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Christian
News
* PERSISTENT PRAYER AND PRESSURE NEEDED TO KEEP PROSTITUTION FROM BEING LEGALISED – On 28 May, I attended the South African Law Reform Commission workshop held in Cape Town in which the 4 possible models for law reform on prostitution were presented. Options put forward by the Law Commission for comment included maintaining the status quo (criminalisation of all aspects of the industry), partial criminalisation (criminalising the solicitors and the buyers), legalisation (state regulation of most aspects of the sex industry) and total decriminalisation. The overwhelming majority of those present were Christians, including several ministries who are involved in the prevention of trafficking and helping prostitutes to get out of this exploitative industry. Part of the workshop involved getting into groups around the 4 different models and discussing if and how the law needs to be changed to help decrease the demand and improve the lives of prostitutes. The biggest group (our group) was in favour of keeping all aspects of the sex industry criminalised. The group from SWEAT who proposed the decriminalisation of prostitution had less than ten supporters and only three people at the workshop supported the legalisation of prostitution. We believe the best option would be to focus on criminalising the procurers (brothel owners, pimps etc) and provide exit programmes (drug rehabilitation, job skills training) for prostitutes. This way, the women who are usually the victim in the whole scenario, would not get a criminal record. This would help them to start a new life. Research drawn from nations across the globe show that decriminalised prostitution is a gift to pimps, organised crime & sex traffickers and does nothing to improve the lives of women. The current 2007 Sexual Offences Amendment Act is sufficient but does need to be changed in terms of policing and court procedures for prostitutes. I believe having many people present who were equipped with facts about the disastrous impact legalising prostitution has had on other countries in terms of the increase in trafficking, organised crime and child prostitution, was important in shaping the perceptions of the Law Reform Commission researchers about general public resistance to any moves to legalise prostitution. Errol Naidoo (Family Policy Institute) has recently had several articles published in 3 major newspapers. His article, "Entire Sex Industry Should Be Criminalised" was also published in the Pretoria News, on www.iol.co.za and several other online editions of major newspapers. Please write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in support of these articles and add any experiences you have of the affect of prostitution on your community or how you have been involved in helping prostitutes to get out of their bondage. The ANC may have railroaded legislation through in the past but we can make sure that a Bill clarifying the criminalisation of the entire sex industry gets to Parliament. A Bill has not been drafted yet. The Law Reform Commission will still need to assess which is the best model once all the submissions have been received. Our Lord Jesus taught us that we “should always pray and not give up.” In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus taught us that even an unjust judge will give in and do what is right in response to persistent prayer and pressure (Luke 18:1-8). Are we going to be like the persistent widow, knocking on the door of the judge until true justice is served or are we going to give up and give in to the deceived wishes and worldview of the liberals? With God all things are possible. * SOME RARE GOOD NEWS FROM ZIMBABWE - Amid the continuing bad news emerging from Zimbabwe, the Bible Society of Zimbabwe is able to share some positive news about its work: in late February, the New Shona Common Language Bible - Bhaibheri Idzva RechiShona - was launched. Shona is one of the country’s three official languages and the mother tongue of the majority of the population. “The whole nation witnessed the event because it was shown on the main evening television news,” says General Secretary Ikabodi Chinyati, who was interviewed on national television. “The launch and the publicity surrounding it have created a surge in demand for the Shona Bible, and many people are coming to Bible House to ask for a copy. We really need to increase our stock. We printed nearly 11,000 copies and will probably need about 30,000 more to meet demand. “The event was well attended, despite the fact that it coincided with an executive meeting of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches. Representatives from the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Apostolic, Dutch Reformed and Anglican and other churches were present, as were staff from the International Bible Society, Scripture Union, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and other Christian organisations. The guest speaker was the Southern African Director of Scripture Union, Mr Kudakwashe Gumende.” The new translation comes exactly 30 years after