
doctor told him, and most or all of the
preacher's tongue would need to be removed.
He might never be able to swallow on his own.
His speech would likely be unintelligible.
In that moment, Schmieding was not
afraid of death or the physical ordeal that he
faced. But he wondered about his calling if
he survived: How could he spread the word
of God if he couldn't speak?
Schmieding asked God to either make
him whole or take him to heaven.
Ultimately, God would do neither.
Schmieding survived the cancer, but he lost
his entire tongue. In the years that followed, he
retrained himself to speak using a special retainer
and a muscle from his abdomen that surgeons
transplanted into his mouth.
Two months ago Schmieding took on a
new ministry as pastor of Immanuel Lutheran
Church, a congregation of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod. Though his speech is
difficult to follow at times, the awkwardness of
his speech has, in fact, brought more power to
his words, parishioners say.
Jana Leppien, who was on the
Immanuel selection committee, recalled
how one person put it best: "If someone is
willing to work that hard to speak, after
going through what he went through, I'm
going to work twice as hard to listen.”
Schmieding had never smoked or
chewed tobacco and he had no family
history of cancer. But in 1997, five years
after his ordination, he noticed a sore in the
back of his tongue. In an 11-hour operation,
surgeons in Houston sliced open
Schmieding's neck from ear to ear and
removed his tongue through his throat.
Then, they reconstructed the cavity in his
mouth with a muscle from his abdomen.
During rehabilitation, he suffered from
blisters in his mouth from intense radiation,
making his speech therapy sessions agony. He
calls it "the most painful part of the entire ordeal.”
For eight months, he had to breathe
through a hole in his neck, and he ate
through a feeding tube. Doctors told
Schmieding they feared he would choke to
death if he tried to swallow food, and that
the feeding tube might be permanent.
The loss of his tongue meant
Schmieding permanently lost almost all of
his sense of taste. Radiation treatments to
his head eliminated the ability to produce
saliva. When he did learn to swallow, it was
with the help of gravity to push both solids
and liquids—with a quick toss of the head
backwards—to the back of his throat.
He had to learn how to replace the
sounds of consonants in his
speech—making the "T" sound, for
instance, by shooting air at his retainer,
which acts like a megaphone and replicates
the traditional sound of the tip of the tongue
touching the roof of the mouth.
Having survived surgery and radiation,
Schmieding was determined to return to
parish life. His first public act as a pastor
after his ordeal was to give a sermon at his
former church in Baton Rouge and celebrate
the baptism of his newborn son.
Despite his zeal, Schmieding did have
some misgivings. He confided to his speech
therapist: What if parishioners could only
understand half of what he said during a sermon?
Her reply? "Isn't that true with most
pastors?" he recalled, laughing.
Schmieding says now that he never
asked why he was struck with tongue cancer,
but for what purpose. In the 13 years since his
diagnosis, he said, he found the answer.
"I have become an expert at adversity," he
said, noting that he also lived through five major
hurricanes in Louisiana. "I know what people are
feeling when they face trials and tragedy."
Schmieding was among some 60
candidates considered by the church, and
the search committee knew of his
challenges when they invited him to visit.
"After about five minutes, we began
listening to the content of what he said, rather
than how he said it," said Alaina Kleinbeck,
Immanuel's director of Christian education
and a member of the search committee.
"The fact that some of his words were a
little more difficult to make out didn't matter.”
After some initial hesitation among
some members, Immanuel offered the job to
Schmieding and he arrived last fall. So far,
the congregation has been supportive and
has benefited from Schmieding's message
of perseverance, Kleinbeck said.
"So many people have big hurts in their
lives, so to have someone stand up there and
reveal how they almost lost their vocation in
life—that's inspiring for people," she said.
Schmieding believes strongly that he's been
able to reach more people without a tongue than
he would have had he not had cancer.
"The history of the Bible is the story of
God using imperfect people for his perfect
purposes," he said. "I'm just one in a very long
line of imperfect people being used by God.”
Dalit Christian
activists........
(NCCDC) expressed their hope that the Union
Government of India would act promptly and
render justice to this long pending struggle of
Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims.
Earlier this month, several other
delegations met the following Ministers as
part of lobbying for the cause of justice to
Dalit Christian and Dalit Muslim struggles.
On May 4, a delegation met Mr. Pratik
Prakash Babu Patil, Minister of State for
Youth affairs and Sports. Two days later a
delegation met Mr.R.P.N. Singh, Minister
of State for Road Transport and Highways
and Mr. Gurudas Kamath, Minister of State
for Communication and Information
Technology. On May 11, Mr. Prakash
Jaiswal, Minister of State for Coal, and Ms.
Ambika Soni, Minister for Information and
Broadcasting were met.
In addition to them, Dr. Tushar A.
Choudhary, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs;
Ms. Agatha Sangma, Minister of State for
Rural Development; Mr. Salman Khursheed,
Minister for Minority Affairs and Mr.
Virbhadra Singh, Minister for Steel were met.
The lobbying for this long-pending
cause has been gaining momentum and the
Ministers so far met has expressed their
support in ensuring Scheduled Caste status
to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims.
Why So
Few Christians
in Japan?
The quality of missionaries or the methodologies used is not the problem when it comes
evangelizing. But it is the Japanese mentality itself that is hindering more people from
coming to Christ, said a mission leader last week at a global conference in Tokyo.
May 18, 2010 The quality of missionaries or
the methodologies used is not the problem
when it comes evangelizing. But it is the
Japanese mentality itself that is hindering
more people from coming to Christ, said a
mission leader last week at a global
conference in Tokyo.
Japanese people value human
relationships more than truth and principle,
said Dr. Minoru Okuyama, director of the
Missionary Training Center in Japan,
during his presentation at the Tokyo 2010
Global Missions Consultations.
“Because they are afraid of disturbing
human relationships of their families or
neighborhood even though they know that
Christianity is the best,” said Okuyama,
who previously was Buddhist and a
Shintoist. “Thus, Japanese make much of
human relationships more than the truth.
Consequently we can say that as for
Japanese, one of the most important things
is harmony; in Japanese ‘Wa.’”
He added, “[T]hose who harm the
harmony are bad, whether they are right or
not has been beside the question.”
Less than one percent of Japan’s population
is Christian even though the religion was
brought to the country over 150 years ago.
Okuyama noted that Christianity is
thriving in neighboring China and Korea
because the mentality of the people is to
“make more of truth or principle than
human relationships.”
In China, the Christian population
outnumbers more than even the Communist
Party. The Communist Party has about 50 million
people, whereas the number of Christians is
estimated to be more than double that figure.
Regarding South Korea, the Japanese
mission leader called the country a “Christian”
nation. South Korea is home to the world’s
largest church – Yoido Full Gospel Church,
which has more than 800,000 members.
“When the Chinese have been
challenged to choose the truth or the human
relationship, they choose the truth,
sacrificing the human relationship. But
Japanese would choose the human
relationship, sacrificing the truth,”
Okuyama said. “Utterly same as the
Chinese, Koreans also choose the truth.”
