Breaking NEWS for the persecuted

[Barry]

Hundreds of New Testaments torched in Israel

http://www.cnn.com/2008/W.../bible.burning/index.html

 (CNN) -- Police in Israel are investigating the burning of hundreds of New Testaments in a city near Tel Aviv, an incident that has alarmed advocates of religious freedom.

Investigators plan to review photographs and footage showing "a fairly large" number of New Testaments being torched this month in the city of Or-Yehuda, a police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said Wednesday.

News accounts in Israel have quoted Uzi Aharon, the deputy mayor of Or-Yehuda, as saying he organized students who burned several hundred copies of the New Testament. The deputy mayor gave interviews to Israeli radio and television stations after word of the incident surfaced about two weeks ago.

Soon he was talking with Russian, Italian and French television stations, "explaining to their highly offended audiences back home how he had not meant for the Bibles to be burned, and trying to undo the damage caused by the news (and photographs) of Jews burning New Testaments," The Jerusalem Post reported.

Aharon told CNN on Wednesday that he collected New Testaments and other "Messianic propaganda" that had been handed out in the city but that he did not plan or organize a burning. Instead, he said, three teenagers set fire to a pile of New Testaments while he was not present. Once he learned what was going on, he said, he stopped the burning.

The episode has worried defenders of Israel's minority population of Messianic Jews, who consider themselves Jewish but believe in the divinity of Jesus, as do Christians. It also has concerned evangelical Christians in North America, Europe and Asia, who visit Israel by the hundreds of thousands.

Calev Myers, an attorney for Messianic Jews in Israel, told CNN he plans to file a formal complaint Thursday with the national police at the request of the United Christian Council in Israel, an umbrella organization for a few dozen Christian organizations outside Israel.

"I hope the people who are responsible for breaking the law will be indicted and prosecuted," he said.

About 200 New Testaments were burned, Aharon said, but he saved another 200.

His goal was to stop attempts to distribute Christian literature in the city, he said.

Myers, however, said he doubts that Messianic Jewish missionaries distributed the New Testaments. He said it's not clear how the volumes found their way into homes in Or-Yehuda.

The deputy mayor told CNN he respects the New Testament and would not do what has been done to the Jews in the past -- a reference to Nazi burning of Jewish and other books in the 1930s, and other occasions when Jewish texts, including sacred ones, were burned.

Myers said his complaint will ask the authorities to investigate possible violations of two Israeli laws. One forbids the destruction or desecration of any religious icon or item that a group holds sacred. Another bans people from speaking publicly in a way that offends or humiliates a certain religion.

Both laws are meant to prevent people from inciting religious violence, he said.

The burning controversy has unfolded against the backdrop of other instances that Myers cited as examples of discrimination against Messianic Jews in Israel.

About two months ago, the teenage son of a Messianic pastor was severely injured when a package delivered to his home exploded, Myers said. In addition, several rabbis urged students to boycott further participation in a Bible competition after they learned that one winner -- a high-school student in Israel -- was a Messianic Jew, he said.

Groups such as the Anti-Defamation League have sharply criticized the burning of New Testaments.

"We condemn this heinous act as a violation of the basic Jewish principles and values," said Rabbi Eric J. Greenburg, director of interfaith policy for the Anti-Defamation League. "It is essential that we respect the sacred texts of other faiths. The Jewish people can never forget the tragic burning of sacred Jewish volumes at many points in history."

"While there may be legitimate concerns of proselytizing, these matters must be addressed through the proper legal channels," Greenburg said in a statement. "It is unacceptable and not legitimate to burn someone else's sacred texts."

[SoftTouch]

Fox News:  Marine Pulled From Duty Over Bible Coins

BAGHDAD    The U.S. military says an American service member has been removed from duty in Iraq after receiving complaints that Marines were handing out coins promoting Christianity.

Sunni officials in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah say the coins were given to Iraqis at an entry checkpoint and had biblical verses written on them in Arabic.

A military statement says the service member was removed from his duties Friday "amid concerns from Fallujah's citizens regarding reports of inappropriate conduct."

