15 January 2002

* HARRY POTTER THEME IN DUTCH SERVICE – As concerned Christians protested outside the Gorecht Reformed church in the Netherlands, the pastor of the church held a broom and invited the congregation to "fly". The Sunday morning service on 13 January was packed not only with congregation members and little children but also a large press contingent. Members of `Cry for Life’, 'Bijbel en Onderwijs' and Christians for Truth gathered outside the church to point out the occultic nature of `Harry Potter’. The pastor, Dr Ridderbos, called all the children aged between 10 and 12, some of whom had cloaks, brooms and magic hats, to the front. He told them that with infant baptism we all get a 'sign' on our forehead, just like Harry Potter has a flash of lightning on his forehead. In His sermon Dr Ridderbos said that Harry Potter has got a mighty, though non-christian, protector and that Jesus also had his protector whom He called 'God'.
Protestors told the media why they were opposed to the service: "Firstly, we didn't protest against the pastor himself, but against `Harry Potter’, who is not as innocent as one wants to believe. Even the writer, J. K. Rowling, says that children below the age of 10 years should not read her books. It is known that many children become overwhelmed by fear and hear voices regularly, after reading the books or watching the film. In the past people were brought up with faith and hope, but today many think that children should be raised with fantasy and fear." (CFT Netherlands Media)

* UN URGED TO PROTECT MINORITY RELIGIONS - Christians from troubled Indonesia joined hundreds of other persecuted people to seek protection. Christians from troubled parts of Indonesia were among a group of some 100 persecuted people from around the world who participated in a rally outside United Nations headquarters. They urged the world body to act against what they called "jihad violence" against non-Muslim minorities and Muslim moderates. The event, organized by the Illinois-based Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights, brought together representatives of communities from eight countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. All the participants claim a common status as victims of Islamic extremism. The group included Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and moderate and secular Muslims, as well as women from Islamic societies, said coalition secretary-general Keith Roderick, an Episcopalian minister. Among them was a pastor from Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province, who traveled to New York City to bring the plight of his community to the attention of the international community, while leaving his family behind, Roderick said by phone from the U.S. (C.N.S., 10 January)

* COMPULSORY MUSLIM SCHOOL COURSE IN CALIFORNIA - While the United States continues to recover from the September 11 attacks in which thousands of Americans died, schoolchildren in California are being required to take a course that teaches them how to be a Muslim. According to Agape Press (15 January) seventh-graders in some California school districts are now being forced to attend an intensive three-week course on Islam. As part of the course material, students are mandated to learn the tenets of the Muslim faith, study the important figures of the false religion, wear a robe, adopt a Muslim name, and even stage their own "jihad." Ironically, among the students are many who are not permitted to wear a cross or speak the name of Jesus while at school. Pastor Austin Miles of Assist Ministries, who has written on the subject, says it is completely outrageous to indoctrinate seventh-graders into a false religion without even consulting their parents.

* TWO CHINESE CHRISTIANS KILLED - Two Christians have been killed in the Chinese government's crackdown on pastor Gong Shengliang and his South China Church in central Hubei Province, according to a letter from members of the underground church revealing graphic details and new information about the persecution. Gong was sentenced to death 5 December 2001 on charges of operating an "evil cult" and on the seemingly trumped-up charges of rape and assault. The month-long period for deciding his appeal was extended to 5 January by a Hubei court following sharp international protest. The letter, written by two underground Christian women, Li Ailian and Wang Yue, reports that in efforts to find and apprehend Gong and suppress the South China Church, police arrested and severely beat at least 25 Christians, killing two of them, while torturing others with electric prods. The letter was dated 31 December and smuggled to the New York-based Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China. It was released Jan. 11 by Freedom House in Washington. (BP)

* PHILIPPINES BANS ABORTION PILL - Pro-lifers in the Philippines have succeeded in having their government outlaw the "morning-after pill" on the grounds that it can cause an abortion, making it the second country in five months to impose such a ban. Anyone who imports, sells or uses the drug now faces stiff penalties and prosecution. A pro-life, pro-family lobby called Abaypamilya (Family Front) last May challenged the government about the drug Postinor, the trade name under which levonorgestrel has been marketed in the Philippines since April 2000 as an "emergency contraceptive." The campaigners argued that Postinor was an abortifacient on the grounds that it can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. As such, its promotion and use violated the country's constitutional protection of life from the moment of conception.
The complaint had led to a lengthy review by the Bureau of Food and Drugs, during which written submissions were obtained from a number of sources. Among submissions considered were those from two American experts, bioethicist Dr. Dianne Irving and internal medicine specialist Dr. Chris Kahlenborn. (C.N.S., 8 January)

