Indian State’s ‘Anti-Conversion Law’ to Be Repealed

Indian State’s ‘Anti-Conversion Law’ to Be Repealed



Christian groups have welcomed a surprise announcement by a nationalist chief minister of a state in north-east India that he will ensure that a law preventing conversions from one faith to another is repealed.


Pema Khandu, a Buddhist who heads the nationalist BJP-led state government in Arunachal Pradesh, told an audience of more than 2,000 Catholics that he would have the 1978 Freedom of Religion Act repealed in the next session of the Legislative Assembly.


He said the law, which, in sharp contrast to its name, places heavy restrictions on religious conversions, “could undermine secularism and is probably targeted towards Christians”. (In India, talk of “secularism” relates to treating all religions with equal respect, rather than the separation of religion and politics.)


Khandu told the audience, which including nine Catholic bishops: “Though I have been told that the law has been never implemented … in future, it could be misused by a chief minister, chief secretary or DGP [director general of police].”


He added: “Any misuse of the law leading to the torture of people could trigger large-scale violence in the state and could break Arunachal into pieces.” Between the 1960s and 1980s some Christians in the state were subjected to torture, public beatings and detention, as their activity was resisted amid concerns of exploitation and the erosion of traditional…

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Bill Hybels, Willow Creek Have ‘Undone 40 Years of Trust:’ Scot McKnight on Sexual Misconduct

(Screenshot: Willow Creek Community Church)Bill Hybels, pastor and founder of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., announces his resignation at a church family meeting on Tuesday April 10, 2018.

New Testament scholar and author Scot McKnight, who attended Willow Creek Community Church for 10 years, is speaking out on the sexual misconduct accusations against founder Bill Hybels, saying that he and the church have “undone 40 years of trust.”

McKnight, who is a professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois, revealed on his Jesus Creed blog on Wednesday that at least 50 different people have asked him to comment on the Willow Creek scandal, given that he attended the church for nearly a decade.

“My aim is not to act like I know all that happened. I do not. I believe the women on the basis of what I have learned,” he said.

“What I do know is this: Bill Hybels and Willow Creek’s leadership have undone forty years of trust for many.

“A church that has stood valiantly for women in ministry, that has always stood for Christian grace and truth and forgiveness for repenters, that has supported #metoo in various places, that then responds to women as they did to these women unravels the thread Willow has woven for four decades.”

Back in April,…

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Church leader expresses regret at findings of Windrush scandal report

Dr Joe Aldred spoke after a new report by MPs and peers found immigration officials “unlawfully” locked up two people, even though they had the right to be in the UK.

The Churches Together in England’s lead for Pentecostal and multicultural relations told Premier: “Whenever somebody is at home and they are wrongfully detained, that is always going to be a trauma…

 

“Therefore, it is right that the background is investigated, and we find out why and what needs to be done about it.”

The Home Office was responsible for “shocking” treatment of individuals who were locked up unless they could satisfy officials of their entitlement to be in the country, the parliamentary inquiry concluded.

It said: “Such an approach is simply unlawful – it is for the Home Office to satisfy itself that it has a power to detain an individual – not for an individual to have to satisfy the Home Office that they should not be detained.”

Dr Joe, who is part of the so-called Windrush Generation which arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries during the 1950s and 1960s, said it was important to remember only a tiny minority have encountered problems.

He added: “What we find – from my own experience of working in the community – is that the vast majority of the Windrush Generation have indeed sorted their status and have documentation to prove their citizenship.”

The Joint Committee on Human…

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There May Be No More Pro-Abortion House Republicans by Next Year

There May Be No More Pro-Abortion House Republicans by Next Year



By next year, there may no longer be any Republicans in the House of Representatives who support abortion rights, according to Politco.com.


Reps. Charlie Dent and Rodney Frelinghuysen are retiring from the House, and there is no Republican nominee in elections who supports abortion rights this year.


This means Congress could become deeply divided.


In the House, there are three remaining members who voted against abortion rights at some point. Those members are Reps. Dan Lipinski, Collin Peterson and Henry Cuellar.


Frelinghuysen was a conservative voter. He opposed measures to defund Planned Parenthood, but then supported eliminating those funds in 2015 after the release of undercover videos about the facilities.


According to Politico, neither Dent nor Frelinghuysen was “full-fledge” supporters of abortion rights. They both voted against a bill that would ban abortion at 20 weeks, but then both supported a proposal that would have permanently prohibited federal funding of abortion.


In the Senate, only two Republicans are expected to vote in favor of abortion rights: Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. Democrats in the Senate that may vote in favor of abortion rights are Sens. Bob Casey, Joe Manchin and Joe Donnelly.


“For Republicans, the departure of the last abortion rights supporters in the House will be most noticeable during fights over government…

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79-Y-O Anglican Priest Defends Marriage to 25-Y-O Male Model, Despite Letting Him See Other Men

(Screenshot: YouTube/The Jeremy Kyle Show)Host Jeremy Kyle (L) speaking with model Florin Marin and husband Rev. Philip Clements (R) on “The Jeremy Kyle Show” on June 28, 2018.

