Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Wikileaks-Lessons To Be Learned

I don’t know about you, but I see a great deal of good coming out of the Wikileaks, and lessons to be learned from these latest leaks.   Whenever truth is revealed and lies exposed, this is a good thing,  and we are seeing this happen as Hillary Clinton travels around the world attempting to do some damage control and cover the United States government’s tracks.
Jesus himself said “ For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad," Luke 8:17

Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.  Proverbs 27:5

That is not to say that we are to approve the exposing of top secret government data that will put others in danger or endanger America’s national security as Hillary Clinton is trying to  spin through  the state controlled press. I don’t see see that happening at all here; in fact, much of the information that has been exposed via Wikileaks has already been widely published by the press throughout the world. For instance, the Israelis have publically made it  known in the Israel National News that Saudi airspace would be provided to the Israelis for an air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. So there is no big secret here that the Saudis wanted an attack on Iran, or "cut off the head of the snake"  and no damage has been done.  And it's really no secret that the Saudis have been sponsoring alQaeda, as this article from the Washington Post back in 2002 points out, so no damage to national security  has been done here either.  Nor is it any secret that Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel agreed to give up land for peace as this New York Times article in June of 2009 shows.  Most, if not all of the leaks revealed so far are embarrassing, at best with no major damage done.
What the leaks do publically reveal to the people of America and the  entire world however is the hypocrisy, incompetence,  arrogance  and plain stupidity  inside of Washington.  Some three million federal employees have access to classified  documents marked "secret".  Three million employees is a massive amount of people to have access to secret classified government documents, which isn't too smart for any employer to allow.
Indeed, what is very telling is the disrespectful backroom talk engaged in by American “public servants” who now have egg on their face, and perhaps this is what Hillary and Obama is really very anxious and disturbed about. It publically reveals the true character of these individuals running the American government, and a lesson for them to learn from these Wikileaks is that the people of America and the  world is watching them and they will be held accountable for their words as well as their actions.

A question the entire world should be asking is how was a lone private first class in the military being accused as the culprit of the leaks to begin with, able to access such highly classified material with no questions asked? This certainly reveals the incompetence of the present administration in charge.
Egg on your face can be a very good thing if one learns from the experience. If one wants to say something derogatory about another, just remember that later on down the road it will come back to bite you. If it’s going to embarrass you sometime in the future, don’t say it. Always think before you speak. A principle to always remember is “don’t say something behind someone’s back that you would not say to their face.” If you practice this, you most likely will be considered an honest and trustworthy person.   As it now stands, this cannot be said about those running Washington by the world watching this fiasco and they only have themselves to blame.The Bible has plenty to say about backbiters, snoops,  slanderers and gossips, too much to put into this one entry. The Bible also has plenty to say about hypocrits. And as always, the Bible has once again proven to be true.  You reap what you have sown, and be sure, your sin will find you out.   May we all learn from this.

A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.  Proverbs 16:28
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Must See Video: Christmas Food Court Mob: Hallelujah Chorus

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus-Must See!

The You Tube video, released in mid November, has surpassed an extraordinary number of views of over 10 million.

A big thank you to our northern neighbors in Canada for leading the world in starting this Christmas season off in the right direction… This is a definite must see live account of what took place spontaneously in this grand mall in Canada…..

"Christmas Food Court Mob: Hallelajah Chorus"

On Nov.13 2010 unsuspecting shoppers got a big surprise while enjoying their lunch. Over 100 participants in this awesome Christmas Flash Mob. This is a must see!

This flash mob was organized by http://www.AlphabetPhotography.com to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Special thanks to Robert Cooper and Chorus Niagara, The Welland Seaway Mall, and Fagan Media Group.

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The True Meaning of Thanksgiving

The true meaning of Thanksgiving, I hope you enjoy this short video as much as I did.  Here's wishing all of my faithful readers and newcomers to Files From Toni a most blessed Thanksgiving Day.

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
G. Washington


In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thess. 5:18

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Pakistan President Will Grant Asia Bibi A Pardon


There is wonderful news from Assist News Service. The latest report on our Pakistani Christian sister, Asia Bibi who was sentenced to hang on fabricated blasphemy charges in Pakistan, is that Pakistan’s president will grant Asia Bibi a pardon.

