President Obama’s middle-ground approach to the credible and well-established “Clash of Civilizations” theme – when formulating international religious freedom policy – is best understood when placed on a scale between tolerance and international consensus (an interfaith, “soft-power” approach), and America’s constitutional ideal of religious freedom and human rights (an Evangelical and “exacting” approach). Yet both policy methods delimit religious freedom, threatening it altogether.
Month: April 2011
Chinese police detain members of unregistered church (LA Times)
EXCERPT: Chinese police on Sunday detained more than 100 churchgoers who tried to hold an outdoor prayer service on a pedestrian bridge in Beijing after having failed to secure permission to open a church. Although it is not uncommon for police to raid unregistered churches, this latest bust in the very heart of Beijing suggests…
Article18: Egypt — 29 Christians Dead After Attacks on Egyptian Churches; Terrorist Violence Concerns Population of Changing Nation
By Martin Surridge – Just a couple weeks before the revolution in Egypt inspired the Middle East and captured the attention of the world, we posted a link to an article that explained how Egypt’s Coptic Christian community was calling for more religious freedom after attacks on churches in Nag Hamadi and Alexandria left 29…
Bus advertising campaign tackles Islamophobia (BBC)
EXCERPT: An advertising campaign to tackle Islamophobia has been unveiled on buses across the UK. Vehicles in several cities will carry the message “Muslims for loyalty, peace and freedom” in an attempt to challenge negative stereotypes of the faith. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, the group behind the campaign, said it hoped it would educate people…
National : Church/State concerns kill House “Bible Bill”; Seventh-day Adventists respond
http://m.examiner.com/examiner/pm_60915/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=nQD8Kjnh
The Oath Dilemma — Special Contribution to RLTV
“Oh Dave, don’t forget, your oath is today at 9:15.” The words snap my groggy mind to attention. Oath? My boss continues. “Yeah, it will be on the fourth floor, in the administrative offices. It shouldn’t be a problem.” It shouldn’t be a problem. Is that a threat? It shouldn’t be a problem if you…
Polygamy law doesn’t breach religious freedom guarantee, lawyer argues – Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Polygamy+doesn+breach+religious+freedom+guarantee+lawyer+argues/4544448/story.html
Article18: Thailand Part 2 — Special Interview with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Thailand Volunteer Bob Young
By Martin Surridge – Just a few weeks ago, I returned from one of the most beautiful and enchanting countries in Southeast Asia-Thailand-a country known for its love of soccer, its patriotic fervor, sandy beaches, and the rapidly developing, international city of Bangkok. But there’s much more to Thailand than the capital. In fact, much…