|
| |
|
|
|
|
Recomendar |
|
|
Agregar a
favoritos |
|
|
Página de inicio |
|
|
¿Quiénes somos? |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Getting
cross about the cross in Italy
Rome, November 17th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The ruling which ordered
the removal of a crucifix from a state school classroom because
a Muslim parent complained has been suspended by a judge, who
considers the decision has caused "serious social damage."
The Pope added his twopennyworth defending the presence of the
cross on the grounds that it was in "recognition of the
religious patrimony of society." The issue is not helped
by the fact that the Muslim parent in question, Adel Smith,
is known for his talent at provoking trouble. So when a court
agreed with his complaint that the crucifix discriminated against
non-Christian (read, Catholic) children, Italian society rose
almost as one in outcry.
However, there is much more to this than the controversial figure
of Smith. In recent weeks it has become clear that Catholicism
is the glue holding Italian society together. An instance of
this was when many Left-wing MPs voted with the Right against
a motion to reduce the time it takes to obtain a divorce from
3 years to 1 year. In doing so, they appealed to their Catholic
roots. Politicians have argued that the cross is more than merely
a religious symbol, but also one of tolerance.
The latest court ruling suspends judgment because of the social
damage caused by the decision, even though in a legal sense
it was technically correct. The case will now be re-examined.
Meanwhile, Smith himself is being taken to court for insulting
the crucifix and what it represents. He is no stranger to controversy,
having come to public attention when he called for frescoes
in Bologna Cathedral to be destroyed because they showed Muhammed
in hell. In fact, some see Smith as a headache for Italian Muslims
because of the adverse publicity he attracts, and a godsend
to the Italian Catholic Right.
Source: EL PAÍS. Editing: ACPress.net
Catholics
would accept mention of Islam in European Constitution
Brussels, November 17th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The Catholic Church would
not mind Islam being mentioned as well in the European Constitution,
as long as Christianity gets its reference in the context of
the historic heritage of Europe.
German bishop, Josef Homeyer, said: "Our wish is for an
express mention of Christianity, but this does not exclude the
mention of other legacies, such as the Greco-Roman or even the
Muslim one." Catholic bishops from across Europe have been
debating what message to give the Inter-governmental Conference
charged with cobbling together the European Constitution. They
concluded by calling on the Conference once more to include
a reference to Christianity in the preamble. "The recognition
of the importance of Christian roots in Europe would affirm
a historical reality, without undervaluing at all the contribution
of other philosophical or religious traditions which are already
mentioned in the preamble."
The Chairman of the Conference is Valery Giscard d'Estaing,
the ex-French President and convinced humanist. There is no
sign that the Conference is willing to bend before episcopal
pressure.
Source: E. PRESS. Editing: ACPress.net
'The
USA has declared independence'
London, November 17th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
Fault lines are appearing
ever more clearly within the worldwide Anglican Church in response
to the appointment of an openly-homosexual man to the position
of bishop within the American Episcopal Church. More and more
it looks as if the Americans are out on a limb and in danger
of being cast off completely.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is fighting to retain
a measure of unity among the 70 million or so Anglicans around
the world, but his task seems helpless. He does not wield the
kind of disciplinary powers the Pope enjoys within the Roman
Catholic Church. While a handful of liberals in New Hampshire
celebrate what they call the 'end of hypocrisy and double standards',
mainstream and orthodox Anglicans across the world looked on
in horror as this American diocese went ahead and swore in Gene
Robinson as bishop. As his ex-wife, children by her, and current
male lover watched the ceremony, one wonders what kind of ethical
message he thought he was transmitting to his new parishioners.
The message picked up by other Anglicans soon became clear:
Nigerian bishop, Peter Akinola, said: "We cannot, and will
not, recognise the ministry of Gene Robinson as bishop. We deplore
the actions of the bishops who took part in the consecration
which has divided our Church." Akinola represents more
than 50 million Anglicans in Latin America, Africa and Asia
who think similarly. Greg Venables, Anglican Archbishop in South
America, said: "The USA has declared independence. I think
the chances of agreement are minimal. We are going through a
period of separation and reflection, although it is not yet
a divorce."
