Baptist Church says Koran "should be flushed"

News & Observer
North Carolina
By PAUL NOWELL, Associated Press Writer

The pastor of a small Baptist church has refused calls to take down a sign posted in front of his church reading "The Koran needs to be flushed," saying Tuesday he has nothing to apologize for.

"My creed is the Bible, which tells me I am supposed to stand up and defend my faith," said the Rev. Creighton Lovelace, pastor of the 55- member Danieltown Baptist Church in Forest City. "I don't hate Muslims, I just hate their false doctrines." But the Council on Americ an-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C., called on Americans of all faiths to demand the message displayed outside the church be removed.

"Christians often ask themselves, 'What would Jesus do?'" said the group's spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper. "I don't think Jesus, who is loved by Muslims and mentioned frequently in the Quran, would use such hate-filled and divisive rhetoric." Earlier this month, Newsweek magazine apologized for errors in a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, desecrated the Quran, including flushing one down a toilet. Following the story's publication, 15 people died and scores were injured in violence between protesters and security forces in Afghanistan, prompting U.S. promises to investigate the allegations. Charles Kimball, a religion professor at Wake Forest University, called the church's decision to put up the message "highly inappropriate and deliberately provocative."

"It also shows a great deal of ignorance and a lack of civility," he said Tuesday from his office in Winston-Salem. "What is most distressing is that this sort of self-righteous speech suggests a total disregard for the words of Jesus, who told us to love our neighbor." Lovelace said he knew before he put up the sign that some people would disagree with its message. "I expected some people would be offended, just as if someone put up a sign that said the Bible should be flushed," he said. "That would offend me as a Christian. "This is America and we have the freedom of the press, so I have the right to put up this sign."

Hooper said while he agreed the church's pastor has that right, the sign harms Christian-Muslim relations and does further damage to America's weakened international image. Richard Land, who heads the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, criticized the church's decision. "If we want other people to respect our religious symbols and documents we need to respect the symbols and documents that they believe are sacred," he said. "What positive purpose does this serve? None. It's not going to make it easier to evangelize Muslims or foster respect for our religious beliefs."

George Bullard, the associate executive director of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, called it "a local church autonomy issue." "It does not represent the sentiment of our convention," he said. "I can't speak for any particular church, but we are not in support of that."

Lovelace said he does not believe he is being intolerant. "We are all told to be tolerant," he said. "You can be tolerant of other people, but that doesn't mean you have to accept anything that teaches against what is in the Bible."

Missionary School Admits Converting Hindu Children with Free Meals

St James Plaindealer News
By Paul Murray, News Editor

The Rev. Nirmala (Peters) Reinschmidt, originally from Chennai, India, did her seminary internship at Augustana Lutheran Church in St. James back in 1994-1995. On Sunday, May 22 she returned to Augustana Lutheran as guest speaker, taking a short break from her duties as Associate Pastor at First Lutheran Church of Crystal in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Although Pastor Nirmala focused upon Trinity Sunday in her sermon, she afterwards talked briefly with the Sunday School classes and gave a slide presentation about the Church in India, including her involvement with a missionary school in east India.

Parents in India often send their children to Christian schools, Pastor Nirmala told the Sunday School kids, but this does not mean that either the parents or their children convert from Hinduism to Christianity. Sometimes, it is a matter of the children simply getting a good meal at school during the day which draws parents to send their children to Christian schools.

Hindus feel that they must struggle to get to heaven in comparison with Christian beliefs, Pastor Nirmala added, with Hindu children believing that they must be very good and must try hard to get to heaven.

Privately, Pastor Nirmala expressed concern for the present state of Christian denominations in India. "Christians can no longer conduct outdoor evangelical rallies like they used to," she said. "The fundamentalist Hindu government won't allow it." Anyone converting from Hinduism to Christianity, moreover, must go to a government office and testify that the conversion was totally voluntary and that the individual was baptized of his/her own free will.

Pastor Nirmala explained that she herself is a "third generation Christian," and that her family was originally converted by missionaries from Denmark. Now, however, missionaries can only come into India as "visitors" and not as permanent residents. Read more on this story in the May 26 issue of the St. James Plaindealer.

Historian deSouza on the Goa Inquisition

Dr. T. R. de Souza

"At least from 1540 onwards, and in the island of Goa before that year, all the Hindu idols had been annihilated or had disappeared, all the temples had been destroyed and their sites and building material was in most cases utilized to erect new Christian Churches and chapels. Various viceregal and Church council decrees banished the Hindu priests from the Portuguese territories; the public practices of Hindu rites including marriage rites, were banned; the state took upon itself the task of bringing up Hindu orphan children; the Hindus were denied certain employments, while the Christians were preferred; it was ensured that the Hindus would not harass those who became Christians, and on the contrary, the Hindus were obliged to assemble periodically in Churches to listen to preaching or to the refutation of their religion."

"A particularly grave abuse was practiced in Goa in the form of 'mass baptism' and what went before it. The practice was begun by the Jesuits and was alter initiated by the Franciscans also. The Jesuits staged an annual mass baptism on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25), and in order to secure as many neophytes as possible, a few days before the ceremony the Jesuits would go through the streets of the Hindu quarter in pairs, accompanied by their Negro slaves, whom they would urge to seize the Hindus. When the blacks caught up a fugitive, they would smear his lips with a piece of beef, making him an 'untouchable' among his people. Conversion to Christianity was then his only option."

The Goan inquisition is regarded by all contemporary portrayals as the most violent inquisition ever executed by the Portuguese Catholic Church. It lasted from 1560 to 1812. The inquisition was set as a tribunal, headed by a judge, sent to Goa from Portugal and was assisted by two judicial henchmen. The judge was answerable to no one except to Lisbon and handed down punishments as he saw fit. The Inquisition Laws filled 230 pages and the palace where the Inquisition was conducted was known as the Big House and the Inquisition proceedings were always conducted behind closed shutters and closed doors. The screams of agony of the culprits (men, women, and children) could be heard in the streets, in the stillness of the night, as they were brutally interrogated, flogged, and slowly dismembered in front of their relatives. Eyelids were sliced off and extremities were amputated carefully, a person could remain conscious even though the only thing that remained was his torso and a head.

Diago de Boarda, a priest and his advisor Vicar General, Miguel Vazz had made a 41 point plan for torturing Hindus. Under this plan Viceroy Antano de Noronha issued in 1566, an order applicable to the entire area under Portuguese rule :

"I hereby order that in any area owned by my master, the king, nobody should construct a Hindu temple and such temples already constructed should not be repaired without my permission. If this order is transgressed, such temples shall be, destroyed and the goods in them shall be used to meet expenses of holy deeds, as punishment of such transgression."

In 1567 the campaign of destroying temples in Bardez met with success. At the end of it 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. Enacting laws, prohibition was laid from December 4, 1567 on rituals of Hindu marriages, sacred thread wearing and cremation. All the persons above 15 years of age were compelled to listen to Christian preaching, failing which they were punished.

A religious fatva was issued on the basis of the findings of Goa Inquiry Commission. It stated,"...Hereby we declare the decision that the conventions mentioned in the preamble of the fatva as stated below are permanently declared as useless, and therefore prohibited".

Prohibitions Regarding Marriages

* The instruments for Hindu songs shall not be played.

* While giving dowry the relatives of the bride and groom must not be invited.

* At the time of marriage, betel leaf packages (pan) must not be distributed either publicly or in private to the persons present.

* Flowers, or fried puris, betel nuts and leaves must not be sent to the heads of the houses of the bride or groom.

* Gotraj ceremony of family God must not be performed.

* On the day prior to a wedding, rice must not be husked, spices must not be pounded, grains must not be ground and other recipes for marriage feast must not be cooked.

* Pandals and festoons must not be used.

* Pithi should not be applied.

* The bride must not be accorded ceremonial welcome. The bride and groom must not be made to sit under pandal to convey blessings and best wishes to them.

Prohibitions Regarding Fasts, Post-death Rituals

* The poor must not be fed or ceremonial meals must not be served for the peace of the souls of the dead.

* There should be no fasting on ekadashi day.

* Fasting can be done according to the Christian principles.

* No rituals should be performed on the twelfth day after death, on moonless and full moon dates.

No fasting should be done during lunar eclipse.

Conventions

* Hindu men should not wear dhoti either in public or in their houses. Women should not wear cholis .

* They should not plant Tulsi in their houses, compounds, gardens or any other place.

Following the law of 1567, orphans were kidnapped for converting them to Christianity.

On September 22, 1570 an order was issued that :

* The Hindus embracing Christianity will be exempted from land taxes for a period of 15 years.

* Nobody shall bear Hindu names or surnames.

In 1583 Hindu temples at Esolna and Kankolim were destroyed through army action.

"The fathers of the Church forbade the Hindus under terrible penalties the use of their own sacred books, and prevented them from all exercise of their religion. They destroyed their temples, and so harassed and interfered with the people that they abandoned the city in large numbers, refusing to remain any longer in a place where they had no liberty, and were liable to imprisonment, torture and death if they worshipped after their own fashion the gods of their fathers." wrote Sasetti, who was in India from 1578 to 1588.

An order was issued in June 1684 eliminating Konkani language and making it compulsory to speak Portuguese language. The law provided for dealing toughly with anyone using the local language. Following that law all the symbols of non-Christian sects were destroyed and the books written in local languages were burnt.

The Archbishop living on the banks of the Ethora had said during one of his lecture series, "The post of Inquiry Commission in Goa is regarded as holy." The women who opposed the assistants of the commission were put behind the bars and were used by them to satisfy their animal instincts. Then they were burnt alive as opponents of the established tenets of the Catholic church.

The victims of such inhuman laws of the Inquiry Commission included a French traveller named Delone. He was an eye witness to the atrocities, cruelty and reign of terror unleashed by priests. He published a book in 1687 describing the lot of helpless victims. While he was in jail he had heard the cries of tortured people beaten with instruments having sharp teeth. All these details are noted in Delone's book.

