Good morning,
It's Friday - Praise the Lord! - and Sunday is coming! The fullness of autumn is upon us and colors are at their peak. I took a four mile walk last evening, enjoying the sights, sounds, and scents of autumn. I spent time pondering the goodness and greatness of our God, who made the heavens and the earth. The autumn colors are breathtaking and stunning in every way. In the midst of Global chaos, crisis, confusion, and concerns, we serve a God who is faithful and gracious, who reminds us to be still and "know that He is God".
As God spoke to Moses and the Israelites in Mt. Sinai, He repeatedly reminded them that He is God. Even now, He reminds that He has created us and redeemed us, and that He will sustain us until the end. Praise the Lord that He has kept us safe and sane, held in the very hollow of His hand. What an exciting time to be alive and to tell of the goodness of the Lord! The Lord keeps an open door before us to share about the Good News of Jesus with the confused and bewildered culture.
I have spoken to Micah, our granddaughter, a few times over the past week. She will be 3 years old in a few weeks - it doesn't seem possible - and soon enough she will be ready to go to college. Janice is back to work, but just one to two days per week, as needed. Sunita is currently in Portugal for work. Andy is leaving Washington, DC tonight to join her there for a brief vacation. Laureen is almost ready to fully move into the beautiful home that the Lord gave her near Lourdes hospital. Jessy is well in Philadelphia.
Please join us by watching our television broadcast tonight on Time Warner Cable Channel 4 at 7 p.m. We are planning a harvest celebration this coming Sunday after second service. There will be plenty of food and fellowship, so please join us. Some of our excellent cooks from the church will be preparing a variety of seasonal and international foods. Come and enjoy! You'll love it.
There are few things in life that are beyond description. Over many generations, Christians have worked very hard to understand and explain God. Even with all this knowledge, we have barely scratched the surface of understanding how great God is. How does a limited mind understand an unlimited God, who is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent? How does a finite, temporary being understand an infinite and eternal being? How does that which has a birth and a death comprehend that which has no beginning and no end? The more we think we know about God, the more we realize we don’t know about Him.
The Bible says the greatness of God is demonstrated in the wonder of His creation around us. King David was moved by observing that the heavens, under the dominating influence of the sun, declare the splendor of God’s handiwork. As I walked yesterday, I thought of Psam 19:
-Ps 19:1-4 (NLT) “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.” One of my favourite songs is titled "Indescribable"by Chris Tomlin .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PTvr755V8s
"From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God"
From Laureen :
Please join the Naik Family in the celebration of
Brown’s 60th Birthday!
In honor of the occasion, we invite you to join us for a time of food & fellowship on
Saturday, October 25, 4-7 PM
Union Center United Methodist Church
128 Maple Dr. Endicott, NY
For those who are able to gift us with your presence, please consider sharing special thoughts or memories about Brown as a way to honor him.
Fri, 10/10/2008 - 9:20am Orissa: Christians afraid to return home
Phulbani, Orissa / Indo-Asian News Service
Christians living in relief camps in Orissa's volatile Kandhamal district, where communal clashes since Aug 23 have claimed at least 100 lives and rendered thousands homeless, are scared to return to their villages although officials claim that violence is on the wane.Jibit Kumar Digal, 30, has spent over a month in a relief camp at Baliguda, some 350 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, which houses more than 1,200 Christians.
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Fri, 10/10/2008 - 7:49am Odd names for newborns in violence-hit Kandhamal
Berhampur -Orissa: Salmon and many others with such odd names for being born during the series of violence in Kandhamal district will never forget the clash which was witnessed not by themselves but by their parents sheltering in relief camps.
Salmon was born in the hospital at Raikia, the day when the district was burning after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati. His mother rushed to the hospital from a relief camp at raikia where the family was taking shelter after leaving their home at village Dandibengia during the violence.
posted in: Current Issue, Beliefs, East India
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Thu, 09/10/2008 - 7:45pm Kargil Hero serches for martyred brother's remains for funeral
Kandhamal: Kargil hero Motilal Pradhan desperately searches for the remains of his brother. His house in Rupagaon village of Kandhamal was set on fire by a violent mob on August 26.
While other members of the family managed to escape to the nearby jungles, Motilal's paralytic brother Rasananda Pradhan was consumed by the flames. Motilal's younger brother claims that he was a witness to the horrifying incident.
posted in: Current Issue, Martyrs, East India
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Thu, 09/10/2008 - 7:31pm Church attacked in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu
Coimbatore (Tamilnadu): A statue of Mother Mary was found damaged at a church in the city on Thursday, sparking off protests by members of the Christian community.
Some unidentified persons had broken the glass cabin in which the statue was kept in the church in the Ganapathy area in the wee hours today, police said adding that the two fingers of the statue were damaged in the attack.
Over 100 people squatted on the road near the church, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and protection of the churches.
posted in: Current Issue, Morality, South India
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Thu, 09/10/2008 - 7:27pm Violence spreads to neighbouring district Boudh in Orissa
Bhubaneswar : Rioters sneaked into Kandhamal's neighbouring Boudh district and set afire eight houses, police said on Thursday.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 09/10/2008 - 6:42pm Bajrang Dal dares government to ban it
New Delhi: The Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has dared the Indian government to ban it, warning that the authorities would face the "consequences" if it was outlawed.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 10-9-08
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this glorious day. Praise the Lord for His extravagant love and grace. He lavishes us with all His good gifts. He is faithful and trustworthy. He calls to be hilarious givers .
C.S. Lewis was walking with J.R.R. Tolkien in Cambridge, when the two were approached by a shabbily-dressed man asking for money. Lewis fished out of his pocket all his spare change and handed it to the man. Tolkien chided Lewis, saying that the man would likely use it for drink. “Well,” said Lewis, “I’d probably use it for drink myself.” We should give wisely, but sometimes we simply give out of the goodness of our hearts.
In his book, "The Power of Generosity", Dave Toycen maintains: “Panhandlers deserve to be treated as human beings. Whether we choose to give money or not, our first obligation in a caring society is to acknowledge their presence. Looking away is a form of denial that diminishes and distances at the same time. Generosity sets a standard that builds relationships rather than destroys them.” Some people who go to the city bring extra sandwiches to give to panhandlers. On the other hand, I saw a t-shirt that read, 'No change--don’t ask.' We can be mean-spirited, or we can communicate grace. It’s wiser to give to shelters and soup kitchens, and steer people to them, particularly if we suspect our money may aid someone’s addiction."
Are we generous or greedy? Eccl 11:24 says, “the world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (the Message). Generosity isn’t something religious fanatics do; it’s a lifestyle of sharing that enriches the giver.
