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Showing posts with label Lent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lent. Show all posts

Friday, 1 March 2024

Remembering the persecuted during Lent


 


More:

Remembering the persecuted during Lent

Burkina Faso, attack in a Catholic church during Mass, at least 15 dead

The Genocide of 'The Sunday People': 365000000 Christians Persecuted Worldwide

Why is Christian persecution often met with indifference?

Please don’t forget about Palestinian Christians like me

Why is Christian persecution often met with indifference?

Behind a Media Wall of Silence

Muslims are killing Christians in Nigeria. The media couldn’t care less

Christian Communities Facing Increased Persecution in 2024

700 percent rise in church attacks, closures noted in 2024 World Watch List

One in seven Christians worldwide face persecution and discrimination for their faith

The 50 countries where it is hardest to follow Jesus in 2024


Postscripts 

[03.03.2024]

Islamic extremists targeting women, teens for radicalization, Indonesia counter-terrorism group warns

[04.03.2024]

Reported on X (formerly Twitter):

Anger directed at Palestinians who have damaged aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile in Great Britain: "Millions of brave servicemen have fought for our freedom under the British flag. Now, those same men are being cautioned by the police for holding up that flag." https://twitter.com/SamanthaTaghoy/status/1764209088626373101

The bravery of the few is to be admired: 
The old European patriot has had enough and explains it to them clearly.

[05.03.2024]

More reported on X (formerly Twitter):

"Militant islamists are forcibly converting Christians in Amhara, Ethiopia. Those that don't convert are raped or murdered, or both." https://twitter.com/alfred_cabonena/status/1764894275181973741

‘It’s estimated 50-60% of mosques in the UK have been covertly funded by Saudi to preach extreme [ideology]’

There is not a SINGLE church in Saudi Arabia. Christianity is banned.
Meanwhile, there are over 1,500 mosques in Britain. 
https://twitter.com/GoldingBF/status/1764957864446066822

[06.03.2024]

Dozens of displaced people are feared to have been abducted by Boko Haram jihadists in north-eastern Nigeria  

[07.03.2024]

Kuriga kidnap: More than 100 Nigerian pupils abducted

[08.03.2024]

Adviser warns London a 'no-go zone for Jews every weekend'

[09.03.2024]

From X (formerly Twitter) yesterday:

Rights of non Muslims : When Islam gets into power. Taught in UK and Ireland Mosques

Muslim Imam in UK: "We must unite and create a political system within the nations through Islam."

Manchester. A powerhouse town of the industrial revolution. Now resembles a Taliban caliphate.

Bradford. Is this what our war heroes fought for?

Berlin Lisbon Italy Pakistan

Italian diocese urges Catholics to join Muslims for prayers and meals in Ramadan

[10.03.2024]

More from 'X'

In Sadiq Khan's London there are around 500 mosques, why do they pray in the streets? What message do they want to communicate?

Nigel Farage: "We are surrendering the streets."

Police arrest ANTI HAMAS demonstrator!!

Happy International Women’s Day from London

Nigeria: Fulani Islamic militants opened fire and killed several Christians

[11.03.2024]

Latest from 'X'

When did this become acceptable in our country

Metropolitan police officers shove and harass a Jewish man holding a ‘For Israel Against Antisemitism’ sign. 

"There is only one solution - intifada revolution" - being chanted on the streets of London today.

But vote fishing continues - Prime Minister:
"Ramadan Mubarak to everyone observing the holy month of #Ramadan"

And this from the Archbishop of Canterbury who appears to care not one jot for the Great Commission or for the fate of infidels refusing to pay the jizya in Muslim dominated countries:

God help us all!

[12.03.2024]

While the Prime Minister continues fishing for Muslim votes with a £117 MILLION MUSLIM PROTECTION FUND, in the north of Nigeria even more Christians have been slaughtered by Boko Haram Muslims

Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Pot, kettle and black

Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.
Turn from sin and be faithful to Christ. Souce: Twitter

Pot, kettle and black were three words that sprang immediately to mind on reading this tweet from the archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Andrew John.

