Christian News
31 January 2003
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Southern Africa:
* SA 'NATIONAL DAY OF REPENTANCE' FOR ABORTED BABIES - (South
Africa) The first day of February 2003 marks the 6th anniversary of the
Termination of Pregnancy Law. The day has been commemorated by thousands of South African
Christians as a National Day of Repentance. CFT placed Obituary Notices in some
newspapers, with the words: "Baby Jane - Tragically killed by abortion in January
2003. Christians for Truth mourns the 265 398 lives lost in the 6-year holocaust of legal
abortions on demand since 1 February 1997. "They shed innocent blood, the blood of
their sons and daughters..." Psalm 106:38. May God have mercy on South Africa. For
further info contact 032 481 5512"
Ironically, a major news syndicate, Independent Newspapers, turned down the paid notice at
the last minute. The excuse by the Head of the Classifieds Department was: "The
editor has said that this kind of advert is not allowed and has to be killed...".
(The editor, David Canning, was not available for comment.) The first Sunday after the 1st
of February is commemorated in Churches as `Sanctity Life Sunday’, which is the 2nd
of February this year. Ministers of all denominations are called upon to remind their
congregations about God’s view of life (as revealed in the Bible), the facts about
abortion, and a call to spread the truth about abortion and its disastrous effects... (CFT
Press Statement, 31 January) (to index)
* 9 MURDERED AT GAY PARLOUR IN CAPE TOWN -
There has been a frenzy of homosexual lobbying after the massacre of 9 men at a Cape Town
massage parlour, Sizzlers, on morning of 20 January 2003. Evidence seems to indicate that
the criminals are themselves involved in homosexual prostitution. Police are looking for
"four white men driving a white Gauteng-registered BMW who were reportedly cruising
Sea Point on Saturday in search of two "rent boys" known as `Stephen' and
`Maroewaan' (The Star, 24 January). The priest who conducted the funeral of one of the
victims, Father Christopher Clohessy, said people should be judged "not by what they
do but who they are". He compared the death of the deceased to the death of Christ.
He added: "There is a vast difference between who we are inside as people and the
things we often do." (News24, 23 January)
On 24 January the state-run radio SAfm discussed the issue with 3 gay advocates on the
programme `Women today’. There was agreement about the `normality` of homosexuality
and the need for decriminalisation of prostitution. One of the panelists declared that
gays "couldn't have long lasting relationships because of laws and antagonism towards
them." The hour-long programme also reiterated the common myths about homosexuality:
genes cause homosexuality; gays are 10% of nations' population; those who dare to
question the gay lifestyle are homophobes or `heterosexist’; gays can raise children just as well as straights; parents must
accept and affirm their children who come out of the closet and declare their gay status.
(to index)
* 'MORAL STAND OF RELIGIONS OUTDATED' SAYS
"SWEAT" DIRECTOR - (South Africa) In addressing the Cape Town Press Club
on 15 January about the future of sex workers in South Africa, Jayne Arnott, director of
the Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat), said the moral stand of religions
against decriminalising prostitution was outdated. "Religions have no role to play in
lawmaking concerning prostitution," she said. It was pointless to engage in arguments
with the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) about the issue, she added. She
insisted that the current legislation which outlawed prostitution did not recognise that
the act of soliciting sex resulted in a crime that was victimless and was the result of
consent between adults. In October last year, the Constitutional Court ruled against a
finding by the Pretoria High Court which deemed section 27 of the Sexual Offences Act
unconstitutional. Arnott said that "It is a form of work and adult people should have
choices. Decriminalisation would give the workers the best chance to ensure the
establishment of proper safety standards and an end to exploitation", said Arnott.