The statement says U.S. troops are prohibited "from proselytizing any religion, faith or practices" and the military is investigating the reports.

The military promises appropriate action if they are substantiated.

(End article)

[SoftTouch]

Iraqi Christians Warn of 'New Catastrophe for Humanity'

"A new wave of ethnic cleansing is going on in Iraq," Iraqi Christians say. Hundreds of exiled Iraqi Christians demonstrated outside Sweden's parliament Sunday to draw attention to "atrocities" taking place in their homeland. The protest comes days before Sweden hosts an international conference aimed at pushing ahead the political and economic reform process in Iraq. "If these atrocities continue, the Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian communities there will be wiped out altogether, creating a new catastrophe for humanity," Iraqi Christian representative Behiye Hadodo told the gathering.

(Full story at above blue link)

[WaitWatchPray]

Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan, known for traveling across China on a bicycle to evangelize, was arrested by Chinese police just two days before the Olympics began. Pastor Bike was the inspiration for the recent partnership between The Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association to create the Olympic Prayer Band.

Pastor Asks for Prayer Band

Earlier this year, Pastor Bike pleaded with VOM staff to ask Christians to pray for persecuted Christians in China during the Olympics. The pastor voluntarily preaches the gospel openly in China despite being persecuted. He has asked for his identity to be revealed to bring continued attention to the persecution of Christians in Communist China.

Thanks to Pastor Bike’s inspiration and the commitment of concerned Christians across the United States, more than 800,000 prayer bands have been circulated. On Aug. 6, Pastor Bike was arrested while trying to deliver medicine to his ailing wife. His wife and another pastor were also arrested. We have also learned this week that Chinese officials are opening a full investigation of the Olympic Prayer Bands that were distributed to house church members within China. Despite this increased pressure from Chinese authorities, Chinese Christians continue to ask for prayer and to make their plight known.


More about Pastor Bike

Pastor Bike, president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, rode his bike more than 10,000 miles, visiting 24 Chinese provinces to introduce nonbelievers to Jesus Christ. Armed with a Bible and his business card, which declared “Believe in Jesus, Earn Eternal Life,” Pastor Bike brought the gospel to thousands of people. He and other Chinese evangelists have been repeatedly harassed by Chinese officials during this Olympic year. Please pray for the release of Pastor Bike and his wife.

[WaitWatchPray]

Pastor "Bike" is a house church pastor in China.  He was detained just prior to the beginning of the Olympics.

Please sign the petition to help him (prayerfully hoping) be released.  There are medical issues involved, beyond the usual ones.

http://www.freepastorbike.com/

[Gar]

I just got an email from The Voice of the Martyrs (ChinaAID) that claims Pastor Bike is free!! 

""Thank you for adding your name to the online petition asking the Chinese government to free Pastor Bike. Your voice was heard! Pastor Bike is FREE! On Friday, August 29, prominent Chinese house church leader Zhang Mingxuan, affectionately known as "Pastor Bike," his wife and a co-worker were released from Chinese custody. Pastor Bike was arrested along with his wife and co-worker August 6, two days before the Olympic Games began in Beijing. An outspoken evangelist, Pastor Bike has travelled on his bike to many places in China, handing out Christian literature and Bibles and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Instead of being held at a prison or a detention center Pastor Bike and his wife, Xie Fenglan, and their co-worker were taken to resort hotels on a "forced vacation" designed to ensure that they couldn’t talk to any foreign media. Pastor Bike was scheduled to do an interview with the BBC the day of his arrest.

All three believers are in good health and spirits and praising God for their release, according to our co-laborers at China Aid Association. The detainees said during their confinement they had opportunities to witness to guards and even high-ranking government officials staying at the hotels where they were held.

On August 26, The Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association launched an international online petition drive advocating for Pastor Bike, his wife and co-worker to be released. On September 4, China Aid Association delivered the petition — which had more than 57,000 names printed on 619 pages — addressed to Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C. Included was a letter thanking the Chinese government for releasing these house-church Christians.

