Reuters is reporting ..."Christianophobia" is a growing problem around the world and it must be fought with the same determination as anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, the Vatican said on Friday.More from Reuters ...Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's foreign minister, spoke in the wake of attacks against Christians in India that have left at least 13 people dead this week.
Mamberti, addressing a conference in northern Italy, said religious freedom was a vital part of international relations and human dignity.
More from NER ...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
VATICAN: A growing problem around the world!
Friday, August 29, 2008
SACRILEGE: It is finished means it is finished!
What do you get when you combine a German art museum, a German artist, and a green German frog? No, not a Kermitmeister!
Just as in the case with the Danish Muhammad cartoons debacle, this is a cause for the Christians of the world to unite and burn buildings ... heck, whole cities ... well at least a few old cars.An art museum in northern Italy said Thursday it will continue displaying a sculpture portraying a green frog nailed to a cross that has angered Pope Benedict XVI and local officials. [...]I could find no record of Pope Bennie actually described as angry ... apparently the author (Ariel David) of this piece needed an adjective real bad.Earlier in August the pope had written a letter to Franz Pahl, the president of the Trentino-Alto Adige region that includes Bolzano, denouncing the sculpture.And it is this that CW wants to highlight; ridicule of key or fundamental aspects of a person's orthodox faith is an extreme form of disrespect for that person and their faith.
It "has offended the religious feelings of many people who consider the cross a symbol of God's love and of our redemption," Pahl quoted the pope as writing in the letter.
Pahl himself has long opposed the display of "Zuerst die Fuesse" ("First the Feet" in German), even staging a hunger strike this summer and saying he would not seek re-election unless it was removed.
To this end I understand Islam's negative reaction to the Danish cartoons. However, I vehemently disagree with their expression of upset.Pahl said he was outraged by the museum's decision to keep the work, which he claims "pokes fun at the Catholic population and offends religion and the pope."Just guessing, but I could be easily convinced that the artist had some personal issues he was dealing with.
The 1990 wooden sculpture shows the crucified frog nailed through the feet and hands like Jesus Christ.The museum said the 3-foot (1-meter) -tall sculpture has nothing to do with religion, but is an ironic self-portrait of the artist and an expression of his angst.Nuff said!
"With humor and a tragicomic sense, which belongs to art since the times of Greek tragedy, Kippenberger ... faces his condition of suffering, which he expresses in many works, also, for example, in a video in which he crucifies himself," the museum said in a statement.
HYPOCRISY: Guilt here while professing Christ is poison to the faith!
A former San Francisco radio talk show host and [former] Roman Catholic priest was sentenced to more than seven years in prison Thursday for distributing child pornography."Bernie ... is a good man." Ward's attorney claimed - Good men don't tell others that he is aroused by his own daughter.
Bernie Ward, 57, pleaded guilty in May to one count of distributing child pornography. Prosecutors said investigators found dozens of pornographic images of children as young as 3 on Ward's home computer, including masochistic images of children bound and gagged.
"He traded in the currency of children's suffering," federal prosecutor Steve Grocki said.
Related ...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
GOVERNMENT: Irish Cardinal sees unease with EU's aims among Christians!
Cardinal criticises EU attitude to Christian way of life | Irish TimesIrish Cardinal Brady chastens EU leadership for their disrespect (read Cristophobic view) of Christians, Christianity, and their concomitant values. Of course we must recall that what was a wholly Christian populace in 1900 is barely a shadow of that 100 years later.
HT: Cardinal Says EU Undermines Christianity | Brussels Journal"The experience of many Christians within the EU is that this lowest common denominator invariably coincides with the secular and relativist tradition within Europe - that which denies moral absolutes with an objective basis - rather than the religious view."Brady goes on to comment ..."As the recent referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland suggests, at least some of those who were previously enthusiastic about the founding aims of the EU, both social and economic, are now expressing unease," he said. [...]As to the future of the EU ...