"Turn from sin and be faithful to Christ"!


The archbishop cannot be unaware of the reaction of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) to the Church of England's decision to follow the Church in Wales and allow clergy to bless couples in same-sex marriages "contrary to the faith and order of the orthodox provinces of the communion whose people constitute the majority in the global flock." 

If the bishops of the Church in Wales were to take their archbishop's advice, that would indeed be a significant start to Lent. 

Tuesday, 28 April 2020

Christian leaders endorse Islam


Religious and civic leaders, interfaith Itfa, St John's Wood Synagogue, 2018    Source: Church Times 

Acting LibDem Leader Sir Ed Davey appeared on Twitter a few days ago announcing that he was preparing for his first ever fast in the holy month of Ramadan prompting Adrian Hilton (AKA Archbishop Cranmer) to respond:

"Forgive me, I'm curious. Did you fast during #Lent? I'll understand if you did but didn't signal it. But did you tweet about fasting or #HolyWeek? Did you express empathy with Christians in isolation over Easter, the holiest time in the liturgical year?

Along with other religious leaders the Archbishop of Canterbury has made a habit of identifying with Ramadan, eg, here and here. In this year's excruciating contribution here Archbishop Justin Welby implies that all religions are the same with some differences in theology but the god of Islam who demands submission could not be more different to the Christian God who sent His Son into the world for our salvation.

For years the BBC have been squeezing Christianity. This year they have been broadcasting the Islamic call to prayer, the adhan, prayed in Arabic:

Allah is greater (Allahu akbar); intoned four times.
I testify that there is no God but Allah (Ashhadu anna la ila ill Allah); intoned twice.
I testify that Mohammed is Allah’s Prophet (Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah); intoned twice.
Come to prayer (Hayya alas salah); intoned twice.
Come to security/salvation (Hayya alal falah); intoned twice.
Allah is greater (Allahu akbar); intoned twice.
There is no God but Allah (La ilah ill Allah); intoned once.

Dr. Gavin Ashenden, a former Chaplain to the HM the Queen, resigned his position in protest against a Qur’an reading in a Scottish church. In response to the BBC's decision he observed in Frontpage Mag, “the Muslim call to prayer is a dramatic piece of Islamic triumphalism. It proclaims Islam’s superiority over all other religions, and in so doing casts Jesus in the role of a charlatan and a liar. The Muslim god, Allah, is unknowable and has no son. Jesus was, therefore, a fraud in claiming He and the Father are one.

"Is the BBC, the government-funded broadcasting agency of an ostensibly Christian land, really wise to broadcast a declaration of the superiority of another faith, one that directs its adherents to make war against Christians and subjugate them as inferiors under the hegemony of believers (cf. Qur’an 9:29)? Is the BBC wise to broadcast the cry “Allahu akbar,” beloved of jihad terrorists the world over?"

Nobody is suggesting that all Muslims are evil but people quickly forget the victims of a political ideology that seeks to subjugate others.

In Germany the trial has begun of a 27-year-old Iraqi national, charged with membership in a foreign terrorist organization, crimes against humanity, human trafficking, and war crimes, including the murder of a five-year-old Yazidi girl.

According to the indictment, in the summer of 2015, Taha A. J. “purchased” and enslaved a five-year-old Yazidi girl and her mother, and he and his wife held them captive at their residence in Fallujah, Iraq, where they forcibly converted them to Islam. Taha A. J. beat the captives and one day chained the child outdoors, leaving her to die of thirst in scorching temperatures."

There is hope. In another story of "God at work around the world", this time from a man who grew up Muslim having memorized the majority of the Qur’an. He was warned by his grandmother to “Watch out for the infidels, and don’t befriend or associate with them; they are a disease on society.”