We are thankful to you and the thousands of others who logged on and signed the petition. Christians in free nations often wonder if we can really make a practical difference for Christians in persecuted countries. Pastor Bike’s release shows that WE CAN!

Continue to pray for Pastor Bike, his wife and their co-worker and for other believers in China. ""

Click here to make a financial contribution and/or view special products related to China.

(Above Offer For USA Residents Only)
 

This online offer is being presented by The Voice of the Martyrs. For additional information, you may contact us by clicking here or calling our order line at 800-747-0085. To view our privacy policy, click here.

If you do not wish to receive these occasional offers, simply indicate here to remove your name from this list.
 

[SoftTouch]

TERRIFIED CHRISTIAN FAMILIES FLEE IRAQ'S MOSUL

BAGHDAD —  Hundreds of terrified Christian families have fled Mosul to escape extremist attacks that have increased despite months of U.S. and Iraqi military operations to secure the northern Iraqi city, political and religious officials said Saturday.

Some 3,000 Christians have fled the city over the past week alone in a "major displacement," said Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, the governor of northern Iraq's Ninevah province. He said most have left for churches, monasteries and the homes of relatives in nearby Christian villages and towns.

"The Christians were subjected to abduction attempts and paid ransom, but now they are subjected to a killing campaign," Kashmoula said, adding he believed "Al Qaeda" elements were to blame and called for a renewed drive to root them out.

(More at above blue link)

[summer]

"He said that China and North Korea have helped Iran accelerate its nuclear program far beyond where Western powers believe it stands."  Israel Today

The source also had a message of warning to Israel "reveal[ing] that Iran now has two nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles ready for use against Israel, possibly in the coming months." Israel Today    http://www.calvaryprophecy.com/         

[WaitWatchPray]

Persecution in Laos:  http://brskeeper.blogspot...ect-laos-direct-post.html

[Hi, I'm Dave]

I pray that all of us here at WoP will be ready if/when such things come to pass whereever we may be....

[SoftTouch]

That New Age Religion of Peace and Tranquility… yeah…. 

HINDU GROUPS IN INDIA OFFERING REWARDS TO KILL CHRISTIANS

Extremist Hindu groups offered money, food and alcohol to mobs to kill Christians and destroy their homes, according to Christian aid workers in the eastern India state of Orissa.

The U.S.-based head of Good News India, a Christian organization that runs several orphanages in Orissa — one of India’s poorest regions — claims that Christian leaders are being targeted by Hindu militants and carry a price on their heads. "The going price to kill a pastor is $250," said Faiz Rahman, the chairman of Good News India.

(more at above blue link)

[White Tiger]

TESTING THE FAITH
New 'Bible': Heterosexuality is sin

'There are many different versions; I don't see why we can't have one'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: December 02, 2008
9:25 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A filmmaker who recently released an independent project about a formula that turns all heterosexuals into "gays" now has announced he's working on "The Princess Diana Bible" in which "God" ordains homosexuality as the better lifestyle.

"There are many different versions of the Bible; I don't see why we can't have one," stated Max Mitchell in a statement on a website for his new project.

The "gay Bible," produced by the New Mexico-based Revision Studios, states God instructs "it is better to be gay than straight."

Mitchell said he developed the idea for the "Bible" from his new movie project, called "Horror in the Wind," in which an airborne substance "reverses the world's sexual orientation."

He said it's named "The Princess Diana Bible" because of Diana's "many good works."

The website offers a preview of the project, which is forecast to be available in 2009.

In Mitchell's version, Genesis talks about Aida and Eve:

"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Aida, and she slept: and he took one of her ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from woman, made he another woman, and brought her unto the first. And Aida said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of me. Therefore shall a woman leave her mother, and shall cleave unto her wife: and they shall be one flesh.' And they were both naked, the woman and her wife, and were not ashamed."

The new version continues:

And Eve conceived, and bore Cain, and said, we have created a child in God’s image. And God said the male was different than the woman because he was fathered by the serpent. … And Eve again conceived with the serpent and bore Cain's brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
According to the pro-homosexual website Queerty.com, Mitchell has described his work as divinely inspired.

