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V České republice si léta atheismu vybírají svou daň a země zůstává jedním z míst na světě, kde je vůči evangeliu kladen největší odpor. Raketový nárůst alkoholismu, drog a nedostatek morálních hodnot nutí vládu, aby se obrátila ke křesťanům o pomoc. Rody Rodeheaver z IN Network vysvětluje, „Vidí populaci mladých lidí, která je zcela nezvládnutelná. Na straně školského systému je zřejmá snaha s tím něco udělat. Nevědí však zcela jasně, jak by měli vyučovat etiku, protože sami se na tomto poli nevzdělávali.“ Rodeheaver pokračuje, „Máme ze strany škol povoleno hovořit o křesťanských hodnotách. Samozřejmě není možné přímo hlásat evangelium, ale je úžasné, že když jednou začneme hovořit o těchto hodnotách, mladí lidé začnou klást otázky a pak už není dlouhá cesta k samotnému duchovnímu zdroji těchto hodnot.“ IN v České republice organizuje projekt nazvaný „Oslovení mládeže“, který sestává ze seminářů pro studenty ve věku od 14 do 18 let. (Mission Network News) |
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HUNDREDS DEAD AS RETALIATION RIOTS ESCALATE IN NIGERIA
Christian leaders said 500-600 people were killed by Muslims in the northern
Nigerian city of Kano in two days of rioting this week to avenge the slaying
of hundreds of Muslims. The riot erupted after hundreds of Muslims were
killed by Christians 10 days ago in the remote farming town of Yelwa, in
central Nigeria. Rival tribes of Christians and Muslims have been fighting
retaliatory battles for control of the fertile farmland in Plateau state for
three months. The scale of the conflict escalated last week when heavily
armed Christians, who are in a majority in Plateau state, invaded Yelwa.
Local Muslim leaders said they buried 630 bodies after the attack, but
police spoke only of hundreds dead. Reverend Andrew Ubah, general secretary
of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kano, said on Thursday that he
had records of almost 600 killed in three days of riots, many times more
than the official police toll of 30. "Almost 600 people have been killed and
12 churches burned," Ubah told Reuters, adding he was keeping a tally based
on information from priests across Nigeria's second-largest city. Witnesses
spoke of gangs of Muslim youths armed with cutlasses and clubs hacking
Christians and other outsiders to death. The violence subsided in many
districts on Thursday although police barred access to suburbs where
fighting was still raging. A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been in force since
Tuesday and authorities barred media access to hospitals and mortuaries.
(WWRN/ Reuters)
MUSLIM CLERIC HELPS JAILED PASTOR GET MEDICAL TREATMENT
An Indonesian church leader wrongly convicted of possession of firearms and
imprisoned in Palu, Sulawesi, has been allowed to go to Jakarta for medical
treatment due to the intervention of a Muslim cleric. Local Christians say
Rinaldy Damanik was wrongly convicted of possession of firearms on June 16,
2003. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment, due to end in Sept.