Australian Anglican leader, the Bishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen,
said "it is a very sad day for the Church. As far as I
am concerned, he (Robinson) is not a bishop. Irish Primate,
Robin Eames, called for more time. "We are entering unknown
territory." Some liberal-minded leaders made conciliatory
noises in an apparent attempt to ward off division.
Source: REUTERS. Editing: ACPress.net
Moses' beard
shines again as Michelangelo's masterpiece is restored
Rome, November 17th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
Michelangelo's famous
sculpture of Moses, carved for the tomb of Pope Julius II at
the cleric's own request, has gone back on public show after
a lengthy restoration, coinciding with the 500th anniversary
of the said pontiff's time in office.
Michelangelo (1475-1564) took several years to complete the
Pope's mausoleum, which he requested of the sculptor soon after
his election. In 1513, when the Pope died, his heirs asked for
an even grander monument, which Michelangelo did not finish
until 1542. It was going to be placed with St Peter's Basilica
but eventually the heirs opted for its being placed in the Church
of San Pietro in Vincoli, also in Rome.
The restored sculpture was presented with a concert in the church
which houses the work, and the newly-resplendent beard of Moses
could be seen to great effect. The Italian Culture Ministry
announced that a documentary entitled 'Michelangelo's expression'
was being prepared under the direction of Michelangelo Antonioni.
Source: AFP Editing: ACPress.net
Hitler had
plan to transport Jews to Palestine
Berlin, November 17th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
Notes found in the margins
of the many books Adolf Hitler read have shown historians that
the Nazi dictator was fascinated by the occult and magic, but
also that he was interested in the idea of "planting"
Jews in Palestine.
Despite the fact that Hitler ordered thousands of books by authors
such as Stefan Zweig, Thomas Mann, Erich Maria Remarque, Sigmund
Freud, Upton Sinclair and Anna Seghers to be burnt, historians
are in no doubt that Hitler was an enthusiastic reader. At the
beginning of the 1940s, Hitler received about 4,000 books a
year as gifts and had planned a 60,000-book library for his
home. It is estimated that he eventually owned 16,300 books,
of which about 7,000 dealt with military issues, 1,500 on architecture,
theatre and painting, and 1,000 novels, political pamphlets
and works on breeding alsatians.
Notes and underlinings in the books read by Hitler allow historians
to see where his interests lay. Timothy Ryback says: "They
are like footprints in the sand. Thanks to them we know which
works he read and where he stopped for a while. It is said that
Hitler was constantly reading Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Dante,
but there is no evidence of this. However, there is in the case
of other authors." One of these is 19th century writer,
Paul de Lagarde, a German nationalist said to have been influential
in stirring up hatred of the Jews in Hitler. There are many
annotations in Hitler's copy of one of Lagarde's books, including
the plan to transport Polish and Austrian Jews to Palestine.
Hitler also seems to have read widely on the occult, including
a book on magic in which he underlined the idea that if one
wishes to give birth to a new world, one needs to have demonic
influence inside. Austrian historian, Brigitte Hamann, however
sounds a note of caution, pointing out that too much can be
read into the selection of books in Hitler's library, as most
of them were presents rather than books he himself chose.
Perhaps more revealing is the list of books Hitler took with
him to his final refuge in the Berlin bunker, which included
the prophecies of Nostradamus and another entitled 'The dead
live: irrefutable proof of actual cases.'
Source: LA TERCERA. Editing: ACPress.net
|
|
L
a t i n . A m e r i c a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Baptist
minister elected Vice-Governor of Argentinian province
Buenos Aires, November 17th,
2003 (ACPress.net).
Baptist minister Pablo
Tschirsch has been elected as Vice-Governor of Misiones Province
in north-east Argentina, an area which borders on Brazil and
Paraguay.
Tschirsch is the first evangelical to be voted into such a high
government position. He is a member of Leandro Alem Baptist
Church in the region and in elections in September, was elected
to serve alongside Governor Carlos Rovira. In July 2000, Tschirsch
was appointed Education and Culture Minister for Misiones Province,
something which was viewed with suspicion by the Catholic Church,
because he was an evangelical.
