Christian News

15 March 2004

Southern Africa:

* Bid to stem conversions
* S.A. Miracle aborted baby survives being dumped
* Stripping ban ruled as unconstitutional in S.A.
* Support for health workers’ refusal to perform abortions
* Objections to explicit billboards
* ‘Freedom of choice: God’s law or chaos’
* Pagans hit back
* 22 kg cocaine confiscated at S.A. airport
* A ‘Box with Love’ for suffering Christians in Zimbabwe

* BID TO STEM CONVERSIONS – The South African Maha Sabha society is to hold a national convention in an attempt to stem the tide of Hindus converting to Christianity. The president of the SA Hindu Maha Sabha, Ashwin Trikamjee, said the convention, which would be the first meeting of all Hindu organisations in the country, would also focus on the fragmentation of Hindu bodies and the subject of unity. He said an alarming number of people were converting to Christianity, adding that, in most instances, he believed it was through ignorance. The president of the Natal Tamil Federation, Bala Naidoo, said that a lot of people were converting to Christianity because they were being misled. "We want to find out what is the contributing factor," said Naidoo. Pastor Linton Nightingale of His Church in Pinetown said "Everybody wants to raise awareness about their religion. People think if they convert to Christianity they are not going to have financial problems or health problems. Really, Christianity is not a quick-fix life-enhancement programme," he said. He also said that anyone could convert to Christianity - "But it’s really a case of where they believe that the way they have been living their life has been an error and that they’ve now found the truth." (9 March 2003, Sunday Times) (to index)

* S.A. MIRACLE ABORTED BABY SURVIVES BEING DUMPED - Born four months premature after his mother allegedly tried to abort him and then had him dumped, he still survived. With all the odds stacked against him, he clung desperately to life. The newborn baby was rushed to Pretoria Academic Hospital after he had been left for dead in the back of a car, allegedly by a woman employed at a local surgery. "I thought he was dead," said Inspector Riaan Klopper of Pretoria Central police station, "but then he wriggled." The baby weighed 1,1kg. An employee of a panelbeating shop next to the surgery in Marabastad saw an unknown woman leave a bag on the back seat of one of the cars in the yard just after 8am on 8 March. He went to investigate and called the police. The child’s mother had apparently approached a 40-year-old woman working at the surgery on Friday, 7 March, wanting an abortion. Doctors at Pretoria Academic Hospital believe the mother was given something to drink and that it induced the birth. The mother and the woman allegedly responsible for the attempted abortion were arrested and charged with attempted murder (The Star, 10 March) Sadly, the little boy has since died.
Cheryllyn Dudley, African Democratic Party MP said on 11 March that it would be hypocritical to prosecute the 23-year-old mother of the baby. "…A baby aborted within the legal timeframe of three months, is still the same baby at five months. The horror people have been forced to confront in this child’s trauma, is happening every day across the country…", said Dudley (to index)

 

* STRIPPING BAN RULED AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN S.A - A section of the Liquor Act prohibiting striptease dancing on licensed premises was struck down by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, 11 March. Andrew Phillips, the owner of The Ranch (Sandton), was prosecuted under the Liquor Act for allowing nudity on the premises. He appealed to the Johannesburg High Court in 2002, which set aside his conviction on the grounds that the relevant section of the Liquor Act infringed the right of freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution. As the high court does not have the power to make definitive rulings in constitutional matters, the Constitutional Court was called on to confirm the ruling. Justice Zakeria Yacoob said the prohibition in the act was too broad to be reasonable. In a dissenting judgment, Justice Tole Madala held that the prohibition did not limit freedom of expression, but merely required that alcohol not be served on a day when performers were "not clothed" or "not properly clothed". (Sapa, iafrica, 11 Mar 2003) (to index)

* SUPPORT FOR HEALTH WORKERS’ REFUSAL TO PERFORM ABORTIONS - African Christian Democratic Party MP Cheryllyn Dudley has defended the rights of doctors and nurses working at the Rietvlei hospital after a report stating that women seeking abortions were being turned away. "The ACDP commends hospital staff, nurses and doctors who bravely refuse to participate in this atrocity," Dudley said. "As if it is not enough that this country has granted women the legal right to murder their own children, now people are trying to expand this law to include forcing others to participate in the murder of these innocent, unborn children. "These healthworkers are standing up for what they believe is right, and they should not be harassed," Dudley said. Dudley said that Rietvlei Hospital was established as a mission hospital, inspired by the Christian faith and many healthworkers at the hospital have had to sacrifice their careers, comfort and family to serve the needy people of Umzimkhulu. "You only have to visit the hospital with all its financial and other challenges to know that only those called by God could possibly endure these conditions voluntarily." For further comment please call Cheryllyn Dudley MP at 082 8906520 or ACDP Media Liaison Charmaine Horne at 084 370 3550 or 021 403 3307 (African Christian Democratic Party Press Release, 4 March) (to index)