So harsh and notorious was the inquisition in Goa, that word of its brutality and horrors reached Lisbon but nothing was done to stop this notoriety and escalating barbarity and it continued for two hundred more years. No body knows the exact number of Goans subjected to these diabolical tortures, but perhaps it runs into hundreds of thousands, may be even more. The abominations of inquisitions continued until a brief respite was given in 1774 but four years later, the inquisition was introduced again and it continued un-interruptedly until 1812. At that point in time, in the year of 1812, the British put pressure on the Portuguese to put an end to the terror of Inquisition and the presence of British troops in Goa enforced the British desire. Also the Portuguese power at this time was declining and they could not fight the British. The palace of the Grand Inquisitor, the Big House, was demolished and no trace of it remains today, which might remind someone of inquisitions and the horrors inside this Big House that their great saint Francis Xavier had commenced.

Dr. Trasta Breganka Kunha, a Catholic citizen of Goa writes, "Inspite of all the mutilations and concealment of history, it remains an undoubted fact that religious conversion of Goans is due to methods of force adopted by the Portuguese to establish their rule. As a result of this violence the character of our people was destroyed. The propagation of Christian sect in Goa came about not by religious preaching but through the methods of violence and pressure. If any evidence is needed for this fact, we can obtain it through law books, orders and reports of the local rulers of that time and also from the most dependable documents of the Christian sect.”

Hindu Forum of Britain welcomes Labour move

Prasun Sonwalkar

Ramesh Kallidai, secretary-general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, has welcomed the Labour government’s proposed legislation against religious hatred, saying it was “long overdue”.

The law, he said, would extend the current protection against racial discrimination to also cover religious discrimination.

“We are pleased to see the government taking steps to prohibit incitement to religious hatred, which would cover instances where people stir up hatred of others on the basis of their religious belief,” secretary-general of the Forum Ramesh Kallidai said in a statement.

“We welcome the announcement regarding an Equality Bill, which will extend the current protection against racial discrimination to also cover religious discrimination. This is a long overdue measure”, he said.

Kallidai said the Bill would “close a loophole where, at the moment, members of some religions, such as Jews and Sikhs, are protected against incitement to religious hatred, under racial hatred offences, but Hindus, Christians and Muslims are not”.

“Hopefully they will get the balance right and ensure that the Bill will not be an assault on the people’s right to simply disapprove of the beliefs, teachings or practices of a religion”.

On the proposal for national identity cards, Kallidai said, “We will watch with interest the debate on the introduction of ID cards by 2008.” He hoped that the concerns raised at a recently concluded consultation of the Forum on the proposed ID programme, including recording and reading of biometric data as well as verification of information held on the National Identity Register, would be addressed.

Conversions feared as Catholic becomes UN refugee chief

Mithuro
Tuesday, 24 May 2005

Relief workers around the world expressed "grave reservations" about the nomination of a devout Catholic to head the UN refugee body.

UN chief Kofi Annan nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres who was once accused of using his position to block a move to give abortion rights to women, as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"Former Prime Minister Guterres is a highly respected international statesman with a wealth of experience that will be of enormous benefit to the world's 17 million refugees and others of concern," Acting High Commissioner Wendy Chamberlin said. "We look forward to carrying on UNHCR's global work under his able leadership."

But relief workers fear that Guterres would use his authority to spread Catholicism among vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons.

Eyebrows were also raised yesterday when the UN tsunami envoy Bill Clinton, the former US president, visited Vatican to brief on his activities in tsunami affected regions.

"We have Wolfowitz in the World Bank to look after military-industrial interests and Ann Veneman in UNICEF to look after corporate interests," aid worker Lasantha Silva said. "Now we are going to have Guterres in UNHCR to look after Catholic interests. But we have no one to look after the interests of the poor, the children, and refugees."

"Refugees and IDPs are vulnerable people, which make them easy targets for conversion," he added. "And we know that Guterres has let his faith get the better of him when he was running Portugal. We have to keep a close eye on him to make sure that he doesn't abuse his power as the high commissioner to convert refugees to Catholicism."

Catholic Church has come under repeated heavy criticism for converting vulnerable social groups.

The late Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who is on the fast-track to sainthood, encouraged members of her order to baptize dying patients, without regard to the individual's religion.

Operation Christian Vote: The Religious Hatred Legislation Must Be Stopped!

The Religious Hatred Legislation
Must Be Stopped!

Together we can do it,
by the Grace of God!

The 'Religious Hatred' clause contained within the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill will outlaw the preaching of the full Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the unsaved in Britain. However, we can halt this proposed 'Religious Hatred' legislation in it tracks, if we act now! Our action must be prayerful and strategic. "Wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove."

The arithmetic is simple. If all of the 50,000 Christians who complained to the BBC about 'Jerry Springer the Opera' each contributed the cost of posting a letter to their MP (approx 50p), then £25,000 would be raised. That is enough to launch an impressive billboard campaign around Westminster, which would communicate far more effectively to MPs. Of course, donations of 50p cost more than 50p to collect. If, however, the same number of people donated £10, we could launch a £500,000 campaign against this ungodly law. Even the most impoverished of us can raise £10.

Operation Christian Vote is calling upon Christians everywhere to financially support its direct political action against the 'Religious Hatred' clause. Operation Christian Vote, as a Christian political party with a proven electoral track record, plan to put the question of religious liberty and freedom of speech at the centre of the forthcoming election debate. We aim to achieve this through a strategic godly election campaign, involving press, media, billboards, millions of leaflets, and prayer.

We need to act immediately. If we do not act now, the religious hatred legislation may become law before the General Election. This would mean that we would have to see a change of government in 4 or 5 years time before this bad law could be repealed.

If, however, we act now, Operation Christian Vote believe that the pragmatic Labour government will accept an amendment to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, which would delete the 'Religious Hatred' clause.

Why? Because our campaign against the 'Religious Hatred' legislation will cost the Labour Party seats in the General Election. Holding on to power is the Labour Party's primary concern.

The Christian Post | UK Christians Oppose Proposed Religious Hatred Bill

Christian News

UK Christians Oppose Proposed Religious Hatred Bill
Christians have spoken out against a religious hatred bill that will be reintroduced for approval by the new session of the recently elected UK parliament.

Wednesday, May. 25, 2005 Posted: 6:42:51AM EST

Christians have spoken out against a controversial religious hatred bill to be reintroduced in the newly elected UK parliament. Many say it will curtail freedom of speech.

The announcement was made on May 17, 2005, during the Queen's Speech, which is the traditional marker that indicates the agenda of the new government.

“Despite its noble intention, we still consider that this legislation, unless significantly altered, is likely to undermine freedom of speech, damage community relations and usher in a new climate of illiberalism and repression,” said Dr. Don Horrocks, the head of public affairs for the Evangelical Alliance, according to the Church of England newspaper.

Published plans by the state indicated that if passed, the measure would apply to "members of extremist organizations who stir up hatred against members of minority faiths and to individuals who seek to stir up hatred against those who do not share their faith," according to the British Broadcasting Company.

Under the law being proposed by the Labour Party, which won the May 5 elections, people found guilty of the offence would face up to seven years in jail.

Previous attempts to introduce the law in 2001 and earlier this year failed.

The Pulic Policy Officer for the Lawyer's Christian Fellowship, Andrea Minichiello williams said Christians should care passionately about this law since it could affect freedom of speech.

"Whilst we are apposed to hatred being whipped up against any section of the community, we believe there are sufficient laws already in place through the criminal law to ensure that such behaviour can be dealt with," she said according to the the Church of England newspaper.

There is widespread belief that the legislation could be used to criminalize preachers.

"With the proposed new offense we will see a chilling effect on how people talk about their faith in the public square and our opportunities to share the Gospel will suffer," she added.

Francis Helguero
francis@christianpost.com

Save Andhra Pradesh! Canadian missionary on mass conversion spree

Intelligence Report
May 2005

Andhra Pradesh may become a Christian majority state if the current spree of mass conversion continues.
One of the most powerful men behind the conversions in Andhra Pradesh is the missionary, Mr. D. Ron Watts, a Canadian, who heads the Southern Asia Division of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Mr. Ron Watts is famous for his ‘cluster bombing churches’ with his $10 church programmes. Dorothy Watts, an American, and wife of Ron Watts manages the US finances for the mass conversion programme in India, and Andhra Pradesh in particular. They both have a well-organized network in India, which has the support of the local politiciansas well as his cohorts. It seems that their work became much easier due to official help rendered by Y Samuel Rajasekhara Reddy’s Government. Conversion activity suddenly increased as soon as Congress Government under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi assumed power at Federal Government. .

Surprisingly, Mr. Ron Watts and his wife have come to India on Business visa, and are 'engaging in activities which are incompatible with their visa status.' According to Indian law visitor on Business Visa cannot engage in such activities. Now-a-days it is customary among missionaries to enter on Business visa though the earlier mode has been Visitor Visa. Ch. Vidhyasagar Rao, Minister of State for Home declared in Parliament that officially no missionary entered India in the last 30 years. They brought in more than 400 foreigners on Business visa for conversions in India. The two frontline organizations that are facilitating conversions by building thousands of churches in India are Maranatha International and Global Mission. These organizations too have come on the invitation of Mr.D. Ron Watts. The business entities Mr. Watts uses as front-end for his nefarious activities is not know.

According to the May 13, 2003 issue of the official news bulletin of the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters based in Maryland, Washington, Mr. Ron Watts has converted 500,000 people within a period of just five years in India which translates to 300 people/day.

"India, with its population of 1 billion, is among the countries that present an acute challenge to church growth for Seventh-day Adventists. The church is growing rapidly in India, says Ron Watts, president of the church's Southern Asia region. "The church has
grown from 225,000 people to over 700,000 in five years. In a culture that places a high importance on a house of worship, we urgently need churches to accommodate these new members," he said. Check the following link
http://news.adventist.org//data/2003/04/1052835404/index.html.en. Their website www.maranatha.org details the conversion activities.

According to a report, Mr. D. Ron Watts has requested Maranatha to build 10,000 churches. Kyle Fiess, Maranatha marketing director, reports:

"We were astonished when Ron Watts presented us with a proposal for 10,000 churches in India. That seemed like a fanciful number until we began working there and witnessed the immense potential. As we have completed each project, many in areas with no prior Christian influence, we have seen the Holy Spirit move in incredible ways throughout India," Fiess explains.