Even though the charges were all false to begin with, and these obscene charges should be thrown out, let us all be thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ  in this blessed season of Thanksgiving that Asia will soon be home with her family.
  •  In every thing give thanks: for this is pthe will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thess. 5:18
Meanwhile, it is being reported from Voice of the Martyrs that CNN is reporting that two prominent Pakistani Muslim leaders threatened today to call for nationwide protests if the president pardons Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for insulting the Muslim prophet Mohammed.

Continue to pray for Asia's protection and if necessary, her safe removal from this Christian  hostile environment to a place of safety for her and her family.


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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Pope Approves Use of Condoms To Fight AIDS

This is like voting for the lessor of the two evils-- it is still evil and wrong.

Where is the Gospel message, Jesus Christ,  and the repentence of sin in all of this nonsense?  It's simply not there.


It sounds as if the pope has taken a bite from the forbidden fruit, challenging God's Word and  taking  Rick Warren’s advice that Warren presented at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto a few years ago, which calls for the SLOW and STOP method for decreasing the spread of AIDS and involves the passing out of condoms and needles.
Reported from the Christian Post:
Rick Warren, who attended and presented at the AIDS conference, said although he thinks ABC is good, he would like to share two alternative models - "SLOW" and "STOP," that consider a greater number of factors and situations. According to Saddleback Church staff members who went to Toronto with Warren, the two alternative models were presented for the first time at the ecumenical pre-conference held a few days prior to IAC.

"Instead of debating ABC, I think the question to ask is: 'What is the purpose of prevention?' Tell me what the purpose of prevention is and I'll tell you which strategy you should use," Warren told The Christian Post this week during an interview. "Is your purpose to curb or reduce the pandemic? Or is it to cure it, get rid of it?"

Warren said many people are more interested in slowing down the pandemic instead of stopping it because they are not willing to make behavioral changes. Although he disagrees, saying it's a "primarily behavior-based disease," his "SLOW" model offers four steps that will reduce the number of people infected with AIDS.

"SLOW" stands for Supply condoms, Limit the number of partners, Offer needle exchanges to addicts, and Wait for sex as long as possible.
The pope, who is now approving the use of condoms to fight AIDS, is again rewriting what God’s Word instructs and is  misleading millions of catholics and other groups of non-committed “religious people” and leading them down the wide road to destruction.

 Sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman, and homosexual sex is clearly forbidden in the Holy Scriptures, yet the pope, as with Rick Warren,  is now coming forth telling the world using condoms to fight AIDS is justified if it will protect lives.  Read it here.

The Bible clearly tells us you will reap what you sow and the warnings given by God against homosexual sex and sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman were given by God for one’s own protection, and neither the pope nor Warren  has any  business endorsing and promoting in Jesus' name what God has shown to be sin, and rebellion against Him in His written Word.

Today's world cultures  is attempting to convince people that it is ok to be sexually immoral in marriage, or it is ok to be in a homosexual relationship, and that it is merely a cultural thing; this is a lie from satan himself working through his people on earth, because  it is not ok with God.  This is "ear tickling" theology."

 If you are ensnared in a sexually, adulterous or  immoral lifestyle, all you have to do is call upon the merciful saviour the Lord Jesus Christ and ask for deliverance, and he will forgive you and deliver you from sexual sin if you are committed to be set free from sexual sin.  His grace is sufficient for you.  Everyone who comes to Jesus with a sincere heart to be delivered from sin  is delivered, no exceptions.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7

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Campaign To Save Asia Bibi Captures Attention of President Asif Ali Zardi

Thanks to caring people like you from all over the world who have prayed for Asia Bibi and who have expressed outrage over the sentencing to death by hanging, the petition and campaign to save Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian mother of five on trumped up blasphemy charges has captured the attention of President Asif Ali Zardari who has now asked for a report on the case and could issue a pardon even before a court issues its decision on an appeal against the verdict, said Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for minority affairs.

This is good news friends. A full report on the update of this good news is here, and here.

Keep up the prayers for Asia  to our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,  and if you haven’t let your voice be heard over the cruel treatment of Asia Bibi and of Christians and other minority groups in Pakistan because of Pakistan’s obscene ’blasphemy law’, please do so here.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and when one of us suffers for His name sake,  all of us suffer.


