Burkina Faso

You might not have seen this on your local nightly news, but the second Christian leader in a week has been kidnapped in Burkina Faso.  In both instances, family members were also taken.

On 20 May, a catechist at the parish of Arbinda (40km from Bilhore), was kidnapped, along with his wife. Next, a pastor from the Assemblies of God church was taken from the village of Bilhore on June 3.  This man’s son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were taken along with him.

Until recently, attacks carried out by Islamic militants only targeted government employees and members of the military. Islamists have also set fires to schools for teaching French in the northern region of the country.  Since the beginning of last year, 216 schools have been closed.

January 2016, 30 people were killed in attacks on two hotels and a cafe in central Ouagadougou. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for that attack. Six of the victims in this attack were members of faith based humanitarian groups, Christians.  They were spending Christmas break in service.  Four of the dead were Canadians from the same family. A seventh was a US missionary who had been running an orphanage and women’s shelter along with his wife since 2011.

Advertisements

victory for the baker

The US Supreme Court found in favor of the bake in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Court found that people should not be bullied or banished from the marketplace because of their religious beliefs about marriage.

For the majority, Justice Kennedy wrote that “the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s consideration of this case was inconsistent with the State’s obligation of religious neutrality.” The opinion adds that “the reason and motive for the baker’s refusal were based on [Jack Phillips’s] sincere religious beliefs and convictions,” and condemns the “clear and impermissible hostility toward [Phillips’s] sincere religious beliefs.”

Jack Philips has been consistent over the years.  “We can have rules, set standards and decide what we offer, but we don’t pick and choose who[m] we will serve.” In other words, Jack declined to make a cake celebrating same-sex marriage (which violates his sincerely held religious beliefs) but offered the couple other items in his bake shop. Jack was not declining to serve the couple as customers, he was declining making a particular product.

As Justice Kennedy said during oral arguments in Jack’s case, “tolerance is essential in a free society” and “is most meaningful when it’s mutual.” He further opined that “the state in its position here has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips’s religious beliefs.”

Thank God for Jack having the courage of his convictions.  Also be sure you understand what constitutes sincerely held religious beliefs.

 

paramedic killed by a sniper

She was in the process of pulling a wounded protester through a fence.  She approached that fence on Friday in her paramedic vest with her arms raised to show the soldiers she carried no weapons. Razan was shot in the chest by a Israeli sniper anyway.

This is a violation of the Geneva Convention which gives medics the right to offer their assistance in times of war and peace.

Her funeral was attended by thousands.

another church attack

The Islamic state is claiming responsibility for another attack on a church. This time an Orthodox church in Russia.

The church was attacked by four people. Two policeman, a church goer, and the attackers were killed.

Father Sergiy, the priest at the church, said a service was being held when churchgoers heard shots outside and chants of “”Allahu Akbar,” or “God is Great,” in Arabic.

Yes God is Great, but He doesn’t favor those who kill innocent people who gather together for Him.

church bombing

Churches were attacked this morning in Indonesia, among them Santa Maria Catholic Church and a Pentecostal church. At least 13 people died and dozens more were injured.

The suicide bombings were carried out be members of the same family.  The mother blew herself and two of her own children at one church. Father and the two boys blew attacked another church.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility.

200 attacks

There have been, according to data published in PLOS Medicine, 200 health care-related attacks in the governorates of Aleppo, Idleb, Homs and Hama, Syria. Over 2016 that averages out to more than one attack every other day, according the the researcher, from the University of California.

In the attacks her team analyzed, 112 health-care staff and 185 patients died. As a result of the attacks, eight clinics and hospitals were permanently closed and another 41 health-care facilities closed temporarily. The majority of attacks occurred via aerial bombing.

Deliberately bombing a medical facility is a violation of humanitarian law.

Suicide Bomber Kills

Imagine election season is coming up and you need to go pick up your voter identification so you can participate in the process of governing your nation.

Now imagine that a suicide bomber shows up online and detonates his vest killing 57 people and wounding 100 others.

The Taliban urged people to stay home from this election, as they consider it rigged by the United States to install pro-Western leaders.  Boycott the polls.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the carnage.

Think about this next time you go to the polls to cast a vote.