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Religious
minorities Trust set up by government
Madrid, February 1st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
The government has established
a Trust for pluralism and co-existence between the state and
religious minorities, made up Evangelical, Jewish and Muslim
representatives.
The Justice Minister, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, presided
over the inauguration on January 25th, which will be based at
the Justice Ministry in Madrid. The object of the Trust will
be to channel state aid to the three recognised religious groups
for cultural, educational and social projects. Each group is
responsible for presenting appropriate projects which then must
be approved by the Trust.
The Trust has a budget of 3 million euros for 2005 and is chaired
by the Justice Minister. Twelve departmental officials join
him on the Trust, plus nine delegates representing the three
religious groups. The Trust will operate independently, on the
basis of impartiality and objectivity. Funds will be distributed
proportionally, and discrimination will be avoided. It remains
to be seen how projects will be classified, as some of the definitions
are rather vague. It is not always easy to distinguish between,
say, an educational activity and an act of worship.
This is the first time Spain has designated state funds to religious
minorities, and comes 12 years after signing an Accord with
Jews, Muslims and Protestants. It is another step towards the
implantation of religious freedom in accordance with a democratic
and pluralist Constitution. The government hopes the private
sector will also participate with the Trust through donations
and the support of specific projects.
Source: Ferede. Editing: ACPress.net
Europe and America far apart on faith and morals
Barcelona, January 31st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
Europe and the USA are
far apart on matters of faith: while fewer than 20% over here
believe in miracles, that figure rises to over half over there.
Psychological surveys show the high level of credulity in America,
which some European sceptics suggest borders on naivety. In
God, of course, only the fool does not believe.
More than 55% of Americans believe in the existence of hell,
against merely 30% in the most Catholic European nations such
as Poland or Italy, and an appalling 18% in Spain. Secular France
lags even further behind, with only 10% of the population believing
in hell. When it comes to moral attitudes, there is also a clear
difference; fewer than 40% of Americans believe pre-marital
relations are acceptable, as opposed to a figure between 60%
and 70% in most of Europe, though under 50% in Italy. On divorce,
whereas a whopping 81% of Spaniards and 73% of Germans think
it the best solution to marital problems, only 43% of Americans
would agree.
Yet if these differences of opinion are significant, much more
so is the divergence over homosexuality. A huge 62% of Americans
consider homosexual relationships unacceptable, far higher than
Europe, with the exception of Italy and Ireland, both of which
register disapproval ratings of over 55%. Yet in Spain, barely
a third of the population condemn such relationships, and an
ever lower proportion do so in Germany. A similar difference
may be seen over the legalisation of homosexual 'marriage',
but although the American figure of those against, 60%, is undoubtedly
higher than that in Europe, it may not be so much greater as
the European pro-gay media campaign might tend to suggest.
When it comes to war, whereas only 41% of Europeans think it
might be necessary to achieve justice (clearly the Second World
War is but a distant memory), 82% of Americans think so. 63%
of them think the United Nations can be ignored if required.
Yet Americans themselves are split over some of these issues,
such as the effectiveness of the war in Iraq, and survey statistics
can be a dangerous thing. Europeans do not all think the same
either, but in the current moral quagmire, as ever, it remains
true that 'what you reap, you will sow.'
Source: La Vanguardia. Editing:
ACPress.net
New book says we should feel sorrow, not fear, for occult
practitioners
Madrid, January 31st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
José de Segovia, pastor,
theologian and journalist, analyses the occult in his latest
book: 'The occult: parapsychology or fraud?', just published
by Andamio.
The book is fruit of many years' investigation into the roots,
types and possible answers to the occult from a Christian, biblical
perspective. More than seeing a resurgence of interest in the
'dark arts', De Segovia argues that the occult is always popular
due to the fatal attraction many feel to magic thought, although
"only a minority genuinely practise it." This attraction, he
says, is due at heart to "a search for a meaning to life. A
feeling that one knows it is hidden, especially in a complex
world such as ours."
