Violence Toward Christians in India

I was reading an article posted two days ago, about the escalating violence toward Christians in India. Then, I decided to go to YouTube and see what I could find, and found this "secretly obtained" footage of preachers and Christians being beaten because of their beliefs. I do not like this violence, but the hurt we see when we watch this is nothing compared to the hurt these people must be feeling-- both physically from the beatings, and spiritually from the inability to express their beliefs.

At the end of the video, a man says, "You all have to pray for us. We have homes there [India] and we don't have freedom to worship openly... So [everytime] we are persecuted and we are jailed."

"Islam & Women in USA after 9/11"

The War on Christmas Continues

In the United States, we are lucky to be able to debate and communicate freely about religious issues. The Atheist billboard that we've mentioned in a few posts has been counter-attacked: The Catholic League has put up a billboard on the other side of the Lincoln Tunnel to promote the message of their beliefs.


This is actually a very witty article about the battle. Besides the sarcastic humor, it tells a good chronology of the billboard war.

Religious Freedom in U.S. Elementary and High Schools

Ever wondered what the official "rules" are when it comes to worshipping aloud in public schools? I found this article, written by the U.S. Department of Education, to be very informative, and I've listed some examples below. School students and teachers have more religious freedoms than one may have guessed. Read the article for a complete list of protected freedoms.

Did your high school follow these freedoms?

Religious Expression and Prayer in Class Assignments

Students may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions. Such home and classroom work should be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance and against other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school. Thus, if a teacher's assignment involves writing a poem, the work of a student who submits a poem in the form of a prayer (for example, a psalm) should be judged on the basis of academic standards (such as literary quality) and neither penalized nor rewarded on account of its religious content.

Teachers, Administrators, and other School Employees

When acting in their official capacities as representatives of the state, teachers, school administrators, and other school employees are prohibited by the Establishment Clause from encouraging or discouraging prayer, and from actively participating in such activity with students. Teachers may, however, take part in religious activities where the overall context makes clear that they are not participating in their official capacities. Before school or during lunch, for example, teachers may meet with other teachers for prayer or Bible study to the same extent that they may engage in other conversation or nonreligious activities. Similarly, teachers may participate in their personal capacities in privately sponsored baccalaureate ceremonies.

Organized Prayer Groups and Activities

Students may organize prayer groups, religious clubs, and "see you at the pole" gatherings before school to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other non-curricular student activities groups. Such groups must be given the same access to school facilities for assembling as is given to other non-curricular groups, without discrimination because of the religious content of their expression. School authorities possess substantial discretion concerning whether to permit the use of school media for student advertising or announcements regarding non-curricular activities. However, where student groups that meet for nonreligious activities are permitted to advertise or announce their meetings—for example, by advertising in a student newspaper, making announcements on a student activities bulletin board or public address system, or handing out leaflets—school authorities may not discriminate against groups who meet to pray. School authorities may disclaim sponsorship of non-curricular groups and events, provided they administer such disclaimers in a manner that neither favors nor disfavors groups that meet to engage in prayer or religious speech.

Religious freedom in the Muslim world?




 

Response to Mosque near Ground Zero

What can President Obama say about the proposed Muslim mosque that would be built near Ground Zero? He's in a tough spot - he said in one speech that they should be free to worship anywhere to be consistent with American ideals, and then another day said that he didn't say it was wise to choose the plan the mosque where they did. Here is an interesting, short NPR clip about the debate and Obama's and Bush's reactions to the proposed mosque.

What would you say about this if you were the President?

Islam Combats "Defamation of Religion"

A group of 57 states with largely Islamic populations called The Organization of the Islamic Conference wants a resolution to be passed in the United Nations to condemn the "defamation of religions." Whose religion, though?

The resolution, called "On Combating Defamation of Religions" would prohibit self expression that insults or "defames" (a broad term) religion. The resolution is for their own favor, though, to make it legal to prosecute someone for insulting Islam. We've all seen these pictures, even on this blog. Isn't this a bit too radical? Not in many Islamic countries.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference wants to see this resolution pass not only for Islamic states, but globally. If this were ever to happen, anyone on the earth who blasphemed Islam could be punished. This could be used against almost anyone because the terms "blaspheme," "defame," and "insult" are quite broad. How are these accusations of defamation and their punishments going to be determined if there aren't any set regulations? It seems silly to even ask that when putting this law into effect would be blatantly be crossing human rights violations and freedom of expression.

The article from which I found this information was written by the Freedom House advocacy director. I think it is important that Freedom House is using it's platform and reliability to make issues like this known in the New York Times, which is read around the globe.