the publication of Bhaibheri Rinoera – the Bible in Shona produced with and without the deuterocanonical books to cater for both Protestants and Roman Catholics. “Although this earlier translation is very popular, it contains terms that are not used in the Christian faith but are related to the traditional religion,” explains Mr Chinyati. “‘Svikiro’ for instance, means ‘spirit medium’, but it is used in this Bible as the word for prophet. ‘Mudzimu unoera’, or ‘holy ancestral spirit’, is being used for Holy Spirit. And there are many more examples like this. “It also contains typographical errors, which distort the meaning of some of the text. The new translation uses more up to date language and it has larger text, so it is more easily readable.” The Bible Society is also planning another Scripture launch for later this year - the Chikunda New Testament, which is eagerly awaited by the country’s 145,000 Chikunda speakers, many of whom live along the banks of the Zambezi River in north-western Zimbabwe. Chikunda is also spoken in parts of Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. (Project 89605) “This New Testament will ensure that we too are able to read the Word of God in our own language, even though we are a minority,” their leader, Chief Kanyemba, told the Bible Society. “We have printed 4,000 New Testaments, which we will deliver and launch in the town of Mvurwi, north-west of Harare, probably in August,” says Mr Chinyati. “We are organising the launch with our partners, Word for the World. Together we decided to delay it because the roads to Mvurwi are bad during the rainy season. In the meantime we will publicise the new Bible and the launch on national radio. Despite the continued economic chaos in Zimbabwe, the Bible Society is determined to move forward with its work to take the Word of God to ordinary Zimbabweans. “We have embarked on a campaign to encourage churchgoers to
become members of the Bible Society, and we are getting very positive responses,”
notes Mr Chinyati. “We are also in the process of recruiting a Marketing Manager to
help us recruit supporters and to work on our main projects – Widows and Orphans, Let
the Children Speak, Scriptures for the Army, Light For All, and our HIV and AIDS
project.”
* 4 BAGHDAD CHURCHES BOMBED IN 24 HOURS - Four Baghdad churches were bombed in less than 24 hours and eight civilians were wounded, officials said Sunday. Three bombs exploded outside churches Sunday afternoon, wounding the civilians, an Interior Ministry official said. The bombs detonated within a 15-minute span, between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. Two of the churches are in central Baghdad's al-Karrada district, and the third is in al-Ghadeer in eastern Baghdad. The churches were damaged in the bombings, the official said. Saturday night, a church in western Baghdad sustained damage in a double bombing, the official said. The two bombs placed inside St. Joseph's church detonated at around 10 p.m. local time. There was no one in the church at the time of the attack. St. Joseph's was one of six churches hit by coordinated bombings of Christian houses of worship in Baghdad and Mosul in 2004. The church is in the al-Jamiaa neighborhood of Baghdad, a former stronghold of al Qaeda in Iraq. There have been recent reports of an increase in targeted attacks in the area. Many of Iraq's estimated 1 million Christians have fled the country after targeted attacks by extremists. In October, more than a thousand Iraqi families fled the northern city of Mosul after they were reportedly frightened by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists, who apparently ordered them to convert to Islam or face possible death. At least 14 Christians were killed in Mosul in the first two weeks of October. Separately, gunmen shot and killed an official in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Sunday morning, a local police official told CNN. Using guns with silencers, the assailants opened fire on Rizko Aziz Nissan outside his home in central Kirkuk at 8:15 a.m. Nissan was an Iraqi Christian, but the motives behind his killing
were not immediately clear. Kirkuk is 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Baghdad. * 'DEMOGRAPHIC BOMB' PRODUCER APPALLED BY GINSBURG'S COMMENTS JUSTIFYING ABORTION FOR POPULATION CONTROL - Barry McLerran, producer of the just-released documentary "Demographic Bomb: Demography is Destiny" -- sequel to "Demographic Winter" -- said he was appalled by recent comments of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg that she viewed abortion as a form of population control. In an interview published in yesterday's New York Times Magazine, Ginsburg said, "I had thought that at the time Roe was decided , there was concern about population growth and particularly the growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of." McLerran commented: "Ginsburg is speaking of the poor here. Her thinking reflects the mindset of the liberal elite, which has long felt that getting rid of people is the easiest solution to pressing problems." "This raises the ugly specter of the eugenics