Chuck Swindoll tells a story about his time in the Marine Corps. His barracks mate was a young guy who made it clear he wanted nothing of religion: “Don’t cram that stuff down my throat, OK?” Chuck was involved in a Scripture memory program and asked his Marine buddy to help him review his verses. He was told, “I’ll help you with the words, Chuck, but I ain’t interested in being some kind of monk!” This Marine went along with the plan--he listened, corrected Chuck, even encouraged him, but there was never a glimmer of interest…until 25 years later. Chuck got a phone call one day. “Hey Chuck, this is Eddie, your old bunk buddy in Okinawa. I’m a Christian thanks to you. Remember the verses we worked on? It worked!”
Jesus commended a poor woman who gave to the temple two “mites”, an insignificant amount, yet Her giving received special notice from God. We don’t give to gain favor from God; we certainly don’t do it to get to Heaven. We give because we can’t help ourselves; we’re grateful for all God has done, and we want to give, cheerfully.
We need to keep from limiting our giving. Ecc 11:2 says to “give portions to seven, eight”, whatever is needed. Seven is the Hebrew number of completeness; eight goes one step further. Giving becomes habit, a way of life--in good times and times of disaster. We don’t wait for an earthquake or flood--we give regularly. In verse 3 our kindness is compared to clouds swelling with rain, the natural outflow of a full life. We empty ourselves again and again. Our lives are full with God’s blessings, and we in turn shower others with our bounty. We do not know what disasters may come upon the land--in other words, this could be our last day, so we are benevolent.
Solomon uses a symbol of trees falling to the south or north in verse 3. Whatever direction a tree falls, that is where it is meant to be according to God’s providence. In that same way, we are placed where God wants us, for His purpose. Things don’t happen by accident. The people Solomon wrote to were struggling with causality, seeing life as meaningless. Sometimes we lack faith, and hesitate to act. Verse 4 cautions that we lose out by waiting for the perfect time and occasion to proceed. Waiting for perfect conditions can keep us from growing, and failure to get things done. Time and events wait for no one. Procrastination is the thief of time. Faith means trusting God, especially when His timing disagrees with ours.
One thing we eventually discover about life is just how little we really know. We frequently are baffled over what God does in His world, and why, and we have no control over His activity. Verse 5 reminds us that we don’t know the path of the wind, nor can we comprehend the mystery of birth. We don’t need to know all the answers to life’s mysteries. We marvel at Creation and are humbled by all that God has wrought. The winds are directed by His command. Until God takes us home we will not grasp the mystery at work in all He does.
God expects us to continue sowing our seed, verse 6. We cannot foresee whether our efforts will be fruitful, but we labor on, nonetheless. We do not stop; we do not give up, and we do not know how our work will turn out in the end.
Verses 7 and 8 speak of light and darkness. When the sun breaks through a darkened, cloudy sky we thank God for getting us through the storm. There will be many days of darkness, many inevitable trials in life. God helps us grow through them, and He intends that we help others. The true source of the world’s light is the Lord Jesus, and we are His hands in the world, bringing comfort to those in need.
In verse 8, Solomon is not saying that after death there is nothing; he’s pointing out that death is final. He’s saying in effect, “You only have one life to live.” To unbelievers, death is shrouded in mystery. To people of faith, death means fully entering light and eternal life. Our affliction is temporary, insignificant, and meaningless compared to all we will gain when we leave this mortal land of struggle and pain, to live forever in the land of God’s everlasting love.
In Christ,
Brown,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU
Praise the Lord for this glorious day. Praise the Lord for His extravagant love and grace. He lavishes us with all His good gifts. He is faithful and trustworthy. He calls to be hilarious givers .
C.S. Lewis was walking with J.R.R. Tolkien in Cambridge, when the two were approached by a shabbily-dressed man asking for money. Lewis fished out of his pocket all his spare change and handed it to the man. Tolkien chided Lewis, saying that the man would likely use it for drink. “Well,” said Lewis, “I’d probably use it for drink myself.” We should give wisely, but sometimes we simply give out of the goodness of our hearts.
In his book, "The Power of Generosity", Dave Toycen maintains: “Panhandlers deserve to be treated as human beings. Whether we choose to give money or not, our first obligation in a caring society is to acknowledge their presence. Looking away is a form of denial that diminishes and distances at the same time. Generosity sets a standard that builds relationships rather than destroys them.” Some people who go to the city bring extra sandwiches to give to panhandlers. On the other hand, I saw a t-shirt that read, 'No change--don’t ask.' We can be mean-spirited, or we can communicate grace. It’s wiser to give to shelters and soup kitchens, and steer people to them, particularly if we suspect our money may aid someone’s addiction."
Are we generous or greedy? Eccl 11:24 says, “the world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (the Message). Generosity isn’t something religious fanatics do; it’s a lifestyle of sharing that enriches the giver.
Chuck Swindoll tells a story about his time in the Marine Corps. His barracks mate was a young guy who made it clear he wanted nothing of religion: “Don’t cram that stuff down my throat, OK?” Chuck was involved in a Scripture memory program and asked his Marine buddy to help him review his verses. He was told, “I’ll help you with the words, Chuck, but I ain’t interested in being some kind of monk!” This Marine went along with the plan--he listened, corrected Chuck, even encouraged him, but there was never a glimmer of interest…until 25 years later. Chuck got a phone call one day. “Hey Chuck, this is Eddie, your old bunk buddy in Okinawa. I’m a Christian thanks to you. Remember the verses we worked on? It worked!”
Jesus commended a poor woman who gave to the temple two “mites”, an insignificant amount, yet Her giving received special notice from God. We don’t give to gain favor from God; we certainly don’t do it to get to Heaven. We give because we can’t help ourselves; we’re grateful for all God has done, and we want to give, cheerfully.
We need to keep from limiting our giving. Ecc 11:2 says to “give portions to seven, eight”, whatever is needed. Seven is the Hebrew number of completeness; eight goes one step further. Giving becomes habit, a way of life--in good times and times of disaster. We don’t wait for an earthquake or flood--we give regularly. In verse 3 our kindness is compared to clouds swelling with rain, the natural outflow of a full life. We empty ourselves again and again. Our lives are full with God’s blessings, and we in turn shower others with our bounty. We do not know what disasters may come upon the land--in other words, this could be our last day, so we are benevolent.
Solomon uses a symbol of trees falling to the south or north in verse 3. Whatever direction a tree falls, that is where it is meant to be according to God’s providence. In that same way, we are placed where God wants us, for His purpose. Things don’t happen by accident. The people Solomon wrote to were struggling with causality, seeing life as meaningless. Sometimes we lack faith, and hesitate to act. Verse 4 cautions that we lose out by waiting for the perfect time and occasion to proceed. Waiting for perfect conditions can keep us from growing, and failure to get things done. Time and events wait for no one. Procrastination is the thief of time. Faith means trusting God, especially when His timing disagrees with ours.