"After many experiences like the one in Ongole, we no longer consider 10,000 churches to be an unrealistic goal, but an unparalleled opportunity. Maranatha's experience in India has reinforced our commitment to constructing simple houses of worship as an effective way to spread the Gospel throughout the world."

Could you believe, according to the following report, 15,018 people had been converted on a single day in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh:

http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1506/news.html

Here's the latest report where Mr. D. Ron Watts accepts that 600,000 people have been converted ever since he assumed charge as president:
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1533/news.html

"In 1998 the Southern Asia Division had a reported 225,000 members. Today, Ron Watts, president of the Southern Asia Division, estimates that the numbers reach 825,000."


In the third article of this bulletin, one will find a photo and report on the 1,119 Conversions in Tanuku village conducted by foreigners under the leadership of Mrs. Dorothy Watts:
http://www.adventistreview.org/2002-1511/news.html

The following report and picture by Mrs. Dorothy Watts will help confirm the truth that foreigners are involved in conversion which is against their visa status.
http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1515/story1.html

The following report shows the photo of mass conversion under the leadership of D. Ron Watts in Andhra Pradesh. Though India gained Independence in 1947 many haven’t forgotten their obsession for white people (also called ‘Gora Sahib’). It also shows how foreign missionaries, who come on tourist visas/business visas are glorified on pandals:

http://www.global-mission.org/htdocs/countries/India4.html

Here is another report and photos of 1,100 people are
getting converted by foreign lady missionaries in Andhra Pradesh:

http://news.adventist.org//data/2002/02/1015360497/index.html.en

Photos of village people in Andhra Pradesh, being brought in for conversion in a tractor, and foreign missionaries:

http://www.adventistreview.org/2000-1542/story2.html

Look at the Photos in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. This is how the foreigners bribe poor pastors with motorbikes for catching people for conversions. Naturally, the pastors tempted to convert :

http://www.adventistreview.org/2000-1542/story2-1.html

Please read this report by a foreign missionary couple of their successes in Andhra Pradesh:

http://www.willplan.org/india_evangelism.html

Photos of mass conversion and a report by a foreign missionary lady in Andhra Pradesh:
http://www.kathyschallert.com/india.html

A few weeks ago, D. Ron Watts told a meeting in America that Maranatha international was very helpful to his activities. Here is the link: http://news.adventist.org/data/2004/09/1098824891/index.html.en

This article under the sub-title 'Southern Asia Division' reports that 15,632 people had been converted during the 2nd quarter of 2003.
http://www.adventistreview.org/2003-1541/council-secretary.html

Missionaries cashing on Tsunami tragedy

Soon, they had formed Global Harvest Outreach, an interdenominational Christian missionary organization.Their goal: to build an orphanage for 80 children. But when they arrived, they found what White calls a "miracle".Following a "calling", she went to India-and found a life's work
Ray Clark

Jennifer White lives in Gray, but her heart and mind are often in southern India, in the Nilgiris Mountains of Tamil Nadu.

For in that tsunami-ravaged area, in a village called Coonoor, White found the cause that now dominates her life: dozens of orphaned children.

She first heard about the orphan problem in India through fellow members of her church. The more she learned about the abandoned and forgotten children, the more she knew she had to go there.

So she and a friend, Dianne Reynolds, packed for a trip to India. They packed no clothes, no toothbrush, no personal items. Instead, they filled their luggage with school supplies, health care items and other things they thought the children might need. (They bought clothes when they got to India.)

"We think everybody in the world lives the way we do," White says, "but that isn't the way it is. There are families in that part of the world living in abandoned boats that washed up on the beach when the tsunami hit. They can't fish, because the government prohibits it. They have no money. Most in the village live in poverty. In spite of it all, they live peaceably and are caring to those around them."

Soon, they had formed Global Harvest Outreach, an interdenominational Christian missionary organization. Their goal: to build an orphanage for 80 children. But when they arrived, they found what White calls a "miracle".

A doctor in the village had built a hospital. But it never opened: local economics prevented that. "It's perfect for an orphanage," White says. "It's as if it was waiting for us."

Now Global Harvest Outreach is working to raise $100,000 to acquire and equip the orphanage. White says they've already raised about $25,000.

If you'd like to help, send your contribution to Global Harvest Outreach, 120 Tandberg Trail, Windham, ME 04062, or call White at 712-7371. You can find out more about Global Harvest Outreach at its website, www.globalharvestoutreach.com.

Christianity in India under pressure

"Proselytising Churches act in an organised way against Hindu groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parsihad, trying to paint them as intolerant and reactionary. Hinduism accepts that there can be other paths to god besides itself. Christianity claims to be the sole path to god, condemns other religions' followers to Hell for not accepting Christ, and actively seeks to destroy other religions. Who is the real intolerant here?"

-- by Mac Kher

By Paul Murray, News Editor

The Rev. Nirmala (Peters) Reinschmidt, originally from Chennai, India, did her seminary internship at Augustana Lutheran Church in St. James back in 1994-1995. On Sunday, May 22 she returned to Augustana Lutheran as guest speaker, taking a short break from her duties as Associate Pastor at First Lutheran Church of Crystal in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Although Pastor Nirmala focused upon Trinity Sunday in her sermon, she afterwards talked briefly with the Sunday School classes and gave a slide presentation about the Church in India, including her involvement with a missionary school in east India.

Parents in India often send their children to Christian schools, Pastor Nirmala told the Sunday School kids, but this does not mean that either the parents or their children convert from Hinduism to Christianity. Sometimes, it is a matter of the children simply getting a good meal at school during the day which draws parents to send their children to Christian schools.

Hindus feel that they must struggle to get to heaven in comparison with Christian beliefs, Pastor Nirmala added, with Hindu children believing that they must be very good and must try hard to get to heaven.

Privately, Pastor Nirmala expressed concern for the present state of Christian denominations in India. "Christians can no longer conduct outdoor evangelical rallies like they used to," she said. "The fundamentalist Hindu government won't allow it." Anyone converting from Hinduism to Christianity, moreover, must go to a government office and testify that the conversion was totally voluntary and that the individual was baptized of his/her own free will.

Pastor Nirmala explained that she herself is a "third generation Christian," and that her family was originally converted by missionaries from Denmark. Now, however, missionaries can only come into India as "visitors" and not as permanent residents. Read more on this story in the May 26 issue of the St. James Plaindealer.

March of the minority

By Vinod Kumar

The Revenue and Endowment Board of Andhra Pradesh, which maintains the statistics and accounts of the religious institutions in the state, has prepared the following report. This document reveals the alarming growth of minority religious institutions in the state which has a Christian Chief Minister and Home Minister and is in the forefront of fanning communalism and Naxalism through administrative largesse. Though the Christians are not even 2 per cent in AP and the Muslims are less than 15 per cent, yet, they have a greater clout than the 80 per cent Hindu population. The contents of the document are really shocking.

The existing number of temples, mosques and churches in Andhra as on March 31, 2005:
District Temples Churches Mosques
Adilabad 12,346 3,347 18,482
Ananthpur 14,008 4,892 9,328
Chittor 26,120 9,098 12,320
Cuddpah 22,982 7,241 14,223
East Godavari 8,220 12,123 9,230
Guntur 9,302 16,388 5,429
Hyderabad (Rangareddy) 13,144 3,204 15,203
Kakinada 7,203 8,585 5,274
Karimnagar 4,129 1,648 9,714
Khammam 5,210 7,203 5,922
Krishna 8,929 8,462 3,769
Kurnool 6,549 5,203 9,293
Machlipatnam 5,000(approx.) 8,320 6,493
Mahboobnagar 3,299 3,128 7,235
Medak 6,302 3,203 3,234
Nellore 7,993 6,782 7,323
Nalgonda 6,882 2,412 5,239
Nizamabad 4,638 3,203 9,366
Prakasham 4,255 5,583 4,932
Srikakulam 7,339 9,879 2,140
Warangal 1,393 6,320 1,342
West Godavari 3,293 5,464 2,765
Visakhapatnam 6,430 3,203 4,203
Vizianagaram 3,891 3,100 3,500

The Next Tsunami Coming to Sri Lanka is a Religious One

Christian Eckert, Hamburg
22nd, May 2005
The Lanka Academic

While traveling through Serendib, the island that was once quite rightly compared with paradise on earth, the now Tsunami shattered Sri Lanka is crossing a great gap of grief.

Few Weeks ago my colleague Laith Ganhewa and myself were almost equally shattered, towards the end of our three week trip to Sri Lanka, as we came upon the more or less disguised, in parts also massive and direct attempts of Christian fundamentalist groups in converting mostly native Srilankan Buddhists and Hindu tsunami victims they claimed to rush to selfless aid into reborn Christians.

I have been coming to Sri Lanka regularly for the past 25 years. My respect for the culture of this nation is great, as I have always felt greatly welcomed by its friendly people. I found it easy to move around with Sri Lankans of different ethnic groups and beliefs, as I in return easily accepted the "Sri Lankan way of doing things".

Through the years I visited, it was always my observation that although there were different religious groups, they all lived in harmony.

But this time it was totally different story.

I felt sorry, angry and helpless when I got to know about this. What more has this country got to go through?

I was a Tsunami victim in Sri Lanka caught up at the Light House in Galle on the 26th of December. I witnessed agony, pain, the sheer tragedy of the Sri Lankans who were victims of the Great Wave with my very own eyes. But what touched my heart most was, with all their personal tragedies, they still reached out to help me, a disorientated, ragged and ripped, half naked foreigner. Something I'll never forget. This is the true kind of hospitality that makes Sri Lankan culture so very unique to the world.

After walking for four days from Galle to Colombo, I landed at the German Embassy. Hats off for the German Embassy staff ! They did everything humanly possible to get us Germans back home as soon as they could manage. Returning back to Germany, I was determined to return to Sri Lanka to help - as soon as possible. To give help to the country that helped me in the hour of my need. It was in this context of Tsunami Aid for Sri Lanka in Germany, that I bounced in to a small man, yes, disabled, but active like a red ant-his name: Lalith Ganhewa.