"Jesus was gay. In Biblical times homosexual relationships were so commonplace that no one gave it a second thought. It was heterosexuality that was considered sinful," he told the website.

On the website's comment page, one participant said, "Aida and Eve are a breath of fresh air upon the face of repressed homosexulity (sic) in America. Finally, a version of the bible everyone can relate to."

At Belieftnet.com, a commentator expressed opposition to the project.

"Every once in a while, art doesn't transcend truth as much as it distorts it, and that's where I draw the line. Hence my opposition to the upcoming 'Princess Diana Bible.'

"This book is inspired by a political agenda and one person's desire to contort not only the text but the very context of it to suit his own perspective. That, you may say, is what commentators do – and perhaps even translators – but this guy is making himself an 'author,' which makes it a book, not a Bible," the commentator wrote.

http://www.worldnetdaily....AGE.view&pageId=82520


Disclaimer:  This is not the view of any christian here on WOP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just something else the wicked came up with to use to persecute christians.    Expect it to get worst for christians from here on out.... until Jesus returns!

[WaitWatchPray]

http://brskeeper.blogspot...ign-petition-for-sri.html

[Pete]

Hey guys,

Received an email this morning from my favorite ministry.  They have a real need right now that I wanted to share!


Dear Friends,

If you have been following the News reports on our website in recent months, you will be aware that a massive persecution of Christians commenced in the Indian state of Orissa last year, leading to the deaths of more than 500 believers, with thousands more left homeless and destitute.

One of the families we support through the Asian Workers' fund has an effective ministry in Orissa. They recently reported that are now more than 35 Christians from 9 families living in their home, having come in from outlying areas where persecution had devastated their lives. Three widows are among the 35 refugees. These women's husbands were buried alive late last year by fanatical Hindus. Other Christian women had been raped, while most of the men had barely escaped with their lives, and were badly beaten and injured.

We have an urgent need for people to pray and financially help these precious believers. The immediate need is to provide $100 for each family per month so that they will have basic necessities such as food, clothing, and blankets. Longer term, plans are to construct simple bamboo homes for these families, and a piece of land has been obtained for this purpose. Each home will cost $1,300 to build.

Please pray for the physical, spiritual and emotional well-being of these precious brothers and sisters.

If you would like to contribute financially to their needs, please make a donation by credit card on our secure website www.asiaharvest.org , via the Asia Disaster Relief fund on our "Projects and Donations" link. Alternatively, please send a check/cheque to one of our Asia Harvest offices, along with a note, "For the believers in Orissa." See the bottom of this message for a list of our addresses.

100% of donations received for this purpose will be sent directly to Orissa. Nothing will be taken out for any expense. All US donations will receive a tax-deductibe receipt.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

God bless you,


Paul Hattaway

Director, Asia Harvest

www.asiaharvest.org

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asia Harvest, 1903  60th Place, Suite M1204, Bradenton, FL 34203, USA

Asia Harvest, 36 Nelson Street, Stepney, South Australia 5069, AUSTRALIA

Asia Harvest, PO Box 181, Te Anau 9640, NEW ZEALAND

Asia Harvest, Clementi Central PO Box 119, SINGAPORE 911204

Asia Harvest, c/o AsiaLink, Mill Farm, Fleetwood Road, Wesham PR4 3HD, ENGLAND (cheques should be made payable to "AsiaLink").

Asia Harvest, c/o STAMP Bhd., PO Box 8036, Pejabat Pos Kelana Jaya, 46780 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA (cheques should be made payable to "STAMP Bhd").

 


Hope a few here might be able to help in a small way...

Peace,

Pete

[Death Before Apostasy]

    I have see many times how offended western christians are when told of the persecuted Church around the 3rd.World. I have a stack of The Voice of the Martyrs magazines under my coffee table. I'll say "have a look at this latest VOTM mag." Very rarely has anyone initiated a conversation. When I do, the subject is quickly changed. I'll say take a few mag.s home with you, they are most always left on the table.