One thing we eventually discover about life is just how little we really know. We frequently are baffled over what God does in His world, and why, and we have no control over His activity. Verse 5 reminds us that we don’t know the path of the wind, nor can we comprehend the mystery of birth. We don’t need to know all the answers to life’s mysteries. We marvel at Creation and are humbled by all that God has wrought. The winds are directed by His command. Until God takes us home we will not grasp the mystery at work in all He does.
God expects us to continue sowing our seed, verse 6. We cannot foresee whether our efforts will be fruitful, but we labor on, nonetheless. We do not stop; we do not give up, and we do not know how our work will turn out in the end.
Verses 7 and 8 speak of light and darkness. When the sun breaks through a darkened, cloudy sky we thank God for getting us through the storm. There will be many days of darkness, many inevitable trials in life. God helps us grow through them, and He intends that we help others. The true source of the world’s light is the Lord Jesus, and we are His hands in the world, bringing comfort to those in need.
In verse 8, Solomon is not saying that after death there is nothing; he’s pointing out that death is final. He’s saying in effect, “You only have one life to live.” To unbelievers, death is shrouded in mystery. To people of faith, death means fully entering light and eternal life. Our affliction is temporary, insignificant, and meaningless compared to all we will gain when we leave this mortal land of struggle and pain, to live forever in the land of God’s everlasting love.
In Christ,
Brown,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU
India update 10-09-08
Times Of India
Kandhmal sees first burial in 45 days
9 Oct 2008, 0219 hrs IST, Anand Soondas,TNN Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
BHUBANESWAR/RAIKIA: Five men, surrounded by a posse of policemen, quietly went to a charred house in Tikawali, Kandhmal, on Wednesday, and scrape
d off a few bones lying scattered on the floor since August 24. At 1 pm, they put the remains in a coffin and buried it with a quick prayer session.
It was Kandhmal's first funeral after about 60 people were killed in communal violence. The rest of the survivors are awaiting administration's permission to send off their loved ones according to Christian rites.
Rasanand Pradhan had a paralytic stroke when he was just a boy and had beessn wheelchair-bound. On August 24, when a bloodthirsty mob converged at his house in Tikawali, he couldn't escape. The mob burned his house down with him inside. ''We felt very uneasy and sad all this while,'' said Rasanand's elder brother Motilal, an army man posted with a unit guarding India's international border at Suleiman Chowki, Fazilka (Punjab). ''We just got a part of his hip bone and head. His limbs were missing. There were five of us and the policemen, but my brother's soul will now rest in peace.''
Motilal had to petition everyone, from the SP to collector, asking for police protection so that he could bury his brother, Rasanand, the youngest of three siblings and 32 when he was killed. He got the permission last week.
''There were about 20 CRPF men and a small contingent from the Tikawali police post,'' he said, talking about the funeral. ''We had to hurry things up and catch a bus to Bhubaneswar, where we are in a relief camp. I had never imagined I would be forced to do such undignified things - being forced to complete funeral in 10 minutes''
Others, though, aren't so lucky. A priest in Raikia, Kandhmal, who insists he be called 'Rev Naik' as he too is still in hiding, said, ''People ran for their lives when the killings began soon after Laxmananda Saraswati's murder on August 23. We were compelled to leave the dead behind and directed our efforts towards protecting those alive. There are many bodies waiting for burial. People are afraid to come back from relief camps for the last rites. I don't know how long our dead will remain in this state.''
Something else also happened here after Christian villages were pillaged. Many say the marauders took the bodies of their victims away so that their relatives couldn't claim compensation. The government, after all, had made no provision to compensate the kin of those missing.
''Yes, it's true,'' said Jacob Pradhan, another priest in Phulbani. ''People didn't get a chance to bury the dead. How could they have when everyone's so scared of returning to their villages? Even now I am told every two days to embrace Hinduism or forget about returning to my village. I know of 33 people, in Tikawali, Baliguda, Raikia, G Udayagiri, whose bodies are strewn around, waiting for burials. Maybe now, after Motilal Pradhan took the bold step, others will follow.''
Click here to comment on this story.
Thu, 09/10/2008 - 7:57am Shave your head,curse christ for a home to live in Kandhamal:When will I get home
Orissa:
statements from the Maoists that they killed Swami Laxmananda. I do not know why the Maoists may have done it but they have repeatedly claimed responsibility. And yet we are the ones getting blamed, getting hit, our churches are getting burnt, Christians are being driven out. Why? ( Arch Diocese)
If there is a thing worse than being driven out of home, it is not knowing when or how to return; it is to have to confront the prospect of conversion from oustee to refugee.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed, 08/10/2008 - 10:54pm More Christian houses set ablaze in Kandhamal
Orissa:Raikia
7th October 5 Christian houses were set ablaze by radicals in Baligada village Raikia police station area K Nuagaon Block
8th October-this afternoon around 3pm in the same village 25 Christian houses burnt, destroyed and people fled to forest
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more | newsman's blog | add new comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed, 08/10/2008 - 4:37pm Two churches vandalised in Tamilnadu
Erode-Tamilnadu -8th Oct
In fresh attacks on Christian institutions in western Tamil Nadu, two churches were targeted at Erode early on Tuesday(7th Oct08). Both the incidents took place under the Kavindapady police limits.
In the first one around midnight, three persons on a motorcycle threw stones at a church at Perunthalaiyur, on the Kavindapady-Koohalur Road.
Sun, 05/10/2008 - 12:02pm Indian flag to be burnt in Mexico City
There will be a demonstration here in Mexico City, the India's tri-color flag will be burnt publicly in protest of the attacks against followers of Jesus Christ.
The Mexican people will also condemn publicly India's government and show their content of such activities by symbolic destruction of the devil.
Kandhmal sees first burial in 45 days
9 Oct 2008, 0219 hrs IST, Anand Soondas,TNN Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
BHUBANESWAR/RAIKIA: Five men, surrounded by a posse of policemen, quietly went to a charred house in Tikawali, Kandhmal, on Wednesday, and scrape
d off a few bones lying scattered on the floor since August 24. At 1 pm, they put the remains in a coffin and buried it with a quick prayer session.
It was Kandhmal's first funeral after about 60 people were killed in communal violence. The rest of the survivors are awaiting administration's permission to send off their loved ones according to Christian rites.
Rasanand Pradhan had a paralytic stroke when he was just a boy and had beessn wheelchair-bound. On August 24, when a bloodthirsty mob converged at his house in Tikawali, he couldn't escape. The mob burned his house down with him inside. ''We felt very uneasy and sad all this while,'' said Rasanand's elder brother Motilal, an army man posted with a unit guarding India's international border at Suleiman Chowki, Fazilka (Punjab). ''We just got a part of his hip bone and head. His limbs were missing. There were five of us and the policemen, but my brother's soul will now rest in peace.''