To ignore "this trend within the EU and its impact on people of faith has inevitable political and social consequences, not least on levels of support for the project itself", he said. [...]
Such an approach ended up with Christians "being denied the right to intervene in public debates or at least having their contribution dismissed as an attempt to protect unjustified privileges, such as, for example, the right to employ people who support the ethos of a Christian institution". [...]
"Successive decisions [of the EU institutions] have undermined the family based on marriage, the right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, the sacredness of the Sabbath, the right of Christian institutions to maintain and promote their ethos, including schools - these and other decisions have made it more difficult for committed Christians to maintain their instinctive commitment to the European project," he said."Without respect for its Christian memory and soul, I believe it is possible to anticipate continuing difficulties for the European project. These will emerge not only in economic terms but in terms of social cohesion and the continued growth of a dangerous individualism that does not care about God or about what the future might have in store."
APATHY: On being our own worst enemy!
Truth doesn't sell! Goodness and righteousness don't sell! Ergo Christianity doesn't sell! Perhaps this piece by David Warren will explain why!... I am in favour of good, and against evil. (And be warned: few with the opposite bias are prepared to declare it.) In my own defence, I will state that my preferential option for good is not entirely self-interested. In the longest view, I trust that it will be. But in the short term, and on this planet, I don’t see people getting points for it.The glorious truth is: Jesus is the Truth, the Life, and The Way, but He is not in sales.
As John Milton discovered (and William Blake famously nailed), evil tends to win the theatrical competitions. Milton’s Lucifer was the livelier and more exciting cosmic presence in Paradise Lost. The journalist in Milton intuitively grasped what publishers have been betting through the intervening centuries: that the life of a sinner is easier to sell than the life of a saint. And this, perversely enough, even though the lives of the saints are often more interesting.
The Devil trades on plausibility, and his argument that "the saints are boring" repays the very little thought most people are willing to devote to the issue.
The sad truth is: 57% of those who profess to be followers of Jesus as the only way to eternal life [HT: Black Kettle], believe there are other ways to that life and the vast majority of Americans long for goodness and righteousness to win [HT: Black Kettle] ... publicly ... but contradict that behavior privately.
Cristophobes may appear to carry the day, but they don't and they won't. But it would be a lot easier to combat cristophobia if we all took up our swords and trowels and stood in the gap.
Monday, August 25, 2008
PARODIC SATIRE: Being Christian means being tough skinned!
A Heavenly Candidate | Washingtonpost.comHat Tip to - WaPo Lauds Liberal Jesus-for-Prez Novel: He's a 'Unitarian Porn Star'? | NewsBusters.orgWhen people mock our faith or our Lord, we, as Christians, are frequently torn between outrage and wisdom. The arrival of this book is one such time ... at least it has the feel of such a time.
I like to believe I prefer wisdom to outrage ... sadly I employ the latter more often than not. Yet wisdom is winning on this one!
American Savior is, I believe, a comedic parody (or as the publisher says a "bitingly clever satirical novel") of Christian nationalism ... an issue that I believe is fair game for non-believers.
Too many of those I call brothers and sisters claim to be Evangelical or conservative Christians, but they are, in reality, Christian Nationalists ... believing that "saving" America is a command of God straight off the pages of the gospels.
Somehow they seem to think any evil done in the USA is a direct threat to the Church and God Himself. They seem to overlook Jesus' words concerning "the gates of Hell."
We, as believers, must remember what parody ...and satire ...
- a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing ...
- the genre of literary composition represented by such imitations
- a burlesque imitation of a musical composition
- any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of a person, event, etc.
are! They are tools of the cultural, social and political critic.
- the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
- a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule
- a literary genre comprising such compositions.