Government not surprised by Annual Report findings

On Egypt:

"The status of respect for religious freedom by the government remained poor, unchanged from the previous year. Members of non-Muslim religious minorities officially recognized by the government generally worship without harassment; however, Christians and members of the Baha'i Faith, which the government does not recognize, face personal and collective discrimination, especially in government employment and their ability to build, renovate, and repair places of worship.... Government authorities often refused to provide converts with new identity documents indicating their chosen faith. The government failed to prosecute perpetrators of violence against Coptic Christians in a number of cases.... [and] continued to contribute to a climate of impunity."

Taken from the US State Department's Annual International Religious Freedom Report. You can find the whole report here.

Like the girls said earlier in the blog, this came as a shock to me. How accurate do we think this is? Do you believe what it's telling us?

Argentina's Religious Freedom Day

November 25 was Argentina's Religious Freedom Day, a national holiday that began in 2004. It was decided to be on 11/25 because on 11/25/1981 the United Nations approved the "Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on religion or belief."

CALIR is the Argentine Council for Religious Freedom, whose objective is to promote religious freedom in all forms, individual or collective. CALIR is on the radar promoting freedom through communities and universities.

I think that it's important that CALIR uses a university platform to spread its message of religious freedom, because professors and academic authority are looked up to by many students and seen as progressive. It's also impressive that this day was publicized throughout the city of Buenos Aires, which shows that there is open communication about religious freedom in the country's capital. Religion is important in a cultural context in South America, so I would imagine that there are less cultural barriers to communicating about it. It would be interesting to see though, if this would stand for a very dissimilar religion to the area, such as Hinduism or Buddhism.

Giving Thanks

Today, I just want to take the opportunity to say how thankful I am for religious freedom. In the United States, I am free to worship God in public without harmful repercussions, and others may choose to worship as they wish as well.

The Hudson Institute advocates religious freedom as a component of U.S. foreign policy and believes in freedom to communicate those freedoms. The group mentions how "pivotal" it is to society, and how Thomas Jefferson and America's founders found it important enough to be dubbed the "first freedom."  I like how they've chosen to define religious freedom:

"Religious freedom has two dimensions. It belongs to individuals and also to religious groups. It includes a person's right to walk down the street wearing a cross, a yarmulke or a headscarf, or not to do so, and to express and live out one's beliefs in society. It also includes the rights of groups to worship God as they wish in community, to run schools, hospitals and other institutions, to publish and possess sacred literature, and order their internal affairs."

Let's count our blessings today-- Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Rally to Stop Abductions & Allow Religious Freedom in Japan

"Clergy, civil rights leaders and Japanese victims of religious freedom violations protest the Japanese government’s failure to protect the rights of minority religious believers." Photo taken from religousfreedom.com.

On Friday, demonstrators in Boston were invited to speak with the Deputy Consul General after protesting in ten cities across the U.S. The demonstrators want the Japanese government "to stop the abuse and discrimination of minority believers in that country." People who choose to practice minority religions have been abducted and abused in an attempt to force them to leave their religions, and this has been going on since 1966.

It's interesting to see how these demonstrators are using the United States as their marching ground for help in Japan and to freely communicate their religious needs. You can follow this issue at stopjapanabductions.org, and hopefully see how the Japanese Government will react to this cry for help.

Religious Freedom in Country X

This is my friend Josh, and he's going to talk about his experiences with religious freedom in an Asian country.

Blogging Bishops?

Tonight, Catholic Bishops in the United States were asked to spread their religious teachings to a new continent and culture-- the "digitalized continent."

At the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, a present Bishop stated that the content of their religious material does not have to change, but the way in which they are reaching out to people should change if they are to meet the social media generation's needs. But Bishops are timid about this method, because they don't know how to use social media. And because United States citizens have the freedom to post whatever they want on a blog, it may be hard to keep up with user comments.

I think it would be interesting to follow this breaking trend in religious communications and see if the Bishops actually begin blogging. What would you ask a Bishop blogger?

Freedom of Blogging...

If I blogged that...

I am God.

God says, smoke marijuana.

...What would happen?

Likely nothing. But in West Bank, that is not the case. Blogger Walid Husayin was arrested for the posts he placed on his blog and Facebook groups. He's an atheist, and some of his writings satirized the Koran. That was enough to get him imprisoned for heresy. He said the same things I said above, and his consequences were hardly small. Though he hasn't been charged yet, he is being detained for who knows how long.

This is a perfect example of the technological and governmental barriers that Palestine faces. Quite honestly, writing the above statements makes me feel like I should be a little wary. It's helping me realize how much freedom I have and how easily that freedom is taken away in certain countries around the world.

Religious Americans = Higher Well-Being

Americans who choose to practice some form of religion have higher rates of well-being than those who choose not to practice religion, according to this article discussing a recent Gallup poll.

The context of this study brought some questions to my mind:

- If this study was conducted in a country that's less tolerant of religious freedom or practices, would the same results be true?