He noted anthropologists have
described Japan as a “human relationship
oriented society,” but China and South
Korea as “principle-oriented” societies.
Despite the difficulties in reaching the
Japanese people, Okuyama said missionaries
must not give up but continue to plant the seed.
He noted the history of several people groups
where, for hundreds of years, it seemed like
evangelism efforts were in vain. But suddenly
countless people came to Christ.
“The seed of the Gospel never falls to
the ground in vain,” stated Okuyama. “Let
us do our jobs!”
More than 2,000 mission leaders
representing 140 countries convened for the
Tokyo 2010 Global Missions Consultations,
May 11-14. The Tokyo conference purposely
coincided with the 100th anniversary of the
Edinburgh meeting – the first-ever global
missions conference.
Michelle A. Vu, Christian Post Reporter
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YOUNG INDIA
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
17
YOUNG INDIA
Addicted to Porn
I didn't want to keep looking.
But I did.
Shaun Groves
The remains of the campfire were cold.
And the labels on the bottles of Bud were
bleached white by days in the sun.
Whoever had camped out in the woods
near my house was long gone. My friend
and I picked through the debris they'd left
behind. An abandoned hip-hop CD. A few
empty baggies and bottles. And a
magazine.
The cover was weathered and
unrecognizable. I poked it open with a stick,
scared of what critters might be calling it
home now. Its dewy, wet pages flopped open.
I saw a woman. And I saw her naked breasts.
Since I was only 7, I ran. I mean, girls had
cooties. They were gross. They were things we
chased at recess, but didn't know what to do if
we ever caught one. But I still remember that
image. I was excited by it, but scared of it at the
same time. I didn't understand it and I knew I
shouldn't be seeing it.
And I knew I wanted more.
A few years later I got my chance. This
time I didn't run away. I was 13. I was at my
friend Tyler's* house. Tyler was my only
friend with internet access. Almost every day,
we played computer games for hours.
But one day we clicked on what we
thought was a game to download, and our
lives changed. It wasn't a game, but a video.
At first, we laughed as we saw the blurry,
slow-moving image of a woman. We
laughed nervously as if to say, "That's so
stupid. Turn it off." But we didn't turn it off.
We watched it. Then I went home.
But Tyler went looking for more and
showed me what he found. I didn't run away
this time. I didn't want to keep looking. But I
did. I was caught.
Eventually, looking at nudity online
together grew uncomfortable and boring.
So Tyler and I took our passion for porn
solo. Tyler kept downloading anything he
could find, progressing from topless
women to sex photos to hardcore videos.
Meanwhile, I bounced between feeling
guilty and wanting to see more. Some days I
was strong. Other days, I was like a lustful
porn addict looking for a fix. I never
purchased or downloaded porn, though. I
was a church kid in a small town who could
be recognized and ratted on. And I had no
computer at home. Instead, I stole porn.
I searched my friends' houses in hopes
their dad had a hidden stash of porn magazines
somewhere. When that didn't work, I stole
porn magazines from convenience store
shelves. Not many. Just three or four over a
couple of years. But I savored them.
I imagined one page at a time coming to
life. It's embarrassing to say, but these women
made me feel loved. My eyes would feast on
their skin and it made me feel like a man. For
just one moment, I felt wanted. I felt pleasure.
I felt close to someone, and it never bothered
me that she wasn't real. She was real to me.
But those moments of fulfillment did
pass. Always. The pleasure faded. And in its
wake I fought pounding waves of regret and
guilt. I felt a million miles from good, a
billion light years from God. I'd often think
back to how I saw that first picture of a
naked woman. I had used a stick to keep it
away from me. I felt like God had the stick
in his hand now, poking at me from a
distance, trying not to get any of me on him.
I knew this wasn't true. I knew I was a
Christian. And I knew God saw me as perfect
and loveable as he saw his very own Son. I
knew all this. Grace. Love. Forgiveness.
But I didn't feel it. And I grew more and
more depressed and frustrated with myself. I'd
promise myself over and over that I wouldn't
mess up again, only to repeat my mistakes.
Tyler wasn't any better. He eventually
found it impossible to believe in a God
who'd keep him from looking at porn. With
God out of the picture, Tyler convinced
himself porn was just about pleasure. And
how could pleasure hurt anyone? Once he
decided pornography wasn't evil, he
embraced it. He subscribed to Playboy and
bought their videos.
Seeing what happened to Tyler was a
wake-up call. I knew I was headed down the
same path. So I got help. One day, I was
hanging out with a close friend who was a
strong believer. Out of nowhere, I told him
everything. My voice shaking, I confessed
that if I could look at pornography for free,
knowing I wouldn't be found out or feel
guilty, I would. I asked him for help. We
prayed together.
And then—to my surprise—my friend
told me he had the same problem. Turns out
most of my friends did. We went to an older
Christian in our church and asked him to
meet with us every week and help us. This
man had no great wisdom we lacked, no
secret to fighting the drawing power of
naked women. But what he did was listen,
give us wise advice and pray. He became a
caring mentor to all of us. The first thing he
showed us was that we weren't the only ones
with these problems. We weren't freaks. We
weren't alone anymore.
As I met with my new accountability
group, I saw my life had to change. And a lot
of those changes and lessons still apply to
my life today. Lesson one: run away. "Flee!"
our mentor often said. "Alcoholics
shouldn't live across the street from a liquor
store." To me, that means I can't walk alone
into the magazine section of a store. Or use a
computer alone without internet filters.
I have to limit the opportunities for
temptation. I have to put space between me and
porn. I can't have some catalogs in my house. I
don't let myself watch TV alone. Even with
filters on my internet service, I don't go online
if no one else is home. These restrictions annoy
me sometimes. But they help me flee.
The second thing I learned was to ask
myself the question: How can I increase my
desire for God and smother my desire to lust?
Someone once told me that there are two
dogs in my heart's backyard. One dog always
craves pleasure, sin and selfishness. The
other dog craves justice, mercy, peace and
obedience to God. When I wake up every
day, I choose which dog gets fed. The one I
feed grows until the other dog can't even be
seen.
I need to feed the right dog. I do that by
having honest relationships with Christian
guys. I have one friend in particular I
check in with daily. We talk honestly about
sex and sin and the junk that tempts us.
Together we figure out how to be better
men. We gripe. We pray. We confess. We
teach.
I also feed the right dog by reading the
Bible and studying it with other people.
And I don't just read it, but I write down
what I've learned and what I'll do or think
differently because of it. I spend time in
silence asking God to speak to me. I pray,
worship, serve other people.
On most days, the good dog outweighs
the bad one. That mongrel is so scrawny now
that I hardly notice him. But he surprises me
every once in a while. Out of nowhere he'll
bark at me, and I'll find myself pulled in the
wrong direction. He's the loudest when I'm
not careful about avoiding temptation. So I
flee. I get up and leave.
