I am indebted to Michael from ACN UK for leaving me a comment and a request to draw attention to the Blasphemy Law in Pakistan, an upcoming rally and an online petition.Below is Michael's comment which is self-explanatory.
" Protect Christians and other minorities in Pakistan - sign Aid to the Church in Need's petition to change blasphemy laws.
Backing ACN's call to change Pakistan's notorious Blasphemy Law, Britain's leading Catholic, Cardinal Keith Patrick O Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews said: " I have been aware of the persecution of Christians and those of other faiths in Pakistan and I am only too happy to endorse this petition."
The laws have been cited as the the cause of 14 seperate attacks on Christians over the last two months and the deaths of at least fifty Christians in the last decade as well as many Muslims.
Please show your solidarity with Pakistan's faithful - and ask for peace, justice human rights for all people of Pakistan - by signing our petition www.acnuk.org/petition
The petition will be handed in at 10 Downing Street on Saturday in a march organised by the British Pakistani Christian Association in association with other organisations, including Christian charities and representatives of the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities.
ACN UK Director, Neville Kyrke-Smith, who will be among those handing in the petition at 10 Downing Street said: " Blasphemy for us is just a word. For Christians and all people in Pakistan, the accusation of blasphemy can lead to death - it did for Shabaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for minorities. Please sign for freedom and protection of religious minorities... you will be helping the Christian and other communities who suffer intolerance and persecution due to the present blasphemy laws."
John Pontifex, ACN UK Head of Press Information, will be one of the speakers at the protest.
Please sign the petition and forward to others. Do join us at this urgent protest on Saturday 2nd July beginning at 11.00am at the High Commission for Pakistan, Lowndes Square London, SW1X 9JN."
Monday, 27 June 2011
Thursday, 23 June 2011
God's secret shoppers
Big stores employ people to go round their shops to experience and report back on how customers are treated;on how well or how badly staff are doing what they are supposed to do.
Well, suppose God had his own secret shoppers, people he sent to test out how well his operation on earth was working and how well those in his service were doing their jobs. Can you imagine how God must feel when he sees how his people sometimes treat each other; not in the big Christian killing Christian way but in the small everyday encounters by which most of us live out our faith!
I was talking to somebody who told me that as she was leaving church the other day, she was asked by a couple if they may go in to say a prayer, though the church was due to close. It seemed that one of the two was a Catholic but hadn't been to church for years. They were told yes, go in light a candle and pray. Now maybe they were secret shoppers; maybe God put a prompting in their hearts to pray at that moment and, on this occasion, the secret shoppers got the right response. Who knows what the long term impact might be in that particular situation. Alternatively what it might be if they had been rebuffed in any way.
Now whether or not God has his secret shoppers - and I have no doubt that God does - the important point is that how we treat others, especially in our "holy places" is crucial, not only for our own spiritual well-being, but also for the extension of God's redemptive plan. It is through such small actions that the Kingdom grows or fails to grow. It is our part of the deal. Our salvation obliges us to share in building this Kingdom and we are accountable ultimately to God for the times we build and the times when, by our attitude or response, we not only fail to build but destroy what Kingdom life may exist in those we treat badly.
Sadly, there are often other spirits than the Holy Spirit, that dictate how we behave towards each other, no less inside our church communities than outside. But, if we let the Holy Spirit be our guide then we need not fear the secret shoppers and we can get on with building the Kingdom.
Well, suppose God had his own secret shoppers, people he sent to test out how well his operation on earth was working and how well those in his service were doing their jobs. Can you imagine how God must feel when he sees how his people sometimes treat each other; not in the big Christian killing Christian way but in the small everyday encounters by which most of us live out our faith!
I was talking to somebody who told me that as she was leaving church the other day, she was asked by a couple if they may go in to say a prayer, though the church was due to close. It seemed that one of the two was a Catholic but hadn't been to church for years. They were told yes, go in light a candle and pray. Now maybe they were secret shoppers; maybe God put a prompting in their hearts to pray at that moment and, on this occasion, the secret shoppers got the right response. Who knows what the long term impact might be in that particular situation. Alternatively what it might be if they had been rebuffed in any way.