Motilal had to petition everyone, from the SP to collector, asking for police protection so that he could bury his brother, Rasanand, the youngest of three siblings and 32 when he was killed. He got the permission last week.
''There were about 20 CRPF men and a small contingent from the Tikawali police post,'' he said, talking about the funeral. ''We had to hurry things up and catch a bus to Bhubaneswar, where we are in a relief camp. I had never imagined I would be forced to do such undignified things - being forced to complete funeral in 10 minutes''
Others, though, aren't so lucky. A priest in Raikia, Kandhmal, who insists he be called 'Rev Naik' as he too is still in hiding, said, ''People ran for their lives when the killings began soon after Laxmananda Saraswati's murder on August 23. We were compelled to leave the dead behind and directed our efforts towards protecting those alive. There are many bodies waiting for burial. People are afraid to come back from relief camps for the last rites. I don't know how long our dead will remain in this state.''
Something else also happened here after Christian villages were pillaged. Many say the marauders took the bodies of their victims away so that their relatives couldn't claim compensation. The government, after all, had made no provision to compensate the kin of those missing.
''Yes, it's true,'' said Jacob Pradhan, another priest in Phulbani. ''People didn't get a chance to bury the dead. How could they have when everyone's so scared of returning to their villages? Even now I am told every two days to embrace Hinduism or forget about returning to my village. I know of 33 people, in Tikawali, Baliguda, Raikia, G Udayagiri, whose bodies are strewn around, waiting for burials. Maybe now, after Motilal Pradhan took the bold step, others will follow.''
Click here to comment on this story.
Thu, 09/10/2008 - 7:57am Shave your head,curse christ for a home to live in Kandhamal:When will I get home
Orissa:
statements from the Maoists that they killed Swami Laxmananda. I do not know why the Maoists may have done it but they have repeatedly claimed responsibility. And yet we are the ones getting blamed, getting hit, our churches are getting burnt, Christians are being driven out. Why? ( Arch Diocese)
If there is a thing worse than being driven out of home, it is not knowing when or how to return; it is to have to confront the prospect of conversion from oustee to refugee.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more | newsman's blog | add new comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed, 08/10/2008 - 10:54pm More Christian houses set ablaze in Kandhamal
Orissa:Raikia
7th October 5 Christian houses were set ablaze by radicals in Baligada village Raikia police station area K Nuagaon Block
8th October-this afternoon around 3pm in the same village 25 Christian houses burnt, destroyed and people fled to forest
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more | newsman's blog | add new comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed, 08/10/2008 - 4:37pm Two churches vandalised in Tamilnadu
Erode-Tamilnadu -8th Oct
In fresh attacks on Christian institutions in western Tamil Nadu, two churches were targeted at Erode early on Tuesday(7th Oct08). Both the incidents took place under the Kavindapady police limits.
In the first one around midnight, three persons on a motorcycle threw stones at a church at Perunthalaiyur, on the Kavindapady-Koohalur Road.
Sun, 05/10/2008 - 12:02pm Indian flag to be burnt in Mexico City
There will be a demonstration here in Mexico City, the India's tri-color flag will be burnt publicly in protest of the attacks against followers of Jesus Christ.
The Mexican people will also condemn publicly India's government and show their content of such activities by symbolic destruction of the devil.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 10-8-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day the Lord has made. Praise the Lord for the Freedom we have in Jesus Christ the great liberator. The world defines freedom as the license to do whatever we want. Human freedom flows from obedience. Our true freedom comes from our total and joyful surrender to the Lordship and the authority of Jesus.
Students of American history know well of Patrick Henry’s 1775 speech urging military action against British troops. Henry ended with these stirring words: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” The crowd rose to their feet shouting: “To Arms! To Arms!”
The poem on the plaque in the base of the Statue of Liberty, The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus, 1883:
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
The hope of freedom fills our history, thrills our souls, and unites us in a common cause in this uncommon country. But we are not the only people to long for freedom, nor the only ones to be defined by it. Israel, the people chosen by God, dated their calendar from the day of independence, the day in which they were delivered from slavery. And when Jehovah gives the law that sets them apart from all other nations, he begins the same way: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20.2). I believe it is accurate to say that freedom is a universal desire.
It is good news, therefore, that for freedom Christ has set his people free (cf. Galatians 5.1). Our hearts ache for the freedom Jesus offers. Not the freedom to sin, but to live as God intends. In order that we might possess it, first notice…
We Find True Freedom in Submission to Jesus (John 8.31-32) Jesus offers the incomparable blessing of freedom in his gospel. John Calvin: “All feel and acknowledge that slavery is a most wretched thing. Since the Gospel delivers us from this, it follows that the treasure of the blessed life comes from the Gospel.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (pastor imprisoned and executed in Nazi Germany), Cost of Discipleship, “The demand for absolute liberty brings men to the depths of slavery.”
Bonhoeffer understood that created beings cannot have absolute liberty. We must submit either to the God who gives freedom or to sin which tyrannizes.
The world defines “freedom” as the license to do whatever we want. But sin causes us to want that which destroys. The alcoholic wants to be drunk; he will lose his health in so doing and, one day, will lose the freedom to stop drinking. The world’s definition of freedom will not work because our sin nature causes us to want that which will destroy us.
Freedom is not simply being released from the guilt of sin in conversion; it is victory over the power of sin in you daily walk. Many people make a great beginning of the faith, but fall under sin’s tyranny when the freshness of the feelings have worn off, when the world and the devil begin to tempt and tease, and when the desires of our sinful nature rise and announce their preferences. It is not so much beginning, but abiding in Christ’s word that marks a true work of God’s grace.
In His Freedom,
Brown
Report from the Pastor Search Committee:
We do not have a happy report to give. We have not been able to find a
suitable candidate for this church, though we have one promising prospect.
Thank you for your suggestions. We have followed up on each one with interviews or by calling at least three references. The following is our confidential report.
ADAM: Good man but has problems with his wife. One reference told us how he and his wife enjoyed walking nude in the woods.
NOAH: Former pastorate of 120 years with no converts. Prone to unrealistic building projects.
JOSEPH: A big thinker, but a braggart; believes in dream interpreting and has a prison record.
MOSES: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator; even stutters at times. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly in business meetings. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.
DEBORAH: One word --- Female.
DAVID: The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor's wife.
SOLOMON: Great preacher, but serious woman problem.
ELIJAH: Prone to depression; collapses under pressure.
HOSEA: A tender and loving pastor, but our people could never handle his wife's occupation.
JONAH: Told us he was swallowed up by a great fish. He said the fish later spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.