Tschirsch taught Theology in a Bible College in Obrera and is
the minister of his local Baptist Church. He was born in 1952,
is married to a pediatrician and has two daughters.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
From
the Shining Path to the Light of Life in Peru
Lima, November 17th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Ayacucho, in south-east
Peru, is one of the poorest regions in the country, yet has
become the leader in evangelical growth. The number of believers
has gone from 31,000 in 1993 to over 80,000 today.
Ayacucho has a population of around 500,000 and in the 1980s
and 1990s was the centre of the terrorist activities of the
'Shining Path' movement. It is also traditionally considered
to be a bastion of Roman Catholicism. During that period, the
only social groups which retained any cohesion were the evangelical
churches, despite the fact that they became one of the targets
of the terrorist group and more than 500 Christians were murdered.
Not only did the Church stand firm, however, but they also helped
the general population with material and spiritual aid.
There are now 779 evangelical churches in the Ayacucho area,
of which 369 belong to the Evangelical Pentecostal Church of
Peru with a total of about 15,000 members. The Assemblies of
God have 12,500 members in 275 local congregations. The National
Presbyterian Church has 62 churches and 4,800 members, and there
are 14 Baptist Churches. There are also a number of other denominations
represented in the region.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
|
|
R
e s t.. o f..
t h e.. W o r l d |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reclaiming
America for Christ
Miami, USA. November 18th,
2003 (ACPress.net).
A two-day gathering in
Florida, USA, featuring speakers from the front line of the
culture war, was hoping to bring the salt and light of God's
Word to bear on moral issues in America.
Thousands of Christians were expected to attend the annual 'Reclaiming
America for Christ Conference' at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
in Fort Lauderdale. There speakers encourage believers to stay
their course in the culture war, and workshop presenters will
help Christian activists learn techniques to implement grassroots
action. Dr. D. James Kennedy, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian
Church, is the founder of the Centre for Reclaiming America.
According to Kennedy, those attending the conference will be
equipped to make a difference for Christ. "I think that
people will be inspired by what they hear in a whole lot of
different areas pertaining to our country and I'm sure many
of them will learn about things they didn't even know were going
on. They'll be encouraged in many different ways." Kennedy
says America's moral freefall can be traced to the steps of
churches nationwide that have stopped being salt and light for
a lost world. Now Christians must take the offensive.
Source: Religion today. Editing: ACPress.net
Saudi
prince orders release of two detained Christians
Riyadh, November 18th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Two Egyptian Christians
jailed 10 days ago for leading a house church in Saudi Arabia
have been released by order of a Saudi prince.
Sabry Awad Gayed, a pediatrician, and Eskander Guirguis Eskandar,
employed as a carpenter, were arrested and jailed on October
25th in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. When brought before the
prosecutor, they learned they stood charged with evangelism
and "establishing a temple [non-Muslim place of worship]."
The two Coptic Christians have met privately for worship in
homes with other expatriate Christians since they took jobs
in Saudi Arabia several years ago.
After receiving a written complaint that the two had been jailed
"for apparently no reason," Prince Sultan bin Abdul
Aziz Al-Saud, who serves as Saudi Arabia's Second Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Defence, reportedly reviewed their
file, leading to their release. It is unclear whether Saudi
authorities will allow the two Christians to continue in their
job contracts, or if they will deport the men to Egypt.
Source: Religion today. Editing:
ACPress.netProtestant
influence in Woody Allen
Rome, November 18th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
"To understand Woody
Allen's films fully, it is necessary to study his vision of
faith", according to Fabio Ballabio author of "Woody
the chosen one: Jews and Christians in Woody Allen's films",
just published by Effatà in Italy.
Ballabio works in ecumenism for the Catholic diocese of Milan,
specialising in relations between Christians and Jews. He has
written several books about religion, globalisation and dialogue
with Judaism. He has also commented on the religious aspect
of Woody Allen films: "It is because he is Jewish. And
although he doesn't believe in the God of the Bible, a Jew is
still a Jew...even though a Jew doesn't believe in God, even
though he says he is an atheist, he cannot help talking about
God and experiencing nostalgia because of his absence."
