Magic Statistics

Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov was sentenced to four years in an Uzbekistan labour camp on trumped-up charges of illegal religious activities.  After serving only a few months in harsh conditions, he has already lost 15-20 kilograms (33-44 pounds).  He is subjected to constant abuse and torture in an attempt to make him renounce the Lord Jesus.

Drinking water is contaminated with sand and salt. Guards beat the detainees with truncheons and press them to publicly renounce the “crimes” they were convicted of and to “forbidden religions”. Discipline is “maintained” by the prisoners themselves and there are criminal gangs that tyrannize the rest. Those imprisoned because of “religious extremism” are detained apart, with worse working and living conditions.

Protestants report that Pastor Shestakov maintains he has been imprisoned unjustly on the basis of fabricated evidence and refuses to deny Christ.

Previous related posts:

• Uzbek court says pastor must be re-educated
• Uzbek pastor sentenced to internal exile
• Pastor arrested by Uzbekistan secret police

The funds in question would be tithes and offerings.

Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, two Turkish converts from Islam to Christianity on trial for “insulting Turkish identity”, were summarily summoned to Istanbul’s police headquarters last Sunday morning.  They had no idea until they arrived that it was more government harassment.

The two Christians were both presented with a separate “penalty” sheet from the security police division linked to the Beyoglu district, ordering each one to pay 600 Turkish lira (US$461) for breaking a civil law.

According to the one-page decisions, the two men were guilty of violating section 29 of civil administrative code 2860, which forbids the collection of money without official permission from local district authorities.

No documentation or evidence was presented.  The lawyer for the two Christians estimates it will take a year to get the latest bogus charges dismissed.

Previous related posts:

• From the Protestant Church of Smyrna
• Turkish Muslims curious about Christian faith
• Street evangelists arrested as Turkey debates religious freedom
• Is Turkey really a secular state?

Last Sunday, The Rev David Curry, Rector of Christ Church, Windsor, Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, circulated to his parish some notes on General Synod 2007.  One of his parishioners forwarded the document to me, and Fr Curry has allowed me to post it here.  I think that all Canadian Anglicans could profit from pondering Fr Curry's wisdom.

Notes to the Parish of Christ Church
 
General Synod: So what happened?

 
A New Primate
 
The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada met in Winnipeg last week. Bishop Frederick J. Hiltz was elected and installed as the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and will be leaving the Diocese of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island by the end of September. There will be an electoral synod on October 20th, 2007 to elect a new diocesan bishop. As Maritime Anglicans, we should be proud that a diocesan bishop from Nova Scotia has been called to the highest office in the Anglican Church of Canada and we should offer our prayers that his elevation will be to the glory of God and for the good of his Church and people.
 
The Blessing of Same-Sex Unions
 
On the controversial matter of the blessing of same-sex unions, the Synod approved the St. Michael Report, which states that the issue is a matter of doctrine, approved a second motion that claims that such blessings are not in conflict with core doctrine (in the sense of creedal), and then rejected a motion that would authorize dioceses in the Canadian Church to proceed with the blessings of same-sex unions. Some would see the last motion as a logical consequence of the first two; others as a betrayal, having assumed that the Synod can decide on all matters that are not creedal.
 
Such confusions reflect the uncertainties and conflicts within North American culture now endemic in the church. Apart from the moral issues that remain about same-sex unions in relation to the Doctrine of Christian Marriage, properly understood within the creedal categories of creation, redemption and sanctification, the questions about polity with respect to the unity of the Anglican Communion also remain. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion have recognized the need for a principled mechanism that would hold the member churches of the world-wide Anglican Communion accountable and have proposed a draft Anglican Covenant which has the supreme virtue of acknowledging the foundational and formative documents belonging to our Anglican identity as a full part of the universal Church.
 
The problem that we face, in part, is the very idea that the synods have authority in matters of doctrine. This is contrary to the original charters of both diocesan synods and the General Synod. The Solemn Declaration is a standing rebuke to such notions. The essential teachings of the Christian Faith, creedally expressed, and the doctrines that derive cogently from them, such as the Doctrine of Marriage, are not matters to be ‘redesigned through synodical process’ but rather to be gratefully received and thoughtfully engaged. They remain the ideals into which we struggle to grow by the grace of God, despite our many faults and failings. They are what we teach.
 
