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Category: Current Events

  • Human Rights Nightmare: Indian mafia gangs are deliberately crippling children for profit (DailyMail.co.uk)

    This story is so horrifying that it seems unbelievable.  It has all the makings of a human rights emergency and a nightmare that must end.  RLTV

    EXCERPT from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1127056/The-real-Slumdog-Millionaires-Behind-cinema-fantasy-mafia-gangs-deliberately-crippling-children-profit.html

    By ANDREW MALONE

    Within minutes, a couple emerged from the crowd and approached him. They gave him cakes and said they’d take him away to start a better life. 

    ?I thought they were maybe social workers or religious people,’ he told me. 

    But Aamir’s food was drugged and when he became drowsy, the couple put him in a rickshaw and took him to the city’s municipal hospital, which is where the real nightmare began. 

    For at the hospital, a doctor was paid to amputate one of his healthy legs. Now speaking in the third person, as if to pretend it didn’t happen to him, Aamir tells me ?the child’ was in ?great pain’ after the operation. 

    ?The leg is removed here,’ he says, pointing to his own stump and grimacing. His limb had been severed mid-calf, leaving him without a foot. 

    Now in hiding after being rescued from the hospital by a charity, Aamir is one of hundreds of Indian children deliberately crippled by gangs so they can earn extra money begging. He still struggles to talk about his experience.

    . . . 

    Yet the truth, as I discovered during a chilling week-long investigation, is more disturbing than anything dreamt up by the creators of Slumdog Millionaire. 

    For in Mumbai, as well as in other major Indian cities, hundreds of young children have had their arms and legs chopped off; scores of others have been blinded. The gangs also pour acid on to the children’s bodies, leaving them with suppurating wounds.

    A happy ending for the stars of the film Slumdog Millionaire – but for real slum dwellers the future is bleak

    Their suffering comes down to one thing: money. In a country of 1.2 billion people, where the gulf between rich and poor is vast, there are an estimated 300,000 child beggars. 

    By no means all are mutilated by the beggar mafia, but those with the worst injuries do make the most money – up to £10 a day for deformed children, a fortune in a country where millions survive on just a tenth of that.

    Not that Aamir and Dalbeer saw any of their earnings. After being crippled and put to work on the streets, the children are forced to hand over the cash to gang masters each evening. And if they don’t hit their ?targets’, they are beaten and tortured. 

     

     

     

    Read the full story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1127056/The-real-Slumdog-Millionaires-Behind-cinema-fantasy-mafia-gangs-deliberately-crippling-children-profit.html

  • Judge Bork predicts ‘terrible conflict’ will endanger U.S. Catholics’ religious freedom (CNA)

    EXCERPT:

    Washington DC, Jan 21, 2009 / 03:19 am (CNA).- Former Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork has predicted that upcoming legal battles will have significant ramifications for religious freedom. He names as issues of major concern the continued freedom of Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform abortions and the likely “terrible conflict” resulting from the advancement of homosexual rights.

    Speaking in an interview published Tuesday by Cybercast News Service, Judge Bork discussed the contentious nature of modern politics.

    “Everything is up for debate these days. I can’t think of anything that isn’t,” he said.

    “You are going to get Catholic hospitals that are going to be required as a matter of law to perform abortions,” he claimed.

    “We are going to see in the near future a terrible conflict between claimed rights of homosexuals and religious freedom? You are going to get Catholic or other groups’ relief services that are going to be required to allow adoption of a child by homosexual couples.  We are going to have a real conflict that goes right to the heart of the society.”

    Asked whether there was a freedom of conscience clause anywhere in the Constitution that might prohibit the U.S. government from compelling a religious hospital to perform abortions, he replied:

    “Well, the free exercise of religion clause might fulfill that role.”

  • The role of religion under Obama (CS Monitor)

    obamafaith1

    EXCERPT:

    WASHINGTON – After decades of ceding God to the GOP, at least in the public square, Democrats – with President Obama in the lead – are speaking with a fuller religious voice. The watchword? Inclusiveness.

    It’s a voice that signals openness at a time when diversity in American religious life is rising.

    “We know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and nonbelievers,” Mr. Obama said in Tuesday’s inaugural address.

    Wednesday’s National Prayer Service, a tradition since George Washington’s inauguration, featured faith leaders chosen “to symbolize America’s traditions of religious tolerance and freedom,” said the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee. It included, for the first time, a sermon delivered by a woman.