Ballabio thinks the films treat Christians "with a mixture
of respect and opennness. With the truts that comes from the
fact that the God of the Jews is the same God as that of Jesus
of Nazareth." He admits that Allen has been influenced
by Protestantism, which comes from living in the USA, and says
that his criticism of Catholicism "is more Protestant than
Jewish. However, though Ballabio says that 'Hannah and her sisters'
portrays Catholicism as a mixture of devotion and materialism,
'Alice' is much more positive, where the lead character is an
admirer of Mother Teresa.
Ballabio says "psycho-analysis and Catholic confession
are united" in Allen's films, as "listening is one
of the cardinal experiences of Jewish faith." 'Hear, oh
Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one' (Deuteronomy 6:4)
is the beginning of a prayer recited by orthodox Jews three
times a day.
Source: P. ECUMÉNICA.
Editing: ACPress.net
Why should
the devil have all the rock music?
Madrid, November 18th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The advance of Christian
rock music is burying the idea that this style comes from the
devil. At least, from the viewpoint of sales and success, religion
and rock-n-roll go well together.
It seems a long time since the legend was perpetuated that rock
music came from blues singer Robert Johnson whose chords came
from the devil himself, whom he met on the corner of two dusty
streets in southern USA. Even the so-called 'King' of rock,
Elvis 'pelvis' Presley with his provocative movements, recorded
'Amazing Grace', a collection of Christian numbers including
'I Believe', 'Peace in The Valley', 'Take my Hand', 'Precious
Lord' and 'It is no Secret.'
The popularity of some Christian groups has broken down the
barrier between Christian and non-Christian audiences, with
both attending concerts of groups such as Godstock, Powerlight
or Cornerstone. Petra is the best-selling non-European Christian
group in Europe, and they played alongside Santana at this year's
Latin Grammy awards, and recorded the single for the film 'Matrix
Unloaded.' They revolutionised the music industry by including
a Play Station in their CD.
Evanescence have sold almost 4 million copies of their album
'Fallen', Stryper throw Bibles to their audiences, while Audio
Adrenaline - famous for their anti-drugs and alcohol message
- hold a prayer meeting before their concerts. A good example
of Christian rock is Mexican singer, Marco Barrientos, who started
'Leche y Miel' ('Milk & Honey'), a production outfit specialising
in praise and worship music.
Costa Rican Danilo Montero is the great innovator of the current
Christian music scene. "Our vision is to inspire others
to have an intimate relationship with God. Praise without intimacy
is only a selection of songs with a good beat. It is impossible
to praise God truly without a change of heart." Montero
founded the company 'Sígueme' (Follow me) to promote
Christian music concerts.
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing: ACPress.net
Prayers
for the persecuted church
Kokkola, November 18th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Last Sunday was designated
the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and
more than 300,000 churches in 130 countries remembered their
suffering brothers and sisters in many places around the world.
Prayers were also said for the persecutors, that they would
find faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. "Prayer can
change situations", said the organisers. Special prayers
were said for those who have had everything taken from them
in Ethiopia, and for those imprisoned for their faith in North
Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea,
Mexico and Peru. In Eritrea, 77 conscript soldiers - 15 of them
women - are being held for refusing to renounce their Christian
faith.
Prayers were made for religious freedom in Afghanistan and China,
and also that Hindu nationalism would not be used as a political
tool in India. There were also prayers for peace and security
in Iraq. Other petitions included an end to the oppression of
Christians in Laos, that King Mohammed VI of Morocco would be
able to complete his social reform programme, and for the 100,000
Christians held in forced labour camps in North Korea.
Other issues included Sri Lanka and an end to Buddhist nationalism,
the persecution of evangelicals in Belarus by the Russian Orthodox
Church and its followers in the press, and the strategic importance
of China for missionary endeavour in Asia. It is estimated there
are 70 million Christians in unregistered churches in that country.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
|
|
|