Lalith, is a Sri Lankan born journalist, living and working in Germany for the past 30 years as a producer, broadcaster and as a journalist. He is soft-spoken, but clear and straight - the voice of Sri Lanka; sometimes getting very critical and loud when he goes on air lending his voice to the listeners of the Germany public broadcasting station Radio Multikulti.

Together with another Tsunami victim who was in Sri Lanka at that time, and few others we formed a foundation to help Sri Lanka.

Due to the partly chaotic situation, the difficulty of getting objective and question less information from the affected areas, Lalith and I decided to go ourselves - to check who is who and who needs to be helped.

It was during these travels around the island - all in all 3480 kilometers in 20 days, checking into 18 different projects, collecting first hand information on sight, of Help Projects 100% managed by natives; from childcare to environmental projects; from Tsunami camps in the south to the camps in the North East. We more or less stumbled upon these above-mentioned accusations.

It was our driver, B. who asked us, whether we would know of a NGO group named "Scientology".

We both looked at each other, surprised. We knew: there are some famous Hollywood movie stars who follow this strictly money-orientated "belief". We also knew that for instance that Scientology is banned in Germany as a sect. By German law they cannot have Bank accounts, rent houses, or engage in public work. German companies can sack employers if they are found to be Scientologists. The German Central Intelligence Service is allowed by Law to monitor and screen each and every activity of Scientologists on German soil. And some say, they do it elsewhere, too.... So we know: Scientology means trouble.

And our driver, B., says "There are these guys and girls, the later even dressed in yellow Saris, all of them Americans, well dressed, who came into my village and asked for Tsunami-Widows... To re-marry them. And many were happy so they may leave to USA for a better life".

Of course, I asked myself -but why a poor widow?

It was Lalith, who saw through their hidden intention. He explained to me; by marrying a Sri Lankan widow, they are eligible to stay in Sri Lanka with a resident visa. This gives them the legal freedom to build up their sinister operations from a private house, with out getting exposed to the public.

Similar things happened, when Scientology stepped in to Germany. Marriage brought them German citizenship. They cannot be expelled easily. The German Govt.. had a tough time with them fighting legal battles to finally ban them.

We thought it strange and just one more of the obnoxious schemes we ran across on the search for the "clean" projects we want to help. That is a totally different story, though.

We later met Mr. D.S. a well-known businessman in the south, his reputation flawless. He has been helping his people, effective and fast. And he too, told us about this temporary housing area, where the Baptist Church of Omaha is ruling a strange region. He took us to a Tsunami Camp where we met a young woman, who had lost her beloved sewing machine in the tsunami. For her it was the income source for her family. The young woman was approached by members of this obscure church. She was told to attend services and masses for one week and pray to the Lord to give her a sewing machine.

A week later, after she had attended the services, she got a brand new sewing machine, worth 25,000Rs (US$250).She was told, that other needy things, too, could appear in that way, if she would keep up attending the Christian masses and bible reading hours. This reminds one of the Steven King Bestseller "Needful things - in a small town", doesn't it? And: it’s a deeply immoral way, of gathering "sheep" for the Christian Church.

D.S. sent us to a Buddhist Monk, living in Galle. He had more stories about these un-ethical conversions. We paid him a visit in the Buddhist Temple. He showed us pamphlets, by the Christian group "The sword of the lord", from Tennessee USA printed in Singhalese and Tamil and English.

The pamphlet claimed that the people would be better off, if they would give up Buddha, who is constantly alliterated as a reincarnation of the Satan himself. He collected the leaflets from four different Tsunami camps he used to visit to bless the Buddhist Tsunami victims in these camps by chanting Pirith the traditional religious chanting performed in Buddhist homes and religious functions.

The monk said the Christian group who was in charge of these camps to do "humanitarian work" complained to the police about his presence and the way he publicly defended Buddha in his preaching in the Camps. - the Sri Lankan Police in return warned him and now he is no longer allowed to visit those camps due to an order. Strange world, isn’t it?.

It seemed to me that Sri Lankan Human Rights organizations and foreign Conflict Management Organization who cry loud in regular intervals of human rights violations and fundamental right abuses seems to be deaf, dumb, dead silent -- and most certainly - absolutely inactive on this issue.

On the way back, we noticed some posters - in Singhalese - pasted everywhere in between Hikkaduwa and Galle: "Stop the religious Tsunami" they read. Underneath, we found smaller posters of the Scientologists inviting to "readings" in certain private houses in Galle.

In another camp, a man in his 30s, with two kids told us, that a foreign aid group was registering "T-victims" for new houses. When the man wanted to register for a house, they told him to bring proof that he was from the area -- and a victim. They told him the easiest and the quickest way would be to get an affidavit from a native Christian father. When the man went there, the Christian priest told him point blank that he does not know him at all, but if he could come to church everyday at least for the next two months or so, then he would be willing to issue a letter. The man gave a second thought and stayed in the camp with his two children.

We also had a chance to talk to a man from Mirissa directly under pressure from Christian fundamentalists. Mr. CT lost his wife in the Tsunami. He has a child of five years. Christian groups visited the camp he stayed in and distributed gift packages along with a native Christian priest several times.

Later he was asked to visit the house of the native Christian priest where prayer meetings and Bible readings were held. To each meeting there have been about eight families, he says. At the end of these meetings one was given money and gifts. CT took the gifts and the money as he needed them. Later CT came to know to that the Christian Priest who’s in charge for the "sheep"-gathering was a former Buddhist monk. Let’s call him "Sunil".

Sunil has been successful converting 32 families from Mirissa who followed the call of the Christian’s god. Whose followers find it necessary to trick people into their belief. According to CT- in charge for this gift packages is the Ingo World Vision, a well acclaimed NGO in the western world’s consciousness.

CT confessed to us that his inner concieous did not allow him to attend the prayer meetings further and when he stopped going to Sunil's house, first his followers nagged him to attend the meetings and later put pressure on him demanding to return all gifts and money given to him. Now CT stays in a Buddhist Temple far away from Mirissa, because he couldn’t cope the pressure by Christian fundamentalists, who threatened to beat him and his child.

Even in the North East , behind Tiger lines, I saw a number of a abandoned Hindu temples - and very large gatherings of open air Christian masses.

Later that trip, back in Colombo, we were invited to a meeting to tell our experiences to the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Mrs. Asma Jahangir, was at that time on an invitation by the Government of Sri Lanka.

Lalith and I told what we saw in front of the committee and what we had spoken about with our witnesses. We refused to give the identity of our informants, as I will not do so in this article. Simply for the reason, that we are not convinced that the "state" of Sri Lanka ever was - nor still is - capable of protecting a witnesses; or even had measures to protect people, when this would be needed. Badly.

The Special rapporteuir thanked us for our efforts - and for our report.

And when Mrs. Asma Jahangir left the isle after traveling around for a week, she acclaimed (in short):" Don’t you worry ´bout a thing, the people stick to their belief - if they really believe; and after all, they’re helping, bringing money into the country."

She may even be right, you know. Yes it’s true, strong Buddhists will not desert their belief - ever. But Mrs. Jahangir forgets that not all people in Sri Lanka are as strong as she may think these days.

In fact most people we met, were the affected ones, full of worries, badly in need of help in every way, mentally down and out. And that’s exactly where those missionary converters grab their catch - and obviously succeed. And it’s not fair to think of these people, them being victims - again, as weak believers.

The temptations put in front of them, they’re just too big, larger than the life they have to lead - against the background of the utter catastrophe and social as well as moral destruction that has been brought unto this land by the Tsunami.

I was surprised about the comment of Mrs. Jahangir I later read in a newspaper, I think it was "The Island". Being a UNHR rapporteuir, she seems to have totally over looked the states of the victims and the environment in which such conversations are taking place in. Further I wonder how she managed to come to such a conclusion in such a short visit, when it took us so long to gather first hand information. In Most cases witnesses told us of their experiences but were afraid to speak about these experiences on camera.

It should be mentioned that if the UN Commission was serious to find out facts, in my opinion they should have first appointed an independent secretive commission to probe whether unethical conversions take place in Sri Lanka rather than sending Mrs. Jahangir first, like the Santa Claus dashing through the snow riding the snow sledge ringing jingle bells.

On the other hand it is high time the leading Buddhist monasteries and organizations leave aside their often narrow minded differences and Ego trips to join forces in the one unifying task: to protect Buddhism. Not with aggressive or violent acts but in deeds in harmony. Showing why Buddhist have no reason at all to desert their belief. It is also high time the Buddhist monks stepped out of their comfortable temple homes and visit the poor villagers in their dwellings and not wait until they come to the temple. It is high time that the often-rich Buddhist monasteries spend their wealth to uplift the living standards of the very poor. In order to succeed, the rich Buddhists must quickly close this poverty vacuum of the poor Buddhists, which has become the play- and breeding ground of fundamental Christian groups; and as we must remember, they’re only visiting Sri Lanka.

If not, if they stay and keep on doing what they’re doing, I predict that in a few years the Buddhism will only exist in form of a weak minority in Sri Lanka. The same applies to the Hindus of Sri Lanka. And sooner or later, the Muslims. An exaggeration? Well, now Christian South Korea used to be a Buddhist country, too - only three generations ago...

I find the religious conversion acts performed by the fundamental Christian groups in Sri Lanka are most disgusting, humiliating and disrespectful to humanity, to Sri Lankans and their heritage. I am sure neither the Christian’s Godfather, the Son, nor the Holy Ghost nor Jesus nor the Pope would have nor will approve of such unmoral acts.

Since I’m back, I keep asking myself: isn’t Sri Lanka strong enough anymore, to get rid of these so-called aid groups who have a different agenda on the back of their minds ?

Sri Lanka is a nation with a written history of 2500 years. Its rich culture is built on the Buddhist philosophy. This Buddhist culture is the backbone of Sri Lanka. Every Sri Lankan living in Sri Lanka should realize, that letting someone foreign destroy its native Buddhism means destruction to Sri Lanka itself.

Of Course She Needs the Left to Christianize India

Neerja Chowdhury
Monday, May 23, 2005 at 0940 hours IST

One year in power and Sonia Gandhi continues to hold the UPA together, but the challenges before her, and the Congress, have grown. For all the mess in Bihar and Jharkhand, Laloo Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan still scurry to her with their complaints. But Laloo with the corruption charges against him is becoming a drag on the Congress; the party is losing middle class support.

