- Christianity swells in Indonesia despite violence
- JPL worker sues over demotion citing discrimination against his intelligent design views
- Christians appeal to president Obama for national prayer day
- Christianity ’still relevant’ for most Europeans, survey finds
| Christianity swells in Indonesia despite violence Posted: 20 Apr 2010 09:54 AM PDT
The most populous Islamic nation in the world is experiencing a heavy outpouring of Christianity, TIME magazine noted in latest issue. Indonesia has some 215 million Islamic believers. However, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Christianity is Indonesia’s second largest faith and it is growing dramatically in recent years despite outpourings of violence. In all of Asia, Christianity has some 350 million believers. Most of the conversions in Indonesia are Pentecostal and Evangelical. Pentecostalism is considered by many to be the fastest growing faith in the world in terms of conversions (as opposed to births). It is estimated that by 2050 most Christians will be living in developing nations. Troubled Past It is believed that some of the growth of Christianity is triggered by a wave of terrorism and the rise of conservatism among Muslims in Indonesia, which has led to laws that encourage old practices like caning for drinking beer and forcing dress codes for women. But the move toward Christianity is also seen as an offshoot of the inception of democracy in the country more than a decade ago which led to pluralism and religious conflict. Despite some adherence to religious freedom, for the past few years dozens of churches and theological academies were destroyed or forced to shut down by Islamic groups. They accused Christians of trying to steal Muslim believers. Dozens of local governments have also passed Islamic-based laws that threaten Christian rights. Last year, the Indonesia Ulema Council, an influential Islamic clerical body, decried Christian proselytization and urged Muslims to guard their faith. “There is a real fear that Christianity is on the march,” says Mike Hilliard, a Scottish minister married to an Indonesian. They runs an orphanage outside Jakarta that has been targeted by militant Muslims. “Because of this fear, emotions are easily stirred up and mobs can form quickly.” Although some Christians hold prominent cabinet positions, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has done little to protect religious minorities. Nevertheless, Christians on the street seem undeterred. Unreliable Statistics Although local statistics of growth of Christianity in Indonesia may be unreliable, evidence has shown more boldness among the faithful. For example, in Jakarta megachurches are found in the city, as well as unofficial churches in hotels and malls. Asia’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ is in Manado city, eastern Indonesia, and Indonesia cable TV has 24-hour Christian channels. Pastor David Nugroho who has a church in Gesing, Indonesia with 400 worshippers, was quoted by TIME as saying, “People think Indonesia is just a Muslim country, (but) we (Christians) are not afraid to show our faith.”  |
| JPL worker sues over demotion citing discrimination against his intelligent design views Posted: 20 Apr 2010 09:50 AM PDT
A Jet Propulsion Laboratory worker filed recently a case in the Los Angeles county against his superiors for a demotion which he said was discriminatory of his views on intelligent design.
Coppedge discussed intelligent design with JPL scientists, a theory that believes an intelligent being – not evolution or random processes – created life and the universe. His supervisors sent him a memo telling him to stop discussing religion. Coppedge claims he stopped talking about intelligent design with his coworkers in March 2009. However, he was demoted the following month, in April. The Defendants in the lawsuit include his supervisor, JPL and the California Institute of Technology, which runs JPL. Coppedge also claims he met with his supervisors, who told him that the written warning was inappropriate, and that it would be removed from his file. The suit calls this as an admission of liability of religious discrimination and retaliation under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. JPL’s spokeswoman, Veronica McGregor, said that the firm hasn’t received the lawsuit so it can’t comment yet. JPL is a federally funded research firm that is also a NASA contractor. Coppedge is active with creationist Web sites. He edits the blog, “Creation-Evolution Headlines” and sits on the board of directors of Illustra Media, the group that publishes the DVDs he distributed.
