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Jericho
Plan for Madrid in run-up to Palau mission
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
By the time this article
reaches you, ‘FestiMadrid’, the two-day visit of
Luis Palau and a series of Christian musicians to the Spanish
capital, will be over. It is impossible to tell what impact
it will have had, but if the build-up is anything to go by,
the dust will take a while to settle.
The organising Committee planned three outdoor prayer sessions
to pray in what it called “key locations” against
evil trends in society. Prayer against “the power of materialism
and laicism” was held outside and near the Parliament
building, prayer against the “power of the occult”
in its central park, against “religious syncretism”
outside the Catholic Cathedral, against “Islamic growth”
outside a mosque, and about “judicial power” outside
the Supreme Court.
The prayer sessions were designed to ask God that His Kingdom
would come and break the power which destroys lives and ‘demand’
that the enemy release the minds and hearts of those under his
power, so they might respond freely to the preaching of the
Gospel during the Palau festival. The locations have been chosen
on the basis of ‘spiritual warfare’ theory, especially
the occultic influence which they associate with the park due
to the presence there of a statue of the devil.
Finally, there will be a prayer meeting at the Festival venue,
outside the city’s bullring, as organisers believe it
necessary “to consecrate the venue as the house of God
and the door to heaven”, based on a dubious application
of Jacob’s experiences at Bethel (Genesis 28:17). The
whole ‘spiritual battle-plan’ will be completed
in the week before the Festival with the so-called ‘Jericho
Plan’. “As the Israelites marched round Jericho
seven times over seven days, we invite all the churches of Madrid
to surround (the city), choosing one of the days to pray in
every area, and to reclaim it for the Lord.”
Source: FestiMadrid. Editing: ACPress.net
Satanic temple uncovered
in Cartagena
Cartagena, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
Just a few yards from
the centre of learning which is Cartagena Polytechnic, is another
building which holds a much darker secret.
In a semi-ruined state stands a house, at times occupied by
squatters who had no idea that it used to be a Satanic temple.
The truth was discovered during a routine police investigation,
though the first sign that not all is as it might be comes with
an inscription on the front wall. ‘Remember the soul who
enters by this door, that there is no return.’ Inside
the room which was used for the dark ceremonies, there is an
enormous inverted stave with a goat’s head and the word
‘Baphomet’ painted on it in red. In the circle which
surrounds it a series of Hebrew words spell the name ‘Leviathan’,
the great sea-serpent.
A large, black upside-down cross looks down on the room, while
three red and three black candles stand on a table which served
as an ‘altar’. 19 magic invocations are written
out in red on the walls in a supposedly angelic language.
Source: La Opinión.
Editing: ACPress.net
R.E. teacher chosen as Playboy
cover-girl
Seville, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
María Norte has
not let her job as a Catholic teacher of Religious Education
stand in the way of posing naked for the magazine ‘Playboy’,
in an edition devoted to women from southern Spain.
María, 27, a trained nursery teacher, went to the audition
with a friend and ended up being selected herself. She gave
up teaching a year ago and found a job in a discotheque in order
to pay her mortgage. She says: “People are mistaken if
they think it is incompatible to teach children or R.E. and
be a Playboy girl.” She added that no parent had criticised
her for posing, and indeed several mothers had congratulated
her and bought the magazine.
María claims to love studying and will continue to do
so, but will make the most of any opportunities that come her
way, whether in education, fashion or advertising. She hopes
to get a definitive place as a state school teacher and says
she does not know whether the Playboy incident was a one-off
or whether she will take up modelling full-time. Perhaps she
will help reverse the trend whereby fewer pupils are opting
for confessional R.E. classes.
Source: Agencias. Editing:
ACPress.net
That’s quite enough of the Pope, thank you
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
A majority of Spaniards
feel media coverage of the late Pope’s death was “excessive”,
according to a government survey.
52.8% thought it excessive, while 35.6% considered it “appropriate”.
Yet those interviewed put John Paul ahead of Mother Teresa,
Nelson Mandela, , Mikjail Gorbachov and Yasser Arafat in terms
of historical importance (though what a list!). As for the latest
incumbent in the Vatican, almost 60% want him to help the underprivileged,
while almost 45% would like him to “be open to change
and progress”.