In spite of their sound and fury, Left leaders admit that Sonia is responsive to their views. Unlike the NDA which marginalised the allies, the Congress thrashes out differences with the Left. There was, for instance, a 14 hour discussion on the Patents Bill.

Sonia Gandhi has also facilitated a role by the NGOs in the process of governance, which had not happened earlier, though many in the Congress are unhappy with the "undue influence" they exercise on her. It is the NAC she heads which is responsible for the Right to Information Bill passed by Parliament. The Bill may have infirmities, but with 150 amendments adopted to give it teeth, it is one of the most important steps of this government.

In May 2004 Sonia came to occupy a moral high ground when she declined the country’s prime ministership. It made people wonder about the woman who had given up the highest position any politician aspires for. (If nothing else, she had acknowledged her limitations and very few politicians have the capacity to do this.) It enhanced her authority among the allies and her credibility among the people. But today, one year later, there are more people who believe that she calls the shots from behind the scenes than there were a year ago, and this has done her image no good.

There are several reasons for this mismanagement by the party in Goa and Jharkhand, the PM’s diffident style, and the new coalition model that the 14th Lok Sabha has thrown up.

Every coalition in the last 15 years has thrown up its own unique model. V.P. Singh ran a government with outside support of the Left and BJP, Chandra Shekhar’s 50-odd MPs were supported by the much larger Congress, H.D. Deve Gowda ran a government where the chief ministers called the shots, I.K. Gujral could not change even one minister in his cabinet when he took over and the concept of the "PM’s prerogative" underwent a change. Atal Bihari Vajpayee who ran a 24-party government could not even appoint a finance minister of his choice when he took charge.

With Manmohan Singh looking after administration and governance and Sonia Gandhi politics and party affairs, the present model provides for the party to exercise a check on the government and crack the whip when it gets derailed from its agenda. However, the efficacy of this model depends on the extent to which Sonia and Manmohan can move in step and on how comfortable they feel in picking up the telephone and talking to each other on any issue, without having to move through others. Power-sharing is inherent in the situation. It is not a model the country is used to, but there is little point in harping on the old definition of the PM’s power.

Paradoxically, the PM’s diffidence -- he constantly looks over his shoulder -- disarms those he meets. But it puts Sonia in the wrong as the person calling the shots from behind the scene, whether or not she is doing so.

But these are problems of the maturing of the coalition, though this is one reason why the government has not had the kind of impact it might have had. What should worry the party, however, are its prospects, though the performance of the government will have a bearing on it. The Congress faces an uphill struggle in West Bengal and Kerala, where K. Karunakaran’s revolt has compounded the situation. It is on the defensive in Assam. The coalition finds it roughgoing in Karnataka; in Maharashtra, the situation isn’t rosy. In Tamil Nadu it will be at the mercy of the DMK. That takes care of the South. The party has shown no signs of revival in UP or in Bihar. The BJP may be in a disarray, but where is the Congress next time round?

It is difficult to capture the essence of the 2004 verdict, but clearly, three things had helped the Congress. The secular credentials of the Gandhi-Nehru family brought Muslims back to the Congress wherever it was in a position to defeat the BJP and the communal climate has improved in the last year. Two, Sonia determinedly forged alliances with regional parties. And she hit the road to reach out to the people. Images of Sonia holding deformed hands, putting her arm around emaciated women -- these were in sharp contrast to the multi-crore India Shining campaign, and that sent a message.

Now, once again, the Congress needs to go back to those fundamentals -- to consolidate the UPA alliance, for all the problems with Laloo, and here the party is caught in a bind. And to strengthen itself organisationally. Given coalition imperatives, it will have to do this in states where it does not come in conflict with its allies. This means states like UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand. In fact, only half of India.

If only Sonia Gandhi had struck while the iron was hot. Had she hit the road soon after she had declined prime ministership, spending 5-10 days every month in a state, if nothing else, just enrolling members for the Congress, things might have looked up. Maybe it is still not too late.

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"

They alone can save St Sonia from her vow

Thursday May 19 2005 10:28 IST
S Gurumurthy

‘She is now a saint, she is Saint Sonia’. ‘She is Buddha and Gandhi and more’. ‘She is now Mother India’. Exactly a year ago this was how the media built Sonia into Christian saint and a Hindu sanyasi rolled into one. This dwarfed the constitutional ruling establishment and made her taller than the tallest in the country, at least for a while. Her word became the Bible for the ruling coalition. She became the God of her party. In comparison, even her husband and mother-in-law, who were unchallenged leaders of her party, paled into insignificance.

Recall the week in May 2004 that transformed her image as a power-hungry politician, who lied on her numbers in 1999 to become the Prime Minister, into a saint. She was elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party on May 14, 2004. Like any aspirant for the office of PM. She gave a dinner and got her allies to sign letters of support on May 15. She assured herself of the ‘true’ support of over 300 MPs, against the ‘false’ support of ‘272’ she claimed in 1999. By then she was more than an aspirant, she was the PM-elect.

She waited for the President’s letter for being sworn in. But, Dr Kalam’s letter to her, not yet made public, just asked her to come for talks. She met him on Tuesday, May 16, 2004 along with Dr Manmohan Singh. She went to the President as an aspirant PM-elect, not as a renouncing saint. But when she came back after meeting the President, her face showed visible discomfort. Neither she nor Singh would utter a credible word on what transpired between them and the President.

From then on, for days, the national media was full of the sainthood drama, with Congressmen attempting suicides in public. She formalised her decision to renounce prime ministership, but not before making the entire Congress party fall at her feet in full view of the nation.

Thus from being just as aspirant for the post of PM, she rose to the eternal position of a saint in a religious country that worships those who renounce, and discounts those who aspire. Thus was born the St Sonia.

Most of those who opposed her would not believe that that was her last word. Their feeble voices were drowned in the national drum-beating about her sainthood. No one would ask that vital question: What did Dr Abdul Kalam tell her which changed her determination to become the Prime Minister?

Now see what happens on May 16, 2005, exactly a year later, ‘almost to the hour’ as one media put it. ‘Madam, are you reconsidering your decision not to be PM?’ mediamen asked her as Sonia chatted with them in Delhi.

Her response implied, according to one newspaper, ‘not at the moment’ and, according to another, ‘at least not during the 14th Lok Sabha’. The clue is that she sidestepped the question whether she would become the Prime Minister if the Congress got absolute majority.

The rest of what she told the media is side story. The main story is hidden in the fact that St Sonia could no more conceal her aspiration to be where Dr Manmohan Singh is ‘if the Congress got a majority’.

It is obvious that she has clearly indicated her mind to renounce her renunciation, her sainthood. As of now, her sainthood vow is valid till the Congress gets majority on its own.

Look at the possible consequences. Once she has given this indication to her sycophants, they will do the rest. Any day they would re-enact the shameful - actually shameless - drama of May 2004 and fall at her feet en masse to plead with her to become the PM. Once such a move starts, Dr Singh will be the first one to lead the pack as he became the PM by her decision to become a saint. So her indication to renounce her sainthood clears the way for re-enacting the sordid drama of 2004.

Some reason would be found - like ‘that communal elements are endangering secularism’ - to ‘compel’ her to 7 Race Course Road. The lips of the allies would remain zipped as the allies also fell at her feet then, asking her to become the Prime Minister.

But whatever happens, one thing is certain. She was struggling with her vow for long and did not know how to get out of it. Now her hope is her sycophants. They alone can save her from her vow.

Fiji VP: No need for Christian State

Fiji Times Online
(Wednesday, May 18, 2005)

People wanting to convert Fiji into a Christian State are overlooking the potential for division and conflict, Vice President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi believes.

Ratu Joni made the comment while opening the Religion and Governance Forum in Suva yesterday.

He said Fiji was a country where the overwhelming majority of people were religious in one way or another.

He said it would not be wise to establish one faith where there were many faiths.

"It would suggest a hierarchy where some are better than others," he said.

Ratu Joni said he was not dismissive of attempts by influential forces to convert Fiji into a Christian State.

He said the Christian State was a deeply held belief within elements of the Methodist Church and the Great Council of Chiefs.

Ratu Joni said this had its roots in the initial conversion of chiefs to Christianity and in the Deed of Cession.

"It partly concerns the Fijian preoccupation with form. As long as it is perceived as what it claims to be, all is well with the world," he said.

Ratu Joni said it did not matter if the substance did not accord with reality.

"Nor is there any suggestion of forcible conversion of others. It is perceived as a largely benign transformation," he said.

Ratu Joni said while Fiji had a secular Constitution, it recognised the place of religion in the life of the nation.

Rev. Says Church is To Blame for Racism in Fiji

Fiji Times Online
(Wednesday, May 18, 2005)

The Methodist Church should take some of the blame for past racial division in the country, Citizens Constitutional Forum executive director Reverend Akuila Yabaki says.

He said Methodist Christianity stopped teaching the meaning of true faith when it allowed some ministers to become a force that merely cheered on whatever political party supported ethno-nationalism.

Mr Yabaki said the relationship between Methodist Christianity and Fijian culture had become so close, it was hard to differentiate between them.

Methodist Church president Reverend Jione Langi said Mr Yabaki had no grounds to complain about the Methodist Church because he had no evidence.

He said Mr Yabaki should not make generalised accusations but should present his facts and reveal the names of the people he was accusing with a date, time and place.

Mr Langi said Mr Yabaki should not be using the "Reverend" title because the Methodist Church defrocked him and he was no longer a minister.

Mr Yabaki made the claims at a seminar on Religion and Governance organised by Pacific Centre for Public Integrity and ECREA.

Mr Langi said the Methodist Church did not send a representative to the seminar because he did not receive any notice or invitation to it.

Mr Yabaki said Methodist pulpits continued to preach Fijians were God-chosen people and Fiji was their promised land.

He said this self-asserting theology resulted in the fuelling of Fijian national aspirations.

Mr Yabaki said as a result, "Indians are kept permanently in the status of foreigners".

