Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
Hanoi officially recognises Baptists and Mennonites
| Baptists and Mennonites received yesterday a certificate authorising them to practice their religion in a ceremony in which the Deputy Chief of the Committee for Religious Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Xuan, praised the government’s religious policy, the unofficial Vietnam News reported. |
As a Mennonite, that’s interesting news to me.
But please pardon my suspicions: What compromises did they have to make with the Communists to get this certificate?
A year ago today. Wow!
Among the Amish, a grace that endures
| This time last year, many of those children were learning their lessons in a different one-room schoolhouse. Across the road and not far away, four trees are clustered oddly in a verdant meadow. They seem to be standing sentinel for something that no longer exists. Last October, the schoolhouse they once sheltered was demolished, banished like a bad memory. No trace survives of the West Nickel Mines Amish School. Lush grass covers the scars.
Other scars have not been so easy to erase. A year ago Tuesday, Charles Carl Roberts IV, a local milk-truck driver, calmly entered that schoolhouse and bound and shot 10 girls before killing himself. Five of the girls survived. In suicide notes and last calls to his wife, Roberts, 32, said he was tormented by memories of molesting two young relatives 20 years ago, and that he had never recovered from the death of his first-born child, Elise. Within hours of this terrible moment, an event that could have fostered despair became marbled with hope as the Amish relied on their traditions and faith to teach lessons of forgiveness, gratitude, resilience and grace. Four of the five injured girls have been able to resume normal life. The fifth, Rosanna King, who was 6 when she was shot, suffered a severe head injury and is unable to talk. She uses a wheelchair and is dependent on others for basic functions. |
Be sure to read the whole article!
And here are a couple of books on the subject:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Christianity:
| Following the discovery of an ad for a sadomasochistic street parade in San Francisco which mocked the Last Supper replacing Christ and His Apostles with leather-clad (and unclad) homosexuals, Concerned Women for America (CWA) and other groups called on California legislators to denounce the anti-Christianity. Rather than denounce the ad, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has derisively dismissed any concerns.
Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s press secretary, responded to media questions on the offensive ad saying, “As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed.” |
If an ad damages Christianity, then maybe it’s time to ditch that belief system in favor of something else. Say, Islam. Or Mormonism. Or Buddhism.
I do not believe genuine Christianity can be damaged this way.
I do believe an individual Christian can be damaged.
From New York Times Blog:
| In the final moments of the Democratic presidential debate here last night, after nearly two hours of wading through their differences on Iraq, health care, tax policy and a variety of other weighty matters, the candidates were asked a crisp question: What is your favorite Bible verse? |
Two answers intrigue me . . . .
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton:
| “The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I think that’s a good rule for politics, too.†|
I wonder how many Clinton targets from over the years are looking a little bug-eyed at that one.
Representative Dennis Kucinich:
| “Prayer from St. Francis, which says, ‘Lord make me an instrument of your peace.’ †|
That’s a Bible verse?!
HT: WorldMagBlog
Early in the second hour of today’s show, Rush Limbaugh self-identified (sorta in passing) himself as a Christian.
I found that interesting. Very interesting, in fact.
I don’t suppose that’s his first such proclamation.
I just don’t recall hearing him say it that plainly before.
Rush, I’m sure you don’t read this blog, but I’ve got a question anyway:
What makes you a Christian?
Oh, I discovered I have a second question:
Are you known as a Christian by your fruits?
For the record, the questions are just as applicable to me.
Here’s the story:
| School to provide Muslim students with foot baths
Plans to construct two foot-washing stations continue at the University of Michigan at Dearborn amid concerns that such action would constitute an establishment of religion by the public university. The 8,700-student school near Detroit, which begins fall classes Tuesday, came under criticism in June when it announced that it would spend about $25,000 on the two foot-washing areas that were requested as an accommodation by a Muslim Student Association’s task force. […] Data from a study of entering freshmen suggest that about 10 percent of students at the university are Muslim, and many have in the past used bathroom sinks for the foot washing, called an ablution, which Islam requires as a purity ritual before its five-times-daily prayers. […] The foot baths, while benefiting Muslim students, are open for use by all students and will be located in two new unisex bathrooms that will be renovated on campus. |
My question: Won’t the Muslims refuse to use those footbaths on the basis that they would be ineffective “purifiers” if infidels use them?
And my next question: Won’t Islamic code bar them from unisex bathrooms?
I’d say the university tried to kill too many birds with one stone on this one.
My other post on this subject got too long with all the updates.
| Associated Press reports that one of the nineteen remaining South Korean Christian hostages being held by the Taliban passed up a chance to go free so that another female hostage who was ill would be released instead.
Lee Jee-young, 32, wrote a note to her parents which was passed on by the two female hostages freed earlier this month. She told her parents that she was faring well, healthy, eating well, and wasn’t sick. |
From India eNews — Seoul denies reports of deal to free hostages in Afghanistan:
| The South Korean government Saturday denied reports that an agreement had been struck to secure the release of 19 of its citizens still held hostage by Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
‘There is officially no deal reached yet,’ state news agency Yonhap and KBS radio quoted a senior official with the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as saying. A foreign ministry spokesman meanwhile said press reports of an agreement could not be confirmed, but added that contact with the kidnappers was being maintained and all efforts were being made to secure the release of the 19. KBS had earlier quoted Afghan press reports saying Taliban and South Korean negotiators had reached agreement via Saudi Arabian mediation, and that an official announcement to that effect was to be made Sunday. Reports said the terms of the agreement included a commitment by South Korea to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within weeks, as well as for all South Korean aid workers to leave the country. |
Original post date: August 25, 2007 @ 08:33
Update 1: Tuesday August 28 @ 06:43
According to Yahoo! News, South Korea says Taliban to free all 19 hostages:
| Taliban insurgents will release 19 South Korean Christian volunteers they have been holding for more than a month in Afghanistan, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said on Tuesday.
The announcement followed the resumption of negotiations which had been on hold for two weeks after the Korean side said it was unable to meet the kidnappers’ chief demand to release Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government in exchange for the hostages, most of them women. “The Taliban agreed to free the 19 South Korean hostages on the condition that South Korea withdraws its troops within this year and halt missionary activities,” the Blue House statement said. The government had in any case decided before the hostage crisis to pull out its small contingent of engineers and medical staff from Afghanistan by the end of the year. And since the hostages were taken it has banned its nationals from traveling to the war-torn country. |
Update 2: Tuesday August 28 @ 10:10 pm Pacific
Reuters is reporting via Yahoo! News (now 25 minutes ago):
| Taliban say to start freeing Koreans – Yahoo! News
Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan will on Wednesday start releasing 19 South Korean Christian volunteers kidnapped nearly six weeks ago, a representative of the group said. “Our decision is today,” said Qari Mohammad Bashir who was also involved in the talks with a Korean team on the release of the hostages. “We are trying to start the work today.” |
Yeah, sure.
But I do hope so.
Update 3: Thursday 30 August @ 11:29 am Pacific
Taliban frees remaining S. Korean hostages
| Taliban insurgents freed seven remaining South Korean hostages in Afghanistan on Thursday after a six-week kidnap ordeal, following a deal that Afghan officials said included a ransom payment by Seoul. |