AMOS: Too much of a country hick. Backward and unpolished. With some seminary training, he might have promise; but he has a hang-up against wealthy people.
JOHN: Says he is a Baptist, but doesn't dress like one. May be too
Pentecostal. Tends to lift both hands in the air to worship when he gets
excited. You know we limit to one hand. Sleeps in the outdoors, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders.
PETER: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper, even said to have cursed. He's a loose cannon.
PAUL: Powerful CEO type and fascinating preacher. However, he's short on tact, unforgiving with young ministers, harsh, and has been known to preach all night.
TIMOTHY: Too young.
JESUS: Has had popular times, but once when his church grew to 5000, He managed to offend them all; and his church dwindled down to twelve people. Seldom stays in one place very long. And, of course, he is single.
JUDAS: His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good
connections. Knows how to handle money. We're inviting him to preach this Sunday in view of a call.
Praise the Lord for this new day the Lord has made. Praise the Lord for the Freedom we have in Jesus Christ the great liberator. The world defines freedom as the license to do whatever we want. Human freedom flows from obedience. Our true freedom comes from our total and joyful surrender to the Lordship and the authority of Jesus.
Students of American history know well of Patrick Henry’s 1775 speech urging military action against British troops. Henry ended with these stirring words: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” The crowd rose to their feet shouting: “To Arms! To Arms!”
The poem on the plaque in the base of the Statue of Liberty, The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus, 1883:
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
The hope of freedom fills our history, thrills our souls, and unites us in a common cause in this uncommon country. But we are not the only people to long for freedom, nor the only ones to be defined by it. Israel, the people chosen by God, dated their calendar from the day of independence, the day in which they were delivered from slavery. And when Jehovah gives the law that sets them apart from all other nations, he begins the same way: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20.2). I believe it is accurate to say that freedom is a universal desire.
It is good news, therefore, that for freedom Christ has set his people free (cf. Galatians 5.1). Our hearts ache for the freedom Jesus offers. Not the freedom to sin, but to live as God intends. In order that we might possess it, first notice…
We Find True Freedom in Submission to Jesus (John 8.31-32) Jesus offers the incomparable blessing of freedom in his gospel. John Calvin: “All feel and acknowledge that slavery is a most wretched thing. Since the Gospel delivers us from this, it follows that the treasure of the blessed life comes from the Gospel.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (pastor imprisoned and executed in Nazi Germany), Cost of Discipleship, “The demand for absolute liberty brings men to the depths of slavery.”
Bonhoeffer understood that created beings cannot have absolute liberty. We must submit either to the God who gives freedom or to sin which tyrannizes.
The world defines “freedom” as the license to do whatever we want. But sin causes us to want that which destroys. The alcoholic wants to be drunk; he will lose his health in so doing and, one day, will lose the freedom to stop drinking. The world’s definition of freedom will not work because our sin nature causes us to want that which will destroy us.
Freedom is not simply being released from the guilt of sin in conversion; it is victory over the power of sin in you daily walk. Many people make a great beginning of the faith, but fall under sin’s tyranny when the freshness of the feelings have worn off, when the world and the devil begin to tempt and tease, and when the desires of our sinful nature rise and announce their preferences. It is not so much beginning, but abiding in Christ’s word that marks a true work of God’s grace.
In His Freedom,
Brown
Report from the Pastor Search Committee:
We do not have a happy report to give. We have not been able to find a
suitable candidate for this church, though we have one promising prospect.
Thank you for your suggestions. We have followed up on each one with interviews or by calling at least three references. The following is our confidential report.
ADAM: Good man but has problems with his wife. One reference told us how he and his wife enjoyed walking nude in the woods.
NOAH: Former pastorate of 120 years with no converts. Prone to unrealistic building projects.
JOSEPH: A big thinker, but a braggart; believes in dream interpreting and has a prison record.
MOSES: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator; even stutters at times. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly in business meetings. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.
DEBORAH: One word --- Female.
DAVID: The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor's wife.
SOLOMON: Great preacher, but serious woman problem.
ELIJAH: Prone to depression; collapses under pressure.
HOSEA: A tender and loving pastor, but our people could never handle his wife's occupation.
JONAH: Told us he was swallowed up by a great fish. He said the fish later spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.
AMOS: Too much of a country hick. Backward and unpolished. With some seminary training, he might have promise; but he has a hang-up against wealthy people.
JOHN: Says he is a Baptist, but doesn't dress like one. May be too
Pentecostal. Tends to lift both hands in the air to worship when he gets
excited. You know we limit to one hand. Sleeps in the outdoors, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders.
PETER: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper, even said to have cursed. He's a loose cannon.
PAUL: Powerful CEO type and fascinating preacher. However, he's short on tact, unforgiving with young ministers, harsh, and has been known to preach all night.
TIMOTHY: Too young.
JESUS: Has had popular times, but once when his church grew to 5000, He managed to offend them all; and his church dwindled down to twelve people. Seldom stays in one place very long. And, of course, he is single.
JUDAS: His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good
connections. Knows how to handle money. We're inviting him to preach this Sunday in view of a call.
India update 10-08-08
Orissa violence continues unabated and enters seventh week
Despite Supreme Court ruling, police neglect duties
NEW DELHI – October 4, 2008 – Despite the deployment of thousands of central and state law enforcement troops, the violence in Orissa continues to inflict daily casualties and massive damage to Christian properties.
Rev. Madhu Chandra, All India Christian Council (aicc) Regional Secretary, said, “The death tolls are climbing, but less than a hundred are confirmed. Perhaps this is why the Orissa attacks haven’t gained international attention the worst violation of the freedom of religion in any democracy in recent history. What most people don’t realize is the goal of the attackers is to inspire fear. The attackers believe India is only for Hindus and their stated purpose is to convert people to Hinduism or force them to leave. To accomplish this, they only need to kill one or two people in each village or church. This is clearly terrorism and ethnic cleansing, but few Indian leaders are admitting it.” Most of the victims are Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, from a tribe called Pano.
Dr. Joseph D’souza, aicc president, said, “The events of the last month, not only the anti-Christian attacks but the negligence of government, would be sad if it happened in a dictatorship or a totalitarian regime. The fact that it’s happening in the world’s largest democracy makes it infinitely sadder.”
Some police, mostly in rural areas, are neglecting their duties. For example, a Roman Catholic nun was raped amidst mob violence on Aug. 25, 2008, in Kanjemandi village between Raikia and Balliguda, Kandhamal District, Orissa. A medical examination of the nun conducted that night at the Balliguda Hospital confirmed rape. Both the victim and a priest, who tried to defend her and was severely beaten, tried to file cases in the Nuagaon police station. Their “First Information Report” (FIR) was rejected. Eventually, the same FIR was accepted at the Balliguda police station. But, in spite of numerous eye witnesses, police didn’t investigate until 38 days after the attack and made four arrests yesterday.