He started reading the New Testament and fell in love with the character of Jesus. Within months he had read the Bible in its entirety. When his Muslim family found out that he had become a Christian his uncle called him with a warning: “Gather your family, pack your bags, and move out of the house because your grandfather is going to terrorist groups, and if they find you, they will kill every single person in the house.”

Today, he works for a ministry that "shares God’s love with Muslims, presenting Christ in a way that connects with their cultural background and speaks to their interest in themes of shame and honor."

Our Christian leaders would do well to remember that "No-one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6)

Postscripts

[03.05.2020]

VATICAN URGES CATHOLICS TO SHARE RAMADAN

Throwing in the towel!

[06.05.202]

Food aid in exchange for converting to Islam: violence against the poor, in times of pandemic

Saturday, 16 February 2019

Bendable figures to replace Compostela 'pilgrims'


This photo of Hospederia San Martin Pinario is courtesy of TripAdvisor


The Church in Wales Lent course has details on page 13 on how to make a Pipe-Cleaner Person from a 12 inch pipe cleaner. Clear instructions are available at How to Make Bendable Figures Using Pipe Cleaners.

The course booklet suggests that if one Pipe-Cleaner Person is made each week through Lent, it can become a ‘symbol’ of "how we would like to become a more generous people, how we would like to become more generous stewards of God’s creation, and how we seek to welcome others into our churches with a generosity of heart and spirit."

A generous welcome is constantly extended to allegedly 'marginalised' people, especially lesbian, bisexual, gay and transexual (LGBT) people which is somewhat of a puzzle since they have been happily worshipping with the rest of us for as long as I can recall.

By comparison any whiff of orthodoxy has become as welcome in many churches as something stepped in before entering.

The Bible teaches that Marriage is sacred. If same sex marriage is permitted contrary to the official teaching of the Church in Wales as has been suggested by the Bishop of Bangor, a significant hurdle for LGBT people will be overcome leaving only a few inconvenient verses of Scripture to be revised or ignored as has become the custom of those who matter in the Church in Wales.

I have heard it suggested that generous stewards sitting in the pews who follow the Lent course could make pipe cleaner priests to substitute for their own clergy when they are away on June’s Santiago de Compostela jolly.

The bishop of Llandaff's generosity has been the focus of much attention in her desire to "train and equip priests to teach and lead pilgrimage in their own communities", something that could easily be achieved at minimal expense in the diocese of Llandaff drawing on the experience of clergy already well versed in leading pilgrimages.

Chartering an aircraft to fly all Llandaff's clergy to Santiago de Compostela is even more surprising since it is been reported that the Cathedral, the destination for Camino pilgrims, has been undergoing extensive renovations resulting in limited access and the suspension of the pilgrims' mass which may have been one of the few attractions of this compulsory jolly.

With no Camino walk and the main attraction in Santiago de Compostela closed for renovation, a few slides in a more accessible local venue should suffice instead of transporting all the diocesan clergy to Hospederia de San Martin de Pinario but that would lack the grandeur of a clergy school befitting the new breed of managers masquerading as bishops in the Church in Wales.

Might one suggest that a suitable posture for Lent bendable figures would be kneeling in prayer that the Church in Wales returns to orthodoxy before she fades into a distant memory of former glory.

Friday, 8 February 2019

Generosity, inheritance and openness


New Archbishop of Wales John Davies after his election in 2017                                                                                                                Source: Church in Wales


The maxim Actions speak louder than words is not one that can be readily associated with the Church in Wales when observing the actions of its bench of bishops.

A recent Provincial press release advised readers: Archbishop endorses new Lent course, Generosity and the inheritance of Lent.

The course is designed to encourage participants to share their stories and thoughts on generosity and inheritance in relation to a number of different topics including the environment, the economy, justice and peace, openness to others and neighbourhood. [My emphasis - Ed.]