* OBJECTIONS TO EXPLICIT BILLBOARDS - ChristianView Network and Africa Christian Action have both lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority against LoveLife's 'One roll on all women want' advertising billboard. The initial complaint was rejected, but appeal has been made against the decision, and is currently under consideration. LoveLife billboards have also come under attack from the National Association of People with AIDS, who say that it trivialises the AIDS plague and wastes money with meaningless messages. In response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s ruling on the LoveLife advert "One roll on all women want", ChristianView Network said: "You argue that the purpose of the commercial is to educate children and young people. That assumes that the advertisement is successfully communicating a legitimate message. We argue that the LoveLife campaign is counter-productive to stopping the spread of HIV - as it promotes irresponsible sexual behaviour…" ChristianView also pointed out that in terms of Section II, Clause 14 advertisements addressed to or likely to influence children should not contain any statement or visual presentation which might result in harming them, mentally, morally, physically or emotionally. Readers who object to these billboards can send complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority at info@asasa.org.za. (ChristianView, 10 March) (to index)

* ‘FREEDOM OF CHOICE : GOD’S LAW OR CHAOS’ – (South Africa) Correspondence regarding abortion and what is being taught in South African schools, sent to a community paper Bloemnuus by ACDP Media Liaison Officer Martha Dean, received an editorial response. The editor quoted an extract from one of the ACDP emails: "All the parents that approached us asked that the schools do not teach their children things that are against their religion. If their religion says that abortion is wrong, the schools have no right to teach their children that abortion is OK." Dean also mentioned issues like homosexuality and premarital sex. The response was: "All I can say to her and her party is that we are living in a democratic South Africa… And, schools are not advocating that all the above is OK, they are educating our children on what is out there. It is also there to teach the children that it is wrong to discriminate against these people... That is what it comes down to - freedom of choice which our constitution gives us… They are a Christian party, but what must also be remembered here, and which the constitution also gives, is freedom of religious choice. At the end of the day, no matter what your religion, you will have to answer for everything you have done in your life. Let's leave it until then." ACDP responded that "the choice is easy, God’s Law or Chaos".

ED: "When…you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way… his blood I will require from your hand". Ezek.33:8" (to index)

* PAGANS HIT BACK – (Johannesburg) The South African pagan community has hit back after reports earlier this week that a "witches Mecca" was operating on the Gauteng West Rand, with hundreds of school pupils involved in Satanism. The report quoted self-professed occult expert Dr Kobus Jonker, who said there were an estimated 62 000 Satanists in South Africa, 80% of whom were under 18. South African Pagan Federation president the Rev Norman Geldenhuys responded: "The figure of 62 000 is ludicrous. "There are about 50 000 practising pagans in South Africa, which includes the Shaman, Druid, Asatru and Wiccan beliefs." (News24.co.za, 12 March) (to index)

* 22KG COCAINE CONFISCATED AT SA AIRPORT - A 34-year-old man was arrested at the Johannesburg International Airport on 11 March after he was found in possession of cocaine worth R9.9-million, North Rand police said. Superintendent Eugene Opperman said the man arrived in South Africa on a plane from Sao Paulo and was confronted by immigration officers for trying to enter the country using a fraudulent passport. South African Narcotics Bureau detectives were called to the scene and the searched his luggage. Opperman said they found 22kg of cocaine in his luggage. (sapa, iafrica.com, 11 March) (to index)

* A ‘BOX WITH LOVE’ FOR SUFFERING CHRISTIANS IN ZIMBABWE – People are dying of starvation in a man-made famine in Zimbabwe, reports Frontline Fellowship (FF). Vast herds of cattle and wildlife have been slaughtered. Crops and stores burned. Farmhouses looted. Many people beaten or murdered. According to FF the Zimbabwe government has even forbidden any food or relief aid to be distributed by any other agencies than the ruling (ZANU-PF) party, ensuring that only their supporters receive food. FF has been working in Zimbabwe since the 1980’s and have in recent months distributed tons of emergency relief aid to starving Christians in Zimbabwe.
Christians are sending "A Box with Love" – small boxes filled with high protein, lightweight foods that will not spoil during transportation and distribution (packets of powdered milk and condensed milk tins, packets of rice, sugar, salt, Pro-nutro porridge, cooking oil, tin foods). For more information contact: 021 – 689 4480 (Frontline Fellowship, 7 March) (to index)