Benedict XVI called on Spanish Catholics to resist lay tendencies
in their society, in the midst of a period of chaotic relations
between the Spanish government and Catholic leadership, caused
by a series of anti-Christian measures being adopted by the
Socialists. Nearly two-thirds of Spaniards believe the Catholic
bishops are out of touch with current reality, even though 82%
of them still claim to be Catholic. Under half said they were
practising, though even that term would need to be qualified.
Source: CIS. Editing: ACPress.net
Catholics and Popular Party
march against gay marriage, but no FEREDE
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The Spanish Catholic
House of Bishops gave its official support to a demonstration
and march held last Saturday, June 18th, in Madrid, protesting
against the government’s decision to legalise homosexual
‘marriage’.
The move breaks the tradition of supporting such shows of popular
displeasure. The opposition Popular Party also gave official
support and decided to join the demonstration, whose motto was
‘The family does matter’. Their decisions contrasted
with that of the Federation of Evangelical Organisations (FEREDE)
who opted out completely of giving any support to the march,
a decision which caused a mixed response in the evangelical
community.
The Catholic leadership said they thought the cause was just,
and that its members who participated were “fulfilling
their duty to the common good in a legitimate way.” Unlike
some of their Protestant counterparts who continue to send out
ambiguous messages on the issue, the Catholic Church has been
strongly opposed to the proposed legislation since it was first
mooted by the government.
A spokesman said it was “an issue of the greatest moral
and social transcendence, requiring a firm and clear response
with all legitimate means.” They consider, rightly, that
it threatens the integrity of the family and that “there
are things which affect deeply the welfare of individuals and
of the family.” The Archbishop of Valladolid said the
law “was extremely unjust and did not do any good even
to homosexuals. Marriage can only be contracted by people of
the opposite sex, a woman and a man. It is a democratic right
to defend true marriage by equally democratic means.”
There are discordant voices within the Catholic Church though,
with the magazine ‘Reinado Social’ - one of the
most prestigious publications within Spanish Catholicism - asking
whether putting Catholics on the streets was the best way forward.
It even suggested that the demonstration might be a way of manipulating
public opinion, and could lead to a greater division within
the Catholic Church itself, between those in favour of such
actions, and those against. It also warns about the damage this
could do to the Church’s image.
In a significant political move, the opposition Popular Party
signed up to the demonstration, thus putting clear water between
the government and itself on this ethical issue. It clarified
that it was not against homosexuals but against the ‘provocative’
measure being pushed through by the government. At the same
time, the group responsible for organising the march, Focus
on the Family, assured people that the demonstration was neither
political nor religious in nature, but a protest against a specific
piece of legislation.
Source: ABC/El PAIS. Editing:
ACPress.net
*Next week we shall carry
a report of the march and an evaluation of it.
Religious minority Trust
opens for business
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The pennies (well, euros)
may soon be dropping onto ‘cultural, educational and social
integration’ projects organised by Evangelicals, Jews
and Muslims, as the government brings out its first round of
aid to the three recognised religious minorities.
September 1st is the cut-off date for applying for financial
aid towards the completion of projects in the three designated
areas as mentioned above. Any evangelical church or organisation
which belongs to the FEREDE may apply, given that its project
meets the requirements. Discussions are continuing with regard
to money for the construction of new church buildings, though
repairs, improvements and maintenance to existing properties
are included.
Activities directly related to worship, evangelism or religious
care are excluded from the programme, in respect of the principle
of Church-State separation. The Trust which coordinates and
distributes the aid is looking at such activities as a Church
Day Centre for children, a reading project, sports programmes
or work with immigrants. This rather begs the question of why
the government is giving money to religious groups in the first
place, as when they act like churches they receive nothing,
but when they get involved in work which is being done by many
non-religious social groups, they qualify for money.
Evangelical projects must be presented first to the FEREDE,
to see if it meets all the requirements. If so, it will be passed
on to the government Trust for consideration. The maximum amount
which can be awarded to any one project is 60,000 euros, so
long as this does not exceed 75% of the total cost of the project.
Source: FEREDE. Editing: ACPress.net
Catholic Church might get
increased tax relief
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The government is considering
increasing the amount of tax the Catholic Church can get back
through people’s tax returns to help it towards financing
itself. The measure would be provisional, and would mean increasing
the amount a person could assign to the Catholic Church (‘Other
charitable purposes’ is the alternative) from 0.5% to
0.7%.
The government has no intention of rocking the boat too much
and has reiterated its determination to stick to the existing
agreements between Church and State. It is said to look favourably
upon this latest suggestion, made by the Catholic House of Bishops.
