What do Kim Jong Il, Pope Benedict XVI, and the Italian President have in common? Tell a joke about them to the wrong audience and you could end up in jail.
Category: Human Rights
VIDEO: God in China – The Struggle for Religious Freedom
In this hour-long documentary, produced for Italy’s RomeReports News Agency, Chinese men and women speak candidly of their experiences as religious believers, and their assessment of what the future may hold for them. The film presents interviews with representatives of both official and underground religions, shows priests and seminarians practicing their faith in secret, and offers a rare glimpse into China’s Muslim community.
Olympics: China Bans Foreign Chaplains – only “official” chaplains allowed (Houston Chronicle)
“China’s ruling Communist Party is suspicious of any cause that could compete with its authority, including organized religion. Officially, the party allows worship only at registered churches belonging to a state-controlled organization; nonregistered places of worship are closely monitored. The party also bans foreign chaplains’ holding services without government permission or proselytizing on Chinese soil.”
The Hijacking of Religion
By Jonathan Gallagher, Ph.D. – “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.”
CHINA: Underground church activist detained enroute to Christian service Bush was attending (The Independent)
Human rights concerns are underlying the pageantry of the Beijing Olympics where persecution against certain religious groups continues. Read the full article by Clifford Coonan at http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news-and-features/bush-steps-up-pressure-on-china-with-call-for-religious-freedom-890295.html Here are some excerpts from this article: President George Bush attended a Christian service in Beijing yesterday to call for greater religious freedom in China but, in an…
VIDEO: Is there room for peace?
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED With all that is going on in the world today, it is easy to forget that there is a war going on overseas. I wondered whether to post this video because it has some violent scenes and language in it, but maybe it is time to honestly face what is happening…
EEOC issues New Guidelines on Religious Discrimination
Thanks to the tireless efforts of many the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released new guidelines that make clearer recommendations regarding workplace religious discrimination and accommodation of religious practices. The full guidelines, available at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/religion.html , are remarkable in that the EEOC has clarified definitions and provided clear examples of prohibited conduct that can…
OPINION: O’Connor’s 4th Circuit Ruling on City Council Prayer
On Wednesday, July 23, 2008, in Turner v. City Council of Fredericksburg, (4th Cir., July 23, 2008), the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of appeals upheld the policy of Fredericksburg, Virginia’s city council requiring prayers which open its sessions to be non-denominational. In an opinion by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, sitting by designation on…
Proposal Would Deny Federal Money if Employees Must Provide Medical Care to Which They Object (WashingtonPost.com)
The Bush Administration has proposed new regulations which would deny federal money to medical facilities if they required employees to act against their religious conscience in providing certain health benefits. This raises a number of pertinent questions: Does this go too far, or is it just what religious employees need? Is the proposed regulation too…
Bush to attend church in China, urge religious freedom (AFP)
EXCERPTS FROM: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTCaQ-QMoHDqK5mk7ao7ryoZGzMw WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President George W. Bush plans to attend church while in China for the opening of the Olympic Games next month, and will speak about freedom of religion, a top aide said Wednesday. “When he goes to church on Sunday (August 10) he will make a statement afterwards in…