There was no openness about the bishop of Monmouth's absence from duty until his absence was picked up by the media. Seven months later the bishop of Bangor is rumoured to be overseeing events in Monmouth but there has been no official statement other than that mediation is taking place.

In the real world that is mushroom management: keep in the dark and shovel in manure when necessary.

Contempt for the faithful runs deep. The Bench uses loaded questions and farcical consultations to get their way while claiming democratic decision making by the Governing Body. No generosity has been shown to orthodox Anglicans dismayed that faith handed down from the Apostles has been set aside to satisfy secular whims. 

Although Governing Body rejected same sex marriage proposals favoured by the Bench the bishop of Bangor has issued an Episcopal Letter, presumably with the blessing of his colleagues, which again comes out in favour of same sex marriage even after admitting it would be contrary to scripture.

Bishop Andy's proposals have been firmly rejected by Dr Martin Davie, a leading Anglican theologian who served until recently as theological adviser to the Church of England’s House of Bishops.

As for inheritance, scripture and tradition have been rejected in favour of  moving with the times. The bishop of Bangor ends his letter with: "This debate cannot be ignored but neither can it take place without wisdom, generosity and grace."

There is no wisdom in extending generosity to other faiths and none when Christianity is under threat. A member of the House of Lords has expressed fears that telling other people about the Christian faith could soon become a crime. Also, it is beyond reason when the traditional family comes under threat not only for our children but for the continuity of church life.

Speaking after his enthronement archbishop Davies said that he wanted to "refresh" the Church in Wales. "It is not business as usual", he said. 'Refresh' has been "more of the same - but speedier".

On the heels of so-called gender equality promotion came the LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy in St Asaph followed by the first transgender priest. Meanwhile the Bench have renewed their push for same sex marriage.

First impressions given by the newly appointed women bishops in the Church in Wales were that the main thrust of their ministries was the advancement of the LGBT aganda - see Barry's gay legacy. We have since had ageism and misandry in St Davids and profligacy in Llandaff.

In Monmouth there has been rumour and speculation. The latest twist is the rumour that the bishop of Bangor has been given oversight of Monmouth. Interestingly the Rev Caroline John has been employed as a hospital chaplain by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in jolly June's diocese.

If the bishop of Bangor were to be translated to Monmouth it would leave open the way to amalgamate Bangor with St Asaph, one of the few recommendations of the Harries Review [Section 15] which has yet to receive attention.

As the next senior bishop to the Archbishop and ten years younger, if Buggins turn comes around bishop Andy would be well placed to become the 14th Archbishop of Wales.

Thursday, 11 February 2016

Welby's view


Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby                                        Source: Reuters

"In Muslim countries, Archbishop Welby said, ‘it is often pointed out to me that only one Muslim country was not colonised by Western powers in the 19th century: Saudi Arabia. By 1920, the world’s principal ruler of Muslims was King George V.’ The Archbishop added that western attitudes to the Prophet Mohammed and ‘the media perception of the Muslim community’ were ‘often mentioned to me with savage and bitter anger’."

Perhaps if Muslims had confined their activities to Saudi Arabia instead of seeking to convert mankind to Islam the world would not have been fighting against colonisation for 1400 years.

Christians were living peacefully in the so called Muslim lands well before Islam came on the scene. Of course the Muslim community shows savage and bitter anger against Western attitudes because they believe that they are above objective scrutiny.

While Christians journey through Lent to prepare for the Resurrection, Muslims confidently claim that Christ did not die on the Cross and even that Jesus was a Muslim.

Should we agree with that too, wiping out 2,000 years of hope through Christianity?

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Will it be a Halal Easter?


Credit: Silversurfers

The season of Lent has not begun but supermarkets have long been gearing up for their Easter bonanza. True observance of this major Christian festival has long since been forgotten as dwindling congregations testify.

Hot-cross buns have been on the shelves for weeks while other items associated with Easter such as Cadbury creme eggs are a constant presence in many stores. The few children who still attend Sunday School may be looking forward to the prospect of receiving an extra special treat, an Easter egg, the symbol of new life.