And I pray: "God, help me do what's
right today. And help Tyler, too. Save us both
from pornography and make us closer to
perfect. Make us love you more than
ourselves and surround us with people who
remind us that you love us even when we
mess up. Surround us with friends and a
church that feed the holy side of us and teach
us how to starve the addicted side of us. Kill
the bad dog. Feed the good one. Amen."
Singer/songwriter Shaun Groves' latest
album, White Flag (Rocketown) is based on
how each of Christ's teachings in the Sermon
on the Mount (Matthew 5) changed Shaun's
daily life. If you have a problem with
pornography, Shaun encourages you to seek
help right away from your youth pastor, a
Bible study leader or another caring Christian
adult. You'll also find helpful information and
accountability software at xxxchurch.com
and freeinchrist.truepath.com. (c)
Christianity Today
18
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
Christian Biochemist: First 'Synthetic Cell'
Strengthens Case for Design
A Christian biochemist among those hailing the recent creation of the first-ever “synthetic cell,” though not for the same reasons as most.
May. 23, 2010 A biochemistry expert at the
science-faith think tank Reasons to Believe
is among those hailing the recent creation of
the first-ever “synthetic cell,” though not
for the same reasons as most.
“From an apologetics standpoint, this is
exciting work that I’m happy to see pursued and
would like to see even more effort devoted toward
this because it’s giving us a very powerful case for
[Intelligent] Design,” said Dr. Fazle Rana on
Friday, referring to the idea that holds certain
aspects of nature are so complex that they could
not have come about by evolution alone but
instead point to an intelligent designer.
“In fact, I even would go so far as to say
that this is even a brand new class of
arguments for Design,” he added during
RTB’s flagship podcast.
On Thursday, a group of scientists
announced that it had successfully replaced
all of the natural DNA inside a cell with
laboratory-synthesized DNA, creating the
first-ever “synthetic cell.”
The team, led by Craig Venter of the J. Craig
Venter Institute, presented its findings in an article
published on the website of the journal Science,
run by the non-profit American Association for
theAdvancement of Science (AAAS).
In the study, the scientists explained how
they synthesized the genome of the bacterium
Mycoplasm mycoides with four bottles of
chemicals and transplanted it into another type
of bacteria, Mycoplasm capricolum, which is
closely related to M. mycoides.
"This is the first synthetic cell that's been
made," said Venter, calling the cell synthetic
because it was completely derived from a
synthetic chromosome created on a chemical
synthesizer with information in a computer.
"This becomes a very powerful tool for
trying to design what we want biology to
do,” Venter added. “We have a wide range
of applications [in mind]."
In his comments Friday, Rana similarly
noted that the applications are "limitless" as
is "the potential for good."
But the Christian biochemist seemed
more excited about the new set of arguments
that have been made available to Design
proponents through advances such Venter's.
"This is a third approach that says, 'We
think that life is the work of a designer because
we know from empirical experience now that
to make life requires ingenuity, careful
planning, careful manipulation of chemicals in
the lab under exacting conditions in order to
generate lifeforms,'" Rana said.
"I think it shows conclusively in the
most compelling way possible that life
requires a mind,” he added.
As for fears that bioterrorists could get
a hold of the new methodology and do
something damaging with it, Rana said such
a possibility "is a long way off."
"To get this to work is so non-trivial. I
can't imagine somebody in their garage
cooking up a dangerous organism," he stated.
Others in the faith community,
however, are not so confident.
While the announcement by Venter’s
team raised the prospect of a number of
benefits, such as the ability to accelerate
vaccine development, it also raised
potential societal and ethical concerns.
"Pretending to be God and parroting His
power of creation is an enormous risk that can
plunge men into a barbarity," Bishop
Domenico Mogavero told Italian newspaper
La Stampa, adding that scientists "should
never forget that there is only one creator:
God."
Monsignor Rino Fisichella, head of the
Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life,
meanwhile told The Associated Press that
recently revealed work was a “great scientific
WHO seeks clampdown on
tobacco ads targeting
women
(Reuters) - The World Health Organisation
called on Friday for more action against
tobacco advertising that targets women and
girls, especially in developing countries.
Females represent the biggest potential
growth market for tobacco products and are
being subjected to aggressive campaigns
linked to fashion, sports events and
entertainment, the United Nations agency said.
"The industry's market strategy is
having its desired impact," Douglas
Bettcher, director of WHO's tobacco free
initiative, said at a news briefing. "More and
more girls are starting to light up. This is a
serious red flag.”
Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on
Monday, the WHO released its survey on
youth smoking.
The report said that out of 151
countries, half reported that as many
teenage girls smoke as boys, and even
outnumber boys in parts of Latin America,
notably Chile, Colombia and Mexico, as
well as in Eastern Europe.
Men account for 80 percent of the world's 1
billion smokers, according to the U.N. agency.
Among adults, 40 percent of men smoke,
compared to about 9 percent of women.
In large emerging markets such as China
and India, 60 percent of men smoke versus 3
to 5 percent of women, leaving an important
market to capture, WHO officials said.
"The tobacco industry is spending
heavily on seductive advertisements that
target women especially in low- and
middle-income countries," Bettcher said.
"The advertisements try to dupe women in
believing that tobacco use is associated with
beauty and liberation.”
PINK CIGARETTE PACKS: Some 5
million people die every year from tobaccorelated heart attacks, strokes and cancers,
including 1.5 million women, according to
WHO. Another 430,000 adults die annually
from exposure to second-hand smoke, two
in three of them women.
A WHO treaty in 2003, ratified by 160
countries, recommended imposing a
complete ban on advertising, promotion and
marketing of tobacco products. Only 26
countries have done so, it said.
More than $13 billion was spent on
tobacco advertising and promotion in the
United States in 2005, according to the WHO.
In Japan, where rates of male smokers
have sharply fallen in recent years, pink
packs of cigarettes are aggressively
promoted to attract girls, according to the
WHO. In Egypt, one maker uses a cigarette
pack resembling a perfume container.
"The industry has studied what makes
women tick in both the developed and
developing countries," said Adepeju
Olukoya, of the WHO's gender, women and
health department.
Cigarette maker Philip Morris
International said in a statement that it does
not market to children or use any images or
content that might appeal to minors.
"We believe that regulations can strike
the right balance between effectively
limiting tobacco product marketing and
preserving the ability of tobacco companies
to communicate with adult smokers," the
maker of Marlboro cigarettes added.
The company said it opposed a total
ban on tobacco marketing but supported
regulations that restrict advertising,
including complete bans in some media,
such as television and radio.
discovery.”
“If we ascertain that it is for the good of
all, of the environment and man in it, we’ll
keep the same judgment,” he said.
But Fisichella added, “If, on the other
hand, the use of this discovery should turn
against the dignity of and respect for human
life, then our judgment would change.”
Presently, aside from working on ways
to speed up vaccine production, researchers
are planning to design algae that can capture
carbon dioxide and make new
hydrocarbons that could go into refineries.