Liturgical Revision
 
One other important matter that the General Synod dealt with was to jettison the proposal of revising The Book of Common Prayer. Thank God! We have yet to learn the lessons of living with The Book of Common Prayer as the measure and standard of doctrine and worship and Books of Alternative Services as complements and not replacements. This is what we need to learn to live with in the context of the modern world with all of its complexities and diversities; authoritative books that root us in our spiritual tradition and alternative rites that complement and enable the deepening of our collective life in the Body of Christ. We are, for the time being, beyond one book liturgically. Revisions now cannot unite but only divide and destroy.
 
We cannot have a revised Book of Common Prayer for the simple reason that we do not know or understand the nature of the Common Prayer tradition. This is something which is continuing to be discovered and appreciated but there is so much more to learn. Alternative liturgies can play a useful role in appreciating important aspects of liturgical worship but not, as we have seen in Canada, when they are pitted against The Book of Common Prayer.
 
This, then, remains a time for discernment and prayer and not for action. We are, perhaps, beginning to appreciate more and more the dangers of assuming that there are practical solutions to theoretical problems. One of the great benefits of the present controversies, as I see it, is an awakening in many quarters of the recognition of the crucial importance of the Creeds and the essential doctrines of the Christian Faith for our reading and understanding of the Scriptures and, as well, the beginnings of a renewal of serious interest in the formative and foundational documents that belong to the form of our Anglican witness and life. For that may God be praised! Pray for the renewal and the unity of our church.
 
Fr. David Curry
Christ Church
Windsor, NS
July 1st, 2007

Fr Curry is a long-time friend and supporter of The Prayer Book Society of Canada.  His recently initiated blog Curry: A Country Parson has many insightful and thoughtful essays and sermons.  Well worth checking out.

h/t: e-mail from the See of Pisiquid

Previous related post: Archbishop Terry Buckle’s letter to Yukon clergy

The United States has issued its 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report, listing the world’s worst nations for human trafficking.  Malaysia’s Foreign Minister has noticed that the very worst countries are predominately Muslim, and he is very unhappy—not because people in Malaysia are being exploited and sold into slavery, but because the American report “alienates” Muslims.

Malaysia dismissed yesterday possible US sanctions over human trafficking and warned Washington of alienating Muslims after it blacklisted mostly Islamic countries.

The US last month ranked Muslim states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Qatar — as among the worst human trade offenders, and said they may face sanctions.

“We are not bothered about…the sanctions,” Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said. “I don’t think we need to respond to that sort of pressure.”

“The US really needs to be friendly to Muslim countries,” he told retired Malaysian diplomats.

Reality check for Mr Albar: The United States is merely the bearer of the bad news that your government is failing to protect citizens and visitors.  It’s an old story: If you don’t like the news, attack the messenger.

Here’s some of what the US report had to say about Malaysia (scroll about halfway down this page):

Malaysia is a destination country, and to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; it is also a destination for men, women, and children who migrate voluntarily to Malaysia seeking employment, but who are later subjected to conditions of forced labor as domestic workers, or in the agricultural, construction, or industrial sectors.
. . .
The Government of Malaysia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.

Mr Albar says his government will soon introduce legislation preventing human trafficking.  He’d better get moving on that pronto if he wants to avoid economic sanctions.

Previous related posts:

• New dress code for women in Malaysian city
• Secret Christian converts in Malaysia
• Malaysian church may have been set up by Muslim mufti

After touring the US to promote a documentary about the Kumari goddesses of Nepal, the divine status of ten-year-old goddess Sajani Shakya has been revoked.

A 10-year-old girl who is worshipped as a living goddess in Nepal has been stripped of her title for defying tradition and visiting the US.

Sajani Shakya was one of the three most-revered Kumaris, who are honoured by Hindus and Buddhists alike.

Chosen after undergoing tests at the age of two, she had been expected to bless devotees and attend festivals until she reached puberty.

