Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Pakistani Muslim Youths Murder Two Christians at Church Celebration
[2] Florida Judge Uses Sharia Law to Determine Ruling in a Civil Suit by Former Mosque Trustees
[3] Sweden Passes Law that Schools, Including Christian and Muslim Schools, Must Teach Subjects in a “Non-Confessional” and “Objective” Manner”
[4] UK Judge Overturns Advertising Standards Authority Ruling against Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in Ireland Newspaper Ad Deemed “Homophobic”
[5] Former Free Church of Scotland College Principal Says Campaign against 2010 General Assembly Decision Overturning Exclusive A Capella Psalmody is a “Declaration of War” against the Church
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[1] Pakistani Muslim Youths Murder Two Christians at Church Celebration
While the Salvation Army church in Hyderabad, Sindh Province, Pakistan, celebrated their 30th anniversary on 21 March 2011, a group of Muslim youths gathered outside the church playing music loudly on cell phones and teasing Christian women arriving for the celebration. Four men from the church came outside and told the Muslim youths to stop teasing the women and to respect the sanctity of the church. The Muslim youths left to retrieve handguns, then returned to the church and opened fire on the four men, killing two of them and seriously injuring the other two.
Police refused to register a case about the murders and attempted murders until the Christians blocked the main expressway of the city for two hours with the bodies of the two dead men. The police have allowed the accused Muslim youths to remain free, but arrested some teenagers having nothing to do with the crimes in order to show police superiors that something was being done.
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Salvation Army Pakistan, Post Office Box 242, Lahore 54000, Pakistan, 92-42- 758-1644, Fax: 92-42-757-2699, pak_leadership@pak.salvationarmy.org
[2] Florida Judge Uses Sharia Law to Determine Ruling in a Civil Suit by Former Mosque Trustees
A 21 March 2011 article by William R. Levesque in the St. Petersburg Times titled “Judge Orders Use of Islamic Law in Tampa [Florida] Lawsuit over Mosque Leadership” reports that a 3 March 2011 ruling by Hillsborough, Florida Circuit Judge Richard Nielsen, in a civil suit by two former mosque trustees concerning the disposition of US$2.2 million paid to the mosque by Florida for mosque property used in a road project, says that the judge’s decision about one crucial issue in the lawsuit “will proceed under Ecclesiastical Islamic Law,” i.e. Sharia Law. The judge said that he wants to determine whether the litigants properly followed Koranic teachings by obtaining an arbitration decision from an Islamic scholar.
The attorney for the mosque has appealed the judge’s decision, saying: “The mosque believes wholeheartedly in the Koran and its teachings. They certainly follow Islamic law in connection with their spiritual endeavors. But with respect to secular endeavors, they believe Florida law should apply in Florida courts.”
+ St. Petersburg Times, 490 First Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, 727-893-8111, nealybrown@sptimes.com
[3] Sweden Passes Law that Schools, Including Christian and Muslim Schools, Must Teach Subjects in a “Non-Confessional” and “Objective” Manner”
A 17 March 2011 article in Sightings, a publication of The Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School titled “Secular Power in Swedish Schools” reports that Sweden has passed a new law compelling schools to teach all subjects in a “non-confessional” and “objective” manner, including independent Christian and Muslim schools, as the independent schools too receive government funds.
+ University of Chicago Divinity School, 1025 East 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, 773-702-8200, Fax: 773-702-6048, mmmitche@uchicago.edu
[4] UK Judge Overturns Advertising Standards Authority Ruling against Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in Ireland Newspaper Ad Deemed “Homophobic”
A 22 March 2011 BBC article titled “Judge Overturns ASA Sodomy Ad Ban Decision” reports that a United Kingdom High Court judge has ruled against an Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 2008 decision that a full page ad titled “The Word of God against Sodomy” placed in the News Letter by the Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in Ireland (FPCI) in the summer of 2008 was “homophobic” and could not again be published in the same manner. The ad was placed by the Sandown FPCI ahead of an August 2008 “Gay Pride” parade in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The ruling said: “The applicant's religious views and the Biblical scripture which underpins those views no doubt cause offence, even serious offence, to those of a certain sexual orientation. Likewise, the practice of homosexuality may have a similar effect on those of a particular religious faith. But Article 10 (of the European Convention on Human Rights) protects expressive rights which offend, shock or disturb. Moreover, Article 10 protects not only the content and substance of information but also the means of dissemination since any restriction on the means necessarily interferes with the right to receive and impart information. The fact that the advertisement did not condone and was not likely to provoke violence, (it) contained no exhortation to other improper or illegal activity, (and) constituted a genuine attempt to stand up for their religious beliefs and to encourage others to similarly bear witness. Whilst such views and scriptural references may be strongly disdained and considered seriously offensive by some, this does not justify the full scope of the restrictions contained in the impugned determination.”
+ BBC, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, England, Fax: 020-8008-2398
+ Free Presbyterian Church in Ireland, info@freepres.org
[5] Former Free Church of Scotland College Principal Says Campaign against 2010 General Assembly Decision Overturning Exclusive A Capella Psalmody is a “Declaration of War” against the Church
An 18 March 2011 article by John Ross in The Scotsman titled “Anti-Singing Campaigners 'Declare War' on Free Kirk” reports that in response to a petition being circulated and a newspaper ad placed by opponents of a 2010 Free Church of Scotland (FCS) General Assembly (GA) decision to allow hymns and musical instruments to church worship services formerly limited to exclusive a capella psalmody, former Principal of the Free Church of Scotland College, Professor Donald Macleod, has likened the opponents’ campaign against the 2010 GA decision to a “declaration of war” against the FCS.
The newspaper ad asks people to sign a petition, termed a memorial and protestation, asking the GA to reconsider the “unbiblical, unconfessional and unconstitutional decision” of the 2010 FCS GA.
+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS, Scotland, 131-620-8620
+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LS, 0131-226-5286, Fax: 0131-220-0597, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk
