Death by stoning

Allah is merciful! Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is not to be stoned to death, she is to be hanged instead! But stoning is stll allowed to carry on in the twenty-first century in the name of religion. The perpetrators of this barbarism show no mercy persecuting Christians as well as fellow Muslims and Jews even though we are all children of Abraham and worship the one God.

Iran is not the only country in which stoning takes place but victims have a chance to prove their innocence. If they are able to struggle free having been bound and buried to the waist, or the chest for women, they can go free. Not surprising, no-one has.

Two thousand years ago Jesus of Nazareth said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" John 8:7. Which would you choose? Islam or Christianity.

World Day against the Death Penalty is on Sunday 10 October 2010.

We were warned!

Back in 2008, the then Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, created a bit of a stir when he claimed that "Islamic extremists have created "no-go" zones across Britain where it is too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter". Some agreed while others differed to the point of rubbishing his remarks, most notably the Muslim Council of Britain. From the evidence presented in a recent French TV broadcast, Bishop Nazir-Ali was correct in his warning.

Although I am not familiar with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets itself, I have no reason to think that the programme was biased. Other media coverage, particularly of the Mayoral election process, highlights worrying influences. More information can easily be found on the internet, including a reference to "the loathsome Andrew Gilligan" indicating the amount of politicking involved there. Manipulation for political advantage aside, the more one reads, the uglier it looks with echoes of the reference to taqiyya in the video highlighted in my previous post.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, the only Asian bishop in the Church of England, warned in The Telegraph "that attempts are being made to give Britain an increasingly Islamic character by introducing the call to prayer and wider use of Sharia law, a legal system based on the Koran." Looking around I see plenty of evidence to support his view from the now familiar Muslim dress and occupation of redundant churches and chapels to the defence of their faith at the cost of others. Is that a sign of our religious tolerance or our complacency?

Link (Note the first comment). Link2 (Blog) Link3 (Video)

What the halal is going on here?

I am not a Daily Mail reader but I picked up this unsettling piece thanks to Cranmer (see Blog List). How many people in Great Britain, other than Muslims presumably, knew that we were eating meat slaughtered in the name of Allah, that is, animals having had their throats cut and left to bleed to death while ritual prayers are recited? I didn’t nor did many who have said they will vote with their feet and give New Zealand lamb a miss along with any other halal products they can identify. But the problem is identifying them. Even the apologists for political correctness must recognise that we have been victims of a subterfuge in the absence of proper labelling.

I suspect this revelation has been more of a shock to people than the frequent calls to sacrifice our Christian identity for inter-faith understanding. In our increasingly secular society the suggestion scarcely raises an eyebrow when we are told to celebrate CHRISTmas as a winter festival. That is hardly surprising when Christianity in schools has given way to all-faith teaching. That of course changes when the majority of children are Muslims. Christians who protest at the loss of our Christian identity are roundly condemned for their intolerance. It took Pope Benedict XVI during his recent visit to explain the dangers to Parliamentarians meeting in Westminster Hall that “There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none.”

Before the Pope’s visit I received a video clip Three things about Islam which confirmed my impression that inter-faith understanding was a one-way traffic so far as Islam is concerned. Christianity preaches love and forgiveness so when told that Islam is a religion of peace we accept that ‘assurance’ from a Christian perspective. Watching the video shows that view to be seriouly mistaken. Conscious of the dangers of accepting one piece of evidence as ‘gospel’, the friend who sent me the link had spoken with ex-Muslim contacts who confirmed the veracity of the views expressed in the video. Islam's idea of peace is 'peace' under Sharia law which would then dominate our lives. Freedom of expression would be what was permitted under the Koran.

Like most Christians I let the matter rest but after reading the Mail Online article and more unsettling reports of Sharia law ideas of justice, I viewed the video again. Looking for further evidence I have watched reports of children being executed, some for so called homosexuality, one at the age of nine, stoning people to death on trumped up charges and more, all in the name of religion but the most alarming video confirms what is said in Three things about Islam can be viewed it HERE. If you need more click here.

Pass this message to other Christians with the warning of the fate that befalls us if we allow others to impose their will. Spread the Word.

POSTSCRIPT

In the soup:

"As part of Campbell Canada's commitment to diversity and extraordinary, authentic nourishment for all, our selection of Halal-certified products are here to help you meet your Islamic dietary requirements." - Another small step!

But at least one step in the right direction. We must stand up for what we believe, Muslims do.

All roads lead to Rome – except the Anglican one!

What price unity?

It must now be clear to everyone but the blinkered that the wider Catholic and Eastern churches regard the Church of England as in error. The ambitions of a few frustrated women who have ignored Christ’s prayer that we all may be one have put self above church wrecking the possibility of unity which Christianity yearns for, aided by the Church of England hierarchy.