India’s Supreme Court said on Aug. 8, 2008 that any police officer who turns away a person without registering his or her complaint could face contempt of court charges and imprisonment (see “Cops understand only crack of whip, says Supreme Court” by Dhananjay Mahapatra, Times of India, Aug. 9, 2008). Justice B.N. Agarwal and Justice G.S. Singhvi instructed victims to appeal to their local chief judicial magistrate or the chief metropolitan magistrate. Ironically, the decision was scheduled for review on Aug. 25th, the same day as the attack on the nun.
“We demand that the officials in Orissa follow the law. We know multiple cases where Christians have tried to file cases with police after being attacked and the police turned them away. Police say they are overwhelmed and don’t have time to file cases or investigate since they must focus on maintaining order. But surely they realize that, unless crimes are promptly punished, the perpetrators are indirectly encouraged to continue their crimes. Justice is being denied to hundreds of victims,” said Chandra.
There has been no news about a second rape case. A young nun of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Roman Catholic diocese working at Jan Vikas Kendra, a social service centre near Nuagaon, was reportedly gang raped by mobs on Aug. 24, 2008.
Similar violence lasted about a week over Christmas 2007. Some are calling it “Christian-Hindu clashes” but media reports and aicc Orissa state leaders confirm that Christians are the overwhelming victims and are not instigating attacks. There are scattered reports of Christians firing guns in self-defense. The current violence is entering its seventh week since it began on Aug. 23, 2008 after the killing of a controversial swami by unknown assailants. Extremist groups blamed Christians for the murder.
The violence spread to at least ten other states and has affected hundreds of churches and thousands of Indian Christians. Within Orissa, the violence spread to almost half of the districts, and then was contained to Kandhamal District. But now attacks are spreading again with incidents reported in Gajapati and Boudh districts in the last few days.
Other examples of recent violence include:
Sept. 26th - G. Udayagiri, Kandhamal District: A young Christian man named Rajesh Digal was on his way home from Chennai. While walking with his Hindu friend, they were attacked. The Hindu man was stabbed but escaped. Rajesh was buried alive.
Sept. 30th - Rudangia, Kandhamal District: About 60 houses of Christians were burned in the morning, and one Christian lady was shot and killed while seven others were injured.
Oct. 2nd - Sindhipakali, Kandhamal District: At 8 p.m., mobs attacked the village and set Christian houses on fire. They stabbed and killed a father and his teenage son in 9th standard (grade). Both were Dalit Christians.
Across Orissa, aicc leaders have reliable reports of 315 villages damaged, 4,640 Christian houses burnt, 53,000 Christians homeless, 57 people killed including at least 2 pastors, 10 priests/pastors/nuns seriously injured, 18,000 Christians injured, 2 nuns gang-raped, 149 churches destroyed, 13 Christian schools and colleges damaged.
The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders.
Asia
Christianity in China
Sons of heaven
Oct 2nd 2008 | BEIJING AND SHANGHAI
From The Economist print edition
Inside China’s fastest-growing non-governmental organisation
EPAJesus loves you
ZHAO XIAO, a former Communist Party official and convert to Christianity, smiles over a cup of tea and says he thinks there are up to 130m Christians in China. This is far larger than previous estimates. The government says there are 21m (16m Protestants, 5m Catholics). Unofficial figures, such as one given by the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in Massachusetts, put the number at about 70m. But Mr Zhao is not alone in his reckoning. A study of China by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, an American think-tank, says indirect survey evidence suggests many unaffiliated Christians are not in the official figures. And according to China Aid Association (CAA), a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body which supervises all religions in China said privately that the figure was indeed as much as 130m in early 2008.
If so, it would mean China contains more Christians than Communists (party membership is 74m) and there may be more active Christians in China than in any other country. In 1949, when the Communists took power, less than 1% of the population had been baptised, most of them Catholics. Now the largest, fastest-growing number of Christians belong to Protestant “house churches”.
In a suburb of Shanghai, off Haining Road, neighbours peer warily across the hallway as visitors file into a living room, bringing the number to 25, the maximum gathering allowed by law without official permission. Inside, young urban professionals sit on sofas and folding chairs. A young woman in a Che Guevara T-shirt blesses the group and a man projects material downloaded from the internet from his laptop onto the wall. Heads turn towards the display and sing along: “Glory, Glory Glory; Holy, Holy, Holy; God is near to each one of us.” It is Sunday morning, and worship is beginning in one of thousands of house churches across China.
House churches are small congregations who meet privately—usually in apartments—to worship away from the gaze of the Communist Party. In the 1950s, the Catholic and main Protestant churches were turned into branches of the religious-affairs administration. House churches have an unclear status, neither banned nor fully approved of. As long as they avoid neighbourly confrontation and keep their congregations below a certain size (usually about 25), the Protestant ones are mostly tolerated, grudgingly. Catholic ones are kept under closer scrutiny, reflecting China’s tense relationship with the Vatican.
Private meetings in the houses of the faithful were features of the early Christian church, then seeking to escape Roman imperial persecution. Paradoxically, the need to keep congregations small helped spread the faith. That happens in China now. The party, worried about the spread of a rival ideology, faces a difficult choice: by keeping house churches small, it ensures that no one church is large enough to threaten the local party chief. But the price is that the number of churches is increasing.
The church in Shanghai is barely two years old but already has two offspring, one for workers in a multinational company, the other for migrant labourers. As well as spreading the Word, the proliferation of churches provides a measure of defence against intimidation. One pastor told the Far Eastern Economic Review last year that if the head of one house church was arrested, “the congregation would just split up and might break into five, six or even ten new house churches.”
Abundant church-creation is a blessing and a curse for the house-church movement, too. The smiling Mr Zhao says finance is no problem. “We don’t have salaries to pay or churches to build.” But “management quality” is hard to maintain. Churches can get hold of Bibles or download hymn books from the internet. They cannot so easily find experienced pastors. “In China”, says one, “the two-year-old Christian teaches the one-year-old.”
Because most Protestant house churches are non-denominational (that is, not affiliated with Lutherans, Methodists and so on), they have no fixed liturgy or tradition. Their services are like Bible-study classes. This puts a heavy burden on the pastor. One of the Shanghai congregation who has visited a lot of house churches sighs with relief that “this pastor knows what he is talking about.”
Still, the teething troubles of the church are minor compared with the vast rise in the number of Christians. After the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 many disenchanted democrats turned to Christianity: six of the 30 or so student leaders of the protests became Christians. China’s new house churches have the zeal of converts: many members bring their families and co-workers. One Confucian Chinese says with a rueful smile that most of the pretty girls at university were Christians–and would date only other Christians.
