Spain: Mosque building spree - Churches forced to close
The city of Barcelona, widely known as a European Mecca of anti-clerical postmodernism, has agreed to build an official mega-mosque with a capacity for thousands of Muslim worshippers. The new structure would rival the massive Islamic Cultural Centre in Madrid, currently the biggest mosque in Spain. An official in the office of the Mayor of Barcelona says the objective is to increase the visibility of Muslims in Spain, as well as to promote the ‘common values between Islam and Europe.’ The construction of new mosques comes at a time when municipalities linked to the Socialist Party have closed dozens of Christian churches across Spain by way of new zoning laws that several courts have now ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional. The Muslim building spree reflects the rising influence of Islam in Spain, where the Muslim population has jumped to an estimated 1.5 million in 2010, up from just 100,000 in 1990, thanks to massive immigration.
Pray: for the Church in Spain to take up the challenge this new year to rebuild the walls. (Is.58:12)
More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=35170&PN=1&TPN=1
Bear the load together’ says Archbishop
‘The Archbishop of Canterbury has used his Christmas sermon to call on rich and poor alike to share in the hardships brought on by the financial crisis and cuts in public spending. Reflecting on the mutual dependence of humans, Dr Rowan Williams urged people not to give in to the temptation of abandoning others to suffering, whilst they secure their own safety. ‘Faced with the hardship that quite clearly lies ahead for so many in the wake of the financial crisis and public spending cuts, how far are we able to sustain a living sense of loyalty to each other, a real willingness to bear the load together?’ he said. ‘How eager are we to find some spot where we feel safe from the pressures that are crippling and terrifying others? ‘As has more than once been said, we can and will as a society bear hardship if we are confident that it is being fairly shared.’
Pray: for a sense of fairness and justice throughout all levels of our society as we face financial cutbacks. (Am.5:24)
Legal system discriminates against Christians
The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, warned that the death of ‘religious literacy’ among those who made and administered the law had created an imbalance in the way in which those with faith were treated compared to sexual minorities. Highlighting the case of Gary McFarlane, a relationship counsellor who was sacked by Relate for refusing to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple, he said that the judiciary now went out of its way to protect the rights of minorities. At the same time, for the first time in British history politicians and judges were largely ignorant of religion and so failed to appreciate the importance Christians placed on abiding by the scriptures rather than the politically correct values of the secular state. The Bishop’s concerns were underlined by Lord Woolf, a former Lord Chief Justice, who agreed that in some legal cases the balance had gone ‘too far’ in tipping away from Christians.
Pray: that lawmakers and enforcers will ensure that fairness and balance between political correctness and Christian beliefs will be restored. (Pr.16:11)
Human rights and Christian values
Christian assemblies in schools could be scrapped if campaigning atheists and teachers get their way. According to the National Secular Society, a legal requirement for pupils to take part in a daily act of collective worship ‘of a broadly Christian character’ discriminates against young atheists and non-Christians, and infringes human rights. The Association of School and College Leaders has also suggested assemblies should end, and the British Humanist Association is campaigning on the subject. But the most direct attack on religious assemblies, which represents yet another assault on Britain’s historic Christian values, has come in a letter to Education Secretary Michael Gove from Keith Porteous, executive director of the National Secular Society. This week, former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf joined the Bishop of Winchester in saying the Bench had gone ‘too far’ in curbing the rights of Christians to demonstrate their faith at work. (See story above)
Pray: that human rights would not be used to attack this nation's Christian values. (2Ch.20:12)