Related Story: Christian Mother Of Five Sentenced To Death On Fabricated Blasphemy Charges-Pakistan

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Campaign And Petition To Save Asia Bibi, Revoke Pakistan's Obscene 'Blasphemy Law'

A campaign with petition to save Asia Bibi, the 45 year old Christian and mother of five who was convicted on fabricated blasphemy charges and sentenced to die by hanging has now been launched in several countries, including Italy, Pakistan, India and the United States of America, and to revoke Pakistan's obscene 'blasphemy law.' This innocent woman has been sentenced to hang simply because she is a Christian and the government of Pakistan is sanctioning this insane  blasphemy law.

While it is hoped that the petition signed by people from all over the world will save Asia Bibi from death by hanging on this  trumped up charge, it is also intended to bring attention to the obscene Pakistan 'blasphemy law' which has been used far too long to kill innocent Christians and other minority groups in Pakistan, among other things, and to revoke this law.

  • Up until now, the blasphemy law had not led to an execution of any accused or convicted. But 33 people charged with blasphemy were killed in prison by guards, or in the vicinity of the court. The latest such case involved two Protestant Christians, Pastor Emmanuel and his brother Rashid Sajjad, shot at point blank range as they left the court in Faisalabad on 19 July. However we can group these deaths with those killed in the massacres of entire villages, in Gojra, Korian, Kasur, Sangla Hill, where hundreds of houses belonging to Christians were burned and where women and children were killed or burned alive, just because one member of the village had been accused of blasphemy.
It is now startlingly clear that this law has become a tool in the hands of fundamentalists that pit Muslims against Christians in order to measure the extent of their power over Pakistani society. It is also clear that almost all the accusations of blasphemy are born from envy, revenge, competition, and that the arrest of the accused is but the first step to allow the expropriation of land, looting and theft. More at link.

Please go to article to sign petition.

Related Story: Christian Mother Of Five Sentenced To Death On Fabricated Blasphemy Charges-Pakistan
 
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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Catholic Archbishop Bustros Clarifies His Words About Israel And The Promised Land

In an effort to clarifiy his words about Israel and the Promised Land, where the Catholic  Archbishop Bustros said:
  • The Holy Scriptures cannot be used to justify the return of the Jews to Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians, to justify the occupation by Israel of Palestinian lands." Monsignor Cyril Salim Bustros, Greek Melkite archbishop of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Boston, Massachusetts, and president of the “Commission for the Message,” said at Saturday’s Vatican press conference…..
“We Christians cannot speak of the ‘promised land’ as an exclusive right for a privileged Jewish people. This promise was nullified by Christ. There is no longer a chosen people – all men and women of all countries have become the chosen people.
Evidently, the Roman Catholic Church still doesn’t get it. Considering the Roman Catholic Church practices Replacement Theology, however, this is not surprising.  The above  outrageous statements were  published in the Jerusalem Post October 23, 2010, and posted here.
In clarifying his unbiblical statements, the archbishop now says very much of the same thing using different words, making more unbiblical statements.   From Asis News.it
  • In a press conference with Jihad Watch, Archbishop Bustros said:
  • During the press conference which was held at the end of the Synod, I presented this message in my role as president of the commission that drafted the message.
  • I stated that, Israel cannot use the Biblical concept of a promised land to justify its occupation of Palestinian territory and the expulsion of Palestinians who have been living there for centuries". He added: "We Christians cannot now speak about the Promised Land for the Jewish people. With Christ the Promised Land became the Kingdom of God."
  •  Bustros concluded: "In my answer I was thinking in particular of Jewish settlers who claim their right to build on Palestinian territory by saying it forms part of biblical Israel, the land promised by God to the Jews according to the Old Testament... The creation of Israel in 1948 is a political issue, not religious."
  •  Bustros realls that we are dealing with two extremes: that of the settlers, claiming the land by referring to the Bible, and those of Muslim fundamentalists, who claim it as part of Islam. "The message of the Synod takes a moderate position and clearly suggests, as regards the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, the two-state solution."
Huh? The archbishop couldn’t be more wrong in his statements. The West Bank has always been a part of biblical Israel, known as Judea and Samaria, and God promised to return the Jewish people to this very land thousands of years ago as recorded in the Old Testament, and it is a biblical issue because God himself said it.

There has never been a palestinian territory or a palestinian people.  These people are muslim arabs from Jordan, Syria, Iraq and wherever else they came from  who thought they would destroy the Jews when the arabs attacked the Jews in 1948.   Muslims have  no rights to the land that God gave to Israel thousands of years ago, scattered Israel for their disobedience and unbelief, and has now returned them to the land of their forefathers as promised and written  in the Holy Scriptures.