Yet in the longer term, the idea is that the Catholic Church
pays for itself though the government is as yet undecided as
to how to bring this about. One option is a five-year plan,
another is to revise the situation annually.
At the end of the day, the issue is how to reduce the vast amount
given to the Catholic Church each year by an officially non-confessional
State. Currently, it receives money indirectly through tax returns
where people assign money voluntarily, and directly from the
Treasury whether taxpayers are happy about it or not.
Source: Agencias. Editing:ACPress.net
Another suicide re-opens
debate on bullying
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The suicide of Cristina,
a 16-year-old girl from Elda in Alicante, has re-opened the
debate about the increasing level of violence in Spanish schools.
Two out of three Secondary School pupils say they have experienced
some kind of bullying or aggression.
Experts say the problem is getting worse and Cristina’s
death, added to the suicide of another teenager in northern
Spain last September, may just be the tip of the iceberg. A
breakdown of values and the increase of single-parent families
are also adduced as factors. Yet even when both parents are
around, the difficulty of balancing work and home life mean
that there is often little time to devote to the children.
Violence on television does not help either. Yet what leads
one child to bully another? Martínez-Otero believes one
can make out an anti-social profile, perhaps even with personality
disorder, or the bully is guided by envy due to his or her lack
of the values of the other person. The two teenagers who committed
suicide were good students, though rather shy and introverted.
The expert says “this turns them into targets of envy,
because generally they are well thought of by parents and teachers
and they get good marks.”
Victims are usually the weakest and most vulnerable of pupils,
and are often bullied by a group of youngsters. This makes those
doing the bullying feel the strength of belonging to a gang,
for they usually would not dare to bully on their own. It is
often hard to know if one’s child is being bullied, though
signs include not wanting to go to school, or a worsening of
marks obtained.
Suggestions for combatting bullying include improved channels
of communication between pupils and teachers, as a third of
pupils say they would not go to a teacher if aware of violence
at school. The obvious danger is that ‘tell-tales’
become new victims of bullying themselves. The United Left Party
has suggested the development of helplines which victims can
ring, and also placing specialists in schools who can detect
such behaviour.
Source: Fax Press. Editing:
ACPress.net
Home schooling on the increase in Spain
Madrid, June 23rd, 2005 (ACPress.net).
Home-schooling is on
the increase in Spain. Official figures are impossible to come
by but numbers of parents opting to teach their children at
home has increased significantly in recent years.
The main reasons are usually religious, ideological or pedagogical,
and lead to parents taking their children out of the mainstream
system of education, and teaching them at home. According to
the ‘Association for Free Education’, one of several
groups which helps home schooling parents, the idea “means
taking responsibility for the whole of a child’s education,
including both the acquisition of knowledge and skills, as well
as the transmission of values and principles, without delegating
any of these things to educational institutions.”
There is a legal loophole. Home-schooling is not covered by
the law, but it is not forbidden either. Although the Constitution
gives parents the right to choose the education they consider
most suitable for their children, education laws have never
recognised schooling within the family. Parents who take their
children out of school run the risk of being charged with absenteeism
by the education authorities or the social services. However,
in the few cases where the authorities have chased up cases,
the courts have found in favour of the parents because they
have been educating their children at home.
Another problem is how to obtain academic qualifications. A
home-schooled child has to wait until 18 to get the basic school
certificate, three years later than their ‘schooled’
counterparts. Home schooling is allowed in Portugal, Britain,
France and Italy, and in the USA around 2 million children are
educated this way. One of them is now the author of the best-seller
‘Eragon’. More information can be found at www.educacionlibre.org
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing:
ACPress.net
A.C.Press:
The News Agency of the AEE (Spanish Evangelical Alliance)
Digital magazine at the website: www.ACPress.net
Telephone: 91 747 14 89; Fax: 91 747 59 24; E-mail: noticias@ACPress.net.
Postal address: Apartado 59198, 28080 Madrid, Spain.
Co-ordinator of A.C.Press News: Jonathan Dawson, E-mail: jdawson@acpress.net
A.C.Press is part of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, whose
E-mail is: oficina@AEEsp.net (www.AEEsp.net)
The Alliance is a forum for fellowship, reflection and the development
of Christian thought, produces various publications, and is
involved in the struggle for religious liberty. It is also part
of the European and World Evangelical Alliances.
A.C.Press news items may be reproduced as long as their source
is mentioned (ACPress News) |
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