His lawyer William J. Becker said, “I think it’s unfortunate that JPL, which is interested in exploring the origins of the universe would be hostile to the argument of intelligent design. If anything, JPL is the premier space exploration resource in the world. It ought to have openness to this theory.” |
| Christians appeal to president Obama for national prayer day Posted: 20 Apr 2010 09:44 AM PDT
Attorneys with the Christian legal firm Alliance Defense Fund urged President Barack Obama to appeal the decision of a federal judge’s ruling that National Prayer Day is unconstitutional recently.  Before thousands of guests, including a dozen foreign leaders, President Barack Obama called for greater understanding and cooperation among people of all faiths at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, 2008. The ADF lawyers made their plea after U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb struck down a federal statute creating the “National Day of Prayer.” According to Crabb, the statute connotes endorsement and encouragement of a particular religious exercise. But ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster argues that the national prayer day is “America’s heritage” and “belongs to Americans.” He added, “The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith – and does not promote any particular religion or form of religious observance.” National Prayer Day (NPD) was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Although it has been celebrated yearly since then, a lawsuit against NPD was filed in October 2008 by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The FFRF is a Madison, Wisconsin group that was founded in 1976. They are pledged to promote separation of church and state, and to educate the public on “nontheism”. The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, praised Judge Crabb’s ruling saying, “This decision is a tremendous victory for religious liberty. Congress has no business telling Americans when or how to pray.” Lynn added, “The Constitution forbids the government to meddle in religious matters. Decisions about worship should be made by individuals without direction from elected officials. That’s what freedom is all about.” Ever since 1952, US presidents have always set an annual National Day of Prayer. Since 1988, the presidents have always designated the first Thursday of May as the National Day of Prayer. Last year, President Obama issued a proclamation designating the first Thursday of May as the National Day of Prayer, and prayed privately. Despite the present ruling, Obama still intends to recognize the day this year on May 6. Shirley Dobson, chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force said it is imperative “now more than ever before” to pray. Dobson has organized thousands of local prayer events throughout the country, including gatherings in Washington, D.C., with government leaders. |
| Christianity ’still relevant’ for most Europeans, survey finds Posted: 19 Apr 2010 04:01 PM PDT
Warsaw (ENI). Almost two-thirds of Europeans think Christian values are still relevant to contemporary life and are ready to acknowledge the Church’s efforts to promote them, a recent survey carried out for La Croix daily newspaper has found. “Yet while two-thirds think Christianity’s message is still up-to-date, this isn’t the case for the other third. So, Christianity remains an element marking the religious culture of the Old Continent, but no longer claims exclusivity,” the newspaper noted. In the survey, conducted during March by France’s Institut Francais d’Opinion Publique (IFOP) in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, 57 percent of respondents said they believe Christians are “sufficiently visible” in society. That was compared to 28 percent who thought they were “not visible enough” and 15 percent who considered them “too visible”. Although 61 percent of Europeans said the “message and values” of Christianity remain topical, only Italians believe churches are doing a good job in communicating and reaching out to young people, compared to between 74 and 80 percent of British, French, German and Spanish respondents who thought the opposite. Forty-eight percent of Europeans assigned a key role to Christian values in promoting “dialogue with different cultures and religions” and “solidarity with the poor,” compared to between three and 13 percent believing these values are important in bioethics and respect for life, in “moralising capitalism” or on issues such as immigration and environmental protection. At the same time, slightly more than 80 percent of respondents said church priorities for the 21st century should include action for world peace and combating poverty at home, while a third believe churches should be “available at life’s key moments” and one in five think their priorities should include “making Christ’s message known”. In its commentary, La Croix said the “Christian anchorage” of Europeans appears “too deep to be shifted by the waves stirred by current events”, and has been little affected by current abuse scandals in the churches. However, it also notes strong national differences in attitudes to Christianity, with French citizens voicing stronger criticisms than their Italian neighbours. In Britain and Germany, where religious pluralism and coexistence are a “well anchored historical reality”, according to La Croix, more citizens regret the failure of traditional churches to hold their ground against new minority faiths. “For the English above all, religion is a private affair. The Church should be there at life’s important moments, rather than to support world peace, whereas in Germany the churches have a recognised social role as a sort of State institution,” the newspaper noted. The survey by IFOP, which was founded in the 1930s, follows other poll results suggesting interest in religion remains extensive in Europe, despite what many see as the continent’s outwardly secular character. |
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