* ADRIAN ROGERS SUFFERS HEART ATTACK - Former Southern Baptist Convention president Adrian Rogers is recovering in a Miami hospital after suffering a mild heart attack on 10 January. Rogers, pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., underwent surgery for a blocked artery on 11 January at South Miami Hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery, doctors said. Rogers was in Cozumel, Mexico preaching on a Bible study cruise when he suffered the attack. He was flown to Miami for treatment. He could be released from the hospital as early as next week. Rogers is pastor of the 27,000-member Bellevue Baptist Church. He served three times as president of the SBC. (BP, 11 January)

* DOBSON LEADS OPPOSITION TO CALIFORNIA GAY MARRIAGE BILL - In a nationwide US radio broadcast 14 January Focus on the Family President James C. Dobson, Ph.D., joined by Family Research Council President Ken Connor and Alliance Defense Fund President Alan Sears, called on Christians to register opposition to a proposed piece of legislation in California that would change the nature of marriage in California and across the nation. Assembly Bill 1338, would establish civil unions for homosexual couples as equal to traditional marriage, and according to the bill's author, would affect 1,500 state laws that currently apply only to heterosexual marriage. The California Assembly plans to vote on the bill this month. Dobson, heard by 7.5 million listeners each week, told his audience the bill would overturn the will of Californians. In March of 2000, 61 percent of California voters supported Proposition 22, declaring that marriage should be exclusively between a man and a woman. He added that what is happening in California will eventually travel to other states, and that the California Legislature is now "completely out of control" when it comes to issues affecting families. (Focus on the Family, 14 January)

* FORMER ABORTIONISTS IN PRO-LIFE AD - A television commercial featuring three important figures in the legalization of abortion is part of a renewed effort to reinvigorate the pro-life movement in the USA. The TV ad, which was unveiled 14 January, features Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in the Roe v. Wade case that resulted in legalized abortion; Sandra Cano, the plaintiff in the Doe v. Bolton opinion that permitted abortion at all stages of pregnancy; and Bernard Nathanson, co-founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League. In the ad, the three say they once were part of the "lie" of abortion but "will not be part of that lie anymore." The ad, which provides an Internet address and phone number for viewers, began running Jan. 14 on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC and is expected to continue airing past Jan. 22, the 29th anniversary of the Roe and Doe decisions. The commercial is the second spot in the "Shake the Nation Back to Life" campaign. The change of stance by the three once-leading advocates of abortion "illustrates that no one is immune to a guilty conscience," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in a statement released at the news conference. "It shows that speaking the truth in love can free many who are trapped in the dungeon of the pro-death culture. "We are winning the battle of hearts and minds for the lives of the unborn." (BP, 15 January)

* DEATH LOOMS FOR AIDS RAPISTS – Lesotho’s proposed legislation to provide for the death sentence for men who rape knowing they are infected with Aids has been published in Maseru. A judge of the Lesotho High Court, Semapo Peete, gave details of the Sexual Offences Draft Bill in an address to the annual meeting of the Lesotho Council of Non-governmental Organisations in mid-December. The judge said the Lesotho Law Reform Commission has recommended the death penalty for rapists who are proved to have had the full knowledge that they were infected with Aids when they committed rape. The bill also provides for heavy sentences for HIV-positive people who commit rape. The judge said that in terms of the law, knowledge about a rapist’s Aids condition will become an aggravating circumstance that warrants a higher sentence. The proposed legislation also provides for severe punishment for people infected with Aids who intentionally transmit the disease to others through rape or sodomy. Similarly, a woman who consents to sexual intercourse while aware that she is infected with the disease could be sued for damages. The death sentence is legal in Lesotho in some cases of murder and high treason. (Witness Echo, 13 December 2001)