18 August 2010
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] At White House Ramadan Celebration, U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama Endorses Building Mosque Near Site of 11 September 2001 Attack on New York City by Muslim Terrorists that Killed More than 2000 People
[9] Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa Moderator Takes Stand against Evolution
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A 13 August 2010 article by Abby Phillip and Maggie Haberman in the Free Lance-Star titled “Obama Stands Up for Ground Zero Mosque” reports that at a 13 August 2010 Ramadan celebration at the White House, U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama endorsed plans to build an Islamic mosque near ground zero of the Islamic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, that killed over 2000 people.
Obama commented: “But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”
A 16 August 2010 The Daily Mail article titled “Obama Backtracks over Ground Zero Mosque after Furious 9/11 Families Label Him ‘Insensitive And Uncaring’” reported:
“The U.S. President was hit by a furious backlash from victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks after he backed the highly controversial plans in a speech on Friday.”
Obama reacted to the barrage of criticism, saying:
“I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there I was commenting very specifically on the right that people have that dates back to our founding….[M]y intention was simply to let people know what I thought. Which was that in this country we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion.”
The White House subsequently insisted that Obama was not repudiating his initial comments.
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+ The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co., 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401, 540-374-5000, newsroom@fredericksburg.com
+ The Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, England, 020-7938-6000, news@dailymail.co.uk
+ The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20500, 202-456-1414, Fax: 202-456-2461, Contact Page
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[2] National Council of Churches President Dr. Michael Kinnamon Releases 13 August 2010 Statement to Support Building Mosque Near Site of 11 September 2001 Attack on New York City
National Council of Churches (NCC) President Dr. Michael Kinnamon on 13 August 2010 released a statement endorsing plans to build an Islamic mosque near ground zero of the Islamic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, that killed over 2000 people.
Kinnamon commented: “It is that narrow-minded intolerance that has led to the outcry against the building of Cordova House and Mosque near Ground Zero. It is the same ignorance that has led many to the outrageous conclusion that all Muslims advocate hatred and violence against non-Muslims. It is the same ignorance that has led to hate crimes and systematic discrimination against Muslims, and to calls to burn the Qur’an.”
Kinnamon added: “Christ calls us to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39). It is this commandment, more than the simple bonds of our common humanity, which is the basis for our relationship with Muslims around the world.”
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+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115
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[3] MEMRI Broadcasts “Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi: The Desire to Shed Blood, Smash Skulls, and Sever Limbs for the Sake of Allah Is an Honor for the Believer”
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has published on its website a film and transcript of the 19 July 2010 of Egyptian Al-Rahma TV broadcast “Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi: The Desire to Shed Blood, Smash Skulls, and Sever Limbs for the Sake of Allah Is an Honor for the Believer.”
Excerpts of the broadcast include comments by Muhammad Al-Arifi such as:
“There is no doubt that a person whom Allah enables to sacrifice his soul, and to fight for the sake of Allah, has been graced with a great honor. The Prophet Muhammad said that the dust of battle for the sake of Allah and the smoke of Hell shall never meet in a man’s nose…
“Devotion to Jihad for the sake of Allah, and the desire to shed blood, to smash skulls and to sever limbs for the sake of Allah and in defense of His religion, is, undoubtedly, an honor for the believer…
“Allah said that if a man fights the infidels, the infidels will be unable to prepare to fight [the Muslims]. By Allah, the infidel countries today – the US and its allies – dare to fight the Muslims, to rape their women and turn them into widows, and to inflict their corruption on Islam and the Muslims on a daily basis only because they see that the Muslims do not even consider fighting the infidels and conquering their countries…
“The Koranic verses that deal with fighting the infidels and conquering their countries say that they should convert to Islam, pay the jizya poll tax, or be killed. If the Muslims had implemented this, we would not have reached the humiliation in which we find ourselves today.”
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+ Middle East Media Research Institute, Post Office Box 27837, Washington DC 20038, 202-955-9070, Fax: 202-955-9077, memri@memri.org
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[4] Muslim Leaders in Bridgeport, Connecticut Seek to Ban Gospel of Jesus Christ from Vicinity of Mosques
Muslim leaders in Connecticut on 12 August 2010 held a press conference in the state capitol of Hartford, Connecticut, asking Connecticut legislators to censor the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the public forum around mosques. Operation Save America (OSA) held a press conference the following day on the public sidewalk in front of the Bridgeport Islamic Center.