 

International:

* Church spires not to grace Saudi skies
* U.S. Pledge declared unconstitutional
* Vietnam says ‘No’ to sexy singers
* China bans Rolling Stones songs
* Montana house reverses itself on foetal pain bill
* ‘Women must hear of link between breast cancer and abortion’
* Disappointment with first mass Aids vaccine trial
* Vatican mislays keys to heaven
* UK’s oldest couple celebrates 79 years of marriage
* Lithuanian mystic causes presidential storm

* CHURCH SPIRES NOT TO GRACE SAUDI SKIES – (Riyadh) Saudi Arabia, as the birthplace of Islam, will not allow churches to be built on its land regardless of the outcry from "fanatics," according to Defence Minister Prince Sultan. "This country was the launch pad for the prophecy and the message, and nothing can contradict this, even if we lose our necks," Sultan told reporters on 8 March. His comments were published by Saudi newspapers and confirmed by several journalists who attended the press conference. "Those who talked (about churches in Saudi Arabia) are church people and they are, unfortunately, fanatics," Sultan said, according to Okaz daily newspaper on 10 March. "We are not against religions at all... but there are no churches - not in the past, the present or future, and I am saying this and I am responsible for what I say. Whoever said this must shut up and be ashamed." The US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s annual reports say that religious freedom "does not exist" in the Gulf Kingdom. Sultan said that foreigners have been allowed to worship freely in their homes since they began arriving in Saudi Arabia in 1951. But permitting a church in the country "would affect Islam and all Muslims," he reportedly said. (Sapa-AP, Independent Online, 10 March) (to index)

* US PLEDGE DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL - A US appeals court on 28 February upheld its controversial ruling that a patriotic oath recited by generations of American school children is unconstitutional because it invokes the name of God. The Ninth Circuit court of appeals rejected a bid by the government of President George W. Bush to overturn its decision on the oath, known as "the pledge of allegiance," setting the scene for a high-profile Supreme Court showdown. The federal court said the phrase "one nation under God" in the pledge represented a government endorsement of religion forbidden by the US constitution. The decision declaring the 110-year-old pledge unconstitutional triggered violent condemnation across the United States, where the ambiguous relationship between church and state is a longstanding source of controversy. (AFP, iafrica.com, 2 March) (to index)

* VIETNAM SAYS ‘NO’ TO SEXY SINGERS - Authorities in Vietnam's southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City are preparing a ban on performances by artists displaying their navel and wearing sexy clothes, according to reports. Suggestive dances will also be banned. "We will ask to stop or adjust the shows in which the performers have their navel uncovered or dress scantily against the national aesthetic," the head of the city's Music and Dance Department, Nguyen Thanh Son, was quoted as saying in the Tuoi Tre newspaper. "Not only the dressing but also the performing style of the artists will be our concerns, as many of them have shown the low-culture and the smutty when they perform on the stage," Son added. He said the local authorities would revoke the licenses of show organisers who tolerate unsuitably-dressed artists on their stages. However, the newspaper also made it clear that not all Vietnamese people shared the official point of view. (AFP, Iafrica.com, 4 March) (to index)

* CHINA BANS ROLLING STONES SONGS - The Chinese government has slapped a ban on the Rolling Stones performing four of their best known songs during their April gigs in Beijing. The ageing rockers have been told they cannot play 'Brown Sugar', 'Honky Tonk Woman', 'Beast of Burden' or 'Let's Spend the Night Together', organisers said. The band is due to play Shanghai on April 1 and Beijing on April 4 in what will be their first ever concerts in China. "These songs do not form part of the list which was submitted for authorization to the authorities," said Wang Long, from Time New Century Entertainment. "The government has its reasons to prohibit these songs. The same four songs were cut from the band's Forty Licks compilation album available in Chinese shops, although pirate versions of the CD still have the tracks included. The band has been trying to gain permission to play in China since the 1970s but have always been turned down. Beijing's stringent Ministry of Culture, which once viewed rock music as "spiritual pollution," finally approved the concerts in early February. (AFP, Iafrica, 3 March) (to index)