Making new chemicals or food
ingredients and cleaning up water are other
possible benefits, according to Venter.
In light of the latest advance, President
Obama has called upon his recently-created
Presidential Commission for the Study of
Bioethical Issues to consider the
implications of the advance and report back
to him within six months.
Obama encouraged the commission to
consult with a range of constituencies – including
scientific and medical communities, faith
communities, and business and nonprofit
organizations – stating that it is “vital that we as a
society consider, in a thoughtful manner, the
significance of this kind of scientific
development.”
“With the Commission's collective
expertise in the areas of science, policy, and
ethical and religious values, I am confident
that it will carry out this responsibility with
the care and attention it deserves,” the
president concluded in a letter Thursday to
commission chair Amy Gutmann.
Obama had signed an Executive Order
creating the Presidential Commission for the
Study of Bioethical Issues late last November.
The commission was created to advise the
president on bioethical issues that may emerge
from advances in biomedicine and related areas
of science and technology. Eric Young,
Hell for abusers,
Scicluna warns
May 31, 2010: The Vatican prosecutor
Monsignor Charles Scicluna has warned
abusers that they risk a damnation in hell
that would be worse than the death penalty.
Monsignor Scicluna, a Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith official, led a
special “make amends” prayer service in St.
Peter’s Basilica, AP reports.
The service grew out of a desire by
some seminarians in Rome for a day of
prayers for the victims of clergy abuse
and for the healing of the church’s
wounds from the scandal over its
concealment of abuse.
“It would be
really better” for priests
who sexually abuse
minors that their crimes
“cause them death”
because for them,
“damnation will be
more terrible” in hell, Il
Sole 24 Ore online news
reported.
Participants at
the ceremony asked for
prayers “for the victims
of abuses perpetrated by
men and women of the
Church, so that they can
heal their wounds and
experience true peace,”
ANSA adds.
Prayers were
also offered for clerics
and other religious who
committed abuses “so that, in the light of day,
they can honestly face up to the consequences
of their guilt and embrace the needs of
justice,” it said.
Monsignor Scicluna began with a
meditation from St Mark’s Gospel saying
those who harm children would be better off
tying a millstone to their neck and throwing
themselves into the sea.
Earlier in the week, the Catholic news
agency Zenit reported that several seminary
students, including from Britain and the
United States, decided to have the prayer
service in response to Pope Benedict’s harsh
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
Runaway Christian Convert Being
Treated for Cancer, Friend Says
By Joshua Rhett Miller, FoxNews: The
Muslim teenager from Ohio who converted
to Christianity and fled to Florida in fear of
retaliation is being treated for an
"aggressive" form of uterine cancer, a close
friend told FoxNews.com.
Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17, has undergone
two operations and has a third scheduled for
Thursday, said Jamal Jivanjee, an ordained
pastor who heads an Orlando-based ministry.
"The biopsy did come back malignant,"
Jivanjee told FoxNews.com. "It's a pretty
aggressive form of uterine cancer.”
Doctors had initially considered a
complete hysterectomy, Jivanjee said, but
they are hopeful that the complete removal
of Bary's uterus won't be necessary.
"She really wants people to pray for
her," he said. "That was why the decision
was made to get the news out there.”
Jivanjee, who met Bary roughly 18
months ago when they lived in Columbus,
Ohio, said the teenager informed him of her
health concerns just a few days ago. Bary is
now living with a foster family in Columbus
after losing a court battle last year to stay in
Florida, he said.
"She really likes this foster family,"
Jivanjee said. "She's being treated very well.”
Jivanjee characterized Bary's situation
as "very serious" in an e-mail to supporters
obtained by FoxNews.com.
"As soon as Rifqa heals from the major
surgery that she will undergo this Thursday,
it is expected that she will need to undergo
several rounds of chemotherapy," the e-mail
read. "Although she has been diagnosed
with an aggressive form of cancer, the
extent of her condition will be known after
this Thursday’s surgery.”
Jivanjee also noted Bary's looming
problem regarding her immigration status. In
August, when she turns 18, she faces possible
deportation to her native Sri Lanka for being
in the United States illegally, he said.
"It's looking as if she's not going to have
any legal immigration status," he said. "As
soon as she's 18, it's heartbreaking to think
that she'll be an illegal immigrant with no
health coverage. We're praying that
somehow she'll be granted asylum.”
John Stemberger, Bary's former
attorney, did not immediately return a
message seeking comment.
Bary fled to Florida on a bus last July after
her parents, Mohamed and Aysha Bary, learned
that she was baptized in early 2009 without their
knowledge. Weeks later, using cell phone and
computer records, police tracked the girl to the
home of Rev. Blake Lorenz, pastor of the
Orlando-based Global Revolution Church.
In an emotional six-minute interview
with WFTV in Florida, Bary, who met
Lorenz through an online Facebook group,
said she expected to be killed if she was
forced to return to Ohio.
"If I had stayed in Ohio, I wouldn't be alive,"
Bary said last August. "In 150 generations in
family, no one has known Jesus. I am the first -imagine the honor in killing me.”
Investigators in Florida and Ohio found
no evidence to support those claims,
however, and a Florida judge ordered Bary
JUNE 1-15, 2010
19
Pope Declares Abortion and
Same-Sex Marriage
Most 'Insidious and Dangerous'
Threats Facing the World
May 13, 2010 By Nicole Winfield,
Associated Press: - Fatima - Pope Benedict
XVI on Thursday called abortion and samesex marriage some of the most "insidious and
dangerous" threats facing the world today,
asserting key church teachings as he tried to
move beyond the clerical abuse scandal.
Benedict made the comments to
Catholic social workers, health providers
and others after celebrating Mass before an
estimated 400,000 people in Fatima. The
central Portuguese farming town is one of
the most important shrines in Christianity,
where three shepherd children reported
having visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917.
Benedict's visit to Fatima on the
anniversary of the apparitions was the
spiritual centerpiece of his four-day visit to
Portugal, which ends Friday. It was cast by
Vatican officials as evidence that he had
turned a page in weathering the abuse
scandal, which has dogged him for months.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev.
Federico Lombardi, pointed to the turnout
in Fatima and said it was "very beautiful and
encouraging" that pilgrims hadn't been
deterred in expressing their faith despite
months of revelations in Europe about
priests who molested children and bishops
and Vatican officials who turned a blind eye.
The faithful understand "the capacity
of the church to effectively overcome _ via
conversion, penance and prayer _ the
dimension of real sin there is in our
community," Lombardi said.
Benedict himself admitted to the "sins
within the church" on the first day of the
trip, his most explicit admission of Church
culpability in the scandal. By Thursday,
however, he had moved on to stressing core
church teachings in the largely Roman
Catholic country, where abortion on
demand has been available since 2007 and
where Parliament in January passed a bill
allowing same-sex marriage. In addition, a
judge in 2008 made it easier to obtain
divorce even when one spouse objects.