Holier and trendier than thou
Christianity also follows Chinese migration. Many Christians studied in America, converted there and brought their new faith home. Several of the congregation of the Shanghai house church studied abroad, as did Mr Zhao. In 2000, says one Beijing writer and convert, most believers were in the countryside. After 2000 they brought their faith into the cities, spreading Christianity among intellectuals.
All this amounts to something that Europeans, at least, may find surprising. In much of Christianity’s former heartland, religion is associated with tradition and ritual. In China, it is associated with modernity, business and science. “We are first-generation Christians and first-generation businessmen,” says one house-church pastor. In a widely debated article in 2006, Mr Zhao wrote that “the market economy discourages idleness. [But] it cannot discourage people from lying or causing harm. A strong faith discourages dishonesty and injury.” Christianity and the market economy, in his view, go hand in hand.
So far, Christianity’s spread has been largely a private matter for individual believers. The big question is whether it can remain private. The extent of its growth and the number of its adherents would suggest not. But at the moment, both Christians and Communists seem willing to let a certain ambiguity linger a while longer.
“Christians are willing to stay within the system,” says Mr Zhao. “Christianity is also the basis for good citizenship in China.” Most Christians say that theirs is not a political organisation and they are not seeking to challenge the party. But they also say clashes with public policy are inevitable: no Christian, one argues, should accept the one-child policy, for example.
Formally, the Communist Party forbids members to hold a religious belief, and the churches say they suffer official harassment. The president of the Beijing house-church alliance, Zhang Mingxuan, was thrown out of the capital before the Olympic games and told he was unwelcome when he returned. In early June, the state government of Henan arrested half a dozen house-church members on charges of illegally sending charitable donations to Sichuan earthquake victims. CAA claims harassment of house churches is rising.
In fact, the state’s attitude seems ambivalent. In December 2007, President Hu Jintao held a meeting with religious leaders and told them that “the knowledge of religious people must be harnessed to build a prosperous society.” The truth is that Christians and Communists are circling each other warily. But it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Christianity will have a political impact one day. “If you want to know what China will be like in the future,” concludes Mr Zhao, “you have to consider the future of Christianity in China.”
Despite Supreme Court ruling, police neglect duties
NEW DELHI – October 4, 2008 – Despite the deployment of thousands of central and state law enforcement troops, the violence in Orissa continues to inflict daily casualties and massive damage to Christian properties.
Rev. Madhu Chandra, All India Christian Council (aicc) Regional Secretary, said, “The death tolls are climbing, but less than a hundred are confirmed. Perhaps this is why the Orissa attacks haven’t gained international attention the worst violation of the freedom of religion in any democracy in recent history. What most people don’t realize is the goal of the attackers is to inspire fear. The attackers believe India is only for Hindus and their stated purpose is to convert people to Hinduism or force them to leave. To accomplish this, they only need to kill one or two people in each village or church. This is clearly terrorism and ethnic cleansing, but few Indian leaders are admitting it.” Most of the victims are Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, from a tribe called Pano.
Dr. Joseph D’souza, aicc president, said, “The events of the last month, not only the anti-Christian attacks but the negligence of government, would be sad if it happened in a dictatorship or a totalitarian regime. The fact that it’s happening in the world’s largest democracy makes it infinitely sadder.”
Some police, mostly in rural areas, are neglecting their duties. For example, a Roman Catholic nun was raped amidst mob violence on Aug. 25, 2008, in Kanjemandi village between Raikia and Balliguda, Kandhamal District, Orissa. A medical examination of the nun conducted that night at the Balliguda Hospital confirmed rape. Both the victim and a priest, who tried to defend her and was severely beaten, tried to file cases in the Nuagaon police station. Their “First Information Report” (FIR) was rejected. Eventually, the same FIR was accepted at the Balliguda police station. But, in spite of numerous eye witnesses, police didn’t investigate until 38 days after the attack and made four arrests yesterday.
India’s Supreme Court said on Aug. 8, 2008 that any police officer who turns away a person without registering his or her complaint could face contempt of court charges and imprisonment (see “Cops understand only crack of whip, says Supreme Court” by Dhananjay Mahapatra, Times of India, Aug. 9, 2008). Justice B.N. Agarwal and Justice G.S. Singhvi instructed victims to appeal to their local chief judicial magistrate or the chief metropolitan magistrate. Ironically, the decision was scheduled for review on Aug. 25th, the same day as the attack on the nun.
“We demand that the officials in Orissa follow the law. We know multiple cases where Christians have tried to file cases with police after being attacked and the police turned them away. Police say they are overwhelmed and don’t have time to file cases or investigate since they must focus on maintaining order. But surely they realize that, unless crimes are promptly punished, the perpetrators are indirectly encouraged to continue their crimes. Justice is being denied to hundreds of victims,” said Chandra.
There has been no news about a second rape case. A young nun of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Roman Catholic diocese working at Jan Vikas Kendra, a social service centre near Nuagaon, was reportedly gang raped by mobs on Aug. 24, 2008.
Similar violence lasted about a week over Christmas 2007. Some are calling it “Christian-Hindu clashes” but media reports and aicc Orissa state leaders confirm that Christians are the overwhelming victims and are not instigating attacks. There are scattered reports of Christians firing guns in self-defense. The current violence is entering its seventh week since it began on Aug. 23, 2008 after the killing of a controversial swami by unknown assailants. Extremist groups blamed Christians for the murder.
The violence spread to at least ten other states and has affected hundreds of churches and thousands of Indian Christians. Within Orissa, the violence spread to almost half of the districts, and then was contained to Kandhamal District. But now attacks are spreading again with incidents reported in Gajapati and Boudh districts in the last few days.
Other examples of recent violence include:
Sept. 26th - G. Udayagiri, Kandhamal District: A young Christian man named Rajesh Digal was on his way home from Chennai. While walking with his Hindu friend, they were attacked. The Hindu man was stabbed but escaped. Rajesh was buried alive.
Sept. 30th - Rudangia, Kandhamal District: About 60 houses of Christians were burned in the morning, and one Christian lady was shot and killed while seven others were injured.
Oct. 2nd - Sindhipakali, Kandhamal District: At 8 p.m., mobs attacked the village and set Christian houses on fire. They stabbed and killed a father and his teenage son in 9th standard (grade). Both were Dalit Christians.
Across Orissa, aicc leaders have reliable reports of 315 villages damaged, 4,640 Christian houses burnt, 53,000 Christians homeless, 57 people killed including at least 2 pastors, 10 priests/pastors/nuns seriously injured, 18,000 Christians injured, 2 nuns gang-raped, 149 churches destroyed, 13 Christian schools and colleges damaged.
The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders.