(Cape Times, 16 January) (to index)
* PROSTITUTION EVIDENCE REAFFIRMED -
In a statement on 29 January, Doctors for Life (DFL) said that the recent incident in a
Cape Town brothel accentuates the evidence that they had submitted to the Constitutional
Court. In the submission DFL had suggested that social structures be put in place for the
rehabilitation of people involved in prostitution. The incident also demonstrates DFL's
opinion that prostitution and crime are inseparably
connected - especially prostitution, drug abuse and protection rackets. "In whatever
context it occurs, prostitution remains the hiring of humans to act like sexualised
puppets. Scientific literature has clearly shown that prostitution in itself is extremely
harmful to the prostitute him/herself, his/her client, the prostitute's client's family
and the society as a whole". DFL has called upon the government to seriously consider
other options before reverting to decriminalising prostitution, "especially because
legalising prostitution will send a very powerful message to the public and the youth of
South Africa that prostitution is an acceptable profession to consider". (DFL, 29
January) (to index)
* MALAWI CHURCH WANTS IMPEACHMENT -
(Blantyre) The campaign against a constitutional amendment that would allow Malawian
President Bakili Muluzi to seek a third term heated up on 18 January after the country's
second-largest church called for his impeachment. Reacting to a call by the Church of
Central Africa Presbyterian for parliament to call early elections and impeach him, Muluzi
said that religious organisations should concentrate on spiritual issues. In 2002,
parliament narrowly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have permitted Muluzi
to seek re-election after his second and final five-year term ends in 2004. But the ruling
United Democratic Front UDF put Muluzi forward as its sole presidential candidate a few
weeks later. The church said the proposal was a "true demonstration of bad
governance". It also called for an inquiry into government corruption and accused
Muluzi of suppressing dissent and interfering with judicial independence. (News24.co.za,
19 January) (to index)
International:
* BELGIUM ADOPTS GAY MARRIAGES - Belgium became the second nation in the world to
officially recognize gay marriages on 30 January, when parliament backed the move with a
large majority. The Netherlands approved same-sex marriages two years ago, but unlike its
northern neighbor, Belgium did not go as far to allow such couples to adopt children.
"It makes it clear that any enduring and loving relationship is appreciated in the
same way in our modern society," said Kristien Grauwels, a Green Party legislator. In
the House of Representatives, the bill prevailed in a 91-22 vote with nine abstentions,
with the opposition Christian Democrat CdH and the extreme right Vlaams Blok voting
against. The bill was already approved by the Senate. (Associated Press; Australian, 31
January)
CFT Belgium gave the following report: "Thursday 30/01/2003 will remain as a black
day in the history of Belgium. It is the day that the institution of marriage, as a
relationship between a man and a woman collapsed. It is the day that the Belgian
Parliament voted for the legalisation of homosexual couples. The liberals and even
Christian Democrats voted for this law. If normal procedures are followed, the first gay
couple could marry in June this year. It was announced with pride that Belgium is the
second country in the world where this has been legalised..." Daniel Schobben,
President of CFT Belgium appealed for prayer for his country and for the Belgian
Christians, that they may continue upholding Christian standards, no matter what the world
says. "In Him we will have victory, if not here, then in heaven", he said. (to index)
* EUTHANASIA IN EUROPE - A man who was terminally ill with motor
neurone disease has died after his assisted suicide bid went ahead in Switzerland.
Reginald Crew, 74, from Hunt's Cross, Liverpool, is thought to be one of the first UK
citizens to take advantage of more relaxed laws on assisted suicide in the country.
Assisted suicide remains illegal in the UK, despite a number of legal challenges. Mr Crew
ended his life on Monday, 24 January with a fatal dose of barbiturates, prepared by a
doctor. Although there is nothing concrete in the Swiss penal code that says assisted
suicide is legal, the practice of helping a terminally-ill patient to end his or her life
is widely considered as a "humane act". Ludwig Minelli, who set up Dignitas,
said: "The doctor involved speaks to members of the family. "They don't object,
but even if they did, they don't have the power to stop the procedure because it is up to
the individual if he wants to die", he said. (News24.co.za, 20 January)
The Council of Europe has just published, on its website, a study (Strasbourg, 20.01.2003)
on laws and/or practices concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide in 34 of the Council's
member countries and in the United States, which has observer status with the
Organisation. The Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI) was given the task of preparing
this study as a follow-up to Recommendation 1418 on the protection of the human rights and
dignity of the terminally ill and the dying, adopted by the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly in 1999. The results of the questionnaire, on which the study is
based, reveal that euthanasia is only legally possible in one country: Belgium (9
countries did not give specific replies). Assisted suicide is legally possible in two
countries: Estonia and Switzerland (10 countries did not give specific replies). A copy of
the study is available at:www.coe.int/euthanasia-report.