An OSA statement said: “Islam is not a religion, nor a cult, but a total and complete one hundred percent system of life. It has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. In all of the twenty-seven countries ruled by Islam, the church is the state! No other religion will be tolerated.”
OSA spokesman the Rev. Flip Benham added: “Islam presents a monstrous worldview, birthed in the pit of hell, which brings untold misery and murder upon precious people created in the image of God. Religion is its cover (its beard) by which it gains entrance into nations where the ‘freedom of religion’ is sacrosanct. It then takes this freedom afforded to it, and begins its insidious takeover.
“Like a python, slowly moving upon its prey with almost imperceptible and hypnotic movement, it begins to coil around its victim until it squeezes every last breath of air out of him. When dead, the victim is swallowed whole.
“The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, yet the Quran states in Sura 4:89, `Those who reject Islam must be killed. If they turn back (from Islam) take hold of them and kill them wherever you find them.’”
The OSA statement concluded: “The key difference between Islam and Christianity is that Islam believes that we are to lay the lives of others down to promote the cause of Allah. Christianity, on the other hand, believes that we are to lay down our own lives that others might live. There is a huge difference between a Christian martyr (laying his own life down) and a martyr for Islam (laying the lives of others down). One requires courage. The other is the supreme act of cowardice.”
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+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Operation Save America, Post Office Box 740066, Dallas, Texas 75374, 704-933-3414, 704-932-3361, orn@bigplanet.com
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[5] United Kingdom Ministry of Defense Moving toward Appointment of Humanist Chaplains for Atheist Members of Armed Forces
A 15 August 2010 article by Marc [as spelled by The Scotsman – ed.] Horne in The Scotsman titled “MoD Open to Humanist Chaplains” reports that the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) is moving toward the appointment of humanist chaplains to “offer support and consolation to those with no spiritual beliefs.”
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+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS, Scotland, 131-620-8620
+ Ministry of Defence, Main Building, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB, United Kingdom, 20-7218-9000, Contact Page
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[6] Scotland’s Lord Advocate, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, Urges Sheriffs and Judges to Consider Biblical Principles when Presiding over Court Cases
A 15 August 2010 article by Mark [as spelled by The Herald – ed.] Horne in The Herald titled “Law Chief Urges Scots Courts: Consult The Bible In Judgments” reports that Scotland’s Lord Advocate, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, has asked sheriffs and judges that preside over court cases to become familiar with and to consider biblical principles when administering justice.
Lord Mackay is a former elder in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society commented:
“What Lord Mackay is proposing could put the Sharia laws of the Middle East to shame. He and the [Scottish Bible Society] make absolutely no concessions to the progress of legal thought over the past two millennia. Killing witches and homosexuals and stoning adulterers are all clearly stated legal requirements in the Christian holy book. Are they seriously suggesting that Scottish sheriffs and judges should follow the Bible to the letter?…How would the Scottish seafood industry fare if the biblical ban on shellfish were to be enforced? Would Shetland’s knitwear industry flourish if there was a ban on garments made from two kinds of material, as required in the Bible? Thankfully, I’m sure the Scottish legal establishment is aware that the Enlightenment has occurred and will continue to dispense justice with mercy unconstrained.”
Sanderson made no comment as to whether he is enlightened about the difference between the Old Testament’s moral, judicial, and ceremonial laws, and their applicability or lack thereof during the last almost-2000 years of the New Testament administration.
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+ The Herald, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 3QB, 0141- 302-7000, Fax: 0141-302-7117, On-lineEditor@theherald.co.uk
+ Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, c/o Rev. Donald A. Ross, Free Presbyterian Manse, Laide, Ross-shire IV22 2NB, Scotland, daross@donaldalexander.freeserve.co.uk
+ National Secular Society, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL, England, 20- 7404-3126, 870-762-8971, enquiries@secularism.org.uk.
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[7] Scottish Government and Church of Scotland Unveil Plans to Mark 450th Anniversary of the Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Government and the Church of Scotland (CoS) on 16 August 2010 unveiled plans for celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Scottish Reformation, which will include a 3 November 2010 conference organized by the Joint Commission on Doctrine, followed by an ecumenical service at St. Giles’ Cathedral, then an evening reception hosted by First Minister Alex Salmond in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle.
The day-long conference, ‘The Scottish Reformation 1560: Marking the Legacy, Imagining the Future‘, will be opened by First Minister Salmond and addressed by Professor Tom Devine, the Rev. Dr. Alan Falconer, the Rev. Dr. Alison Peden, Professor Paul Murray, and the Very Rev. Dr. Sheilagh Kesting.