Before the Synod vote to allow women to enter the Episcopate, many women protested that failure to grant the demands of WATCH would lead to a mass exodus to other churches. What price loyalty? Their secular regard for equal opportunities clearly means much more to them than sacramental assurance.

Some Anglo-Catholics are already in the lifeboats hoping for a safe arrival in their promised land but while details are awaited, squabbling has broken out between different factions. Apart from being unchristian further fractures could have serious repercussions with secular indifference and the threat to religious freedom posed by the spread of Islam.

‘United we stand, divided we fall’ could never be more apt. Anyone involved in the Synodical process should remember that.

Just as I am?

The euphoria of Pope Benedict’s visit is waning but thanks to the internet it is possible to recapture the historic moments of when “Heart speaks unto heart”. After a number of viewings I am still unable to watch the Holy Father entering Westminster Cathedral at the start of the Papal Mass without a tear in my eye. The processional music enthusiastically suggested the Lord’s coming. It was probably the grandest celebration of the Mass I shall ever witness yet essentially it was the same Mass that I attend as an Anglican but in a far simpler form. That is as far as it goes. What to outsiders we may appear to share actually divides us. To participate fully I have to cross the Tiber but I cannot do that just as I am. Despite attending Mass in the Anglican Church more frequently than many cradle Catholics attend theirs I am not allowed to receive the ‘one bread’ that should unite us. My sacramental life means nothing to Rome so I leave my faith in the hands of God through the Anglo Catholic Church. Could this now change?

The prospect of full church unity has faded into the distance following the breakaway decision of the Anglican Church to ordain women. The Ordinariate offers the opportunity for a degree of unity that Anglo Catholics could only have dreamt of a short while ago. But how difficult will the journey be? Personal circumstances and problems with accepting the full teaching of the Catholic Church will almost certainly mean that the Ordinariate is not an option for many. Some will be tempted to bluff their way through. Clearly not all Catholics follow the teaching of their church and there are those who advocate a ‘fingers crossed’ approach. On the one hand I find that hypocritical but on the other one would be entering a church harbouring many shades of opinion but less tolerant of expression. Perhaps a cynic would say you can get over that hurdle in the confessional.

The Blogsphere has seen much praise and enthusiasm for the Pope’s offer but as yet there has been no detail. Despite this, those who hesitate are pilloried along with catholic bishops who are working for a solution within Anglicanism, even if it is on a temporary basis. The fat lady may have sung, indeed she may continue to sing, but some of us don’t recognise the tune. Who in their right mind in any other walk of life would enter into an arrangement without sufficient information to make a rational judgement?

I pray that the Ordinariate fulfils expectations and that due respect is paid to the integrity of worshippers who ultimately answer to God for their actions. Rome has much in its past to be sorry for. A new beginning would be a fitting resolution to the message “Heart speaks unto heart” but at the end of the day, which ever altar we approach it must be with a clear conscience that we say “O lamb of God, I come”.

For your prayers...

With elections to Synod getting under-way, we need to hold candidates and electors in our prayers. This is the last chance to right the wrongs of the last Synod and undo the shameful treatment of loyal, orthodox Anglicans. So appalled were our Archbishops at the mistreatment of 'traditionalists' that they put their authority on the line by putting down an amendment that was rejected by the very people the church has done most to help; a sign of things to come unless the secular feminist band-wagon is stopped before it is too late. Many former members must be saddened to have played the feminist tune orchestrated by the bitter women of WATCH who are unable or unwilling to discern Christ's example.

For some orthodox Anglicans it is already too late and they eagerly look forward to the promised land of the Ordinariate. For others it is too difficult or, perhaps through unfortunate circumstances, not an option. For these, and simply for the integrity of the Church of England, provision must be made as promised. Much has made of the role of the Holy Spirit when it suits advocates of the ordination of women. If God helps those who help themselves, some have helped themselves to the detriment of others, contrary to the principles of what they are supposed to stand for.

So now is the time for action. Anyone involved in the Synodical process, must make sure that the 'traditionalist' cause is not lost to the enduring shame on the Church of England.

How is it for you?

Frankly, appalling. 'NICE' teachers calling for pregnancy clinics in schools must live in a world of their own. Do they know nothing of the shortage of midwives scandal endangering the lives of babies resulting from wanted pregnancies.

Granted mothers are mothers and babies are babies deserving the best of attention but 'school midwives' simply sends the wrong message normalising teenage pregnancies to say nothing of scarce resources. If schools are about learning, what are they teaching? I remember my wife picking up a copy of Cosmopolitan which our then teenage daughter brought home from school and was horrified to see 'the position of the month' illustrated as a regular item. The publishers must have realised that young, impressionable girls would be reading their magazine. Now everything is sexualised, even school uniforms. The girls of St Trinian's appeared to be outrageously comic when school girls wore the normal regulation skirts 4" above the knee when kneeling. Now many look as though they have come off the St Trinian's set. How long before sex counsellors join the staff?