Saturday

The Religion WAR (03-17)

Reading between the lines, thinking outside the box, and seeing the forest...
 
 
 
    Christians should be a sign and instrument of the compassion and mercy of Christ, Benedict XVI says.
 
    Continuing his series of talks on the fathers of the early Church, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about St. Isidore of Seville at his regular weekly audience. "Just as we must love God through contemplation, so we must love others through action."
 
    The ancient Christian communities of the Middle East must be " supported by the entire Catholic Church."
 
    Relations between the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches can hardly be referred to as friendly. Ukraine is the biggest stumbling block at this point, as Greek Catholics seize Orthodox temples there.
    The situation in the Balkans is far from being perfect too, where bellicose Catholics strive to convert the Orthodox Serbs to Catholicism and weaken Serbia as much as possible.
 
    The Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew 1, has responded favorably to a suggestion by the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church for a system of "dual unity" in which Byzantine Catholic churches would be in full communion with both Constantinople and Rome.
    The acknowledged leader of the Orthodox world suggested that the "dual unity" approach would produce something akin to the situation of the Christian world in the 1st millennium, before the split between Rome and Constantinople.
 
    Here is a statement regarding an informal meeting held in the US between representatives of the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, as a follow-up to Assyrian Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV's visit to Benedict XVI one year ago.
 
    Made public today was a communique from the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue concerning the 14th meeting of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee, which was held in the Vatican from 11-13 June.
 
    Michelangelo hid a secret code in the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel made up of mystical Jewish symbols and insults aimed at the pope, according to a new book.
 
 
 
    A power struggle reached a climax this week between the Catholic Church and academics at the German-speaking world's sole Catholic university, raising questions about whether faith and scholarship can get along.
    Whereas the church sees its university as a refuge of faith in a nation that is increasingly hostile to religion, professors have painted the struggle as a battle for academic liberty and autonomy, as claimed by universities around the globe.
 
    German Lutherans in northern Schleswig will decide on July 12 whether to elect an openly gay bishop. Conservatives have opposed Horst Gorski's candidacy, saying it would lead to divisions within the church.
 
    The history of Islam in Germany goes back as far as the 8th century. From the reign of Charlemagne, to Goethe's literature, to the Turkish guest workers who arrived in the 1950s and 60s and made a home here, the Muslim religion has been a part of German culture for hundreds of years.
 
 
 
    The Open House in Jerusalem announced on Monday that the city's Pride Parade would take place on Thursday of next week, with the theme of "free love". This year marks the parade's seventh anniversary in Jerusalem, and it has become well-known for sparking annual controversy among the ultra-Orthodox communities in the city.
 
    Last August the watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, foiled a Pentagon plan that would have allowed the shipment of "freedom packages" to soldiers and Marines in Iraq.
    The parcels were put together by the fundamentalist Christian ministry, Straight Up, and contained Bibles, proselytizing tracts in English and Arabic, and the apocalyptic "Left Behind" computer game, in which Christian Tribulation forces convert or kill infidels—nonbelievers, Muslims and Jews.
 
    The Muslim world is engaged in a fierce theological and ideological debate about the institution of jihad and the legitimate use of force. Many in the West, however, have overlooked the significance of recent challenges to al Qa'eda's ideology, specifically to its attempts to justify the killing of innocents as jihad.
 
    Religious leaders, scholars and business people are meeting all over the world to argue about free speech and Islamic sensibilities. How much does this achieve?
 
 
 
Looks like it is...
    Recently the search for Noah's ark has exploded with media attention after we shared pictures of a rock formation found on a high mountain in Iran. We think that the Bible and other sources point to Iran as being the most probable resting place for the Ark.
 
 
 
    Cam Rea describes the Assyrian Conquest of the northern Israelite Tribes and their subsequent history alongside that of Assyria itself. The account is historically accurate as well as exciting. Cam Rea has the ability to bring the past to life. This work encompasses original research work and pertinent insights. Anyone who wishes to know what happened to the Ten Tribes of Northern Israel after their exile should read this work
 
    The traditional Latin Mass – effectively banned by Rome for 40 years – is to be reintroduced into every Roman Catholic parish in England and Wales, the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy said.
    Catholic congregations throughout the world will receive special instruction on how to appreciate the old services, formerly known as the Tridentine Rite. The announcement by the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy, speaking on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, will horrify Catholic liberals, including many bishops of England and Wales.
 
Will the Lambeth Conference lead to schism in the Anglican Communion?
    With only a month before the opening of the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Communion looks increasingly like members of a family who cannot live in harmony yet dare not seek to part.
 
    Hardline church leaders have formally declared the end of the worldwide Anglican communion, saying they could no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate homosexual clergy. The traditionalists dealt a serious blow to the Archbishop of Canterbury by claiming he can no longer hold the church together.
    They warned that the church is gripped by its most serious crisis since the Reformation, and could only be saved by the repentance of the Americans who triggered the row by ordaining an openly homosexual bishop 5 years ago.
 