* MONTANA HOUSE REVERSES ITSELF ON FOETAL PAIN BILL - (Helena, MT, USA) In a rare move, a narrow majority of the state House of Representatives reversed itself and voted against a pro-life bill mandating that abortion practitioners offer painkillers for the unborn children of women seeking abortions past the 16th week of pregnancy. House Bill 460, sponsored by pro-life Rep. Penny Morgan, R-Billings, passed the House on a preliminary vote of 52-47 on 26 February. But on 27 February 2 representatives switched their votes and the House defeated the bill 46-51. "There is scientific evidence to show unborn fetal pain at 12 weeks," Morgan told her colleagues on the House floor. "Compelling evidence in the House Judiciary committee proved that babies feel pain in their mother's wombs," added Julie Millam, director of the Montana Family Coalition. Opponents of the bill said the Legislature has no right to tell doctors how to do their job. Proponents said the legislation would affect a very small number of abortions, about 135 of the 2,300 abortions performed yearly in Montana, since most women seek abortions before they are 16 weeks pregnant. "You should have some compassion for the child inside you that you're about to get rid of," said pro-life Rep. Jeff Pattison, R-Glasgow. (Helena Independent Record, Pro-Life Infonet; 27 February) (to index)

* ‘WOMEN MUST HEAR OF LINK BETWEEN BREAST CANCER AND ABORTION’ - (Washington, DC) Jeanette Joyce who aborted her first pregnancy at age 18 and is also a breast cancer survivor, has researched the link between abortion and breast cancer. "I was both shocked and disappointed that this information wasn't being made public," Joyce said. "Right now, we're at 29 out of 38 worldwide studies (that) have confirmed that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer." Joyce, however, thinks it is vital information for anyone considering an abortion. Unfortunately the "experts" at a recent meeting of the National Cancer Institute have concluded the risk is unimportant and women don't need to know. (Focus on the Family, 26 February) (to index)

* DISAPPOINTMENT WITH FIRST MASS AIDS VACCINE TRIAL - The outcome of the world's first Aids vaccine to undergo mass trials on humans dealt a heavy blow on 24 February to campaigners hoping for a shield against the global pandemic. Tested over three years, AIDSVAX failed to protect most volunteers against HIV infection but did apparently have some protective effect on blacks and Asians, its makers, VaxGen Inc., announced on 24 February. The trial vaccine is based on priming antibodies, the first line of the body's defence… (AFP, Iafrica.com, 24 February) (to index)

* UK’S OLDEST COUPLE CELEBRATES 79 YEARS OF MARRIAGE - A British couple have broken a national record by celebrating their 79th wedding anniversary on 1 March, media reports said. Anne and Bert Ivison, both 96, were due to mark the anniversary by holding a small party in their retirement home in the northwestern city of Liverpool, where they grew up and went to the same primary school and where they married on March 1, 1924. The pair have outlived their three children, but have four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Records show the longest ever marriage in Britain lasted 82 years and the longest in the world lasted 86 years. But the Guinness Book of Records currently lists the longest ongoing marriage in Britain as 78 years. (AFP,Iafrica.com, 4 March) (to index)

* VATICAN MISLAYS KEYS TO HEAVEN – (Vatican City) The Gospels say Jesus gave the apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, thereby entrusting him with the spiritual guidance of the faithful. Now the Vatican has "lost them". Vatican authorities were searching on Thursday, 13 March, for the left hand - the one holding the keys - of a 13th-century marble statue of the apostle in St Peter's Basilica after the hand and keys mysteriously vanished. Carved from a separate block of marble attached to the arm by a metal rod, the hand would have been relatively easy to remove. The Vatican was tight-lipped about what might have happened to it, saying only that it was missing. (Reuters, iol.co.za, 13 March) (to index)

* LITHUANIAN MYSTIC CAUSES PRESIDENTIAL STORM – (Vilnius) Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas has flown into a media storm over his faith in a mystic who wraps people in toilet paper to cure their ills. Paksas' claims of "believing" in mystic Lena Lolisvili have sparked an uproar in the predominantly Catholic former Soviet country, which is sensitive about its image in the outside world after being invited to join the European Union in 2004. Local media have dubbed Lithuania's Lolisvili "Rasputin", after the Siberian mystic who wielded influence over Russia's Tsar Nicholas 2 and Tsarina Alexandra in the early 1900s because of his apparent ability to treat their son's haemophilia. "Lithuania risks becoming the laughing stock of the world for the next five years," its largest newspaper, Lietuvos Rytas, said in an editorial On 14 March. "It is time for the president to realise he is …the leader of a democratic state," the paper said. Lolisvili was a guest of honour at Paksas’ inauguration in February, a move critics slammed as a throwback to the dark ages. "This is clearly the work of the devil," said Cardinal Audrys Backis. (iol.co.za, 14 March) (to index)