De Segovia concludes we should be "sceptical Christians", realists
but critical rather than naive. The occult "has more to do with
human fables than with supernatural occurrences, without denying
that a world of darkness exists at the service of diabolic ends
which seek to draw man away from God. However, this reality
is stronger in distant strands of the occult. It is true that
an unknown spiritual world exists and that there is a spiritual
battle between light and darkness, but we Christians have tried
to discern things in the wrong way. If Satan is an angel of
darkness, he is also dressed as light, so his sphere of action
is that he appears in an apparently positive disguise. People
who practise the occult should not frighten us, but make us
feel sorry for them."
"Christ defeated all the forces of evil, so that the believer
is not involved in a fight which has yet to be won, between
two equally-matched forces, but is in a battle that has already
been won, so does not need to feel any fear but can proclaim
the victory of Christ. In the same way we must transmit this
hope and message to those who live in the darkness and confusion
of the occult world." De Segovia concludes that our only weapon
is faith in God's Word. He says he has written the book "not
to promote morbid curiosity but joy and trust in the person
and work of Jesus."
Source: ProtestanteDigital.
Editing: ACPress.net
Protestants in favour of contraceptives and sex in marriage,
but not depravity
Madrid, January 31st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
A recent Editorial in
ProtestanteDigital suggests that while the Catholic Church's
opposition to contraceptives is due to a "depraved" view of
sexuality, current society's views are "depraved" on virtually
every other aspect of the issue.
The morality, or otherwise, of contraceptives is back in public
debate in Spain due to a U-turn by the Catholic Church on the
issue. Previously, it has questioned the use of condoms in the
fight against Aids, but now sees the usefulness though only
after the promotion of faithfulness and chastity. The Editorial
clams that for the Vatican, "sexuality is perverse in itself,
except for the sole reason of procreation, to give children
to couples in the Roman Church. Sexual pleasure is suspicious,
only allowed so that the Catholic Church might obtain more children.
Basically for this reason it imposed compulsory celibacy on
its priests and nuns; spirituality is incompatible with sexuality."
The Protestant Christian view is markedly different, and "understands
that sexuality within marriage between a man and a woman is
an invention and gift from God which is a complement to other
essential aspects of the couple's relationship, such as affection,
raising a family, and self-denying love for each other." Yet
Protestant Christians would want to distance themselves from
the current view prevalent in much of society that, in sexual
matters, anything goes, and the use of contraceptives is but
a side issue. "Sex is only one more part (of the music) of life.
The problem is that we have forgotten about the director of
the orchestra." In sexual matters, as in other areas of life,
when people forget about God and His ways, then problems that
come are due to living without Him, not because of repression
nor excessive permissiveness, but because people are living
within a moral vacuum.
Source: ProtestanteDigital.
Editing: ACPress.net
Muslim calls for polygamy to be legalised
Madrid, February 1st, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The Chairman of the Spanish
Federation of Islamic Organisations, Mansur Escudero, says that
having approved homosexual marriage, the government should also
allow polygamy.
Escudero says that he supports moves to regulate homosexual
marriage, and asks for the same recognition for those who want
to have more than one spouse. Apparently, back in 1992, the
then Socialist government was open to the idea. "In the marriage
clause we asked for polygamy to be regulated", as it is accepted
in many Muslim countries. Escudero says that the then Justice
Minister, Tomás de la Cuadra, said it would be allowed when
"there were calls in society for it, real situations where it
was practiced, and when society was ready to accept it."
Escudero therefore wants a public debate about it as there has
been on homosexual marriage, which is another situation that
to date has no legal standing in Spain. Escudero admits that
polygamy is "a marriage option only for a small minority" even
though he claims "it has been shown to be viable in Muslim countries."
One wonders how many evangelicals would like to take up the
offer.
