Magic Statistics

Julie Delpy may be a good actress, but a political expert she’s not.  She “explains” why the French don’t like the United States.

“The one thing the French really hate about America is the way that Bush invokes God. It’s scary and lunatic,” the usually demure star rages.

“In France, church and state have long been separate. Bush gives the impression that God has put him in power. It is not that I’m anti-religious, it is just that Bush has made it such a part of politics.”

First of all, church and state are separate in the United States, as mandated by the constitution.  Secondly, it’s not only President Bush who invokes God.  Every American president since well before Ms Delpy was born has invoked God.  Every leading contender in the 2008 presidential election—Democrat and Republican—declares their Christian faith and how important it is to their moral and political principles.  Bush will go, but of American presidents invoking God there will be no end.  Better get used to it.

Then there’s this howler.

She is also riled by “dysfunctional” American family relationships. “They say how important the family is but elderly parents are never looked after as we do in France,” she says.

Would that be the same France where thousands of seniors died in the heat wave of summer 2003, while their children declined to interrupt their vacations to take care of old Grandma and Grandpa.  As Mark Steyn wrote at the time:

In Paris this spring, a government official explained to me how Europeans had created a more civilised society than America - socialised healthcare, shorter work weeks, more holidays. We've just seen where that leads: gran'ma turned away from the hospital to die in an airless apartment because junior's sur la plage.

One American viewpoint, at least, Ms Delpy finds agreeable.

Yet there is a moral side to the US she admires. “In France, it seems to be OK for a 13-year-old child actress to date a 60-year-old man. In the US, that is looked down upon. I think the Americans have it right on this count.”

I wonder if that God thing has anything to do with that.

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Muslim authorities in eastern Nigeria have threatened to expropriate a piece of land belonging to Missionary Crusaders Ministries (MCM), a Nigerian Christian organisation.  MCM bought the land intending to build a school of missions and discipleship.

US-based Christian Aid Mission (CAM), which supports Nigeria-based MCN [sic], confirmed to BosNewsLife that government officials came to [MCM founder Gabriel] Barau last weekend "and told him to start building a wall immediately or they would take away two-thirds of the land he has bought for MCN."

CAM did not provide more details on the exact location of the mission school, apparently for security reasons. Since 1983, MCM has been working in northern and central parts of eastern Nigeria, providing aid and evangelizing among local Koma people, despite reported threats from Muslim officials and militants in the area.

MCM workers believe that the recent election of a Muslim as president of Nigeria has encouraged Muslim state governments in northern Nigeria to obstruct and harass Christian activities.

Missionary workers told BosNewsLife that the "biggest threat" to MCM's operations "is Islam." In May, Nigerians elected a Muslim president, Umaru Yar'Adua, who served as governor of the remote northern Katsina state since May 1999.
. . .
Christian native missionaries have suggested that President Yar' Adua's election has emboldened authorities in Muslim states who they, claim oppose Christian projects such as MCM's mission school. "Muslim leaders now govern the state where [MSM founder] Gabriel Barau works," CAM added.

Mr Barau has been informed that, unless an expensive wall is built around the property, the state will seize most or all of it.  Fund-raising efforts are now underway.

h/t: International Christian Concern

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The highly reputable British news source The Daily Shame today reports that a band of Anglican activists raided a shopping centre, leaving pandemonium in their wake.

A group of Anglican extremists have attacked Cackwater shopping centre in Gutborough. There are no casualties, although several people are reported to be “quite confused”.

The attack took place at midday outside the local branch of TK Maxx. A bomb, made from cake mixture and “hundreds and thousands” was left in front of the store and exploded, leaving two men splattered and one man needing counselling. Shoppers ran for cover, fearing that the cake-bomb was the first of many, but were disappointed.

The accompanying photo (shown above), captioned 'Anglican Fundamentalists doing "traditional dance"', blows the ringleaders’ cover: The current and former primates of the Anglican Church of Canada appear front and centre.  Archbishop Fred Hiltz is the tall fellow in blue, while Archbishop Andrew Hutchison stands beside him wearing khaki.  They do look rather jubiliant sinister.  (Check out Abp Hiltz's raised fist.)

So, ++Hiltz and ++Hutchison are extremists and fundamentalists.  Just as I suspected!

h/t: Stand Firm

Open Doors reports that Nigsti Haile, 33, has become the fourth Eritrean Christian in the past year to be killed in custody for refusing to recant her faith.  She was tortured to death Wednesday, 5 September, at the Wi'a Military Training center near Massawa.

Haile was one of 10 single Christian women arrested at a church gathering in Keren who have spent 18 months under severe pressure.

Eritrea outlawed independent Protestant churches in May 2002, closing their buildings and banning them from meeting even in private homes.  Haile was a member of a Rhema church, an independent Protestant group, according to Open Doors.

Last February, Magos Solomon Semere died from the effects of torture and pneumonia after four years in an Eritrean jail.  In October 2006, two Christians died of torture after two days of incarceration.

Since May 2002, all churches except Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran have been illegal in Eritrea.  Despite their presumptively legal status, Orthodox and Catholic churches have been persecuted.

Over 2000 Christians, mostly independent charismatic Protestants, are presently jailed without charge and held in appalling conditions.

h/t: Voice of the Martyrs Canada

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