Benedict told the gathering of lay
Catholics that he appreciated their efforts
fighting abortion and promoting the family
based on the "indissoluble marriage
between a man and woman" _ the Vatican's
way of expressing its opposition to divorce
and same-sex unions.
Such initiatives "help respond to some
of the most insidious and dangerous threats
to the common good today," he said.
"Alongside numerous other forms of
commitment, such initiatives represent
essential elements in the building of the
civilization of love.”
The admonition was a break of sorts
from the continuous message Benedict has
delivered in Portugal about the suffering of
the world and church _ a message which
resonates in Fatima, where the sick and
infirm flock seeking remedies for ailments.
In a special message to the sick during
Mass, Benedict urged them to take heart,
saying they should "overcome the feeling of
the uselessness of suffering which
consumes a person from within and makes
him feel a burden to those around him.”
"In suffering, you will discover an
interior peace and even spiritual joy," he said.
His message struck a chord with many
in the huge gathering, among them elderly
and infirm people who, with their heads
bowed, fingered rosaries.
Like Lourdes in France, Fatima attracts
millions of pilgrims a year seeking cures.
One of the rituals pilgrims perform at
Fatima involves casting replicas of body
parts _ eyes, lungs, hearts _ on sale at local
shops into a big bonfire while reciting a
prayer asking for healing.
US demands release
of Samaritan's Purse
World Vision
workers
self-help group comes
The U.S. State Department is demanding the
release of three Samaritan's Purse workers
who were abducted Tuesday by a group of
armed men in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The workers – an American woman
from California and two Sudanese men were kidnapped in an area southwest of
Nyala, according to a statement on the
Boone-based relief agency's website.
“Obviously, key Samaritan's Purse
leaders and staff most familiar with
international operations are consumed with
dealing with this recent incident in Sudan and
are not available to comment at this point,”
Mark DeMoss, spokesman for Samaritan's
Purse, said in an e-mailed statement.
The U.S. State Department has demanded
the release of the aid workers, according to
Andy Laine, spokesman for the agency.
“We are closely monitoring the
situation. We are employing all available
U.S. government resources to obtain
pertinent updates and any developments in
the case,” Laine said Wednesday afternoon.
The U.S. also is “moving additional
resources into Sudan to aid in the
investigation, and we are in communication
with senior officials in the government of
Sudan,” Laine said.
The eight armed men involved in the
kidnapping also took the two vehicles the
workers were driving.
In the statement on the group's website,
Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritan's
Purse, urged people to pray for the workers.
“I have visited Darfur several times,
and it is one of the most difficult places in
the world to work,” Graham said. “I'm
asking for the prayers from people
around the world for a quick resolution
and the safe return of our Samaritan's
Purse staff.”
An estimated 300,000 people have died
in a rebellion in Darfur that began in 2003.
Laine said the humanitarian work
being done in Darfur is crucial to the
hundreds of thousands of people displaced
by the violence there.
“The U.S. condemns threats to the safety
of humanitarian staff and their efforts to meet
urgent humanitarian needs,” he said.
Samaritan's Purse's main project in
Darfur is food distribution, according to the
organization.
The group has 2,100 workers in 110
countries worldwide. By Julie Ball.
first at state
level exhibition
May 21, 2010: The Laxmi Bai Women's
Self-Help Group (SHG) of Naik nagar,
Murum, Maharashtra has bagged the first
place at the State Level and second place at
the National Level during the SHG
Exhibition held in Mumbai.
Laxmibai Mahila Bachat Gat Naik
Nagar (Murum) was started by World
Vision and is also supported by World
Vision. This group has been putting up its
stalls in Mumbai, Delhi and in the
neighbouring towns and has been
recognized for its work.
The Laxmibai Mahila Bachat Gat of
Naik Nagar has bagged the “Mahalaxmi
Saras Pradarshan Award” during the
exhibition. This exhibition was jointly
organized by National and State
Government Rural Development Ministry
(Gram Vikas Mantralaya) and NABARD
from 21st January to 2nd February.
Nearly 450 SHGs from 22 States took
part in the event and displayed products for
exhibition and sale. Six SHGs from
Osmanabad District took part in the
exhibition. Laxmibai Mahila Bachat Gat Naik Nagar too displayed their traditional
Banjara Dress during the exhibition.
The Hon'ble Chief Minister of
Maharashtra Mr. Ashokraoji Chavan
felicitated Laxmibai Mahila Bachat Gat
Naik Nagar at Omerga on the occasion of
International Women's Day.
The President of India Smt. Prathiba
Patil has invited the Laxmi Mahila Bachat
Gat to New Delhi to felicitate them.
20
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
21
NYC bus ads Gates Foundation
gives
$5m
for
India
asking
anti-smoking effort
'Leaving Islam?'
cause a stir
By DEEPTI HAJELA (AP) NEW YORK -The questions on the ads aren't subtle:
Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your
family threatening you?
A conservative activist and the
organizations she leads have paid several
thousand dollars for the ads to run on at least
30 city buses for a month. The ads point to a
website called RefugefromIslam.com, which
offers information to those wishing to leave
Islam, but some Muslims are calling the ads a
smoke screen for an anti-Muslim agenda.
Pamela Geller, who leads an
organization called Stop Islamization of
America, said the ads were meant to help
provide resources for Muslims who are
fearful of leaving the faith.
"It's not offensive to Muslims, it's
religious freedom," she said. "It's not targeted
at practicing Muslims. It doesn't say 'leave,' it
says 'leaving' with a question mark.”
Geller said the ad buy cost about $8,000,
contributed by the readers of her blog, Atlas
Shrugs, and other websites. Similar ads have
run on buses in Miami, and she said ad buys
were planned for other cities.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
officials said Geller's ad was reviewed and
did not violate the agency's guidelines.
"The religion in question would not
change the determination that the language
in the ad does not violate guidelines," MTA
spokesman Kevin Ortiz said Wednesday.
All ads are screened, MTA spokesman
Aaron Donovan said. Most are reviewed by
the company that handles the MTA's
advertising opportunities, but some are sent
to the MTA for ultimate approval.
Last month, Miami-Dade Transit
pulled the ads from 10 buses after deciding
they "may be offensive to Islam," according
to The Miami Herald. But the agency
decided to reinstall them after reviewing the
ads with the county attorney's office.
The county decided "although they may
be considered offensive by some, they do not
fall under the general guidelines that would
warrant their removal," Transit spokesman
Clinton Forbes told the newspaper.
Glenn Smith, a professor at California
Western School of Law in San Diego, said
discriminating against the ads could result
in First Amendment issues for the city.
While people may find the content
objectionable, courts have ruled that the
First Amendment requires Americans to put
up with "a lot of unenlightened and
objectionable messages," he said.
"It's sort of the price of keeping government
out of the marketplace of ideas," he said.
