Vietnam: Tragic details emerge in persecution
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned new details about recent religious persecution in Vietnam and the following brutal cover-up. Vietnamese authorities ordered the Christian Con Dau village, near the city of Da Nang, to be abandoned to build a resort on the site. When the people resisted water irrigation was shut off to the rice fields, cutting off the main source of income and food. On May 4, 2010, Vietnamese police surrounded and attacked a funeral as it approached the cemetery. Police arrested and beat 62 persons. After the initial incident, special police units have since returned to Con Dau multiple times, demanding information and forcing villagers to sign self-incriminating statements and to spy on each other. ICC's Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated, ‘The Vietnamese government has exposed its brutality and greed, torturing and killing Christians to make room for their ambition. The tourist resort they plan to build in Con Dau will have its foundation in blood’. Pray: that the Vietnamese government would recant and reverse its decisions. (Ps.5:11)
Iraq: Christian killed in region proposed as safe haven
The murder of another Iraqi Christian from Mosul has renewed fears in that city, where the Christian minority has been the focus of a series of targeted killings. Louyaé Behnam was abducted last week from his home in Karkosh, a town in the Nineveh district. Ironically, his family had moved to Karkosh to escape the violence in his native Mosul. The Islamic group that kidnapped him demanded ransom. His family paid $15,000 - only to have his dead body returned. This latest in a series of murderous assaults is particularly significant for two reasons. First, it comes almost immediately after the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, as the country’s residents worry about their prospects for future security. Second, the victim was abducted from the Nineveh Plains region, which has been suggested as a safe refuge for the country’s Christian minority. Pray: for the Christians in Iraq that they would be protected at this time in the nation's history. (Ps.3:8) More: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7380
Nigeria: Fear of fresh violence
A prison break by an armed group known as Boko Haram has raised fears of renewed violence in northern Nigeria just months before elections. The group staged a raid on the prison on Tuesday night in the town of Bauchi, freeing more than 100 followers. The attack left the prison in ruins and showed the group, which is seeking to institute sharia (Islamic law) in the country had access to the sophisticated weapons it needed to overpower the prison guards. The attackers fired on the prison guards as they were breaking their daily Ramadan fast on Tuesday evening. Authorities have arrested 13 suspects in connection with the prison break although residents in and around Bauchi remain afraid that Boko Haram will launch other attacks. Boko Haram - which means ‘Western education is sin’ in the (northern) Hausa language - was blamed for riots and attacks in the north last summer that left more than 700 people dead. Pray: that the expected violence will not happen and the enemy will be confounded. (Ps.7:9) More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/09/20109922058670653.html
China: Investing in confident Christians
Three decades ago, China's Cultural Revolution saw some of the most dramatic restrictions on the practice of religion ever seen. But today's communist rulers have radically altered their views about religion and have granted substantial freedom to Christians prepared to worship within state-sanctioned churches. Within these boundaries, Christianity is growing in China as never before - and doing so supported by millions of dollars of government funding. On the outskirts of Nanjing, a building site illustrates the scale of the communist state's commitment to supporting the development of Christianity. Local officials say that the building under construction will become China's largest state-sanctioned church - with space for 5,000 worshippers. It represents just one example of the strategy to encourage the development of religion in China. Praise: God for this growth of His Church in China but also remember the huge numbers of Christians meeting in house churches still faceing persecution. (Zec.8:12)
China: Investing in confident Christians
Three decades ago, China's Cultural Revolution saw some of the most dramatic restrictions on the practice of religion ever seen. But today's communist rulers have radically altered their views about religion and have granted substantial freedom to Christians prepared to worship within state-sanctioned churches. Within these boundaries, Christianity is growing in China as never before - and doing so supported by millions of dollars of government funding. On the outskirts of Nanjing, a building site illustrates the scale of the communist state's commitment to supporting the development of Christianity. Local officials say that the building under construction will become China's largest state-sanctioned church - with space for 5,000 worshippers. It represents just one example of the strategy to encourage the development of religion in China. Praise: God for this growth of His Church in China but also remember the huge numbers of Christians meeting in house churches still faceing persecution. (Zec.8:12)
China: Christian faith plus Chinese productivity
At first glance, it looks as though it could be any other factory driving the rapid development of the Chinese economy. But this is no ordinary enterprise because here religious faith is as important as profit. In fact, the owner of the Boteli Valve Group in Wenzhou would like to see all his staff convert to Christianity. And such a factory is not a one-off: it is part of a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs whose success is now being studied by the Chinese government. Every Monday morning, the senior managers gather together and pray about the business. Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other. Praise: God for this development and pray that this example would lead to many more. (Mt.25:20)
China: Christian faith plus Chinese productivity
At first glance, it looks as though it could be any other factory driving the rapid development of the Chinese economy. But this is no ordinary enterprise because here religious faith is as important as profit. In fact, the owner of the Boteli Valve Group in Wenzhou would like to see all his staff convert to Christianity. And such a factory is not a one-off: it is part of a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs whose success is now being studied by the Chinese government. Every Monday morning, the senior managers gather together and pray about the business. Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other. Praise: God for this development and pray that this example would lead to many more. (Mt.25:20)
Cuba: Church leader released
A respected Cuban church leader who was unexpectedly arrested and tried in court last week has been cleared of all charges after his accusers gave contradictory evidence against him. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Reverend Roberto Rodriguez, was allowed to return to his family and is recuperating at home after being found not guilty of ‘threatening behaviour.’ The pastor was forced to hitchhike from Cardenas to Santa Clara. They arrived at 1am and the following day travelled to the town of Placetas, in Central Cuba, where Rodriguez stood trial on 2 Sept. Prosecutors recommended that Rodriguez be given a one-year prison sentence, following what CSW called the contradictory evidence given by his accusers, the tribunal had no choice but to find him not guilty, although the court handed down a fine to the church leader. Praise: God for justice and the release of Rodriguez. (Am.5:24)
Cuba: Church leader released
A respected Cuban church leader who was unexpectedly arrested and tried in court last week has been cleared of all charges after his accusers gave contradictory evidence against him. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Reverend Roberto Rodriguez, was allowed to return to his family and is recuperating at home after being found not guilty of ‘threatening behaviour.’ The pastor was forced to hitchhike from Cardenas to Santa Clara. They arrived at 1am and the following day travelled to the town of Placetas, in Central Cuba, where Rodriguez stood trial on 2 Sept. Prosecutors recommended that Rodriguez be given a one-year prison sentence, following what CSW called the contradictory evidence given by his accusers, the tribunal had no choice but to find him not guilty, although the court handed down a fine to the church leader. Praise: God for justice and the release of Rodriguez. (Am.5:24)
Atheist doctors
Doctors who are atheist or agnostic are twice as likely to take decisions that might shorten the life of somebody who is terminally ill as doctors who are deeply religious. Doctors with strong religious convictions are less likely to discuss such decisions with the patient, according to Professor Clive Seale, from the Centre for Health Sciences at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Doctors are influenced by their beliefs just as other people are, said Seale. ‘It is easy for clinicians to present themselves as neutral appliers of science, but values do come into it,’ he said. That is accepted in abortion care, but the issue has not yet been widely discussed in the care of the dying. Seale's study, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, was based on a survey of doctors specialising in care for people at the end of life, such as neurology, elderly and palliative care as well as general practice. Pray: for doctors, carers, patients and close family as they work together to care for the terminally ill. (3Jn:8) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/aug/26/doctors-religious-beliefs-terminally-ill