Not near soon enough!...
    More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the country within a century, according to a survey. "It clearly demonstrates that religion, including Judaism, is becoming unattractive to the British public."
 
    The British government is failing parts of civil society due to its lack of understanding of religion. The dire forecasts about the future of Christianity in Britain are only the latest in a series of warnings about the danger the country is facing due to its increasing secularization and the sidelining of religion.
 
    Speaking to the nation on the night he clinched the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama rejected the kind of politics that "uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon." His words highlight the way faith has once again become a divisive force in American politics.
    With the intense focus on controversial preachers and on cases where religious doctrine appears to divide voters, most notably on issues of abortion and homosexuality, we have lost sight of the ways in which turning back to America's founding values - including faith - can once again unite us in the face of common problems.
 
    Few Americans would invite an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, but that's exactly what Minnesota pastor Gus Booth wanted when he stood behind his pulpit and told his congregation God wanted them to vote Republican.
    It is illegal for a church to endorse or oppose a candidate for president. But when Booth addressed the members of his church one Sunday in May and told them, "If you are a Christian, you cannot support a candidate like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for president," he very much knew he was violating the law.
    He even wrote a letter to the IRS explaining what he had said and challenging the tax collection agency to do something about it.
    Churches and other non-profit groups like charities and universities do not have to pay taxes. That exemption, however, comes with a price. Churches, and by extension the pastors who serve them in an official capacity, are not allowed to endorse or oppose political candidates.
    Booth is one of several religious leaders who this year hope to challenge federal law by flouting the regulations about endorsing candidates from the pulpit — a move that could potentially cost them their tax-exempt status, creating financial ruin for many congregations.
    [WAR: Yes! The IRS should yank every church's tax-exempt status -- and that includes every COG and all related groups. The people/citizens should be tax-exempt, not incorportated religious organizations!]
 
    John Hagee takes Christian scripture and turns it on its head. He fails to comprehend the Christian meaning of the term "Israel" to be a chunk of land, not a biblical people. Hagee has certainly defamed the very people of the Jews that he has claimed to love and defend so deeply.
    How to understand that he has come to this end is beyond my simple mind. What good could he have thought to accomplish? His statements are delusional and absolutely contrary to the plain Word of God.
 
    Jeff Sharlet's The Family is a hair-raising account that will leave you stunned by the religious motivations behind seemingly every political decision in the last 70 years. As the title suggests, Sharlet's book focuses on the Family, a highly secretive, elite fundamentalist organization that wields political power behind the scenes.
    The Family, also known as the Fellowship, believes in God-driven government whose precepts are spread by top level, "key men" throughout the world. This is creepy religious imperialism at its most harrowing. As Sharlet writes, "the Family's long-term project of a worldwide government under God is more ambitious than Al Qaeda's dream of a Sunni empire."
 
 
 
    Much of what atheists pass off as fact in their charges against God and religion is really based on myth. "Though the atheists claim to represent the side of reason, their arguments more often than not are ideological rather than rational."
 
    The relationship of libertarianism and religion is a long and stormy one. It cannot be denied that Ayn Rand has had a long, strong and deep relationship with libertarianism. One of the strongest influences she has had on the libertarian movement is her belligerent atheism.
    For many adherents of the freedom philosophy, an aggressive rejection of God and all things religious might as well be the basic axiom of their world-view.
 
Yes, but no...
    There is no doubt that the drama is mounting in the Middle East, and the eyes of the world are again focused on this volatile region.
    [WAR: Yes, the Paranoid Protestant Prophets are right that the "last days" are imminent. But they are completely wrong about what's going to happen and who's going to be involved. They know just enough to deceive multiple millions of people -- just like their father Satan wants it.]
 
Booklet inspires restaurant debate
    A debate of sorts is featured on the www.blowthetrumpet.org. When John Ritenbaugh, pastor of the Church of the Great God, delivered a sermon arguing that it is acceptable for a Christian to eat in a restaurant on the Sabbath -- and in doing so criticized a booklet called A Sabbath Test produced by the Blow the Trumpet ministry -- the people at Blow the Trumpet considered Mr. Ritenbaugh's sermon a challenge.
    As a result, the ministry, founded by Dennis Fischer in 2004, has posted a rebuttal to Ritenbaugh's points. The refutation, written by Fischer and Art Braidic, argues that Christians should not eat out in restaurants on the Sabbath. To read both sides of the argument go to www.tinyurl.com/5nvfcq.
    [WAR: It's a no-brainer...
        * When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. (Neh 10:31)
        * In those days I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this wicked thing you are doing -- desecrating the Sabbath day? Didn't your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath." (Neh 13:15-18)
 
 

posted by The Daily Warrior | 9:05 AM