Christian devotions: Some Serious Doubts - 2 Kings 10:7

2 Kings 10:7             When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.

            It’s one of the bloodiest moments in the Bible and it’s done in the name of God. Seventy young princes are beheaded by their guardians simply because their father’s enemy Jehu believes that he is fulfilling God’s prophetic word of condemnation upon Ahab and his descendants. It seems that men way back then, just like now in the Middle East, justified their most gruesome and inhumane acts through the trappings and convenience of religion.

            When I read of those macabre events, as well as the cruel beheadings of innocents that are taking place today, it causes me to both despair of religious humanity, as well as to ask serious questions about God. If the slaughtering of people is the means by which God’s promises are fulfilled, does that mean that we are following a capricious deity who could wipe out the entire planet on a whim? I feel uneasy about asking that question because it may appear to others that I am casting doubt in the true existence of God. Be assured that I am not - what I’m really exploring is the sinful human ability to use God as the means of justifying wicked acts.

            This reminds me of what happened to Jesus. Religious people conspired against Him and used their scriptures to justify the decision to destroy Him. Jesus was conveniently killed by a political capital punishment process, but make no mistake about this, it was God-fearing servants and clergy who put Him on the Cross. The irony of it all was this: the people who believed that they were following and fulfilling God’s will were actually killing His Son. The wickedness and defiance of religious people against embracing God’s Son revealed the absolute depths of brutality, vehemence, and sin that people of faith will often justify, even today.

            So what’s the lesson in all of this? What can we glean and apply in our own lives? I think that the answer is one of self-awareness. Our zeal for God can destroy our love for one another. Our religious stances can obliterate our Gospel witness. Our strong faith can overpower and oppress those who are weak, vulnerable, and alienated – the very people that Jesus meant for us to tolerate, support, and love.

Questions for personal reflection

Have I ever used my faith to put down or humiliate someone else? If so, have I sought Christ’s forgiveness, or do I still justify my sinful action?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, protect us from our self-righteousness and religious bigotry. Open our hearts and minds to Your loving teachings that continually challenge our passions and principles. Keep us on Your faithful path and protect us from our unjust ways. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s passage, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of my latest Halloween drawings, made with crayons and paper sculpting. It’s called “Halloween Hoot.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Owl.

Religious News: From Tractor Pulls to Petrol Bombs

A schoolboy argument over a tractor has led to a Christian village in Pakistan being looted and burned.

Lahore, July 2 : Over six hundred Muslims attacked Christians in Bahmniwala village in Kasur District of Pakistan after local mosques urged them to unite and "teach a lesson" to the Christians.

Angry Muslim mob, after accusing of blasphemy, destroyed Christians' houses, looted valuables and tortured Christian men and women ruthlessly.

At least 110 Christian families, almost 700 people, were forced on Tuesday night to flee the village. The families sought safety in the fields surrounding their village.

However, locals said the problem started when a Christian boy, Arif Mashi, was travelling on a tractor and asked a Muslim boy, Muhammad Riaz, to allow him to pass. When Riaz refused, the two quarrelled.

Following this incident, on Tuesday night, a mob attacked houses of the area's Christian community with petrol-bombs, destroying their electricity meters and thrashing any Christians they found., the Daily Times reported.

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Cuba Curbs Commission's Mission

A planned trip to Cuba this week by a U.S. religious freedom watchdog group has been canceled after the Cuban government did not issue visas to delegation members, the group said Monday, even as the Obama administration moved to ease sanctions on the communist nation.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said it had been forced by the lack of visas to call off the fact-finding visit that had been scheduled to run from Tuesday to Thursday. It said the visas had been applied for weeks earlier, and it received no explanation for why they were not granted.

"We are very disappointed by the Cuban government's refusal to allow an official U.S. delegation to investigate firsthand Cuban citizens' freedom to believe and practice their faith on the island," said commission chairwoman Felice Gaer, noting that China, Vietnam, Laos, Saudi Arabia and other countries had allowed visits. "Does the Cuban government have something to hide?"

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By Matthew Lee, Associated Press

Post-Olympics: China Oppressing Christians Again

So much for the promises of freedom, dignity, and tolerance that the Chinese Government promoted at the Summer Olympics

From Spero News

The missionary church of Wanbang, located in Shanghai, will be forced to close. The community of 1200 people is an unauthorized domestic church, and had rented a a hall in the city for its gatherings. The police have forced the property owner to cancel the rental agreement within 30 days. The missionary church of Wanbang has been under surveillance for some time.

On February 10, the police and members of the State Administration of Religious Affairs ordered pastor Cui Quan to cancel a meeting among evangelization leaders, which was to be held in Shanghai. The annual meeting gathers only a small number of pastors to study ways to live evangelization in the cities.