2005. He has been an outspoken critic of the police's handling of the
anti-Christian violence, which many believe to be the real reason for his
arrest. On April 12, he became extremely ill, frequently collapsing with a
high fever. At first, the authorities would not let him leave Palu for the
necessary treatment. However, after the amazing and unexpected intervention
of a senior Muslim cleric, officials finally let him and his entourage
travel to Jakarta on May 4, accompanied by two prison guards and two
policemen. Some months ago, the cleric had a vision during prayer that he
was to visit Rinaldy in prison. Since then, Ustadz Idrus Alhabsy, who
appealed on Damanik's behalf, has been impressed by Rinaldy's life and
words. Recently, he became infuriated when he read in the newspapers about
how Rinaldy was being treated and how he would die if he did not receive
medical treatment. Alhabsy showed great compassion and courage of conviction
when he went to the prison to confront the authorities, tearfully pleading
for Damanik's release. (Barnabas Fund)
PASTOR'S HOME ATTACKED; CHURCH BUILDING DESTROYED IN SRI LANKA
An independent evangelical church in Badulla, Sri Lanka, was accused by the
chief Buddhist monk of unauthorized building, despite a building permit the
pastor had obtained in 2003. According to a May 3 report from the National
Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, the monk filed a complaint with the
Badulla police on April 29. That night, an unidentified group attempted to
break down the doors of the pastor's house. When they were unable to do so,
they began to throw kerosene on the house to burn it down with the pastor
and his family inside. When neighbors shouted at them, the attackers left
and destroyed the temporary structure used to conduct services. They also
pulled down the concrete pillars for the new structure being built. A
complaint has been made to the police but there has been no investigation to
this point. (Voice of the Martyrs)
ELECTION UPSET OUSTS RADICAL HINDU RULE IN INDIA
According to reports, India's ruling political party has conceded defeat in
national elections. Unofficial returns show a political upset for Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as millions of rural poor people shift
support to the Congress Party of Sonia Gandhi. John DeVries, of Mission
India, says the election results were totally unexpected. "What that means
is that the BJP Party, which had turned a blind eye to the persecution in
India of Christians, now has been replaced by the party of Mahatma Gandhi
really, [who] preached tolerance for all religions and human rights for all
religions. It's an incredible reversal." Many had predicted a landslide
victory for the ruling party. DeVries believes the Dalit's rejection of
Hinduism had much to do with the election. "The Dalits," he explains, "are
waking up to the fact that they are under privileged. That this is no longer
to be covered up with some religious reason, that they are human beings with
equal rights like everybody else, and they said enough is enough." DeVries
warns that while the BJP is not in leadership, militants are still active
and continue to pose a threat, but, "I would certainly expect that within
the next 12 months that human right[s] would be guaranteed much more
strongly than what they've been, but I would not expect overnight that
suddenly thing will be totally different." (Mission Network News)
YEARS OF ATHEISM TAKE TOLL ON CZECH REPUBLIC.
Years of atheism have taken their toll in the Czech Republic, and though it
remains one of the most resistant places to the gospel in the world,
skyrocketing alcohol and drug abuse, along with a lack of moral guidance has
forced the government to turn to Christians for help. IN Network's Rody
Rodeheaver explained, "They are seeing a population of young people somewhat
out of control. There's a real desire on the part of the school system to
try to do something about it. But, they're really not quite sure how to
teach ethics because that was never a part of their teacher training."
Rodeheaver continued, "We're allowed by the school to speak from a platform
of Christian values. They can't directly share the gospel obviously, but the
exciting thing is once you lay some of these values out there and allow
young people to ask questions, it doesn't take them long to get to the
spiritual base of these values." The main ministry of IN-Czech Republic is
the project called "Youth Outreach," carried out in the form of lectures for
students between the ages of 14 and 18. (Mission Network News)
U.S. HOUSE URGES VIETNAM TO RELEASE CATHOLIC PRIEST
In a nonbinding resolution Wednesday, the U.S House of Representatives urged
Vietnam to immediately release a Roman Catholic priest who was detained
three years ago after writing a report describing the lack of religious
freedom in the country. The resolution, passed 424-1, also said failure to
free Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly could have repercussions for bilateral
relations. Vietnam, it said, should "consider the implications of its
actions" in the context of the agreement under which Vietnam is currently
eligible for normal trade relations. "Because this brave Catholic priest
told the truth," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., sponsor of the resolution,
"the government of Vietnam persecuted and cruelly mistreated him and he is
now serving a 10-year prison sentence." Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly was
arrested in February 2001 after submitting testimony critical of Vietnam to
the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. He was
sentenced to 15 years in prison for "damaging the government's unity policy"
and other charges, although pleas from the United States and other countries
led to that sentence being reduced by five years. (WWRN/AP) |
Zprávy HCJB 14.5.2004
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