(www.coe.int) (to index)
* FRENCH NURSE GUILTY OF ASSISTING OR CAUSING
DEATH - A female nurse has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of six
hospital patients, in a case which has rekindled the euthanasia debate in France.
Christine Malevre, 33, was found guilty of assisting or causing the deaths of the
patients, who were terminally ill, at a lung hospital in a Paris suburb. She was also
banned for life from the nursing profession, but was acquitted of a seventh count of
murder. Malevre is originally said to have admitted helping about 30 terminally ill
patients to die but later confessed to just four deaths. She claims she acted out of
compassion and was merely helping to end people's suffering. But families of several of
the deceased deny that their relatives had asked to die, and some campaign groups which
support voluntary euthanasia have not backed Malevre's case. Psychiatrists who examined
her concluded that she had a "morbid fascination with illness" and was aware of
what she was doing. Olivier Morice, representing the families of three of the victims,
told French television during the trial Malevre deliberately overstepped her authority.
(BBCNews, 31 January) (to index)
* POSSIBLE 'ROE VS WADE' REVERSAL - This year is the 30th
year of "Roe vs Wade" which has resulted in the deaths of 50 million children in
the USA. According to CFT Press Statement (31 January) Christians in America have
certainly not given up and, in fact, have got the pro-abortion lobby in a panic that the
1973 Supreme Court decision might be overturned. Let us continue to make it clear to
everyone in our country that abortion is a crime against God and humanity. Matthew Pute of
Radio Tygerberg interviewed Norma McCorvey on 104FM in the Cape Town area. Norma was the
lady who initially brought the Roe v Wade court case to the American Supreme Court in
1973, which led to the legalisation of abortion on demand in the USA. She has now become a
Christian and is taking her case back to the American supreme court to get it reversed,
saying that it was based on lies and that abortion hurts women. (Christianview, 31
January)
As part of mourning the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, some 800 US women who regret
their abortions are speaking out against abortion as part of a nationwide campaign
called "Silent No More." The campaign, the largest of its kind, is designed to
show that women who have abortions often deal with depression, guilt and shame. The hope
of those organizing the event is that these stories will persuade women to consider
abortion alternatives and to highlight in the public eye how abortion hurts women.
(Washington Times, 22 January)
(Washington) In their first joint appearance, the
six declared Democratic presidential candidates on 21 January observed the 30th
anniversary of Roe v. Wade by promising to protect abortion rights. At a fund-raising
dinner for NARAL Pro-Choice America, the candidates told 1,500 abortion rights activists
that they would resist efforts by President Bush and a Republican-controlled Congress to
restrict or overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision. (The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 January)
(to index)
* FINNS OPPOSE SEX FOR SALE - (Helsinki) A
majority of Finns are in favour of criminalising prostitution, an opinion poll (published
on 12 January) showed. According to the poll conducted by Finska Gallup published by the
Sunday paper Sunnuntaisuomalainen, 55% of Finns believe that the sale of sexual services
should be outlawed, while 48% said the same should apply to the purchase of such services.
(The Mercury, 13 January) (to index)
* UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP FOR THE PERSECUTED
CHURCH - The Voice of the Martyrs and Oklahoma Wesleyan University are launching an
unprecedented partnership to combine rigorous academic study with research and service to
advance the cause of the persecuted church in restricted nations. In tandem with VOM,
Oklahoma Wesleyan University will offer the only undergraduate degree program in North
America focused on the experience of the persecuted church and the specific challenges of
ministry in restricted nations. For more information: www.okwu.edu/persecutedchurch. (Shatter
the Silence, 31 January) (to index)
* 'NO SECRET FAITH' SAYS GERMAN YOUTH CHAIRMAN
- The new German chairman of the "Jugend Union", Philipp Missfelder has
expressed his desire to have the Parliamentary and Government Buildings blessed, after his
election victory of the Union. In an interview with the "Evangelischen
Verantwortung" he said that the German chancellor is erring when declaring religion
to be a private matter. The churches were absent at the inauguration of the
parliamentarians last year. According to Missfelder, a Catholic, living faith
includes an exemplary duty and can therefore not take place in secret. For politicians the
question of faith is of central meaning, since political action needs guidelines
without which decisions can't be made. Missfelder is also unhappy with insufficient
religious education in schools. Many are ignorant of the basic foundations of the faith
like the meaning of Easter or the reason for services. "My generation can just about
only remember that in religious education they used to draw pictures...", says
Missfelder (translated from Idea, 8 January) (to
index)
* TIM LEHAYE'S 'ARMAGEDDON' BOOKS GRIP THE U.S.