Based on the Ron Charles review in the Washington Post, I'd say Roland Merullo's new novel America Savior is the genuine article - a satirical parody or, if you wish, a parodic satire.American Savior is a remarkably innovative novel that challenges our perceptions and beliefs while it wags a finger at the folly of our self-righteousness. It is sure to cause controversy among those for whom politics itself has become a kind of religion. [Algonquin]Many will see Merullo's novel as Cristophobic, I do not! I am secure enough in my faith and my Lord is secure enough in me, that I don't fear this kind of secular criticism. We should not always see darkness when there's so much light.
Merullo is obviously not trying to propagate spiritual truths or encourage others to hate Christians or Christianity; but, rather, the author seems to be encouraging us (i.e., conservative Christian nationalists, evangelicals and fundamentalists) to wake up and see the image on the Jumbo Tron.Savior is narrated by a former newscaster named Russ Thomas who quits his job to help elect Jesus. The campaign brings Jesus into contact with Merullo's other target — the media with its bloviating superstars: i.e., the suspender-wearing Lenny Queen. [USAToday]I need a copy of the book to review ... maybe Merullo or Algonquin will send me one?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
HARASSMENT: Cristophobes harass nation's General Petraeus during wartime!
Some Christian antagonists are more a wearying nuisance than a real threat, but when they're a well-funded, special interest group, they can be a real pain and a financial drain.What might prompt this rather extreme and virulent castigation of an acknowledged American military hero; a man said to be the source of "the surge" strategy in Iraq, a strategy which has apparently defeated the insurgency?"General [David] Petraeus has, by his own hand, become a quintessential poster child of this fundamentalist Christian religious predation, via his unadulterated and shocking public endorsement of a book touting both Christian supremacy and exceptionalism," MRFF [Military Religious Freedom Foundation] founder Michael Weinstein expressed in a statement to Military.com.
A faith-based book for military personnel has given opponents of Gen. David Petraeus more fuel for protests though the author claims to have been the one who made the mistake.This post is not about MRFF's right to exist, they do! This post is about an irrational effort to harass an active military leader during wartime for no other reason than that he is a Christian and it fits the MRFF's agenda ... which is apparently the promotion of atheism.
[The author was referring to his attempts at securing] "… comments for recommending [his] book."
"I believe there was a basic misunderstanding on my part that the comments were publishable," Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) William McCoy wrote in an Aug. 19 email to Military.com, the nation’s largest military and veteran membership organization.The author was referring to endorsements for his book, Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personnel, by Petraeus and Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, who said the book “should be in every rucksack for those times when soldiers need spiritual energy" and called it “inspirational,” respectively.
The endorsements, McCoy explained, “were intended for me personally rather than for the general public."
Despite the author's claims, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group, is calling for an investigation.
[...]
"MRFF is now officially putting both Army chaplain Lt. Col. Bill McCoy and General Petraeus on notice not to destroy any of the written or electronic records of their communications about this [issue]," added the former Air Force judge advocate general and White House counsel during the Reagan administration.
According to the MRFF, Petraeus’s endorsement of the book was brought to its attention when Weinstein noticed a half-page ad for the 2008 edition of the 3-year-old book in the Air Force Times. Though Weinstein was initially reading the Aug. 11 issue of the publication to probe an interview with Air Force Chief of Chaplains Maj. Gen. Cecil Richardson, the title of McCoy’s book caught his eye and prompted him to find out what the book was about.
“[A]nd this is what we found – a pro-Christian, anti-atheist book heartily endorsed by none other than Gen. David Petraeus, a slap in the face from the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq to the 21 percent of the men and women fighting there who define themselves as atheists or having no religious preference,” wrote Chris Rodda, a freelance writer and researcher for the MRFF, in a recent article.
Regardless of what MRFF proclaims, bottom-line it's Petraeus' faith which prompts their attack; it's his willingness to publicly acknowledge his personal relationship with Christ that results in this harassment.
More ...
BILL MAHER: Comic's neurological dysfunction cured by filthy lucre!