The CoS is also planning a touring exhibition, alongside the release of hundreds of years of CoS Session minutes which will provide a valuable insight into the CoS‘s development and a mine of information for historians and genealogists.
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+ Scottish Government, St. Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh
EH1 3DG, Scotland, 131-556-8400, scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722
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[8] Outgoing Presbyterian Church of Ghana Moderator Tells General Assembly Delegates not to Depend on Tithes and Offerings
A 10 August 2010 MyJoyOnline.com article titled “Presby Moderator: Church Offerings are Too Much” reports that Presbyterian Church of Ghana Moderator the Rt. Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso on 7 August 2010 addressed the opening ceremony of the Tenth General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), telling the assembled delegates:
“I wish to restate that we move away from our over dependence on offerings and tithes in the light of current fatigue in giving and the poverty of most of our members….[W]e must-put in every effort and resource with the help of God to execute our resolve for viable investments and projects to sustain the financial base of this church….We must do away with apathy, particularly when it comes to the implementation of decisions of the General Assembly and Presbytery Councils and the payment of assessments, statutory contribution and the Millennium Development Fund and others….Let us build healthy relations between our church and state so as to have a great positive impact on our society and contemporary generations. Ghanaians have great hope in our church and we must not fail.”
A 12 August 2010 GhanaWeb article titled “Presbyterian Church Elects New Moderator” reports that on 11 August 2010 the delegates elected the Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey as the new PCG moderator. Dr. Martey is a professor of systematic theology, and is chairman of the Ga Presbytery.
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+ MyJoyOnline.com, 3rd Floor Trust Towers, Farrar Avenue, Accra, Ghana, 233-21-226151, Fax: 233-21-233697, info@myjoyonline.com
+ GhanaWeb, Poederooienstraat 66, 1106 CK Amsterdam, Netherlands, 31-207700126, Fax: 1-815-6429100, akoto@ghanaweb.com
+ Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Post Office Box GP 1800, Accra, Ghana, 233-21-662511, Fax: 233-21-665594, pcghg@yahoo.com
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[9] Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa Moderator Takes Stand against Evolution
An August 2010 article in Infobytes, a publication of Creation Ministries International, titled “Church Leader Takes Stand against Evolution!” reports:
“Church leaders tend to avoid publicly participating in the creation-evolution debate. Reasons for this reluctance may be that they consider the debate to be a topic for specialists, or perhaps they simply wish to avoid controversy or criticism. Hence it is of some encouragement when a church leader does speak out in opposition to evolution, and in favor of biblical creation.“Prof. Piet Strauss, moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk) in South Africa, was recently interviewed by JUIG! (Joy! – English), a leading Afrikaans Christian magazine. He had the opportunity to state the church’s viewpoint on evolution and its official position on the Bible as the infallible Word of God. The moderator made comments on evolution which drew considerable criticism directed at him, both in the electronic and printed media. These were that evolution is essentially a religion, even a superstition; that his ancestors were not apes; and that no authentic transitions exist between different kinds (types) of organisms.”
In response to Professor Strauss’ statement of faith in the Genesis account of creation, the NG Kerk periodical Die Kerkbode, in a 12 August 2010 article titled “NG Kerk sê nie ja óf nee vir evolusie [DR Church is not for or against evolution – English],” repudiated Professor Strauss’ statements, forthrightly halting the NG Kerk between two opinions:
“In the relationship (interface) between church and science, the NG Kerk supports the faith position that God is the Creator of heaven and earth, but is not competent to speak authoritatively on a scientific theory such as evolution. The NG Kerk feels that there in no need for conflict between theology and science and that both are particular expressions of God’s indescribable greatness and power. Teaching and education lie at the heart of the Reformed tradition. Part of the church’s calling is to additionally guide church members through awareness of the sciences to help them to stand even more in awe of God. The NG Kerk does not regard the Bible as a textbook making all sorts of scientific statements. How exactly creation came about and how it is sustained and functions within certain laws and parameters, believers can only stand in awe, recognizing that various scientific disciplines (and scientists) progressively unfold more and more of this to us.”
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+ Creation Ministries International, Post Office Box 3349, Durbanville 7551, South Africa, Contact Page
+ Dutch Reformed Church, Posbus 13528, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa, 27-0-12-342-0092, Fax: 27-0-12-342-0380, mailto:%20algemenesinode@ngkerk.org.za
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