Eugene Volokh, a First Amendment
expert at UCLA School of Law, said the ads
could leave some Muslims reluctant to ride
the bus. There could also be a risk that some
extremist groups might bomb the buses,
although that possibility wouldn't limit free
speech rights, he said.
The agency had received no complaints
since the ads went up on May 14, MTA
spokesman Aaron Donovan said. The 30 or
so buses with the ads pass through all five
boroughs of the city.
Council member Robert Jackson, a
Muslim, said he had not seen the ad. But he
questioned the criteria the MTA uses in
determining what is appropriate.
He also takes issue with the content. He
doesn't believe anyone is being forced to
stay in a religion, especially in America,
which was built on religious freedom.
"I think this is a campaign by the
extreme right, those that are against the
Muslim religion," he said. "Quite frankly, I
would think the average New Yorker would
take it for what it's worth.”
Faiza Ali, of the New York chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
said the ads were based on a false premise
that people face coercion to remain with
Islam. She said Muslims believe faith that is
forced is not true belief.
"Geller is free to say what she likes just
as concerned community members are free
to criticize her motives," Ali said.
Geller has a history of speaking out
against Muslims, and the ads are "a smoke
screen to advance her long-standing history
of anti-Muslim bigotry," Ali said.
Geller said she had no problem with
Muslims, but was working to "maintain the
separation of mosque and state." She is also
among those speaking out against the
building of a mosque and cultural center
near ground zero.
Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
has been awarded five million dollars by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to
strengthen the National Tobacco Control
Program in two states of India, namely
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, over a three
year period (2009-2012). Project STEPS
will provide the much needed district
specific strategic response to the rapidly
escalating global tobacco epidemic in India.
The Government of India, in
compliance with the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control, launched
the National Tobacco Control Program
(NTCP), under the 11th Five Year plan, to
build state capacity to effectively
implement tobacco control laws, and also to
bring about greater awareness of the ill
effects of tobacco use. Under the program,
Tobacco Control Cells have been set up at
each state for implementing State and
District Tobacco Control Programs.
PHFI is a public-private partnership
linking the government, academia, civil
society and the private sector, and engages
key stakeholder groups in strategic
partnerships. PHFI and its educational
institutions – the Indian Institutes of Public
Health - are in a unique position to promote
and sustain the tobacco control movement
in India in partnership with the state
governments. PHFI and IIPHs adopt a
broad, integrated approach to tobacco
control, targeting 11 districts in 2 states with
long term vision of extending the successful
models and interventions tested through this
project, all over India.
The goal of project STEPS is to reduce
the health burden of tobacco and associated
risks; promote health equity through
reduction in health and economic burdens
resulting from tobacco consumption by
engaging, enabling and empowering two
key states and their stakeholders. STEPS
seeks to facilitate state level action for
implementation of centrally designed
tobacco control programs. PHFI will be
actively assisting the State Governments
and NGOs in developing innovative models
of community mobilization, community
based self help cessation groups, replicating
and adapting effective school based tobacco
prevention interventions in India, alongside
working with Indian Language Print Media
to enhance tobacco control coverage in
regional newspapers.
Project STEPS will also be conducting
economic research to generate data to fill the
research gap in India and examine various
intervention models to identify opportunities
and barriers for adopting alternate
employment opportunities for the workforce
involved in tobacco production, manufacture
and distribution sector along with multiple
government and NGO stakeholders. Along
with Government of India and State
Governments, this project will test models to
mainstream tobacco control into existing
health programs to improve quit rate among
Indian tobacco users.
Christian leaders split
over Korean dispute
May 28, 2010: Christian leaders are deeply
divided over the current serious tension
between North and South Koreas. Some
blame the North for creating the problem,
while others blame the South.
The secretary of the National Council of
Churches in Korea has urged both governments
to be cautious, ucanews.com reports.
President Lee Myung-bak took tough
measures against North Korea on May 24 by
slashing trade agreements, in retaliation to the
torpedo attack on the Cheonan warship that
killed 46 South Korean sailors. Collected
evidence strongly suggests that the attack was
carried out by a North Korean submarine.
In return, North Korea has threatened a
total block on all relations with South Korea,
declaring that it may start dealing with further
inter-Korean affairs on a “wartime” footing.
Conservative Protestant leaders in the
South expressed support for President Lee,
who is himself a Protestant.
Reverend Rhee Kwang-sun, president
of the Christian Council of Korea, said he
recognized that many people fear a possible
war, but added that “North Korea deserves
such tough measures and should learn a
good lesson from it.”
But a Catholic official of the Seoul
Archdiocese, who has asked to be unnamed,
expressed grave concerns over South
Korea’s ‘tit for tat’ policy.
“Even if it is true that North Korea
attacked the Cheonan, President Lee and other
top politicians who call themselves Christians
have made the situation worse,” he said.
UK priest misses masses
over drink drive
arrest
May 31, 2010: British priest Fr Bede
Rowe failed to show up for Mass Sunday
when police arrested him on a drinkdriving charge after he smashed his car
into a railing.
Fr Rowe, who was nearly three times
the limit, later wrote a letter of apology to
parishioners, The Mirror reports.
“As you may know, Masses were not
said this morning,” he wrote.
“I was not around because I spent the
night in police cells.
“Last night I went out for dinner and
drank too much. I had an accident coming
back. The police came, breathalysed me and
I was well over the legal limit.
“I cannot begin to say how sorry and
ashamed I am. I have let you, my parishioners,
down. I want to say sorry to you all.”
He is due to face magistrates next Thursday.
22
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
JUNE 1-15, 2010
May 31 - World No Tobacco Day
Smoking toddler highlights
Rise in number Indonesia's tobacco addiction
of Indian women
smokers: Study
As the globe gears up to celebrate ‘World no
tobacco day’ on May 31st, 2010 there is a sad
contribution from India. The country
witnesses a growing number of women
smokers and the case is specifically relevant
to females working in BPOs and media. The
picture looks sad especially in a culturally
rich nation like ours where there is still a
social stigma attached to women smoking. A
recent study revealed that nearly 8% of
female BPO workers smoke and the
percentage is much larger (5-35%) in media.
According to the survey the majority of
women smokers are still unaware of the
health hazards of smoking. The only health
hazards they are aware of is cancer and heart
disease related to smoking. Women
smokers did not know that smoking is also
known to cause infertility and many other
problems related to child birth. Lead
researcher Dr. Ravikant Singh from Nongovernment organization ‘Doctors for You’
said, “Smoking can cause infertility,
miscarriages and still births. It is worrying
that women don’t know about this.”
The women smokers working in BPOs
and media take to smoking mostly due to peer
pressure or under stress. They start by
becoming passive smokers as they share the
same group which has smokers and eventually
themselves become smokers. According to
study the other factors responsible for women
smoking is taking smoking as a sign of
women’s liberalization and identity search. Dr.
Gauravi Mishra from Tata Hospital, said,
“Many women considered it a sign of
liberalization, an affirmation of their identity as
a free person and an equal.”