I wonder what Bible the Vatican and the archbishop read? And what God they believe in? From what I have been witnessing from the Roman Catholic Church, the heirachy is playing a dangerous game with Jesus Christ by  picking  and choosing  which scriptures to accept and throw away those that don't fit in with their political agenda. There is only one true God, Jesus Christ, the God of Israel  who is the God in the Old Testament prophesied to come,  as well as the New Testament, fullfilling Old Testament prophecies, which is still on-going.

 It appears  obvious to me that the Vatican and the archbishop do not  believe the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament, or the writings of the Apostle Paul in Romans Chapter 11 in the New Testament concerning God’s promises to the Jewish people at a future time, which has been taking place since 1948 when Israel was reborn as a nation and ongoing.
  • From Romans Chapter 11:
25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, then shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
 27For this is my covenant unto them, when I take away their sins.
 28As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
 29For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.
 30For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
 31Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
 32For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

And Amos 9:11-15 specifically tells us that God will return the Jewish people to their own land of Israel, never again to be pulled out of it. 
 11In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
 12That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
 13Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
 14And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
 15And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

That's relatively easy to understand I would think.

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Christian Mother Of Five Sentenced To Death On Fabricated Blasphemy Charges-Pakistan

A Christian mother of five has been sentenced to death on fabricated blasphemy charges in Pakistan.   Fabricated blasphemy charges against Christians by muslims in Pakistan are routine, ever since Pakistan instituted the blasphemy law. 
  • "This shameful law - said the Muslim scholar, director of the Centre for Society and Secularism - are used with impunity against minority religious communities by those motivated by personal enmity, by those motivated by monetary material or political gain or even land grabbing  Even indirect inferences are drawn and the accused is arrested under Blasphemy Law….there is nothing religious about".
All you have to do is a quick scan of Asia News.it, now reporting that a Christian woman has been sentenced to death for blasphemy, or Bos News Life to learn of the horrible treatment of Christians in Pakistan by muslims, and for the most part,  overlooked by the government.

Asia News.it reports that:

Some of the women workers had reportedly been pressuring Bibi to renounce her Christian faith and accept Islam. During one discussion, Bibi responded by speaking of how Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of humanity and asking the Muslim women what Muhammad had done for them.
The Muslim women took offence and began beating Bibi. Afterwards she was locked in a room. According to Release International, a mob reportedly formed and “violently abused” her and her children.
According to the National Commission on Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church, the blasphemy law has often been used as a pretext for personal attacks or vendettas as well as extra-judicial murders. Overall, 33 people have died this way at the hands of individuals or crazed mobs.

Also reporting on this story is ChattahBox.com:

Pakistan (ChattahBox World News) — A Pakistani court handed down a sentence of death by hanging yesterday for Asia Bibi, a mother of five who practices Christianity,and was accused of blasphemy, the UK Telegraph reports.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.  Matthew 24:9
The 45-year-old, who has been held in prison since June 2009, was working alongside Muslims in a field as a farmhand when her co-workers refused to drink the water that she had brought for the group, saying that it was “unclean” due to Bibi’s belief in Christianity. A fight ensued, during which a mob attacked Bibi and the police escorted her to a station to protect her.
Police subsequently filed a blasphemy case against her, the Telegraph reports. Human rights groups have noted that the information put forth during the trial indicates that Bibi did not speak ill of the Prophet Mohammed, but the court still found her guilty, sparking accusations of Pakistani discrimination due to Bibi’s status as a religious minority.
Please pray for this courageous Christian sister  that our Lord will vindicate her  and protect her as she gives witness to Him who died to save her.  In addition, please contact the US State Department and ask them to protect this Christian sister and her family.

UPDATE: Related Story: Campaign To Save Asia Bibi Captures Attention Of President Asif Ali Zardi

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Obama In Indonesia: US Not At War With Islam

Inspite of Obama’s propaganda speech at the University of Indonesia this past week, a predominantly muslim country with muslims making up 85% of the population, where an  audience of 6,000 listened to Obama say that the US was not at war with Islam, the facts from all over the world clearly show this to be an outright false statement, and puts our Christian brother's and sister's lives in Indonesia in danger with this type of fabrication and propaganda.  It is clear Obama is  appeasing Islam,  is either ignorant to and ignoring  the facts, or is under some sort of delusion.  Or all of the above.

