Both U.S. President Obama and U.K. Prime Minister David
Cameron have made pro-Christian statements in Easter week speeches. Obama said,
“We recall all that Jesus endured for us, all so
that we might be forgiven of our sins and granted everlasting life. And more
than 2,000 years later, it inspires us still.”
Cameron went further; he said,
“Religious freedom is an absolute, fundamental human right. We
should stand up against persecution of Christians and other minorities [sic] at
home and abroad […] and should be unashamed in doing so.” It’s not clear how
these comments will translate into practice, although David Cameron did refer
to the UK Government’s draft bill to combat modern slavery.
An evangelical sect in Mexico that ran shelters for children
from broken families, or whose parents were temporarily unable to care for
them, has been accused of illegally allowing church members to adopt the
children, and brainwashing them. Fifteen children “disappeared” from a shelter
in 2008, apparently due to adoption; twelve have now been located.
Dayuma Caento, who was the first Christian believer amongst
the infamous Auca (now known as Waodani) tribe in the Amazon jungle, died on
March 1 at the age of approximately 80. Dayuma lived for a while in another
tribe’s village to escape the violence in her own, and so was the first contact
(and basic language teacher) for five American missionaries who wanted to reach
the Auca in 1956. The missionaries were killed, but in 1958 two of the
missionaries’ widows wanted to begin language work with the Auca people. Dayuma,
who had become a Christian, agreed to return home and helped with translating
the New Testament.
A Ugandan Christian who converted from Islam ten years ago
has spoken of the persecution he has faced from his family and others after being admitted to hospital with
suspected insecticide poisoning – just after eating a meal at his aunt’s house.
His wife left him almost immediately he converted; he was fired from his job at
an Islamic school; when he started a Christian school, he faced lawsuits for allegedly
defiling a local sheikh’s daughter and from the previous land-owner who denied
selling the land; and last year his house was burned down. He is appealing for
funds after leaving hospital with his treatment incomplete because the money
ran out.
In Ukraine, in the eastern city of Donetsk which is held by
pro-Russian forces, Jews have been ordered to register and to list their property
or be deported. The parallels with the actions of German fascists in 1941 are
disturbing. Local Jews are waiting to discover who delivered the instructions,
and under what authority.
In sport, Bubba Watson won the U.S. Master’s golf for the
second time. Watson is one of the more outspoken Christian sportsmen in the
USA. He tweeted that he was “rejoicing.”
And finally, North Korean embassy officials have complained
to the police and the Foreign Office of ‘provocation’ about a hairdresser in
South Ealing, London, who put up a promotional poster showing the North Korean
leader Kim Jong-Un with the caption “Bad Hair Day? 15% off Gent’s Cuts.” Kim Jong-Un
has reportedly required all young men in his country to have their hair cut
like his, which has sparked worldwide derision; for example, an April Fool joke
stated that the band One Direction had been banned from playing in North Korea
until they had their hair cut in the approved fashion, and also changed their
band name to Un Direction. The hairdresser said he was not aware that the North
Korean embassy was close to his salon; he also added that two men from the
embassy had visited him twice, taking pictures, making notes, and then
demanding that the poster was taken down. He refused, and added that his two
visitors did not have the approved haircut.
No comments:
Post a Comment