It is indeed a new life for Cadbury creme eggs. The wrapper may look the same but that is as far as it goes. The recipe has been changed and you now get five for the price of six. Story here. But that is not all. The wrapper conceals the complete and utter contradiction between Islam and Christianity.

The long list of Cadbury halal products (here) includes a range of  "Seasonal (Easter and Christmas)" products. Easter and Christmas are the major Christian festivals which are no-go areas for devout Muslims. A Muslim may not exchange a Christmas greeting because it would acknowledge that "God was born on 25 December, the most evil of shirk" (idolatry). Not only is the Resurrection denied in Islam but so is the death of Jesus on the Cross.

We are no longer surprised by the actions of money-grabbing multi-national companies and their broken promises as they take their pieces of silver, regardless of the sensitivities of non-Muslims but I hope people will also surprise them by boycotting products containing any ingredients obtained from ritual slaughter. Halal slaughter must be performed by a Muslim after invoking the name of Allah in a similar way to Islamists slaughtering non-Muslims in the name of Allah if they don't convert or pay the jizya, accepting subjection as the price of being spared.

The non-labeling of halal products is a deception too far, adding to the impression that only Islam is regarded as sacred. The recent report that a grandfather's body may be exhumed in a multi-faith cemetery after relatives of a Muslim buried next to him complained that the Roman Catholic was an unbeliever serves to emphasize the point. Current reports suggest that the request has been rejected but this episode is an uncomfortable reminder of the plan to dig up 350,000 bodies in the historic London cemetery of Tower Hamlets to provide a mainly Muslim burial site. The Council's environment spokesman said: "To preserve the respect and dignity for everyone, I think most of the graves would have to be cleared out and we'd start afresh. Officially it would be known as a "multi-faith" cemetery but it is likely that it would principally answer calls for a Muslim graveyard in the largely-Asian East London borough."

Tower Hamlets council displayed their moral bankruptcy in 2011 when they were prepared to allow banquets to be staged in the Merchant Navy Memorial gardens which are dedicated to the thousands of mariners who died during the two world wars and the Falklands. Alcohol was to be sold from 11 am until midnight, yet another Islamic contradiction if ever there was one. The Mayor, Lutfur Rahman subsequently used his 'executive powers' to stop the event taking place after the furore the plan created.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Islam receives deference way beyond the number of Muslims as a percentage of the population and that specific areas have become Islamised. It has been claimed in the High Court that supporters backing Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman told people to vote for him because his party were "Muslim people", and that activists for Mr Rahman's party, Tower Hamlets First, handed out curry to voters from the backs of cars outside polling stations. Expert evidence has been presented to the Court suggesting that one in four postal ballots cast in the re-election of Mayor Lutfur Rahman in one ward in Tower Hamlets were completed by the same person.

To these 'isolated' incidents we should add the 'Trojan Horse' campaign to impose 'faith-based' ideology in Birmingham schools and the revolting child abuse by 'Asian heritage' men in Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and elsewhere. It was claimed in 2013 that "Nowadays jails are run mostly by Muslims". The supporting figures showed that the rate of increase of Muslim inmates in British prisons is "eight times faster than that of the overall prison population, and the numbers show a clear over representation of Muslim convicts: Muslims, who make up roughly 5% of the British population as a whole, now make up 13% of the British prison population (compared to just 6% in 1997)". The Report goes on:

"Prisoners told the researchers that they had felt overwhelming pressure to convert. In some instances, they said, Muslim inmates had left Islamic literature in their cells and ordered them to 'read this'. In other instances, inmates were promised that if they converted to Islam, they would be safe from physical assault." Non-Muslims and prison officers inside Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire where '39% of the prisoners are Muslims' described Islam as an 'organized gang' and a 'protection racket', which "glorified terrorist behavior and exploited the fear related to it."