Now whether or not God has his secret shoppers - and I have no doubt that God does - the important point is that how we treat others, especially in our "holy places" is crucial, not only for our own spiritual well-being, but also for the extension of God's redemptive plan. It is through such small actions that the Kingdom grows or fails to grow. It is our part of the deal. Our salvation obliges us to share in building this Kingdom and we are accountable ultimately to God for the times we build and the times when, by our attitude or response, we not only fail to build but destroy what Kingdom life may exist in those we treat badly.
Sadly, there are often other spirits than the Holy Spirit, that dictate how we behave towards each other, no less inside our church communities than outside. But, if we let the Holy Spirit be our guide then we need not fear the secret shoppers and we can get on with building the Kingdom.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
South Sudan
Aid to the Church in Need reports on the serious and continuing problems on the border of North and South Sudand here for link. Please pray for those Christian and Muslim people whose prolonged suffering continues.
Friday, 17 June 2011
Forgiveness too.
One of the things that the Bible is critical of is our love of gossip. Everybody gossips, listening to and passing on rumours, information and so on. Sometimes gossip is harmless, but more often than not gossip is motivated by some very unpleasant attitudes. We like to condemn those we don't like or those who we believe have sleighted us in some way. Sometimes it's a way of hitting back, sometimes it is born out of smug selfrighteousness and often there is a lot of scapegoating present. We like to get other people on our "side". Gossip can be thoroughly unpleasant and dangerous. It is particularly dangerous to our spiritual health which is why the Bible warns against it.
In the last post on forgiveness, the act of forgiving was seen to open up the possibility of healing the person who had committed the offence as well as benefitting the forgiver. Not so with gossip.
Gossip heals and benefits neither party. When we gossip and build up our malicious image of an individual, we are refusing to forgive. More than that we are blocking the flow of grace and implying that the person is beyond change. Gossip is profoundly un-Christian. It does not flow from our God-given ability to love and forgive. It fails to see another person as made in the image and likeness of God. It refuses to allow God's grace to heal and it binds the gossiper into sin. We might feel "righteous" but that is self-righteousness which is the direct opposite of the rigtheousness that comes from God.
Instead of gossiping, then, the Christian response is to avoid this "occasion of sin" and pray for all parties involved in the gossip. That way we can begin to follow the demand of Jesus that we love and pray for our enemies and those who use us badly. Sometimes we need to go to God first for him to heal us of this sin; afterwards it is much easier. We should not let the same lips that praise God do the work of the devil.
In the last post on forgiveness, the act of forgiving was seen to open up the possibility of healing the person who had committed the offence as well as benefitting the forgiver. Not so with gossip.
Gossip heals and benefits neither party. When we gossip and build up our malicious image of an individual, we are refusing to forgive. More than that we are blocking the flow of grace and implying that the person is beyond change. Gossip is profoundly un-Christian. It does not flow from our God-given ability to love and forgive. It fails to see another person as made in the image and likeness of God. It refuses to allow God's grace to heal and it binds the gossiper into sin. We might feel "righteous" but that is self-righteousness which is the direct opposite of the rigtheousness that comes from God.
Instead of gossiping, then, the Christian response is to avoid this "occasion of sin" and pray for all parties involved in the gossip. That way we can begin to follow the demand of Jesus that we love and pray for our enemies and those who use us badly. Sometimes we need to go to God first for him to heal us of this sin; afterwards it is much easier. We should not let the same lips that praise God do the work of the devil.
Forgiveness
Yesterday's Gospel, Matthew 6: 7-15, has Jesus teaching the disciples to pray what we now call, the Lord's Prayer. The passage concludes : "Yes, if you forgive others their failings, you're heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either."
It is the word "failings" that is of particular interest in this translation, the Jerusalem Bible. We are more familiar with trespasses or debts. The word is interesting because it can be interpreted more widely than meaning the things done to a person; or not done as the case may be. It is possible to see the word extended to the aspects of the person's character or personality that causes them to sin in the first place : the less savoury bits of our human nature. In this interpretation we go beyond forgiving the words or actions that offend us and we begin to understand the source and by forgiving the underlying human weakness, not just the outcome of that weakness, we open up the possibility for God's grace not only to forgive but also to heal.
If we adopt this approach, it raise big issues about how we relate to others, particularly those we don't care for.