Source: Agencias. Editing:
ACPress.net
Still dropping pennies into the Roman wishing-well
Madrid, February 1st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
The Catholic Church has
received more than 1,500 million euros since direct donations
from the state budget stopped in 1991 and were replaced by the
current tax break system.
The annual amount given to the Catholic Church has increased
year by year, from 84,000 million euros in 1991, to 135,000
million euros in 2003. This system has been extended to 2005.
However, the Roman edifice still receives direct funds from
the state in other areas; for instance, between 1991 and 2003
it received a further 237.8 million euros for the upkeep of
buildings, prison chaplains and, until 1998, for R.E. teachers.
The change in this last area saw the state contribution for
educational purposes in the Catholic Church plummet from 46.7
million euros to just over half a million euros a year.
Source: E. Press. Editing:
ACPress.net'True
love waits' comes to Spain
Madrid, February 1st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
'True love waits' has
reached Spain, and is much needed. Last Saturday, around 200
youngsters met in Madrid under the auspices of groups like Youth
for Christ, the schools' Christian Union movement (GBE) and
the European Christian Mission, with the support of the Spanish
Evangelical Alliance.
The topic under discussion: not to rush into love, and into
sex even less. True love knows how to wait. The event was organised
by Aluche Evangelical Church and aimed to teach youngsters a
different approach to relationships than the one with which
they are bombarded by society, the media and often even in school.
Source: IM. Editing:ACPress.net
Gay spokesman calls for homosexuals to be allowed to
be church members
Mérida, January 31st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
The spokesman in Extremadura
for the so-called 'Spanish Evangelical Gay Group', Andrés de
la Portilla, has written to the Prime Minister asking him to
ignore a request by the Evangelical Council of Churches in Extremadura
not to pass a law permitting homosexual 'marriage'.
In typically intolerant language, De la Portilla called on the
Evangelical Church, the Catholic Church and "all homophobic
churches in Spain...to stop being homophobic." He also asked
them to stop writing to the government in the same vein as the
Council of Churches on the basis that "there are lots of gays
in Extremadura who are Christians, who are evangelicals, who
have been suffering persecution for many years, who have been
excommunicated from evangelical churches in Extremadura, who
have no support, who cannot attend services, who cannot share
in the Lord's Supper, and who cannot be members of churches."
These seem rather wild claims given that there are very few
evangelical Christians in Extremadura at all, never mind the
fact that a truly 'evangelical' church is guided by the teachings
of Scripture, which condemns homosexual acts, and therefore
must reject any such practice among its members. De la Portilla
added talk about 'recognition, rights and religious freedom',
calling for homosexuals to be allowed but obviously does not
believe evangelical churches which reject homosexual practice
have that same freedom, for instance, to worship without homosexuality
in their midst.
Portilla ended by calling on churches to substitute homophobia
for "welcome and friendship", and to follow the example of the
Unitarian Church (sic), which accepts homosexuality as a valid
moral option.
Source: E. Press. Editing:
ACPress.net
The young are bunking off Mass
Madrid, February 1st, 2005
(ACPress.net).
Young people are disappearing
from Mass. The percentage of those aged between 15 and 29 who
claim to be practising Catholics has fallen by half, from 28%
in 2000 to just 14.2% last year. At the same time, the percentage
of those who say they are non-practising Catholics has risen
from 44% to 49%.
The survey was carried out in autumn 2003 and asked 5,214 young
people. According to the 2001 census, there are 9,149,511 people
aged between 15 and 29 in Spain (22.4% of the total population),
and 212,557 more boys than girls. The age-bracket with most
people is 25-29 (3,500, 248 people), while there are a million
fewer aged between 15 and 19 (2,464,580 people).
Although 63% say they are Catholic, they do not follow its teaching.
61% are in favour of abortion on demand. Another significant
statistic is that 17.7% of them would not like to have a gypsy
neighbour, nor 11% of them have a Muslim next door.
Source: EL PAÍS. Editing:
ACPress.net
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