The latest report shows that the Muslim population in England and Wales has nearly doubled in 10 years. "In 2011, 2.71 million Muslims lived in England and Wales, compared with 1.55 million in 2001. There were also 77,000 Muslims in Scotland and 3,800 in Northern Ireland". Responding to the report, the atheist deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said: "I believe that every person, whatever their background and circumstances, should have an equal chance to thrive". Like many other political and well meaning religious leaders he is deluded. Islam means 'to submit' or 'give in' or 'surrender'. Our democracy is being used against us to that end. Evidence abounds on the placards used in Islamist demonstrations and is clearly voiced here.

A couple of days ago I read an interesting article by Ruth Gledhill titled the Future of religion in Britain is Islam and black majority churches. According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics 80 per cent of Muslims actively practised their religion, the highest proportion of those with a religion, compared with just 32 per cent of Christians who said they "actively practised" their religion. According to Professor David Voas who specialises in population studies at Essex University, statistics show that Islam and newer forms of Christianity are overhauling the Church of England as white Britons lose their taste for worship. Is this the key?

Islam has been allowed to expand unhindered in Britain while Christianity is being obliterated in ancient Christian lands such as Syria and Iraq to name but two. Criticism or even comment is met with accusations of racism and Islamophobia but we are failing in our duty if we keep silent. Christians were warned, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves". Proselytising is seen largely as a one way activity converting non-Muslims to Islam be fair means of foul. This must change. There is only one Way. It is not Christians who are the 'unbelievers'. The Muslim world is being reached here. We need to do more.

A halal Easter is an utter contradiction. No sacrifice is required after Christ's death on the Cross. If Muslims understood that we would all be spared the slaughter going on around us today in the name of Islam.

Looking forward to Easter, remember the Lamb - or the turkey. If it is halal, reject it. It is easy to be fooled by the wrapper. What you see on the outside may hide sinister ingredients on the inside. Be aware, keep the faith and above all, help others to see the Light.

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Lent: Always we begin anew


Photo credit Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk

"So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." Daniel 9:3


Anglicans who regard themselves as 'Catholic and Reformed' face a new dilemma this Lent now that the Anglican Church which provided the middle way for them declared itself to be hell-bent on reducing the once great Established Church of England to the status of a protestant sect on the wane. 


John Henry Newman was a committed Anglican who made a conscious decision to leave the Church of England and tread a new path to spiritual fulfilment. Today, for many cradle Anglo Catholics, the way is not so clear cut after finding that their church has left them, creating a sense of abandonment

The Personal Ordinariate launched under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman is the obvious starting point for those seeking a new spiritual home in the Apostolic Church. For Anglo Catholics able and willing to make the journey, this 
Lent will have an added poignancy as they strive to reconcile their 'reformed' beliefs with the demands that separate them from their Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. Failure to do so will leave them effectively un-churched. 

Thursday, 17 March 2011

Thought for Lent (2)




"Have faith, and let faith be your guide."

Pope Benedict XVI
JESUS of  NAZARETH

Thursday, 10 March 2011

Into Lent



For many Christians Lent begins with the sign of the cross, in ashes, generally on the forehead. Less fortunate Christians around the world from Ethiopia to the Philippines have ashes all around them, their churches burned to the ground often with mosques built on the hallowed ground. There is a good review of the situation here.


I reflected on the horrors being inflicted on fellow Christians after the penitential rite when the celebrant read the commandment:


I am the Lord your God:
You shall have no other gods but me.
You shall love the Lord your God
With all you heart,
With all your soul,
With all your mind,
And with all your strength.

How can the perpetrators of these crimes believe in one God, the God of Abraham? There is a useful explanation in this analysis. So why are we forced to support the implied legitimacy of another god by being surreptitiously sold halal food, even to Church of England schools? The barnabasfund is taking up this fight through its Operation Nehemiah

Christians can make their mark to assert that there is no other god by signing this petition

Keep the faith, spread the Word and have a good Lent.