    For Obama, the broad outreach into the faith community isn’t confined to ceremonies but is emerging as a key element in his approach to coalition-building, say religious leaders who worked on the transition.

    Read the full article at http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0122/p01s02-usgn.html

     

    Photo from Faithbase.

  • Barack Obama on Religious Tolerance and Persecution

    Full Transcript: Saddleback Presidential Forum, Sen. Barack Obama, John McCain; Moderated by Rick Warren
    Aired August 16, 2008 – 20:00 ET

    WARREN: Religious persecution, what do you think the U.S. should do to end religious persecution, for instance, in China, in Iraq, and in many of our supposed allies? I’m not just talking about persecution of Christianity, but there’s religious persecution around the world that persecutes millions of people.

    OBAMA: Well, I think the first thing we have to do is to bear witness and speak out, and not pretend that it’s not taking place. You know, our relationship with China, for example, is a very complicated one. You know, we’re trading partners. Unfortunately, they are now lenders to us because we haven’t been taking care of our economy the way we need to be. I don’t think any of us want to see military conflict with China.

    So we want to manage this relationship and move them into the world community as a full partner, but we can’t purchase that by ignoring the very real prosecutions, persecutions that are taking place, and so having an administration that is speaking out, joining in international forums, where we can point out human rights abuses, and the absence of religious freedom, that, I think, is absolutely critical. Over time, what we are doing is setting up new norms and creating a universal principle that people’s faith and people’s beliefs have to be protected.

    Over time, what we are doing is setting up new norms and creating a universal principle that people’s faith and people’s beliefs have to be protected.

    And as you said, it’s not just Christians, and we’ve got to make sure, you know, one thing I think is very important for us to do on all of these issues is to lead by example. That’s why I think it’s so important for us to have religious tolerance here in the United States. That’s why it’s so important for us, when we are criticizing other countries about rule of law to make sure that we’re abiding by rule of law, and habeas corpus, and we’re not engaging in torture, because that gives us a moral standing to talk about these other issues.

  • The Passing of Richard John Neuhaus (1936 – 2009)

    On January 8, 2009, Richard John Neuhaus, 72, the intellectual force behind an influential coalition between Catholics and Protestants  passed away after a long battle with cancer.

    A Lutheran pastor who converted to Catholicism in 1990 a priest in 1991, Neuhaus served as the president of The Institute on Religion and Public Life, the conservative think tank that publishes First Things magazine.

    Neuhaus was active in liberal politics until Roe v. Wade was handed down.  His view on the importance of upholding religious orthodoxy is sumarized by “Neuhaus’s Law”, which states that “Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed”.  This also informed his belief that public policy needed to adhere to established moral principles.

    In 1995, Neuhaus worked with Chuck Colson to publish “Catholics and Evangelicals Together: Toward a Common Mission.” This effort was criticized by both Catholics and Evangelicals who felt that the document proposed forming a powerful conservative political body at the expense of doctrine.

    Neuhaus informally advised President George W. Bush, who called him “Father Richard,” on a number of issues involving religion and ethics including abortion, stem-cell research, cloning, and a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

    To say that Neuhaus harbored an ambition toward instituting a theocracy in America would be a gross oversimplification and distortion.  In reading his columns, it was clear that Neuhaus cared about the issues that people were facing and that Neuhaus believed that God cared too.  It was not just empty talk about theological or political realities – these were issues that mattered right now.

    Although one might not resonate with Neuhaus’ proposed solutions to the problems of the world,  Neuhaus showed us that we should strive to be of both heavenly and earthly good.

  • Lawsuit filed to remove “So help me God” from inaugural oath (USA Today)

    A George Washington myth bites the dust: There’s no eyewitness documentation he ever added “So help me God” to the end of his constitutionally prescribed oath of office.

    The oath is in the news now that California atheist activist Michael Newdow – last seen in the headlines trying to knock “Under God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance (full story) – is suing to drive all mention of God out of Barack Obama’s inauguration Jan. 20. A U.S. District Court judge will hear the case next week.

    Read the full story at http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-01-07-washington-oath_N.htm

    Visit Michael Newdow’s official website at http://www.restorethepledge.com/

  • RITSEMA: Tracking Pat Robertson’s Shift to the Left

    Scott Ritsema, is author of the new book, The Way, the Truth, and the Sword,  A Call for New Christian Civics in an Age of Coercive Power.