movement of the early 20th century, which sought to limit the growth of 'undesirable' or the ‘unfit,'" Mclerran added. The "Demographic Winter" producer said it was no coincidence that the population-control movement had long targeted those in poverty and minorities in America and the populations of developing nations, including Africa.. McLerran noted: "It's rare for Planned Parenthood to open abortion clinics in wealthy, white neighborhoods. When was the last time the United Nations Population Division fretted about 'over-population' in Norway or Canada?" Besides examining the economic consequences of the worldwide decline in birth rates, "The Demographic Bomb" exposes the role of the population-control movement in the coming population bust. The documentary reveals how organizations, institutions, governments and the United Nations manipulated and coerced families, evaded political accountability and violated basic human rights to achieve their agenda. Said McLerran, "It's the story of how those with Ginsburg's mindset have worked to limit 'the growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of.'" To learn more about "The Population Bomb: Demography Is
Destiny," go to www.demographicwinter.com. * 11 CHRISTIANS MURDERED IN WEEKEND ATTACKS
-- Seven Believers Beheaded in Somalia; Four Killed in Violence in Iraq - At least 11
Christians were killed in attacks in Somalia and Iraq over the weekend. Al-Shabaab, Somalia's hard-line insurgents, reportedly beheaded
seven Somalis for being "Christians" and "spies." This news was
announced by Reuters News Agency on Friday. The report stated that the incident took place
in the south-central town of Baidoa. In Iraq, the Associated Press reported a car bomb exploded near a
church in Baghdad, killing three Christians and a Muslim. Another Christian was killed in
the northern city of Kirkuk. Several more churches were also bombed in Baghdad over the
weekend. The Reuters report from Somalia pointed out that although
al-Shabaab has carried out similar severe punishments in regions under its control, these
executions allegedly are the largest number done at the same time. Somalia is believed to have a 99.95% Islamic following. There are
only a handful Somali Christians inside the country and they have been forced underground.
Some Christians have taken refuge in neighbouring countries. Somalia is ranked No. 5 on this year's Open Doors World Watch List
which ranks the top persecutors of Christians. The previous year Somalia was ranked No.
12. "Those who come to Christ in Somalia do so at a huge risk.
Most of them are Muslim Background Believers who face unbelievable pressure and
persecution, even death as reported this weekend," says Open Doors USA President/CEO
Carl Moeller. "Somalia desperately needs our prayers as conditions deteriorate. This country needs both physical and spiritual nourishment. Please join me in praying for the tremendous needs of Somalia and for the few brave believers inside the country." Iraq Christians Living In Fear - The car bomb detonated outside
the Virgin Mary Church in east Baghdad. In addition to the four deaths, at least 16 others
were wounded in the attack, according to the Los Angeles Times. The paper also reported
five other bombs were exploded outside churches around Baghdad on Saturday night and
Sunday. CNN reported a gunman shot and killed Rizko Aziz Nissan on Sunday
morning outside his home in central Kirkuk. Nissan was an Iraqi Christian, but the motives
behind his killing were not immediately clear since he was also a government official. One survivor of one of the bombings in Iraq told CNN that "if
this (violence) continues, there will be no Christians left in Iraq." Although it is difficult to state how many Iraqi Christians are in
the country, the number in 2003, prior to the fall of Saddam Hussein, was around 550,000.
Church leaders in Iraq conservatively estimate that almost 165,000 Christians live outside
Iraq – in Syria, Jordan or the West – and that another 70,000 have fled to
northern Iraq. That means less than 400,000 Christians remain in mainland Iraq. The United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has estimated that at least 2 million Iraqis have
fled the country since 2003 and another 2 million are displaced inside the country. "With U.S. troops pulling back from cities on July 1 and
these weekend bombings, Iraqi Christians fear that this could mark a resurgence of
anti-Christian violence," says Moeller. "Christians have always been caught in
the crossfire in Iraq. Many have fled the country. We need to lift up in prayer those who
remain. They are scared and living in daily fear. Please pray that these bombings will end
and believers can worship in peace." An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer
interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing
discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the
world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution,
leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence
ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers.
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