He said when religion became conformed to culture, it could no longer provide a reliable path to spirituality.

As a result, he said, public life lost its moral direction.

He said Christianity in Fiji had been influenced by Pentecostal groups from the US, which gave rise to fundamentalist teachings.

"The coup of 2000 had a strong religious tone with Christian worship taking place frequently among the people occupying the parliamentary complex. When hostages were held in parliament these Pentecostal preaching were heard thundering from around the Parliament — some sermons went on to the middle of the night," he said.

Mr Yabaki said the lack of social conscience among right wing religion manifested during the hostage crisis continued now with the constant attack on homosexuality.

Indian Constitution, Religious Discrimination & USCIRF

by Moorthy Muthuswamy PhD

In my earlier paper in another site (http://www.indiacause.com/columns/OL_050406.htm) I had discussed how some groups belonging to proselytizing religions use discrimination (due to deficiencies in Indian constitution) to garner wealth unfairly in India. These practices of religious discrimination are thus in violation of religious freedom and human rights.

The United States State Department (USSD) and United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) who lecture governments the need to revoke anti-conversion laws (on the grounds of violating religious freedom) have turned a blind eye (due to a lack of knowledge) to religious discrimination by minority institutions in India. The USSD officials have even lobbied on behalf of these discriminating institutions, trying to nudge regional Indian governments to revoke anti-conversion laws!

It has become quite apparent that many minority groups involved in religious-freedom violating activities have not only worked to shield their activities in India, but instead have exaggerated any act of the majority in India to limit their unfair practices. Some of these same groups have been involved in revoking visa to Mr. Narendra Modi (http://www.saag.org/papers14/paper1318.html). These activists have falsely lobbied USCIRF extensively, and with the Hindu community in America not particularly well-connected or well-informed, it hasn’t been able to give an alternate view or analysis to USCIRF.

Lacking in staff who specialize in India and relying on one-sided and falsified portrayals, USCIRF has produced reports and guidelines, that are a flawed portrayal of origin and the extent of religious freedom violation in India.

While USCIRF has actively opposed the presence of anti-conversion laws (that adversely affect Christian interests in India) in some Indian states, it doesn’t appear to have noted, let alone actively opposed the existence of Articles in Indian constitution that have led to unfair practices by minorities in India and violations of religious freedom of majority in India. It appears and I suspect strongly that USCIRF may have inadvertently acted to promote the interests of Christianity (the majority religion in America), while ignoring (perhaps inadvertently) the religious freedom of majority in India. This pattern of behavior by USCIRF, an US government body, may be seen as a violation of religious freedom and that of American constitution – that of violating the separation of Church and State.

Lack of objective reporting by USCIRF has led to even members of the US Congress siding with religious freedom-violating proselytizers (perhaps unwittingly), on the grounds of trying to protect – religious freedom! Some of these unethical activists have been lobbying the Congressional Working Group on Religious Freedom, a coalition of about seventy organizations and religious leaders from various faiths launched under the leadership of Senator Rick Santorum and the House majority whip Congressman Roy Blunt.

There is a distinct possibility that, in addition to an already misled US State Department, a misled US congress may get involved in activities that promote violation of religious freedom abroad, thereby tarnishing America’s integrity and reputation. This may be in violation of American laws and most certainly goes against the very spirit of the American constitution they are sworn to uphold.

A survey of minority operated Institutions in India

Note: The following statistics were extracted from institutions’ official web pages. Faculty religious affiliations were determined based upon their names. A more accurate religious determination will further skew the data toward religious bias. The faculty salaries appear to be State or tax-payer funded.

* American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu (Christian missionary operated):

Total faculty members: 122

Christian faculty members: 81; Christian percentage: 66%

Total junior faculty members (junior lecturers): 22

Christian junior faculty members: 21; Christian percentage: 95%

* Stella Maris College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Christian missionary operated):

Total faculty members: 118

Christian faculty members: 71; Christian percentage: 60%

* Union Christian College, Aluva, Kerala (Christian missionary operated):

Total faculty members: 93

Christian faculty members: 77; Christian percentage: 83%

* St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Maharashtra (Christian missionary operated):

Total faculty members: 132

Christian faculty members: 56; Christian percentage: 42%

* Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi (A central university, but Muslim controlled):

Total faculty members: 329

Muslim faculty members: 288; Muslim percentage: 88%

Note: this total doesn’t include Jamia’s faculty of humanities and languages. Such an inclusion will only increase the religious bias.

These tax-payer funded institutions also give preferential admission to students belonging to their faith -- thereby reducing opportunities for majority’s children. This too violates religious freedom and human rights. Due to a lack of statistics this student component is not discussed here.

What is also notable is the recent trend at least in one minority institution to hire almost exclusively young faculty of the same faith (American college). The USCIRF must be made fully aware of the situation.

While this data is limited I have no doubt in my mind that minority run institutions in India have very high proportion of staff members belonging to their faith.

India needs civil rights laws

India’s constitution has certain provisions whereby minorities are exempt from certain requirements in running their own institutions (http://www.legalservicesindia.com/articles/judi.htm). For instance, a minority community may reserve up to 50 percent of the seats for the members of its own community in an educational institution established and administered by it even if the institution is getting aid from the State. But the data given above, in some instances, show hiring level well-exceeding 50%.

However, these minority special privileges granted by Indian constitution are inconsistent with the ideas of human rights, as they provide grounds for unfair wealth transfer and violation of religious freedom. Below is a quote from an analysis by Prof. Issac (http://www.saveindia.com/for_hindus_in_kerala_it.htm).

“The education scenario is one of the major sectors where the organised strength of the minorities in Kerala (where Christians and Muslims constitute around 19% and 25% respectively) is used in a covert manner. In this sector the majority (Hindu) community as well as the government altogether controls only 11.11 per cent, on the other hand the church controls 55.55 per cent and Muslim religious organisations 33.33 percent of the total institutions. At present the professional education sector of Kerala is somewhat under the full control of the minorities. About 12,000 engineering seats and 300 medicine seats are in the minority institutions and they are fully controlling the admissions. At present 60 per cent of the seats of the paramedical courses are controlled by the organised minority religious leadership. The minority managements deny the organisational freedom of teachers and students. Behind this undemocratic exercise, is there anything other than organised minority leadership's haughtiness? In this situation here, the successive governments are functioning as meagre onlookers.”

Precisely for the above reasons, America doesn’t have these types of minority/religious preference laws and in fact, has laws that prohibit religious discrimination (the United States under the Title VII of the civil rights act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin).

To set its own house in order India must modify or remove aspects of its constitution that give specific privileges to certain groups, that lead to religious discrimination, and violation of religious freedom and human rights. India also needs to enact new laws prohibiting violation of religious and other forms of discrimination.

Recommendations to USCIRF

USCIRF should institute a hearing specific to minority activities in India that are in violation of religious freedom and human rights. This alternate view is a must for the Commission to reach necessary levels integrity and objectivity in its reports and guidelines. It should release a report based upon these hearings.

While articulating the need for the removal of anti-conversion laws abroad to ensure religious freedom, USCIRF should also give equal emphasis to enactment and enforcement of laws that prohibit religious discrimination.

Conversion: Christianity’s convoluted case

By Sandhya Jain

Christian missionaries have added a new dimension to the national debate over conversions with their objections to an unexpected Judaic threat to their flock in the north-eastern states of Mizoram and Manipur. With the century-old Church under threat of a mass exodus, Christian theologians are working overtime to counter the growing affinity between some Mizo and Kuki tribes with Judaism (Deccan Herald, April 22, 2005).

Most Mizos were converted to Christianity in the decades preceding Independence. Sometime in the 1970s, however, some members of the tribes noticed that their indigenous customs and rituals closely matched those of the Jews. Both Mizos and Kukis, for instance, practice the eighth-day circumcision, levirate marriages, altar sacrifices and Sabbath, all of which are very Jewish traditions. Their suspicion that they might be of Jewish origin was substantiated by Israel’s Rabbi Eliahu Avichail, who runs the Jerusalem-based Amishav, an organisation devoted to tracing and helping descendants of Israel’s Ten Lost Tribes to return to the ‘Holy Land’, a right guaranteed to every Jew under the Israeli Constitution.

Amishav claims Mizos and Kukis descend from the tribe of Manasseh, which was exiled from Israel’s northern kingdom after the Assyrian invasion in 721 b.c., along with nine other tribes. The claims have led to Mizos and Kukis designating themselves as ‘Bnei Menashe’ or sons of Manasseh, the younger son of Joseph and father of one of the ten lost tribes of Biblical Israel. Seven thousand have re-converted to their ‘original’ Judaic faith and Amishav even helped 800 to migrate to Israel. The migration was halted in 2003 when Israel’s Interior Ministry expressed doubts about their Jewish origins, but the Chief Rabbinate (apex religious body) authenticated the claims of the Bnei Menashe on March 30, 2005.

Christian leaders are perturbed over the exodus from Christianity to Judaism, claiming this will “destroy the social fabric of both the tribes.” Though missionaries have consistently showed contempt for similar concerns of Hindu organisations, Dr P.C. Biaksiama of the Christian Research Centre in Aizawl, Rev. Chuauthuama of the Aizawl Theological College and Rev. Colney of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod now demand a social movement against conversions.

Last month, 300 pastors discussed the threat and lambasted conversion to Judaism as the work of Satan. But the Bnei Menashe registered a growth of over 50 per cent in the past few years in Mizoram alone.

Dr Biaksiama has gone so far as to say that not only the Church, but the Central and state governments should recognise the arrival of the Rabbis as a “religious and cultural invasion”. In a language akin to that of so-called Hindu fundamentalists, the Christian theologian argues that it is only the promise of “better living standards” in Israel that is luring many tribals to join the Bnei Menashe. Perhaps this is a tacit admission that these tribes have failed to substantially improve their lot after abandoning their traditional gods and customs and adopting the religion of the erstwhile colonial masters.

Dr Biaksiama warns that “mass conversion by foreign priests will pose a threat not only to the region’s social stability, but also to national security.” People will cease to be loyal to the nation as they will become eligible for a foreign citizenship. Last month, 300 pastors discussed the threat and lambasted conversion to Judaism as the work of Satan. But the Bnei Menashe registered a growth of over 50 per cent in the past few years in Mizoram alone, which has a population of barely nine lakhs (Hindustan Times, May 7, 2005).