- Fifty million Americans at the last count, are reading a series of novels which
dramatise the 'end times' as Christians call them, according to a BBC report. According to
the books, Jesus Christ swoops back to earth and Christians are all taken up to heaven, as
foreseen in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The rest fight among themselves - some
eventually join Jesus and some are taken off to eternal damnation. "Millions upon
millions of ordinary Americans, and not just the ones who live in log huts and think the
government is poisoning the water, are reading them", according to the BBC report.
The author is an evangelical preacher named Tim Lehaye. "Never in the history of
mankind has there been so much fear of self-annihilation," he told the BBC.
"People are asking the question what is going to happen in the future, and the Bible
gives them the answer." And he believes that as the end of the world approaches, it
will be presided over by a world government... One man claimed that Bible study using the
novels had resulted in several converts. The BBC reporter concludes with: " The true
believers are sure they will be saved. And if they are right, the last laugh will indeed
be on them, and the rest of us had better watch out. (BBC, 19 January) (to index)
* TV CAN INFLUENCE BABIES - Infants as young
as one year old can be influenced by the emotions of television actors, say researchers at
Tufts University. Donna Mumme, assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University, who
led the research, said that children as young as 12 months make decisions based on the
emotional reactions of adults around them. The study, published in the January issue of
the journal Child Development, found that babies can also use emotional information
obtained from television. The researchers studied babies who watched a 20-second videotape
of actors showing either positive or negative emotions while playing with a toy. The
babies, aged 10 or 12 months, were later given the same toys to play with. The researchers
found that although the 10-month-old children did not seem to be influenced by the videos,
the one-year-olds would display similar emotions while playing with the same toy. For
instance, if an actress showed fear, the infants were likely to appear worried, frown,
scowl or cry. According to Mumme, adults should think twice before speaking harshly to an
infant or letting them watch a television programme meant for an older person.
(Health24.co.za, 23 January) (to index)
* US TEACHER FIRED AFTER CONDOM DEMO -
(Naples, Florida) School officials fired a high school teacher who gave ninth-graders a
demonstration on condoms. The Collier County School Board gave no specific reason for
firing Colin Nicholas on 30 January, asserting it had the right to dismiss an employee
without cause if the worker was still within a 97-day probationary period. The board's
decision cannot be appealed. "The information is so clear: he doesn't belong in the
classroom," board member Pat Carroll said. Nicholas also had two of his students
pretend to be sex therapists to answer other students' questions. Officials began their
investigation of the incident in mid-December after some parents whose children told them
about the condom lesson complained. "It's those kinds of demonstrations that we don't
want in our schools," school superintendent Dan White said. (CNN, 31 January) (to index)
* ON A 'LOGICAL' NOTE - One day a 6-year old
girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher was going to explain evolution to the
children. The teacher asked a little boy : "Tommy, do you see the tree outside?"
He replied: "Yes". Teacher : "Tommy, do you see the grass outside?"
" Yes," again. Teacher: "Go outside and look up and see if you can see the
sky". Tommy returns a minute later: "Yes, I saw the sky". Teacher:
"Did you see God, Tommy?". On his "No" reply the teacher continued:
"That's my point. We can't see God because He isn't there. He doesn't exist". At
this a little girl asked permission to also ask the boy a few questions. When the teacher
agreed the girl started off with the same questions the teacher had posed: "Do you
see the tree outside?"; "Do you see the grass outside?"...And with growing
impatience Tommy kept answering "Yes". "Tommy, do you see the
teacher?" Another "Yes". The girl: "Do you see her brain Tommy?".
When he replied: "No", she continued: "Then according to what we are taught
here today, she must not have one!" (Source Unknown) (to index)