    Do you agree? Disagree?  Post your comments below.

    Reprinted with Permission.

    Scott Ritsema
    CIVICS NEWS.com
    January 5, 2008

    Pat Robertson, one of those Christian spokesmen that makes Christians cringe every time he opens his mouth, has struck again. At least he’s not calling for violence…this time. Strangely, though, this time around he is endorsing Obama and Obama’s coming socialist policies. Kurt Nimmo at Infowars reports:

    On December 23, the “conservative” preacher Pat Robertson told CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux that he was pleased as punch with the election of Barack Obama. “I am remarkably pleased with Obama. I had grave misgivings about him. But so help me, he’s come in forcefully, intelligently. He’s picked a middle of the road cabinet. And so far, if he continues down this course, he has the makings of a great president,” said Robertson.

    Yes, Obama’s cabinet is so “middle-of-the-road” that Dick Cheney (??!) is pleased with it. Obama’s cabinet is anything but middle-of-the-road.

    Robertson expects a “great presidency” out of Obama. What will this look like, exactly? Well, Robertson has the inside track, because God supposedly told him the following:

    “People will welcome socialism in order to relieve their pain. Nothing will stand in the way of a plan by Obama to restructure the economy in the same fashion as the New Deal in the ’30s.”

    In case the reader is tempted to conclude that God actually spoke to Pat Robertson, consider the last time he made a prediction about the future: Early 2007, when he predicted that there would be massive terrorist attacks before the end of the year. From USA Today:

    In what has become an annual tradition of prognostications, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would result in “mass killing” late in 2007.

    “I’m not necessarily saying it’s going to be nuclear,” he said during his news-and-talk television show “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network. “The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.”

    Robertson said God told him during a recent prayer retreat that major cities and possibly millions of people will be affected by the attack, which should take place sometime after September.

    For Robertson to turn on his conservative roots and to endorse Obama and socialism is not surprising, given the fact that he has joined hands with the left-leaning Al Sharpton in a commercial endorsing the mainstream media’s view of the “climate crisis.” “We can solve” this “climate crisis,” the commercial states. Robertson tells us that “it’s the right thing to do.”

    Additionally, in 2001, Pat Robertson defended China’s one-child policy where forced abortions and infanticide run rampant. According to Pat, the Communist government is “doing what it has to do.”

    Endorsing Obama and his socialist policies. Calling for “solving the climate crisis.” Defending China’s one-child policy. Is this a Christian conservative?

  • New law in Russia ends jury trials for ‘crimes against state’ (LA Times)

    Reporting from Moscow — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paused in the last, quiet hours of a dying year to sign into law a controversial bill that eliminates jury trials for “crimes against the state,” a move that lawyers and human rights groups fear will be the start of a dangerous exertion of Kremlin control over government critics.

    The law does away with jury trials for a variety of offenses, leaving people accused of treason, revolt, sabotage, espionage or terrorism at the mercy of three judges rather than a panel of peers. Critics say the law is dangerous because judges in Russia are vulnerable to manipulation and intimidation by the government.

    A parallel piece of legislation, pushed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and still awaiting discussion in parliament, seeks to expand the legal definition of treason to such a degree that observers fear that anybody who criticizes the government could be rounded up by police — and, because of the law signed Wednesday, tried without a jury. ….

    Medvedev’s last-minute signing had all the trademarks of a pre-holiday news dump engineered to generate the least possible media coverage. New Year’s Eve is the biggest holiday of the year in Russia, and even those watching the news were distracted by the failing negotiations over shipments of Russian gas to Ukraine. The law was announced by a single sentence on Interfax.

    (Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com …

  • Weekend Inspiration: Third Day “This is My Offering” – World Vision

    Isaiah 58:10..If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

     

    To learn how you can help, visit World Vision.

  • Top Ten RLTV Articles of 2008

    Since launching in June 2008, we have posted over 200 articles.  Here are the top 10, and we equally appreciate and value the contributions of many, many others who have worked to make this website a possibility.

    10.  Religious Pluralism & America’s Christian Nation Debate: Revisiting the Intentions of America’s Constitutional Founders –  By Gregory W. Hamilton –  “The constitutional system of the United States of America remains the envy of the outside world despite the growing unrest of our European allies towards our country’s Administration, and the continual provocation against it by terrorists and a few hostile Arab-Muslim nations.”

