Displaying items by tag: Religion

After being invited to an unprecedented 24 hours of prayer and preaching in the Vatican, South Sudanese leaders appeared stunned as the 82-year-old pontiff, who suffers from chronic leg pain, was helped by aides to kneel and kiss the shoes of the two main opposing leaders. He appealed to President Salva Kiir, his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar, and three other vice-presidents to respect an armistice they signed and commit to forming a unity government next month. ‘I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace. I am asking you with my heart, let us go forward. There will be many problems, but they will not overcome us’, the Pope said. His appeal was made more pressing as anxiety grew over the coup in neighbouring Sudan, which could risk the fragile peace deal that ended South Sudan’s brutal five-year civil war.

Malaysia’s human rights commission claims that both Pastor Raymond Koh (in 2017) and Amri Che Mat, a Muslim social activist (in 2016), were victims of state-sponsored enforced disappearances, carried out by a police unit. Church leaders are calling on the government to clarify and separate the jurisdictions of the religious authorities and the police, and for an immediate independent, impartial investigation into both cases, ‘free of conflict of interest’. Eyewitness accounts in both cases reported that the men were kidnapped as they travelled in cars which were boxed in by three other vehicles. A car owned by a Special Branch officer, who has now gone missing, was at the scene of both attacks. The two men are amongst many people who have ‘disappeared’ in recent years. The government’s 2018 general election manifesto promised to uphold the rule of law, stating that ‘all citizens will be treated equally before the law’.

Priests at a Catholic parish in northern Poland have burnt books, including the Harry Potter series, and other items that their owners said had evil forces. Images from the burning at Gdansk’s Mother of Church parish on Sunday were posted on Facebook by a Catholic foundation that uses unconventional ways of religious work. In the pictures, flames are consuming an African wooden mask, figurines of elephants, and books on personality and magic, as well as those by J K Rowling, all brought in by parishioners. A priest and altar boys watched the book-burning. The foundation said the book-burning was intended to alert parishioners to bad influences which it says come from magic and the occult. Comments under the post condemned the action, recalling that it also happened in Nazi Germany before World War II.

The Church of Scotland has issued a new prayer in light of the ongoing uncertainty over Brexit as MPs appeared to remain in deadlock, despite Theresa May's offer to quit. The prayer reminds us that the date will arrive and will pass, and that time is in God’s hands. When we worry and feel paralysed by not knowing, we can ask Him to remind us that He is the God of all possibilities. We are to turn our eyes to look beyond 'us', to a world in which God’s love transcends every border and barrier. We pray that ‘in every place, in everyone, in everything, in every corner of Your creation, You are. For our times are in Your hand. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.’

Tell MAMA supports victims of anti-Muslim hatred, and also measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents. It highlights the rise in instances of harassment or abuse online, being targeted on public transport, being physically attacked, having property damaged, experiencing discrimination at work, school, or university, and receiving hate mail by post or email. Tell MAMA’s director, Imam Atta, says, ‘We are in deeply worrying times where people are looking for certainty, but what they are getting is instability at a political and societal level. At times like this, minority groups are the ones who suffer the anger of those looking to vent their fears, insecurities and concerns’. Its annual report gives examples of ‘Twitter bots’ seeking to cause disruption and division in communities, give false perceptions, and actively promote anti-Muslim hatred. Pray that neighbours would learn from each other’s differences and find common ground in their community.

The National Secular Society (NSS) claims that 12,000+ charities exist solely to promote religion, with some using public money to promote extremism and harmful practices, and calls for the advancement of religion to be removed from the list of charitable purposes. Although benefits provided by most of the charitable purposes relieve poverty, promote good health, save lives and protect the environment, the NSS said the benefit to the public by advancing a religion is far more contestable and based on the outdated presumption that religion is inherently a good thing. It believes religious fundamentalism has demonstrated that religion can exacerbate tension, division, segregation and conflict in Britain, and ’as such there is a clear need to consider whether religion should be regarded as an inherent public good deserving the status of a charitable purpose’. The NSS has written to the charities minister, calling for the removal of the advancement of religion as a charitable purpose.

It was recently said that Europe, in its diversity, has the commission of the Creator to seek unity, otherwise it breaks into an infinite number of dwarfs fighting each other. Wikipedia states that religion in Europe has been a major influence on today's society, art, culture, philosophy and law, and the largest religion in Europe is Christianity. But irreligion and practical secularisation are strong. In the 2011 census 96% of Kosovo residents and 58% of Albania residents were Muslim. Modern revival movements of other religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidism, and Wicca. Smaller Indian religions linked to Buddhism are also found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia, Russia. Pray for the various Christian mission agencies commissioned by God to reach and revive faith in the one Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. See

Local ethnic or folk religions have seen great losses to the larger religious movements. They were the dominant faith among 30% of the world in 1900, but only among 9% today. Yet traditional religion has not gone away. Many followers of world religions wear their faith lightly and remain, at heart, followers of folk religions: shamanists, idol worshippers, spiritists or ancestor worshippers. The worldwide fascination with spells, amulets, crystals, and the occult highlights the power of the old ways. People who claim to connect with the spirit-world are still in demand around the world. Their presence is a kind of tax on fear. Yet people who have turned to Christ from folk religion testify to His power over spells, curses, fears, taboos and superstitions, and also in the life-and-death issues like sin and forgiveness. Pray for His light to shine ever brighter into the world of animism.

The second largest country in the world is sparsely populated, so Ears to Hear unites intercessors across Canada. We can join them in praying for their Churches to experience a great move of God’s Spirit, manifested in prayer and heart-felt closeness to God. Pray that during Lent there will be a powerful time of encountering God! May the Spirit’s call to fasting, prayer and softened hearts bring the Church back to her first love (Revelation 2:4, 3:19,20). Pray also for the harvest fields. Contend that the Lord will bring hunger for God in the areas of the nation that seem most resistant to the gospel, and that the fields will be prepared to receive the gospel.

There will be a national week of prayer around the day we are due to leave the EU. This is an initiative, inspired by some Christians working in the Government, to invite Christians to come together to pray for our nation, without a political agenda - just praying for God's will to be done - at this key time in our nation's history. Individuals who cannot join others in city gatherings in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, and London are invited to host a prayer event in their church, village, town or city. Pray for the nation to be mobilised in powerful intercession. To find a prayer event near you, or register your event, go to