For the purpose of the study 646
employees working with 4 BPOs in the city
across the nation were studied for over 18
months and 1500 media persons working
with 15 advertising, print and electronic
media were interviewed. The study is first
of its kind that considered women smokers
in the country.
A new video of a smoking Indonesian
toddler has emerged to shock health experts
and provide further graphic illustration of
the Southeast Asian country's growing
addiction to tobacco.
The parents of a two-year-old boy seen
smoking in a clip posted on The Sun newspaper's
website are to be investigated, Indonesian officials
said after the video drew worldwide attention.
Chubby Ardi Rizal laughs and
responds to the adults around him as he sits
on his plastic tricycle and inhales deeply
from frequent drags on a cigarette.
His father reportedly gave him his first
cigarette when he was 18 months old and now
he smokes 40 a day. His mother says he beats
his head against the wall unless he gets
nicotine, but his father insists he is "healthy".
Child Protection Ministry official Heru
Kasidi said the family would be
investigated for what would be considered a
clear case of child abuse in many countries.
It's the second time this year Indonesia has
been embarrassed by such media coverage.
Another video was posted on the
Internet last month showing an Indonesian
boy aged about four puffing on a locally made
clove cigarette, blowing smoke rings and
swearing with the encouragement of adults.
Weak regulations -- Indonesia is the
only country in Southeast Asia not to have
signed the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control -- have enabled tobacco
companies to target young Indonesians with
advertising and events promotions.
US singer Kelly Clarkson dropped
tobacco sponsorship for her Jakarta concert
in April after anti-smoking groups protested
on the grounds that she was effectively
encouraging her young fans to smoke.
Other artists such as Jamiroquai,
Anggun,
Incubus and James Blunt have
from over 20,000 men before, during or after
their time in the military services. This allowed their Indonesian shows to be used
sample included 3 % men who were exsmokers, 28% smoked one or more cigarettes decision making power. Apart from this the
a day and 68% were non-smokers.
sample displaying poor IQ was more likely
The study further revealed that though to suffer from problems like obesity,
the IQ levels of the smokers was lower than narcotics and health and nutrition. Prof.
the non-smokers, yet their IQs were within Weiser said, “These samples are more likely
the average limit. It also suggested that the to have obesity, nutrition and narcotics
lower IQ people are prone to smoking issues. Our study adds to the evidence of
addiction although physically they were this growing body of research, and it may
considered fit and in good health as displayed help parents and health professionals help
by their pre-screenings for army enrollment. at-risk young people make better choices.”
The lower IQ level also is suggestive of
The study was reported in a recent
the fact that such persons display a poor
Smokers have
significantly lower
IQ than non smokers
Smoking has health hazards and everyone
knows it, but it also has diverse effects on the
IQ level of a person, it was revealed by one
recent study. According to this study an
average young man who smokes is most
likely to have lower IQ levels than his nonsmoking peers. The study further revealed
that whereas the average IQ of a non-smoker
was about 101, it was 94 for a smoker.
The study was carried out on young
Israeli army men in the age group of 18-21
years by Prof. Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv
University Department of Psychiatry and the
Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer
Hospital. The study was based on the data
as vehicles for tobacco marketing.
Anti-smoking activists and health
experts say Indonesia is a paradise for the
tobacco industry, which has been
aggressively expanding sales in the country
of about 240 million people.
"The regulations on the tobacco industry
in Indonesia are weak. They protect the
shareholders in the industry more than the
people," activist Kartono Mohamad said.
"The people in Indonesia are fighting alone
against the tobacco industry, the government
and the policy makers. It's one against three.”
According to the World Health
Organisation, cigarette consumption in the
Southeast Asian archipelago soared 47
percent in the 1990s.
Almost 70 percent of men over 20 years
of age smoke, and regular smoking among
boys aged 15 to 19 increased from 36.8
percent in 1997 to 42.6 percent in 2000.
But anti-smoking initiatives have
floundered in the face of the powerful local
tobacco industry, which employs scores of
thousands of people and generates more than
six billion dollars a year for the government.
A bill establishing tobacco as an
addictive substance was about to be signed
into law last year when officials realised the
pertinent clause had been mysteriously
deleted. The case is under investigation.
The government has increased excise
taxes but prices remain extremely low by
international standards, with a pack of 20
costing little more than a dollar.
Even so, studies have shown that poor
families spend more on cigarettes than on
books and education.
In another blow to anti-tobacco activists,
lawmakers have strongly opposed a plan to
cut cigarette production by five percent to
about 248 billion sticks this year on the
grounds that it would hurt local producers.
Foreign makers like British American
Tobacco and Philip Morris have long
recognised the opportunities in Indonesia.
In March, Philip Morris's local unit, PT
HM Sampoerna, the country's largest
producer, announced a net profit increase of
31 percent to 5.08 trillion rupiah (548.64
million dollars) last year.
In the absence of tough government
regulations Muslim clerics recently issued a
fatwa against smoking.
But analysts said the religious edict
was likely to have about as much effect as
regulations banning smoking in bars and
restaurants, which are widely ignored.
"More and more Indonesian children
have become victims of the cigarette
industry," Indonesian Child Protection
Commission chairman Hadi Supeno said.
"There are many children under five
years of age who have started smoking. A
decade ago, the average age of beginner
smokers was 19 but a recent study found
that the average is seven.”
version of journal Addiction. It also states
that there is a general stigma attached to
smokers as that portion of population which
belong to lower socio-economic background
and who have been not properly educated.
But the study denies any such relation of the
smokers to their socio-economic condition.
“But because our study included subjects
with diverse socio-economic backgrounds
we’ve been able to rule out socio-economics
as a major factor,” said Prof. Weiser.
HEALTH
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
H
E A LT H
JUNE 1-15, 2010
23
Smart Tips for Summer
Temperatures
World Health Organization
Targets Harmful Drinking
Summer heat means vacations, games, and
lemonade. People head outside to exercise,
garden, or sunbathe. But to nurses like me,
summer also means more cases of heatrelated illness: dehydration, heat
exhaustion, even heat stroke.
The good news is that heat-related
illnesses are completely preventable –
here’s what you need to know.
Treat Heat Stroke First -- It's
Life Threatening
Heat stroke is characterized by
disorientation and a body temperature of
more than 103 degrees—and rising.
Anyone can get heat stroke, even people
who are accustomed to being in the heat.
Heat stroke is a major medical emergency.
Call emergency services immediately if
someone you’re with has these symptoms.
Delay can lead to death.
Heat Exhaustion and
Dehydration -More Common
May 25, 2010: With more than 2.5 million
deaths a year attributed to the harmful use
of alcohol, the World Health Organization
(WHO) has launched a global strategy
aimed and reducing alcohol abuse
worldwide. The proposal was endorsed in
a consensus vote by all 192 nations who
are members of the organization.
After years of inaction, WHO has
taken steps for the first time to address the
No. 8 cause of death worldwide.