A 79-year-old Anglican priest in the U.K. has defended his marriage to a 25-year-old male model from Romania, insisting that he’s not being taken advantage of despite buying the latter a house and letting him see other men.

The Rev. Philip Clements, a retired rector and boarding school chaplain, appeared on “The Jeremy Kyle Show” in the U.K. with his husband, Florin Marin, to try and explain their relationship, which has been the subject of much media scrutiny.

Kyle, the host, asked Clements whether he feels he’s being made a fool of, given that he sold his house to buy Marin one of his own in Romania, and given that they are not living together five months after their marriage.

“Being made a fool of can be very nice, especially if it’s a very young man making a fool of you,” the priest argued.

Still, he said that the couple’s relationship “has been tested when I haven’t had money,” noting that they first met when he only had his pension.

He revealed that he and his much younger husband have had “moments of physical relationship,” but admitted that due to his age, he is restricted in that regard….

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Tom Brittney to replace James Norton as new Grantchester clergyman

Brittney will replace crime-fighting clergyman Sidney Chambers, played by James Norton who will take on the role for the final time in the fourth series.

He will star as caring and self-assured Reverend Will Davenport alongside Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, played by Robson Green.

 

It follows Norton’s departure at the end of this series from the detective series based on the novels by James Runcie.

Brittney said of his new role: “I am beyond excited. From the moment I heard about the role of Will Davenport, it was something I wanted more than anything.

“It’s a real honour to be joining such a wonderful series, with such a loyal fan base.”

Norton, who has been tipped as a contender to play James Bond, has starred in the show from the beginning.

Norton said: “As excited as I am to be filming a new series of Grantchester, it’s also heartbreaking to be saying goodbye to Sidney Chambers.

“I’ve loved this experience, and particularly working with such an extraordinary cast and crew.

“All the best to the fantastic Tom Brittney in his role as the new vicar. He is a wonderful addition to the Grantchester family.”

 

The show is a co-production from Kudos and Masterpiece on PBS in the US.

Kudos executive producer Diederick Santer promised that the show’s fans will love Brittney.

He said: “I’m delighted that Tom is joining the cast. He’s a hugely likeable and talented actor,…

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Relief as Indian state promises to repeal anti-conversion law

Pema Khandu – a Buddhist who heads the nationalist BJP-led state government in Arunachal Pradesh, made the surprising promise at an event marking ten years since a lay Benedictine missionary died in the country.

Speaking to a Catholic audience – which included nine bishops, he said: “Though I have been told that the law has been never implemented … in future, it could be misused by a chief minister, chief secretary or DGP [director general of police].

 

“Any misuse of the law leading to the torture of people could trigger large-scale violence in the state and could break Arunachal into pieces.”

The current 1978 act prohibits “conversion from one religious faith to any other … by use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means and for matters connected therewith”.

Violators can be imprisoned for up to two years and given a fine of up to $150.

Taw Tebin, the president of Arunchal Pradesh Catholic Association, told World Watch Monitor: “This law has always remained a threat to the Christians. The declaration by the chief minister is a big relief for the Christian community.”

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Faith-based Agencies Open Doors to Kids Separated at the Border

Faith-based Agencies Open Doors to Kids Separated at the Border



When White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked last week about widespread religious pushback to the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy separating families along the U.S.-Mexico border, she turned the responsibility back on people of faith.


“I think any evangelical, or any church for that matter, that feels strongly — they should open up their doors and help facilitate some of these individuals,” Sanders said.


But as it turns out, some faith groups already were.

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Wales church silences bells after complaints

Rev Christopher Brown told the BBC that complaints centred on the 8am peals at St Mary’s Church.

He said: “We had a couple of grumbles about the 8am bells. People who live close to Fishguard Square endure a bit of noise on Saturday nights.”

 

However, the bells haven’t been completely silenced.

Residents will have to make do with hearing the bells at 10am for the later service.

Explaining why the church decided to compromise, Brown said: “We decided to go along with their requests as an act of good neighbourliness.”

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Pastor killed nine years after son’s murder

Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Garcia was chased by people believed to be members of the drugs trade and shot at least six times as he attempted to flee in his car.

In an interview with the World Watch Monitor, the pastor shared details about his 24-year-old son Abraham’s murder in 2009.

 

“The telephone rang and I heard my wife yell. I was on the second floor, but I heard her cry ‘No!’ very loudly.

“So I went downstairs quickly and asked, ‘What happened?’ And she just said, ‘They killed Abraham’. The pain we feel is really strong. We wouldn’t wish it on anyone… We had decided to try to rescue the city, but I never imagined we would become a part of the statistics.”

Garcia and his wife faced a double tragedy when their daughter Griselda was kidnapped eighteen months after their son was killed.

The pastor was forced to pay a ransom to free his child.

Reflecting on the level of crime in the city of Juarez, Jorge Rodriguez, the director of religious affairs for the city government, told World Watch Monitor last year: “These [criminal] groups are affecting the whole city and especially the Christian community because we are a people of peace.

“In many cases, the abuses are not even reported, but we have specific cases of pastors being kidnapped and children of pastors being kidnapped, such as in the case of Pastor Eduardo Garcia and his family.”

Drug cartels have reportedly targeted…

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