Her offence?  Visiting the United States.  The three top ranking goddesses are forbidden to leave the country.

Elders said the visit had tainted her purity, adding that they would now begin the search for a successor.

Only last week, Ms Sajani told an American reporter that being a divinity was the bee’s knees.

"There's nothing I don't like about being a goddess," Sajani said through an interpreter. Then, thinking about her typical day, when she has to rise early for her family and others to pray to her, she added, "It was difficult when I was younger to get up at 4 to bathe for the morning prayers."

Now maybe she can sleep in.

The whole child goddess business is under scrutiny in Nepal.  Many believe that the Kumari custom exploits girls and deprives them of a normal childhood.  Some former goddesses lament their years of isolation and reject the tradition as “inhuman superstition”.

Former Kumari Rashmila Shakya, now 24 years old, recently spoke with AsiaNews.

At the age of 4 she was taken from her family to become a divinity.  “During childhood I was confined within a Kumari Ghar (the temple dedicated to the living deities) without any formal education and now I am young but why I can’t marry?”. The girl remembers: “There was no formal education system then. An old tutor used to come everyday to teach me for an hour. But that wasn't sufficient in any way”.

Kumari goddesses are pensioned off at first menstruation.  As a final insult, the tradition holds that men who marry former Kumaris will die within six months.

h/t for Chicago Tribune: TitusOneNine

This is another very obscure English church that we would not have known about but for the information in Irving Hexham's The Christian Travelers' Guide to Great Britain (now sadly out of print).

Situated in the western part of the Lake District a few miles south-west of St Paul's, Irton, Muncaster is not shown on most maps, but it is adjacent to the coastal town of Ravenglass.  (Click here for a map.)  The main attraction in Muncaster is Muncaster Castle, which dates back to Roman times.

The church is located in the castle grounds.  The small, rugged stone building, said to have been originally built in the 12th century, was renovated in the 19th century.  No one was at the church when we dropped in, and we found no guidebook or pamphlet for visitors inside.  As well, the church has no website.  So, I can provide little historical information.  Below are a few photos with some biblical background which I hope will be of interest.

The most remarkable interior feature is the uncommon “Doom Window” (see below), so called because it depicts the Day of Judgment.  Christ sits on top in majesty surrounded by saints and angels, while below is shown the Archangel St Michael carrying the cross of victory and the sword of judgment as the dead are raised, some to salvation and some to condemnation.  Based on the text at the bottom of the window, the date of manufacture would be 1375.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

This church’s dedication to St Michael and All Angels is expressed in the stained glass windows.  Below is a window depicting St Michael and St Gabriel.

I have a post about St Michael here.

In the Old Testament book of the prophet Daniel, Gabriel is the angel who tells Daniel the meaning of his visions.  He also appears in the New Testament, first to Zechariah as the angel who prophesies the birth of John the Baptist.  Most importantly, Gabriel is the angel of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The window at left shows two angels previously unknown to me: St Raphael and St Vriel (or Uriel), both of whom are mentioned in the Old Testament Apocrypha. 

Raphael is sent to aid the holy man Tobit (or Tobias).  Uriel appears in 2 Esdras (4 Esdras in the Vulgate) when God  sends him to answer Ezra’s questions.

At right: "Praise Him, all ye angels of His."

In the churchyard stands an ancient stone cross (shown below).

The Muncaster Cross was carved in the 10th century around the same time as the Gosforth Cross.  The shafts of the two crosses have similar cable design patterns.

Unfortunately, the head of the Muncaster cross was broken off at some point.  The wheel-shaped head now lying at the foot of the shaft was found in a garden wall at Irton.  There is some disagreement as to whether this is the head originally carved at the top of the cross.

After admiring the church, we retired for lunch to a pub in Ravenglass that was recommended in The Good Pub Guide—another book that proved indispensable in planning our trip to Britain.  The Ratty Arms, built in an old Victorian railway station and named after “Little Ratty”, the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, lived up its recommendation.  Below we see two happy customers.

More photos and information about the church can be found here.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box at the top of the page.