It is the word "failings" that is of particular interest in this translation, the Jerusalem Bible. We are more familiar with trespasses or debts. The word is interesting because it can be interpreted more widely than meaning the things done to a person; or not done as the case may be. It is possible to see the word extended to the aspects of the person's character or personality that causes them to sin in the first place : the less savoury bits of our human nature. In this interpretation we go beyond forgiving the words or actions that offend us and we begin to understand the source and by forgiving the underlying human weakness, not just the outcome of that weakness, we open up the possibility for God's grace not only to forgive but also to heal.
If we adopt this approach, it raise big issues about how we relate to others, particularly those we don't care for.
Care not killing
Care not Killing campaigns against euthanasiaand advocates for better pallaiative care for terminally people. I have created a link to their website. See sidebar for link.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Catholicism v Nationalism 2
In the last post of this title, I expressed concern over the history of Croatian Catholicism and its identification with extreme nationalism, manifested in acts and behaviour that demonstrate not a love for one's country alone, but applied hatred for those who are neither Croatian nor Catholic.
The history of Croatia during World War 2 and the atrocities committed are well documented.
Equally, it is true that Archbishop Stepinac suffered under the post-War communist regime and suffered because of his faith. However, he was also the senior churchman in Croatia during the brutal reign of the Ustashe, a group of people so evil they even managed to sicken the Nazis.
Whether or not Stepinac actively supported the Ustashe, his failure to openly and robustly reject and condemn them stands against him. It is highly probable that elements of Catholic clergy were vigorous supporters as we have seen with Serbian Orthodox clergy both during the Balkan and Kosovo wars.
Archbishop Stepinac was not martyred for his faith, he was imprisoned and, no doubt, suffered. But, the question arises: if he was prepared to oppose and suffer by standing against the ruthless Communist authorities, why did he not stand openly against the Fascist Croatians?
Perhaps the answer lies in the unholy mixture of Catholicism and Nationalism. The Communists were not only anti-Catholic but had as a basic tenet of their system the eradication of religion. Stepinac therefore was right to oppose this in support of his faith and his flock. However, the evil
of the Ustashe was cloaked in the Catholic Faith. These brutal murderers were Catholic and probably fervent in their faith. Though what understanding of Catholic Christianity allows the brutality and oppression they committed is quite baffling.
So, the malign mixture of faith and nationalism tainted the Catholic Church and compromised Archbishop Stepinac. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the World. When we narrow that idea down to a particular nation or political system, right or left, we reject all that the Church and Scripture teach us about God's love. We take that beautiful and noble idea and drag it through the dirt for political power or national pride. We create a Via Dolorosa that ends in a new Calvary.
The history of Croatia during World War 2 and the atrocities committed are well documented.
Equally, it is true that Archbishop Stepinac suffered under the post-War communist regime and suffered because of his faith. However, he was also the senior churchman in Croatia during the brutal reign of the Ustashe, a group of people so evil they even managed to sicken the Nazis.
Whether or not Stepinac actively supported the Ustashe, his failure to openly and robustly reject and condemn them stands against him. It is highly probable that elements of Catholic clergy were vigorous supporters as we have seen with Serbian Orthodox clergy both during the Balkan and Kosovo wars.
Archbishop Stepinac was not martyred for his faith, he was imprisoned and, no doubt, suffered. But, the question arises: if he was prepared to oppose and suffer by standing against the ruthless Communist authorities, why did he not stand openly against the Fascist Croatians?
Perhaps the answer lies in the unholy mixture of Catholicism and Nationalism. The Communists were not only anti-Catholic but had as a basic tenet of their system the eradication of religion. Stepinac therefore was right to oppose this in support of his faith and his flock. However, the evil
of the Ustashe was cloaked in the Catholic Faith. These brutal murderers were Catholic and probably fervent in their faith. Though what understanding of Catholic Christianity allows the brutality and oppression they committed is quite baffling.
So, the malign mixture of faith and nationalism tainted the Catholic Church and compromised Archbishop Stepinac. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the World. When we narrow that idea down to a particular nation or political system, right or left, we reject all that the Church and Scripture teach us about God's love. We take that beautiful and noble idea and drag it through the dirt for political power or national pride. We create a Via Dolorosa that ends in a new Calvary.
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