      Jas 5:1-5  Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.      Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.     Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.       Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.     You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

         I have read that the persecuted Church often prays for us.                               DBA


           

[Pete]

   
         I have read that the persecuted Church often prays for us.                               DBA
           

Yeah...  Many pray that we come under persecution that we be forced to rely more upon God...  That is sobering!

Pete

[Daisy]

   
         I have read that the persecuted Church often prays for us.                               DBA
           

Yeah...  Many pray that we come under persecution that we be forced to rely more upon God...  That is sobering!

Concerning...their prayers may be answered.

 

[Barry]

Defender of Chinese Christians has 'disappeared'
http://www.onenewsnow.com...on/Default.aspx?id=417244

A prominent Chinese human-rights lawyer has been detained, and communist authorities are keeping silent on his whereabouts.

Gao Zhisheng, a well-known attorney who has defended house church leaders and other religious minorities, was arrested by more than a dozen officers earlier this month. His arrest comes after he wrote an open letter to the international community, detailing his torture over a 50-day period in 2007 at the hands of Chinese communist authorities.
 
Katherine Cason is with China Aid Association, which has been following Gao's case. She says the most recent arrest is generating a lot of concern throughout the world.
 
China world map"The U.S. and other nations have actually pressured the Chinese government on his behalf asking for fair treatment for him, [and] for the torture he's undergone to be acknowledged -- and the Chinese government has refused," she explains. "And because he has disappeared and has undergone extreme torture in the past, we are very concerned about his case."
 
Cason points out that Gao, his wife, and two children have been monitored and tormented by authorities for more than two years, and much of their contact with the outside world has been cut off.

[WaitWatchPray]

“A Letter of Thanks to the Brothers and Sisters All Over the World” from Shuang Shuying

I am Shuang Shuying, 79 years old. Two years ago, my son Hua Huiqi (a house church pastor in Beijing) was put in jail by the Chinese police. In order to force my son to compromise his faith and betray brothers and sisters, I was sentenced to two years in prison as a hostage by the Public Security Bureau. During my imprisonment, the PSBs of Beijing came to my prison interrogating, threatening and harassing me numerous times. They even directed other prisoners to take off all of my clothes and forced me stand alone outside in the evening without letting me sleep. Seven prisoners kept watching me in turn. I was not allowed to move even when the mosquitoes bit me or I would be slapped on my face and poked in the veins on my hands. I still had wounds that were unhealed on my hands. The PSB officers even forced me to drink my own urine. They threatened me not to tell anyone about the tortures I experienced.

During these terrible circumstances, I prayed without ceasing. I asked God to give me strength. Every time when my son came to visit me and shared with me that brothers and sisters from all over the world had been praying for me, I felt greatly strengthened and empowered which has enabled me to continue to live. When I was released from jail this morning (February , I went to visit my hospitalized old companion (husband), who is not even able to recognize me anymore because of losing consciousness. So I sincerely plead to brothers and sisters all over the world to continue to pray for me and my husband. At the same time, I want to thank each one of you for your continuous prayers, care and support for my husband, Hua Zaichen, and me.

A branch of the Body of Christ,
Shuang Shuying

The day after this letter was written, Shuang Shuying’s husband Hua Zaichen, 91, went Home to the Lord. We are grateful for the witness of this elderly couple who have laid down their lives for the Truth and for religious freedom in China. Shuang Shuying and her family continue to suffer persecution from Chinese officials. Thank you to all who are praying for this family and are providing aid for them in their hour of great trial.

Write an encouraging letter to Shuang Shuying as she rebuilds her life:

Mrs. Shuang Shuying
Room#107, Building #23
Tai Ping Qiao Xi Li
Fengtai District
Beijing, CHINA 100076

It's only a $.94 stamp (US) and a little time ...

jma

[Pete]

JMA,

Is the email from a credible source?  I'll be happy to send a letter, but would be interested in the original source of the info...  VOM?  Similar?

Thanks,

Pete