Bill Maher, ex-Catholic, ex-Jew, now religion-mocker, says if ...“... you believe this stuff [then] you are crazy, at least in one area of your life.”"... you’re religious, [then] it means you believe in some crazy stuff. And at that point you don’t look reasonable."Maher has produced a movie called, "Religulous"; a mocking, taunting, condemnation of anything religious. Maher, a mediocre comedian and shallow, liberal, social commentarian, is of the opinion that "[all] religion is a big crock of spit."
The comedian is a gold medalist in the hate category of life ... yet he, like all Americans, is protected by our national doctrine concerning free speech ... and thank God he is.
Indeed, Maher is a pristine example of why "hate crime" laws are useless; they don't work against those among the rich and powerful.
It isn't that he directly encourages others to hate of Christians or Christianity (he is careful to say that he is not telling people how to think, just that they should think); no, he's content to stir the hatefilled cauldrons of his audience's hearts.
However, by doing this without restraint or wisdom, Maher proffers de facto encouragement to those who already hate Christians and Christianity, or have religiophobic tendencies, to proactively respond to their deleterious emotions ... like a gun dealer who feeds guns to White Supremacists, then proclaiming innocence when the weapons used in a real hate crime.
You are challenged, if you have the stomach for it, to go to the LAT article and scan the comments at the end. There are some commenters who make the brain damaged religionists Maher hates so much sound like Einsteins.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
INTOLERANCE: Forcing Christians to deny their conscience is un-American and Cristophobic!
Under threats of retaliation, government entities are forcing people of faith to violate their consciences, and thus deny their faith. Theo-retically, the government is complicate in their Theo-retic sin.
The same entities are frequently guilty of abject hypocrisy, often treating those with a Judeo-Christian worldview differently and more harshly than those with other views of man, life, and the world.
The pro-death lobby is one example.The Bush administration has proposed stronger protections for health-care workers who refuse to participate in abortions, issuing a sweeping regulation that could also undercut access to birth-control pills and other forms of contraception.Notice the subtle hint that the Bush Administration and "the religious right" are up to something, working clandestinely to covertly overthrow years of pro-death successes.
The new rules, which could take effect after a 30-day comment period, threaten state governments with a cutoff in federal funding if they force medical personnel to perform, assist in or refer patients to abortion services. [...]
The religious right -- a key ally of Republicans in this election year -- has long pressed for more restrictions on abortion and contraceptive access.
John McCain ... has repeatedly said he would enact "pro life" policies, including expanded protections of life in the womb, if elected. He hasn't signaled his stance on this regulation and declined to comment when asked about an earlier draft.
Barack Obama ... signed a letter opposing that draft. If he were to win the White House, he could reverse the regulation.
The government and the abortion industry have many other options for their nasty little murders without forcing this upon unwilling and unfortunate third-parties.
Their shrill claims that there's no other way than "Plan B" and infanticide sound more like a Chicken Little complex than a rational defense.
Go source for more ...
STEREOTYPES: They're not God's angels!
Assuming the greater part of this group is "saved," they truly dishonor Christ and perpetuate the "they're all hypocrites" stereotype the public has of Christians.A violent brawl may have started because the Hells Angels thought a Christian motorcycle ministry [Set Free Ministries] was claiming an affiliation with them ...I spent most of the past 20 years in Southern California and I am familiar with the work of Set Free Ministries; it is sizable and effective with hundreds of wonderful testimonies. Hearing that Aguilar and some of his closest supporters are nothing more than thugs and bangers is heartbreaking.
Set Free's leader, Phillip Aguilar, and four other biker ministers were charged with weapons and gang felonies after the fight at a Newport Beach bar that ended in two stabbings.
The dust-up prompted police to raid the Set Free Christian Ministries compound in Anaheim, where they allegedly recovered thousands of rounds of ammunition and dozens of guns and knives. ...