    9.  J. Brent Walker – “Church and State in the USA: Promises and Challenges” – This thought-provoking address was given by J. Brent Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty at the Congress on Religious Liberty in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 28, 2008.  It was originally posted on the BJC website (bjcpa.org) and is reposted here in its entirety with permission.

    8.  Announcing and Enacting Peace in an Age of Empire – By Ryan Bell – “Some have said that the church shouldn’t get involved in politics. While I agree that partisan politics have no place in the church, we cannot escape the call of Jesus to affect our world for his kingdom. This is what it means to be peacemakers – to announce to the world, “Our God reigns!” and to enact God’s peace in tangible ways in the neighborhoods where he has planted us.”

    7.  It’s about the Kids, Stupid: A Review of The Future of Marriage by David Blankenhorn – By Nicholas P. Miller – “everal thousand years of nearly universal experience has shown that traditional marriage, with all its flaws and shortcomings, is a very good way of raising children.”

    6.  Controlling Freedom of Conscience – By Robert Moon – “Historically, most governments required citizens/subjects to have the same religion or belief-system (e.a. Fascism and communism ) as the ruler(s). Exceptions were seldom tolerated. Those who publicly practiced an alternate belief system to the ruler(s) were often intimidated, persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and martyred. In the discussion that follows paradigms typically used by governments attempting to control freedom of conscience are referred to as: the Gold Rule Paradigm (GRP), the Gatekeeper Paradigm (GP), and the Over Stimulation – Fantasy Paradigm (OS-FP).”

    5.  Could Chet Edwards be Obama’s Running Mate? Edwards speaks on Religious Liberty – Rep. Chet Edwards – “I believe perhaps America’s greatest single contribution to the world from our experiment in democracy is our model of religious freedom and tolerance. The foundation of that religious freedom is the principle of separation of church and state, imbedded in the first 16 words of our Bill of Rights: ?Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ In his letter to the Danbury Baptists of Connecticut in 1802, Thomas Jefferson expressed his belief that the principle of church-state separation is one of the most sacred of our founding principles. Unfortunately, many Americans today have come to perceive that separation of church and state implies disrespect for religion. Nothing could be further from the truth as Jefferson stated over a century ago.”

    4.  The Hijacking of Religion – by Jonathan Gallagher – “For a country to move from general tolerance to extreme intolerance in just a few short years speaks of the power of religion, and its ready exploitation by those seeking political authority and control. The fuel is human competition. For where there is enough food, land, water and other resources, the need to fight other communities is much reduced. But as the world becomes increasingly overpopulated, then such scenarios can only increase. Religion is so close to the heart of how any society defines itself that those seeking political power and worldly goals will readily use such a potent weapon. The exploitation of religious belief is not new-witness the jihads and crusades from history-but its greatly increased impact and extent will be the dominant factors for the foreseeable future.”

    3.  Manifest Destiny and the Momentum of Empire: Making Sense of America’s Global War on Terrorism – By Gregory W. Hamilton – “Today there are two significant global movements that enjoy a symbiotic relationship. The first involves America’s accelerated role as the world’s propagator of democratic values, and as a matter of national and international security the world’s enforcer of those values. The second is the not-so-obvious rapid global expansion of Christianity, a phenomenon that is aided by the expansion of democratic values while also facilitating the spread of those values.”

    2.  BREAKING NEWS – Russia Moves to Liquidate Fifty-Six Religious Groups – by Derek Davis – ” On October 15 the Russian Ministry of Justice took steps to begin liquidating 56 non-Russian Orthodox religious organizations. The groups face dissolution, Russian news sources reported, because they failed to file required annual reports on their activities. Those targeted include a range of non-Russian Orthodox organizations and churches but hardest hit were various Christian groups, both Protestant and Catholic. Baptist groups were prominent on the list, but Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Seventh-day Adventist and Pentecostal groups were also included. Well known humanitarian groups such as World Vision and Youth with a Mission were also named, as was the Russian branch of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Non-Christian organizations were also named, including Muslim and Buddhist associations.”

    1.  On September 23, 2008 an Innocent Man is Scheduled to Die – By Terry L. Benedict – “How Easily Can an Innocent Man Lose His Life?  Ask Troy Davis, who came within a harrowing 23 hours of execution by lethal injection last year and received a new execution date of September 23, 2008.”