- Would people feel more stress instead of well-being if they must practice their preferred religious beliefs in secret-- especially if they're going against their government's choice religion? Or would they still feel a sense of well-being because they are choosing to defy everything that's going against them to stay true to their beliefs, even if they must remain behind closed doors?

- Does the freedom Americans have to express and communicate their religion play a role in this heightened sense of well-being?

Westboro Baptist Church

Warning: this is a loaded post. I'll start with the Westboro Baptist Church. I'm not usually one to harp on my religious views. I don't mind talking about it, and I certainly don't mind justifying my views, but there is a time and place for these discussions. I do come from a Christian family--my dad's a minister at our local Presbyterian church. I've learned to accept different backgrounds and viewpoints as a Christian, but this is something I just can't seem to justify or accept.

The Westboro Baptist Church is an extremist church founded by Fred Phelps, who shows up and protests at soldiers' funerals with posters clad with sayings like "Thank God for Dead Soliders," and "Burn in Hell," and "God Hates Fags." So basically, while a family is praying at the gravesite and putting their son, daughter, sister, brother, father, or mother's casket into the ground, this church will attend and completely disrespect the family with protests in hope of "spreading God's message." Oh, and for the record, they believe that gays are responsible for all of the bad in the world.

Confused?

In a world of free speech and freedom of religion, it's a challenge to justify the hate this group projects upon the world with their "religion." Although the right of free speech is warranted, it's a struggle to watch these families literally go through Hell-- not only by the news of their loved one's death, but by not being able to appropriately grieve as each family should be entitled to do. It's an example how religion can be completely misconstrued and warped if given the opportunity.

Check out this video. It features 2 members of the Westboro Baptist Church after they got out of a court case dealing with a lawsuit from a soldier's family. For the record, their website is godhatesfags.com.

Brings up the question: does the right of freedom of speech justify the acts of this hate group?

China barring Christians from travel ---- what gives?

From the New York Times-

More than 100 Chinese Christians seeking to attend an international evangelical conference in South Africa have been barred from leaving the country, some in the group said, because their churches are not sanctioned by the state.

Organizers say that more than 4,000 Christians from around the world will discuss faith, poverty, the AIDS epidemic and other issues at the nine-day conference, which begins Saturday in Cape Town. But members of the Chinese delegation said that they could get no farther than the passport control at international airports in China before officials confiscated their documents.

“They said it is illegal to attend this conference, and they sent me home,” said Liu Guan, 36, a Protestant evangelical leader who tried to fly out of Capital International Airport in Beijing last Sunday. “The explanation was ‘for your own good.’ ”

Analysis- Really China?

The story goes on to say after these people were invited to the conference, the were pressured by the government not to go. On top of that, the ones that did try to attend had their passports confiscated at the airport and were sent home. After asking for letters on why they were taken, they received a short response.

They voluntarily gave them up.

All I can say is I am personally very happy I'm allowed to practice whatever religion I choose in the United States.

Determining religion as a reason to be prohibited from leaving the country is a complete joke. It's like saying if you like soccer, 'nope, sorry, you can't go see the World Cup.'

I know there's really nothing that can be done as it's a relatively small issue and if other countries were to get involved larger problems may present themselves.

That said, this is a travesty and the word should definitely get out about the situation.

Basically, Living in China + Practicing Christianity = Not allowed travel.

Fair? I think not.

-Tony

Michigan Woman Faces Civil Rights Complaint for Seeking a Christian Roommate



Fair Housing Center of West Michigan. Photo from Foxnews.com

 When I was driving down Park Ave. this week, I was shocked to hear this topic on the radio: a woman from Grand Rapids, MI has a civil rights case targeted at her for putting up an ad seeking a Christian roommate.

The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan filed the complaint, becauseThe Fair Housing Act "prevents people from publishing an advertisement stating their preference of religion, race or handicap with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling."

 All the ad said was "Christian roommate wanted," with the lady's housing information, and it is considered "illegal" because she used "Christian."

I find this case to be rather ridiculous. I've seen Christian roommate ads placed in several places around campus, and do not find it offensive. If someone wants to live with someone who has the same values, then they have the right to search for other Christians-- or Hindus, or Buddhists, or whatever other religion it may be. The attorney on the case argues that this is a violation of the First Amendment, and I would have to agree with him. We are in America, and are entitled to freedom of speech and press.

U.S. Fights for Islamic Rights

When I think of the United States, I think of it being the one place where freedom of speech and religion should be allowed. Yet lately, there have been many heated arguments over the Islamic faith after 9/11 events, like the right to build an Islamic worship center close to the site.

I just found this article about a Tennessee mosque that was vandalized during construction. The Department of Justice said "Islam is a religion and is entitled to freedom of expression." How can a supposedly free country like the U.S. renew people's rights to religious freedom at this time? Better communication about the Islamic faith may be necessary to alleviate people's fears and uncertainties, so that people who choose to practice this religion may do so freely.