Aguilar, 60, started his counterculture church in 1982 after saying he found Jesus while doing time in the state penitentiary for child abuse. His church, which prides itself on its outreach to criminals, drug addicts and biker gangs, has attracted thousands of members nationwide and operates several drug rehab homes around Southern California.
Perhaps there really is truth to the rumored link with hell's angels.
HOLLYWOOD: Brideshead Revisited refurbished!
Chuck Colson has been to the movies and would like you to avoid the negative portrayals of Christians in Brideshead Revisited ...CW agrees the entertainment industry has the right to produce all the material it wants to and the law allows ... and present it however they wish ... our only point is that they would not use the same nuances or insinuations on blacks, American Indians, Jews, or (Allah forbid) Muslims.On the surface, with its period settings and costumes, the new film Brideshead Revisited looks like a faithful adaptation of the classic novel by Evelyn Waugh. Underneath, it is anything but faithful. On the contrary, it presents a deeply flawed and inaccurate picture of the Christian faith that Waugh embraced.
[...]
Even the New York Times got it right in its review of the movie. And I quote: “In Waugh’s book . . . religious commitments and social relations were part of a thickly detailed, complicated and ancient lived reality. . . [T]his is what makes ‘Brideshead Revisited’ live and breathe as a novel. None of it registers with any force in this lazy, complacent film, which takes the novel’s name in vain.”
That is why the film is not worth your time. If your friends invite you to see the movie, instead invite them to read the book with you . . . so you can remind them that the Christian faith is not about guilt, but about grace.
Go to Breakpoint for complete article ...
HT: The Black Kettle
PURPOSE: Cristophobia's raison d'etre!
Cristophobia Watch's "reason for being" is fundamentally stated in our inaugural post, but our inspiration arrived by observing and experiencing the egregious hypersensitive and reactionary behavior of Muslims crying Islamophobia.
Apparently, they are "offended" by any thing related to a kafir (a non-believer) and even remotely touching upon Islam.
Their hypocritical cries of racism (Muslims are not a race) and bigotry are shrill in light of the manifold and daily instances of Muslim extremism and Muslim terrorism in our world.
The SHEEP'S CRIB decided Islam's anti-Christian activities and bigotry needed more exposure ... however, to avoid the charge of Islamophobia, it was decided to include all reports of Cristophobia, which will, by default, include cristophobic events, activities, or statements by Muslims.
However, our fundamental aim is glorifying the Lord and defending the faith; since attacks on Christians are attacks on His family; we feel the term Cristophobia is the appropriate nomenclature for this blog since all attacks on His family are attacks on His person and His works.
CRISTOPHOBIA: A list of resources and other useful materials!
RESOURCES/REFERENCES/PEOPLE/ORGANIZATIONS -
Individuals involved in anti-Cristophobia efforts:[Tristan] Emmanuel is the author of the book, Christophobia: The Real Reason Behind Hate Crime Legislation, which argues that the rights of religious freedom being lost through new "hate crime" laws that are being used against individuals such as Pastor Stephen Bossison, Dr. Chris Kempling and Calgary Roman Catholic Bishop Fred Henry. [Wikipedia]Resources not endorsed or evaluated one way or the other:
David Limbaugh has two excellent tomes on Christophobia in America: Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity and The Criminalization of Christianity: Read This Book Before It Becomes Illegal!
Euro-Med, a Danish commentary blog, has a fine collection of anti-Cristophobia quotes and events from numerous sources around the world. [Christophobia I]Christian Falangist Party of America - per its website the CFPA exists to "defend Christians in the United States from official 'Christophobia' in the public sphere" and "educate the public about the true nature of the Islamic threat to western civilization." [Wikipedia]Christianophobia in Europe - website is hosted by the NGO Europe for Christ! registered in Germany (www.europe4christ.net) operating in all European Union countries.