When not at the receiving end, however, Christian missionaries sing a different tune. In Sri Lanka, US-backed evangelicals have succeeded in getting the United Nations to intervene in the matter of the island’s proposed anti-conversion Bill, mooted by the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party and the Minister of Buddhist Affairs. The Bill is a sequel to the offence caused by foreign missionaries to the native communities in the wake of the tsunami.

Evangelists, however, managed to get UN special envoy, Asma Jehangir of Pakistan, who represents the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), to visit Sri Lanka and assess the status of freedom of religion there. Although the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) defines ‘Freedom of Religion’ as the ‘freedom to pray and practice’, missionaries always stretch this to mean ‘freedom to convert’. They are now working overtime to dub the anti-conversion legislation as a violation of human rights. It remains to be seen how the Sri Lanka government tackles this menace.

It is high time the Church acknowledged that its conversion activities are perceived as an act of cultural aggression and cause deep resentment among target communities. Only last week, residents of Mangal-warapete village near Mysore, Karnataka, were rattled at Church authorities preaching hatred against Hindus as worshippers of Satan. Provoked by the pastor of the Harvest India Church, established by American missionaries, the entire village revolted and ransacked the Church.

Christian missionaries are insensitive to the hurt caused by their ‘hate’ speech and to the misgivings caused by their close links with foreign missionary bodies. In Nepal, where it is a crime to convert minors, a Christian couple was arrested on April 27, 2005 for precisely this offence. Babu and Sabitri Varghese were running a school and orphanage in Birganj city with support from an American missionary charity, Equip Nepal.

Church targets innocent children in Delhi and NCR

Catch them young in school, with Parameshwar ka Prem

By Pramod Kumar

Even before the summer vacations could begin in schools of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), the Church has filled many schools with hate literature. They have targeted young children from Standards IV to VIII. The reading material is in the form of small booklets based on the Bible.

Initially such activities were confined mostly to the high-profile English-medium schools. But this year the Church has launched its campaign on a larger scale and the booklets are being distributed in Hindi also. Right from colonies like Mayur Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Greater Kailash and down to resettlement colonies like Vijay Park, Maujpur and Ghonda villages of East Delhi, cases of distribution of booklets have come to light.

There are schools like Universal Public School and Little Fairy School in Maujpur, which have willingly agreed to distribute booklets to their students. But there are certain schools that did not allow such hate literature to be disseminated. In such schools the Church adopted a different method. They deputed some trained workers, mostly women activists, at the entrance gates of schools to distribute booklets to children at the time when they entered the school early in the morning and also at noon, when they departed for home.

On April 22, this correspondent saw two women distributing the booklets, Parmeshwar ka Prem, in Bal Bhavan Public School, Laxmi Nagar at 7.45 a.m. When he asked the school authorities if they had allowed the distribution of such booklets, they clearly denied having done so. But ignoring the school authorities, the women continued to distribute booklets to children at the main entrance of the school. When some parents objected to it and threatened to call in the police, both the women quietly slithered away but soon returned at noon to commence distribution of their booklets.

Parents of children studying at Blooming Kids Public School in Lal Bagh colony of Loni, wondered as to how their children came in possession of the booklet, Book of Hope, exhorting them to “pray to Jesus to seek forgiveness for their sins.” The agitated parents protested before the school authorities but the booklets have not yet been withdrawn.

They deputed some trained workers, mostly women activists, at the entrance gates of schools to distribute booklets to children in the morning and at noon.

Book of Hope (Animation Edition with ISBN 1-59480-012-X has been published by Book of Hope International, 3111 SW, 10th Street, Pompano, Florida, USA- 33069, Web site www.hopenet.net) The book has been printed at Tej-Quebecor Printing Limited, Gurgaon, Haryana and contains 34 pages and is in English.

The book says, “I (Jesus) have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. Anyone who believes in me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned. Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things.” (p. 29)

At the end, the book advises young children thus: “Connect with people who have the same belief in God that you do. Ask them for advice. See what they do.” (p. 33)

The second book, Parameshwar ka Prem is in Hindi. (The multicoloured 18-page book has been published by the Bible Society of India, 206, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bangalore 560 001. The book carries ISBN 8122128378).

Quoting Jesus, the book says, “I am the path, truth and life. No one can reach God without me. Whosoever believes in me will receive salvation and reach heaven.” (p. 5, chapter Shubh Samachar). The book further says, “It is a commitment of God that whosoever confesses his/her sins and accepts Jesus as his uddharkarta (redeemer), will be forgiven and will live in Heaven.” (p.10) The book continues by saying that Jesus ordered his disciples, “Go to the whole world and tell everybody about me. Whosoever believes in me will receive salvation and will go to heaven. But those who refuse to believe in me will go to hell on the day of justice.” (p.14)

The third book, Apaki Asha ki Pustak, in Hindi, has the copyright with the Book of Hope International, USA. It has also been printed at Tej-Quebecor Printing Limited, Gurgaon, Haryana. It has 32 pages with ISBN 1-931940-02-9.

Under the chapter Parameshwar Kahan Rehta Hai (Where does God Live?), the book says, “One thing that prevents us from living with God in heaven, is sin. Sin is a major problem. But there is a very simple solution to it. We should believe in God and his son Jesus Christ.” (p. 5) It also says, “Everyone of us has committed some sin”(p. 6) but “Jesus had never committed any sin” (p. 22).

Liberal Bible-Thumping

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: May 15, 2005

Even aside from his arguments that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and that St. Paul was a self-hating gay, the new book by a former Episcopal bishop of Newark is explosive.

John Shelby Spong, the former bishop, tosses a hand grenade into the cultural wars with "The Sins of Scripture," which examines why the Bible - for all its message of love and charity - has often been used through history to oppose democracy and women's rights, to justify slavery and even mass murder.

It's a provocative question, and Bishop Spong approaches it with gusto. His mission, he says, is "to force the Christian Church to face its own terrifying history that so often has been justified by quotations from 'the Scriptures.' "

This book is long overdue, because one of the biggest mistakes liberals have made has been to forfeit battles in which faith plays a crucial role. Religion has always been a central current of American life, and it is becoming more important in politics because of the new Great Awakening unfolding across the United States.

Yet liberals have tended to stay apart from the fray rather than engaging in it. In fact, when conservatives quote from the Bible to make moral points, they tend to quote very selectively. After all, while Leviticus bans gay sex, it also forbids touching anything made of pigskin (is playing football banned?) - and some biblical passages seem not so much morally uplifting as genocidal.

"Can we really worship the God found in the Bible who sent the angel of death across the land of Egypt to murder the firstborn males in every Egyptian household?" Bishop Spong asks. Or what about 1 Samuel 15, in which God is quoted as issuing orders to wipe out all the Amalekites: "Kill both man and woman, child and infant." Hmmm. Tough love, or war crimes? As for the New Testament, Revelation 19:17 has an angel handing out invitations to a divine dinner of "the flesh of all people."

Bishop Spong, who has also taught at Harvard Divinity School, argues that while Christianity historically tried to block advances by women, Jesus himself treated women with unusual dignity and was probably married to Mary Magdalene.

Christianity may have become unfriendly to women's rights partly because, in its early years, it absorbed an antipathy for sexuality from the Neoplatonists. That led to an emphasis on the perpetual virginity of Mary, with some early Christian thinkers even trying to preserve the Virgin Mary's honor by raising the possibility that Jesus had been born through her ear.

The squeamishness about sexuality led the church into such absurdities as a debate about "prelapsarian sex": the question of whether Adam and Eve might have slept together in the Garden of Eden, at least if they had stayed longer. St. Augustine's dour answer was: Maybe, but they wouldn't have enjoyed it. In modern times, this same discomfort with sex has led some conservative Christians to a hatred of gays and a hostility toward condoms, even to fight AIDS.

Bishop Spong particularly denounces preachers who selectively quote Scripture against homosexuality. He also cites various textual reasons for concluding (not very persuasively) that St. Paul was "a frightened gay man condemning other gay people so that he can keep his own homosexuality inside the rigid discipline of his faith."

The bishop also tries to cast doubt on the idea that Judas betrayed Jesus. He notes that the earliest New Testament writings, of Paul and the source known as Q, don't mention a betrayal by Judas. Bishop Spong contends that after the destruction of Jewish Jerusalem in A.D. 70, early Christians curried favor with Roman gentiles by blaming the Crucifixion on Jewish authorities - nurturing two millennia of anti-Semitism that bigots insisted was biblically sanctioned.

Some of the bishop's ideas strike me as more provocative than persuasive, but at least he's engaged in the debate. When liberals take on conservative Christians, it tends to be with insults - by deriding them as jihadists and fleeing the field. That's a mistake. It's entirely possible to honor Christian conservatives for their first-rate humanitarian work treating the sick in Africa or fighting sex trafficking in Asia, and still do battle with them over issues like gay rights.

Liberals can and should confront Bible-thumping preachers on their own terms, for the scriptural emphasis on justice and compassion gives the left plenty of ammunition. After all, the Bible depicts Jesus as healing lepers, not slashing Medicaid.

E-mail: nicholas@nytimes.com

US Missionary Tour in the Guise of RSS Attack

Hosadigantha, Kannada Daily, Mangalore
May 18, 2005
Calicut

This is a 'spring time' for the pastors who visit the US. Facing the fury of the Hindus whom they try to convert, the number of protestant pastors who flee to America is increasing day by day. In this the Kerala pastors have a lion's share.

A network of Christian deceit centers headquartered at Pattanamthitta now stand exposed. It is enough if the protestant pastors holding Indian passport register their names in their office. Rest will be taken care of by the American churches.

Protestant members who wish to visit America should have the skill of good acting. They should be ready to assert that they were subjected to assault by the RSS. Even while crying piteously, they should be ready to say, 'In our country (in Kerala, India) a lot of disturbance takes place. RSS people are killing the missionaries'.

It seems that the American churches pour a lot of money the moment these pastors announce that they are ready to work for Jesus Christ even sacrificing their life against the RSS.