I couldn't help but notice this little gem of a statement from Obama in the above article:

  • "But we also know that relations between the United States and Muslim communities have frayed over many years. As president, I have made it a priority to begin to repair these relations."
In all fairness, perhaps Obama is onto something with these words.  If he is really serious in repairing any relations, which I doubt,  then he will take a serious look at the ill treatment of Christians and other minority religions in Indonesia and publically call upon all muslims  for it to cease, which I have yet to hear.

The thought also came to me that perhaps Obama meant that the US is not a war with Islam; but Islam is at war with the entire world.  That sounds more like the real truth of the matter.

Even the far left, government controlled BBC reported on muslim mobs attacking Christians in Indonesia.


  • At least 12 people have been killed by a Muslim mob which attacked a Christian village in theMoluccan islands in eastern Indonesia.  More at above BBC link.
There are literally hundreds of articles here on persecution of Christians in Indonesia

And the world has not forgotten the shock as Three Christian School Girls in Indonesia are Beheaded


As noted in the Washington Times November 10, 2010,
  • “Another Christmas tradition in Indonesia - which Mr. Obama neglected to mention - is the annual round of threats and violence against Christians from the Islamic Defenders Front and other radical groups. In January, a mob of 1,000 Muslims burned down two churches in Sumatra because there were "too many faithful and too many prayers" going on. Between 2004 and 2007, Muslim radicals and local governments forced 110 Christian churches to close.”
And  in Indonesia, as recent as October, 2010, the Jakarta Post reports that:

Church violence spreading ‘outside Jakarta, West Java’
The Jakarta Post | Mon, 10/25/2010

Incidents of church attacks and religious violence are spreading throughout Java, outside of traditional “hot spots” such as Greater Jakarta and West Java, activists said on Sunday.

The latest violent incident occurred in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on Oct. 13, when 12 people on motorcycles set fire to a Protestant church, said Theophilus Bella of the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum (FKKJ), which documents sectarian violence in Indonesia.

A day before, an attempt to set fire to St. Joseph Catholic church in Klaten, Central Java, was foiled and caused only minor damage, he said in a report made available to The Jakarta Post. On Oct. 17, radical Muslims threatened to attack a Catholic church in Karanganyar, Central Java.

Last month, an unidentified group attacked a Catholic church in Pasir regency, East Kalimantan, it said.

Most of the incidents over the last several years took place in Greater Jakarta and West Java, including aggacks and forcile church closures that occurred with little or no intervention from the government, the report said.

According to the FKKJ, officials of Lubuk Linggau, Sumatra, said Huria Kristen Indonesia (HKI) congregation members lacked an official permit and could not conduct religious activities in their church, in apparent response to complaints from local residents.

The FKKJ said religious violence in Indonesia has escalated since the country gained independence in 1945.


Between 1945 and 1967, two churches were set on fire. Between 1967 and 1969, after former president Soeharto took power, 10 attacks were recorded.

Church attacks soared to 460 between 1969 and 1998, after Soeharto’s government issued a joint ministerial decree on establishing places of worship, which was seen as favoring the nation’s Muslim majority.

After the start of the reform era in 1998, the number of cases skyrocketed to 700, bringing the total number of church attacks between 1945 and 2010 to 1,200.
“It's not wrong to say that Indonesia is the world champion of
church burnings," Theophilus said.

Catholic priest Benny Susetyo, executive secretary of the Indonesian Bishops’ Council, said that the attacks were due to weak law enforcement.

“Terror has increased due to negligence of the part of law enforcement officials." he said. Benny added that villence against the churches had continued since perpetrators could act with impunity.

“This is dangerous because violence may escalate in other areas,” he said, adding that narrow-minded local administrations were also partly to blame.

Hendardi from the Indonesian human rights watchdog Imparsial said that attacks on religious groups in Central Java and other places were copycat attacks based on incidents in Greater Jakarta and West Java.


Imparsial said West Java had the most cases of violence perpetrated against minority religious groups.

“The attacks, especially in West Java, which have yet to be properly handled by the government, have set a bad precedent,” he said. (JP/lnd)

In another recent report:

Last year, the Indonesia Ulema Council, an influential Islamic clerical body, sounded the alarm about Christian proselytization and called on Muslims to more staunchly guard their faith. The pace with which unlicensed churches are being shut down by local authorities is also increasing.  Christians complain that gaining official sanction to build a mosque is easy while getting similar permission for churches is glacial.  As a consequence, most Christian houses of worship are unofficial. More.

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  Revelation 6:10

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