The goal of this website is to provide European Union-institutions, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and other Institutions with objective and reliable data on the phenomenon of Christianophobia in Europe. [...] Further, this website wants to encourage victims of Christianophobia to tell their story.[Future citation][Future citation][Future citation][Future citation]
CRISTOPHOBIA: A definition/clarification!
Several sources define Cristophobia (aka: Christopobia, Christianophobia):"fear, dislike and hatred of Christianity, Christians and things Christian." [Wikipedia]All phobias are irrational; if they were rational, they would not exist!
A free-string of definitions and comments follows ...
Encyclopedic entries ...Anti-christian sentiment is a negative bias against Christians or the religion of Christianity. Anti-Christian bias can be held by individuals or groups, and may be the result of prejudice or anti-Christian sentiment may accompany valid political and social opposition by individuals or groups to social and political movements motivated by a specific Christian sect's doctrines, and attempts at secularism or cosmopolitanism in Christian-dominated societies. [Wikipedia]Anti-Christian sentiment is a real or perceived negative categorical bias against Christians or the religion of Christianity. Anti-Christian sentiment can be held by individuals or groups, and may be the result of fanaticism or bigotry leading to prejudice or discrimination. [Reference.com (citing Wikipedia)]Anti-Christian prejudice is a negative categorical bias against Christians — both individually and collectively — or against Christianity as a whole. Such prejudice is a form of religious intolerance; it may be simply a mental or emotional attitude, or it may lead to stereotyping, discrimination, or even – in extreme cases – to persecution of Christians. [Religion Dictionary]Individuals ...
For a brief history of the term and a current usage summary see Nation Master's encyclopedic entry.Edward Pace quotes Rev. Edward Flannery ... "The anti-Semite, not the Jew, is the real Christ-killer. He thinks he's religious, but that's a self-delusion. Actually he finds religion so heavy a burden, he develops 'Christophobia.' He's hostile to the faith and has an unconscious hatred of Christ, who is for him, Christ the Repressor. He uses anti-Semitism as a safety valve for this hostility and is really trying to strike out at Christ." [NYT]Organizations ...Christianophobia in Europe declares ... Christianophobia consists of the terms Christian and phobos (φόβος) which means “(irrational) fear”. The term means therefore irrational fear or hatred of Christians, or Christianity in general.
It consists of a negative categorical bias against Christians — both individually and collectively —, against Christianity as a whole, or positions intrinsically part of the Christian faith. Such prejudice is a form of religious intolerance; it may be simply a mental or emotional attitude, or it may lead to stereotyping, discrimination, or even – in extreme cases – to persecution of Christians.
The term Christianophobia was first used by Jewish legal scholar Joseph Weiler. It was introduced at the international institutions in December 2004, after the European Union rejected Rocco Buttiglione, a practizing Catholic, as EU commissioner. Several diplomates argued that discrimination against Christians must not spread any further. They called on the UN to draft laws on Christianophobia, as it has done on Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. The UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva now speaks of "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Christianophobia." The use of the word Christianophobia has been proposed for use in the UN General Assembly. [Christianophobia]
CRISTOPHOBIA: About Cristophobia Watch
Cristophobia Watch was initiated in August 2008 in order to document activities and events which advocate a fear of and hatred for Christian people and Christianity as a religion.
Cristophobia Watch is determined to impede the progress of the bigoted and fascist ideology of extremists and others in their global effort to erode the foundations of Western Civilization and its Judeo-Christian heritage.
Cristophobia, as a tool of secular and political extremism, is strongly advocated by liberal, political radicals and other irrational organizations; it has gained much ground in the European Union and in non-democratic nations throughbut the world; even our neighbor to the north, Canada, has a nested and virulent form of Cristophobia.
Cristophobia Watch will regularly post opinion columns, news items, and web content which match the editorial template of this website, culled from Cristophobic sources, as well as from those sources opposing Cristophobia and Cristophobics. An effort will be made to hold editorial comment to a minimum.
Cristophobia Watch began posting 22 August 2008.
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