The recommendations range from
community prevention efforts, to lowering
legal limits for drunk driving, to raising
taxes on alcoholic beverages to limiting
the sales and marketing of alcohol. The
policy, in the works for at least two years,
has been carefully monitored by the
alcohol industry, which of course does not
agree with the WHO findings.
The industry contends that raising
taxes and limiting alcohol advertising does
not reduce harmful drinking, contrary to
research used by WHO to make its
recommendations.
The policies and interventions of the
organization fall into 10 general areas:
1 . L e a d e r s h i p , Aw a r e n e s s a n d
Commitment - The WHO encourages
member states to develop policies based
on available evidence and tailored to local
circumstances, with clear objectives,
strategies and targets. Each country should
appoint an agency to coordinate carrying
out the action plan and policies.
2. Health Services' Response - WHO
recommends increasing the capacity of
health and social welfare systems to
deliver prevention, treatment and care for
alcohol-use and alcohol-induced disorders
and co-morbid conditions.
3. Community Action - Among the
recommendations for community is
developing plans to prevent the selling of
alcohol to underage drinkers and
developing alcohol-free environments for
young people and other at-risk groups.
4. Drunk-driving policies and
countermeasures - The WHO recommends
lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit for
drunk driving, using sobriety checkpoints,
using breath tests and ignition interlock
devices, among other steps.
5. Availability of Alcohol - Recommendations
include regulating the number of retail alcohol
outlets, limiting the hours of sales and
eliminating sales in certain areas.
6. Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages - The
policy recommends limiting the content and
volume of alcohol advertising, regulating
sponsorship activities involving alcoholic
beverages and regulation new media/social
network advertising.
7. Pricing Policies - According to the
WHO report, "Increasing the price of
alcoholic beverages is one of the most
effective interventions to reduce harmful
use of alcohol." The policy recommends
raising taxes on alcohol, prohibiting
promotional pricing and establishing
minimum prices for alcoholic beverages.
8. Reducing the Negative Consequences of
Drinking and Alcohol Intoxication - Among
the recommendats are enforcing laws
against serving someone who is intoxicated,
reducing the strength of alcoholic drinks,
and labeling alcoholic beverages to warn of
the harm of excess drinking.
9. Reducing the Public Health Impact of
Illicit Alcohol and Informally Produced
Alcohol - The production of "informal
alcohol" is still ingrained in many cultures.
The WHO recommends bringing these
illegally produced beverages into the taxation
system and regulating their quality, while
warning the public about their dangers.
10. Monitoring and Surveillance - The policy
recommends periodic national surveys on
alcohol consumption and alcohol-related
harm to determine how the new steps are
affecting harmful drinking in the country.
Source: World Health Organization.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion are
dizziness, headache, feeling tired, and
perhaps sick to your stomach. The key
difference from heat stroke is that people
with heat exhaustion feel lousy, but their
body temperature doesn’t rise, and they
aren’t disoriented. Heat exhaustion is caused
by dehydration (your body doesn’t have
enough fluids). If you or someone you know
has symptoms of heat exhaustion, the
remedy is to drink more fluids and get to a
cooler place – cool, not ice cold, water, and
air conditioning are ideal.
When your body has given off more
fluids than you’ve taken in, you’re a prime
candidate for dehydration. The most
common symptoms of dehydration are thirst
and headache. Remember that your body is
at least 60% water – your brain is 75% water,
and your blood is more than 80% water. You
need to maintain those fluid balances for
your body to work properly.
Four Tips for Preventing HeatRelated Illness
By the time you have symptoms, you’re
already fluid-depleted—in other words, you
are already playing catch-up. The best
strategy for combating heat-related illness is
prevention. Here are some tips for
preventing heat-related illness.
TIP 1: RECOGNIZE WHEN YOU’RE AT
RISK
Many people think they have to be
exercising to be at risk for dehydration and
heat exhaustion – that’s why heat-related
illnesses are summer’s hidden danger.
Many summertime activities can put a
person at risk including:
Physical activity in a warm or hot
environment – not only recreational sports
or exercising, but also yard work and
gardening Sun bathing, which can be
dehydrating, as can being a spectator at
sporting events (where you sit in the sun),
or spending time in the sun for any reason –
even If you’re not exerting yourself
Vacationing – did you know the humidity
in an airplane is lower than in the desert?
And when you’re traveling, you don’t have
ready access to fluids as you do at home, so
you need to plan ahead.
TIP 2: STAY HYDRATED
Always have water available.
There are plenty of fluid choices, but water
remains the best. Drinks with more than
10% sugar or carbonation delay stomach
emptying, and thus don’t get fluid back into
your cells as quickly (not to mention all
those calories). If you are training for a
triathlon or are an elite athlete, you may
need a drink with sugar or salts added. But
for the rest of us, water is just fine. And, it's
calorie-free.
How do you know if you’re properly
hydrated?
! You’re not thirsty
! You are producing plenty of clear,
light-colored urine
! Your weight is stable (if you weigh
less after exercise or being
outside in the warm outdoors than
you did before, you’ve lost fluids
and need to replace them)
The best solution? Carrying a bottle
(or two) of natural spring water. It’s easy to
carry, tastes good, and since it doesn’t stain
if you spill it, it’s ideal for kids on summer
trips. Before you buy, check the label. If it’s
spring water, the label will tell you the
name of the natural spring from which it
comes. If the label says "PWS" that means
"public water supply"—in other words, the
same thing that comes out of your tap, only
run through filters, and often called
"purified." Many people are surprised to
know that not all bottled water is spring
water.
TIP 3: PLAN AHEAD
Keeping hydrated means that you
drink before you get dehydrated. That
means planning ahead, for example:
Start drinking water about 2 hours before
you begin any activities.
Don’t restrict fluids while you’re
active. Keep those sips of water coming. If
you’re with kids playing sports, never
restrict their fluids—and make sure that
coaches don’t either. Carry your water with
you
TIP 4: AVOID UNNECESSARY HEAT
EXPOSURE
Of course you can’t always stay out of
the heat, but you can work to lessen the
heat’s effects on your body.
Avoid exercising or activity during the
hottest part of the day. Try to plan outdoor
activities for days or times of day when the
heat index is below 80 -- click here to learn
a b o u t t h e h e a t i n d e x
Wear light colors, which absorb less heat
from the sun.
Wear fabrics such as natural cotton that
breathe and allow sweat to evaporate.
There’s nothing wrong with saying,
"I’ve had enough." Take a break. Go sit in
the shade. If there’s a heat wave and you
don’t have air conditioning at home, go to
the movies, or a shopping mall, or the
public library, where it’s cool and you can
get a break.
Remember, if you’re in hot temps and
start to feel woozy or develop a headache or
nausea, recognize it could be heat
exhaustion. Get out of the sun, into a cooler
area, maybe in front of the fan, and keep the
water coming. Which would you rather
have? An intravenous in the ER, or a nice
refreshing bottle of spring water?
Here’s to a fun and healthy summer!
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