When the pastor returns back to his place in Kerala, he would quietly say that he does not know who Jesus is. To a question whether RSS people assaulted him, he would let out the truth by saying 'no'.

It is learnt that since last one year, 600 Keralites have gone round America and collected corers of rupees under the false pretext of RSS attack. They now live peacefully in their places in Kerala, having purchased property and built houses. It is learnt that there are commission agents in Pattanamthitta and Kottayam Districts, who arrange to send such persons to America.

There are reports that they collect money from Americans, shedding crocodile tears in the streets of America even while they insult the RSS, Hindu Dharma and India.

The silence of the Church against such anti-Hindu activities of these people has naturally been the cause of suspicion.

Pope says God wants Converts and People Must Fear Him

Contributed by Ugo Lancione, Vatican Correspondent
Wednesday, 11 May 2005
mithuro.com
PRESSESC

The precise aim of divine intervention is to coerce people into conversion, Pope Benedict XVI said today.

He told a 17,000-strong faithful at today's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square that throughout history god has interfered with events of the world and has "his way" with affairs of people.

"History is not in the hands of dark forces, of chance, or of merely human choices," the pontiff said. "The Lord, supreme arbiter of historical events, rises above the discharge of evil energies, the vehement onslaught of Satan, the emergence of plagues and wickedness. He knowingly guides history to the dawn of the new heaven and the new earth, as mentioned in the last part of the book in the image of the new Jerusalem."

"Nations must learn to 'read' in history a message from God," he added. "The human adventure is not confused and meaningless, nor is it hopelessly condemned to the prevarication of the domineering and the perverse."

He highlighted the possibility of "recognizing divine action hidden in history," and of openness to "fearing the name of God."

"Thanks to fear of the Lord, one is not afraid of the evil raging through history and can vigorously resume the road of life," the 78-year-old pontiff concluded.

The War Against 'Infidels'

By Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D.
OnlineJournal.com
May 13, 2005

It was just a matter of time before the power-crazed leaders of the evangelical Christian Right began jockeying for better position come the 2008 presidential election, but they are all united in a faith-based political belief that marginalizes even more Americans.

As Tom Hamburger reportedin the Los Angeles Times earlier this month, Pat Robertson liked Rudolph Giuliani as a 2008 presidential candidate. Dobson said "no," unless Rudy renounced his unholy belief in equal rights and civil rights (a.k.a. gay rights and women's rights vis-à-vis abortion). Dobson liked Bill Frist because he has obediently toed the evangelical line and would, therefore, in the "king maker's" eyes make a fine presidential figurehead. Louis Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition agreed with Dobson about Giuliani. But all three self-appointed political spokesmen for "God" agreed on one thing: American Muslims should not hold any important government office, and "they" should definitely not serve in the judiciary.

Robertson articulated their commonly held belief: "They [Muslims] have said in the Koran there's a war against all the infidels. Do you want somebody like that sitting as a judge? I wouldn't."

Televangelist Robertson has a rich history of denouncing other religions and demeaning their "people of faith."

The Constitution of the United States, for instance, is a marvelous document for self-government by the Christian people. But the minute you turn the document into the hands of non-Christian people and atheistic people they can use it to destroy the very foundation of our society.—Pat Robertson, The 700 Club, December 30, 1981

When I said during my presidential bid that I would only bring Christians and Jews into the government, I hit a firestorm. "What do you mean?" the media challenged me. "You're not going to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?" My simple answer is, "Yes, they are."—Pat Robertson, The New World Order, 1991

If anybody understood what Hindus really believe, there would be no doubt that they have no business administering government policies in a country that favors freedom and equality. . . . Can you imagine having the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as defense minister, or Mahatma Gandhi as minister of health, education, and welfare? The Hindu and Buddhist idea of karma and the Muslim idea of kismet, or fate condemn the poor and the disabled to their suffering. . . . It's the will of Allah. These beliefs are nothing but abject fatalism, and they would devastate the social gains this nation has made if they were ever put into practice.—Pat Robertson, The New World Order, 1991

The following is an excerpt from Robertson's answer to "Are God and Allah the same?"

QUESTION: I was watching television last Sunday and heard a "minister" say that Allah and God were the same. What are your thoughts, and what are the distinctions if they are not the same?

PAT ROBERTSON: Under no circumstances is Jehovah, the God of the Bible, and Allah, of the Koran, the same. First of all, the God of the Bible is a God of love and redemption, who sent His Son into the world to die for our sins. Allah tells people to die for him in order to get salvation, but there is no understanding of salvation. Allah was the moon god from Mecca. That is why Islam has the crescent moon. The flag of Turkey has a crescent moon with a star in it. Well, the crescent moon is because Allah was the moon god, and that is the deal. But we don't serve a moon god. We serve the God of creation, the Creator of everything.

They are not the same. To translate Allah as God is wrong. When you see something in there and it says Allah, you translate it Allah. Don't call it God because it is different. God is Elohim. He is the Creator, the Jehovah God, Yahweh. Yahweh of the Old Testament was the Father who brought forth Jesus into the world.

Robertson's also had damning remarks for other Christians:

You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense. I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist.—Pat Robertson, The 700 Club, January 14, 1991

That was also the message of what was euphemistically called "Justice Sunday": only the beliefs of radical evangelical leaders are valid. People of other religious faiths and political beliefs simply don't count. Indeed, Louis Sheldon thinks of Christians who don't agree with his political-religious fanaticism as leftist "sock puppets."

They [Muslims] have said in the Koran there's a war against all the infidels. Do you want somebody like that sitting as a judge? I wouldn't.—Pat Robertson, 2005

How very bigoted. How very hypocritical. Robertson, Dobson and Sheldon have been waging their own "holy war" against any "infidel" judge who didn't rule as they demanded, not to mention their ongoing war against American citizens—Christian and otherwise—who object to religious fanatics trying to seize control of all branches of government. Moreover, as Peter Wallsten reportedin the Los Angeles Times in late April, and Ron Chernow reportedin The New York Times on May 6, evangelical leaders and their political minions are pursuing efforts to cut funding for courts that don't rule as the Christian Right tells them to.

Needless to say Robertson's comments drew immediate fire from Islamic organizations and media outlets: "Pat Robertson has taken his far-right-wing rhetoric to absurd levels," said Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). In its own statement, CAIR immediately "called on mainstream political and religious leaders to repudiate 'hate-filled' remarks by evangelist Pat Robertson," and further documented the televangelist's view of other religions and their believers:

During a 2002 appearance on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes program, Robertson smeared both Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. About Muhammad, Robertson said: "This man was an absolute wild-eyed fanatic. He was a robber and a brigand. And to say that these terrorists distort Islam, they're carrying out Islam . . . I mean, this man [Muhammad] was a killer. And to think that this is a peaceful religion is fraudulent." Robertson also called Islam "a monumental scam" . . . Robertson has also repeatedly defamed Islam and Muslims on his Christian Broadcasting Network 700 Club program. He called Islam the "religion of the slavers" and said Americans who converted to Islam exhibited "insanity."

A "religion of slavers." Strange. I don't remember any Muslim slave owners in America. I believe they were all "Christians." The most fervent among them used their religion to justify slavery, just as some Christian fundamentalists used their "religion" to defend segregation.

A "religion of slavers." On January 27, James Dobson's Focus of the Family's (FOF) website promoted a call to slavery. The "Teens" section of the website featured an article by Susie Shellenberger that had been resurrected from FOF's Breakaway magazine (which is aimed at male teens) and other FOF venues. The article was titled "Bought, Branded, Bonded." The promo read: "Slavery is a bad thing, unless you're enslaved to Jesus. But what does it mean to be a slave to Jesus?" What it means is that since Yeshua of Nazareth long ago departed this mortal plane (and opposed slavery while he was here), what Susie advocated was becoming a slave to the dogma of the perverted form of Christianity espoused by politically motivated "religious leaders" like Dobson, Robertson and Sheldon.

To be sure, Sheldon, Robertson and Dobson currently command considerable political clout through the politicians beholden to them. They also command media empires, vast financial resources, and a cadre of supporters who, for some inexplicable reason, believe that the hate-filled, derogatory, shamelessly mean-spirited rhetoric of the trio has something to do with "Christianity."

Although he was not part of this most recent attack on people of other faiths, the grand old man of religious bigotry has a long history of damning Christians who don't believe as he tells them to, as well as condemning other religions and their "people of faith."

In July 1984, the Rev. Jerry Falwell was forced to pay gay activist Jerry Sloan $5,000 after losing a court battle. During a TV debate in Sacramento, Falwell denied calling the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Churches "brute beasts" and "a vile and Satanic system" that will "one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven." When Sloan insisted he had a tape, Falwell promised $5,000 if he could produce it. Sloan did so, but Falwell refused to pay and Sloan sued, successfully. Falwell appealed, with his attorney charging that the Jewish judge in the case was prejudiced. He lost again and was forced to pay an additional $2,875 in sanctions and court fees.

In his speech to a pastors' conference in Kingsport, Tennessee, in January 1999, Falwell claimed the Antichrist is alive today and "of course he'll be Jewish."

In March 1993, despite his promise to Jewish groups to stop referring to America as a "Christian nation," Falwell gave a sermon in which he said, "We must never allow our children to forget that this is a Christian nation. We must take back what is rightfully ours." And how does the leader of the Moral Majority Coalition plan to do this?

He provided an answer in his May 3, Falwell Confidential newsletter: "In the long run, we need to educate and train an army of future lawyers and judges with a Christian world view. This is exactly what we are doing with the new Liberty University School of Law." Falwell plans to create "an army" to fight in this latest incarnation of the Holy Crusades against "infidels."

With every new utterance, Robertson and Falwell, Dobson and Sheldon confirm their desire to turn America into a backward looking, isolated theocracy engaged in a holy war against its own citizens and the world at large.

Keep up the ranting and raving, boys. You're sure to alienate more and more Christians. You've already alienated Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other people "of faith." Continued success in burying yourselves—and the politicians in your pockets—in your communal bigotry and narcissism.

In their own words they are making the case: religious beliefs must be separate from professional responsibilities. In other words, church must be separate from state.