Pastor Liu Tongsu, a witness to all of these events, says that "terminating a civil agreement that is completely in line with the legal process, through the use of a state compulsory organ (the police) is already a violation of more than one law."

Shanghai, a cosmopolitan city, has always been more tolerant toward Christian communities, including the underground ones. In other regions and cities, the policies toward unauthorized Protestants are much more harsh, with arrest and the demolition of churches. It is likely that the fear of social revolts is prompting the authorities to exercise much tighter control of every kind of gathering.

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Mickey Mouse under threat of Fatwa

Islamic theologian says Mickey Mouse must die

Sunday, 14th September 2008. 7:47pm By: George Conger.

Mickey Mouse must die for the good of Islam, a leading Saudi cleric said last month in a broadcast on al-Majd TV.

On Aug 27 Sheikh Muhammad Al-Munajid told viewers of a religious affairs programme that mice were agents of Satan and that Sharia law called for the extermination of all mice: from the common house mouse (Mus musculus) to cartoon mouse (Mickey Mouse).

A former diplomat attached to the Islamic Affairs Department at the Saudi embassy Washington, al-Munajid appears regularly on Saudi television to discuss religious and ethical topics. On Aug 10 he denounced the Beijing Olympics as the “bikini Olympics,” saying the immodest dress of women athletes was “satanic” and earlier issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against women’s participation in the Olympics as the games were also “satanic”.

Al-Munajid’s aversion to sports is not new. In 2005 he denounced soccer, saying the short pants worn by players “reveal nakedness.” He called for a ban on women’s sports and public exercise as to do so would require them to don “tight fitting, short” tunics that were offensive to Muslim decorum.

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Britain Becoming An Atheist Society

London • Freedom from religion in Britain is becoming as important as freedom of religion, according to a United Nations investigation into religion in the UK.

In a 23-page report published yesterday, a UN rapporteur claims the 2001 Census findings that nearly 72 per cent of the population is Christian can no longer be regarded as accurate. The report claims that two-thirds of British people now do not admit to any religious adherence.

The report also calls for the disestablishment of the Church of England. The role and privileges of the established Church are challenged because they do not reflect "the religious demography of the country and the rising proportion of other Christian denominations."

The report also warns that measures to combat terrorism in Britain could be undermined because of discrimination against Muslims.

According to the report into the freedom of religion and belief in the UK, there is an "overall respect for human rights and their value." But the report warns that Muslims in particular face screening, searches, interrogation and arrest.

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Unholy Ban: Why I am Boycotting the 2008 Olympic Games

Audio Version here

Next year, the Olympic Games take place in Beijing, China. Thousands of athletes from around the world will gather together to compete for the highest awards in their individual sports. Billions of viewers will tune in to see their favorite sportsmen and sportswomen, hoping that they will win medals for their country. Throughout the three week event, the world will seem to be at one.

But will it? A couple of days ago, the Chinese authorities declared that no religious icons or items will be allowed in the Olympic Campus. Crosses and sacred medallions, Bibles and Korans will be excluded from the Olympic area. The atheistic Communist government is banning religion from the Games, which goes against the Olympic spirit of tolerance. The Chinese leaders want to impose their will on the rest of the world. Now that they have secured the Olympics in their nation, there seems to be nothing that can be done.

Eight years ago, if the Chinese had announced that they were going to impose a religious ban on all the athletes attending the Games, Beijing would never have been chosen to host the 2008 Olympics. I think that this is outrageous and the rest of the world should protest against this. If China wants all the nations of the world to converge in their capital for these international games, then China should accept all the religious baggage that comes with it. To deny athletes the right to bring along articles of faith that may have inspired them is wrong. The mighty dragon may wish to keep their people mainly atheistic, but they cannot impose their will on the rest of the world. Christians and Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, Shintoists and even pagans all have the unalienable human right of practicing their own religion wherever they are located.

I think our leaders should pressure the Chinese Government into backing down from this denial of human rights. If not, then religious people everywhere should seriously consider boycotting the Games entirely. I, for one, will not be watching the Games or show any interest in them until this religious ban is lifted.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there are forces in the world that seek to deny religious freedom and any expression of faith. Help us to stand up against those authorities that would seek to deny basic human rights and actively oppress religious people. Give us the courage to profess the truth and not accept these shameful ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Weekend Screensaver - Mayflower Meanderings

On September 16, 1620, the Pilgrims left the shores of Plymouth, England to travel across the Atlantic on the Mayflower to start a new life in America.

An abstract stained glass design to commemorate the historic event.