Asia
Christianity in China
Sons of heaven
Oct 2nd 2008 | BEIJING AND SHANGHAI
From The Economist print edition
Inside China’s fastest-growing non-governmental organisation
EPAJesus loves you
ZHAO XIAO, a former Communist Party official and convert to Christianity, smiles over a cup of tea and says he thinks there are up to 130m Christians in China. This is far larger than previous estimates. The government says there are 21m (16m Protestants, 5m Catholics). Unofficial figures, such as one given by the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in Massachusetts, put the number at about 70m. But Mr Zhao is not alone in his reckoning. A study of China by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, an American think-tank, says indirect survey evidence suggests many unaffiliated Christians are not in the official figures. And according to China Aid Association (CAA), a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body which supervises all religions in China said privately that the figure was indeed as much as 130m in early 2008.
If so, it would mean China contains more Christians than Communists (party membership is 74m) and there may be more active Christians in China than in any other country. In 1949, when the Communists took power, less than 1% of the population had been baptised, most of them Catholics. Now the largest, fastest-growing number of Christians belong to Protestant “house churches”.
In a suburb of Shanghai, off Haining Road, neighbours peer warily across the hallway as visitors file into a living room, bringing the number to 25, the maximum gathering allowed by law without official permission. Inside, young urban professionals sit on sofas and folding chairs. A young woman in a Che Guevara T-shirt blesses the group and a man projects material downloaded from the internet from his laptop onto the wall. Heads turn towards the display and sing along: “Glory, Glory Glory; Holy, Holy, Holy; God is near to each one of us.” It is Sunday morning, and worship is beginning in one of thousands of house churches across China.
House churches are small congregations who meet privately—usually in apartments—to worship away from the gaze of the Communist Party. In the 1950s, the Catholic and main Protestant churches were turned into branches of the religious-affairs administration. House churches have an unclear status, neither banned nor fully approved of. As long as they avoid neighbourly confrontation and keep their congregations below a certain size (usually about 25), the Protestant ones are mostly tolerated, grudgingly. Catholic ones are kept under closer scrutiny, reflecting China’s tense relationship with the Vatican.
Private meetings in the houses of the faithful were features of the early Christian church, then seeking to escape Roman imperial persecution. Paradoxically, the need to keep congregations small helped spread the faith. That happens in China now. The party, worried about the spread of a rival ideology, faces a difficult choice: by keeping house churches small, it ensures that no one church is large enough to threaten the local party chief. But the price is that the number of churches is increasing.
The church in Shanghai is barely two years old but already has two offspring, one for workers in a multinational company, the other for migrant labourers. As well as spreading the Word, the proliferation of churches provides a measure of defence against intimidation. One pastor told the Far Eastern Economic Review last year that if the head of one house church was arrested, “the congregation would just split up and might break into five, six or even ten new house churches.”
Abundant church-creation is a blessing and a curse for the house-church movement, too. The smiling Mr Zhao says finance is no problem. “We don’t have salaries to pay or churches to build.” But “management quality” is hard to maintain. Churches can get hold of Bibles or download hymn books from the internet. They cannot so easily find experienced pastors. “In China”, says one, “the two-year-old Christian teaches the one-year-old.”
Because most Protestant house churches are non-denominational (that is, not affiliated with Lutherans, Methodists and so on), they have no fixed liturgy or tradition. Their services are like Bible-study classes. This puts a heavy burden on the pastor. One of the Shanghai congregation who has visited a lot of house churches sighs with relief that “this pastor knows what he is talking about.”
Still, the teething troubles of the church are minor compared with the vast rise in the number of Christians. After the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 many disenchanted democrats turned to Christianity: six of the 30 or so student leaders of the protests became Christians. China’s new house churches have the zeal of converts: many members bring their families and co-workers. One Confucian Chinese says with a rueful smile that most of the pretty girls at university were Christians–and would date only other Christians.
Holier and trendier than thou
Christianity also follows Chinese migration. Many Christians studied in America, converted there and brought their new faith home. Several of the congregation of the Shanghai house church studied abroad, as did Mr Zhao. In 2000, says one Beijing writer and convert, most believers were in the countryside. After 2000 they brought their faith into the cities, spreading Christianity among intellectuals.
All this amounts to something that Europeans, at least, may find surprising. In much of Christianity’s former heartland, religion is associated with tradition and ritual. In China, it is associated with modernity, business and science. “We are first-generation Christians and first-generation businessmen,” says one house-church pastor. In a widely debated article in 2006, Mr Zhao wrote that “the market economy discourages idleness. [But] it cannot discourage people from lying or causing harm. A strong faith discourages dishonesty and injury.” Christianity and the market economy, in his view, go hand in hand.
So far, Christianity’s spread has been largely a private matter for individual believers. The big question is whether it can remain private. The extent of its growth and the number of its adherents would suggest not. But at the moment, both Christians and Communists seem willing to let a certain ambiguity linger a while longer.
“Christians are willing to stay within the system,” says Mr Zhao. “Christianity is also the basis for good citizenship in China.” Most Christians say that theirs is not a political organisation and they are not seeking to challenge the party. But they also say clashes with public policy are inevitable: no Christian, one argues, should accept the one-child policy, for example.
Formally, the Communist Party forbids members to hold a religious belief, and the churches say they suffer official harassment. The president of the Beijing house-church alliance, Zhang Mingxuan, was thrown out of the capital before the Olympic games and told he was unwelcome when he returned. In early June, the state government of Henan arrested half a dozen house-church members on charges of illegally sending charitable donations to Sichuan earthquake victims. CAA claims harassment of house churches is rising.
In fact, the state’s attitude seems ambivalent. In December 2007, President Hu Jintao held a meeting with religious leaders and told them that “the knowledge of religious people must be harnessed to build a prosperous society.” The truth is that Christians and Communists are circling each other warily. But it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Christianity will have a political impact one day. “If you want to know what China will be like in the future,” concludes Mr Zhao, “you have to consider the future of Christianity in China.”
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 10-7-08
Good Morning,
Over the last few weeks we have seen great turmoil in the financial world. It is quickly becoming a global crisis. As Christians we are deeply concerned about it. We are called to intercede for our nation, for our leaders, and for our financial institutions, so that the Lord would forgive us and heal our land. There is a wake- up call for us to turn to the Lord of grace and mercy for His power and for His mercy. The earth belongs to the Lord and the fullness thereof. He owns every thing. He gives us generously and lavishly. He calls us to be faithful and trustworthy stewards. He calls us to invest in His kingdom. He takes away from us fear and tyranny. He calls us to be the partners in His miracles as serve Him with our time, talents and treasures.
According to Forbes Magazine, Warren Buffet is the wealthiest man on earth, with a net worth of $62 billion. Comparing his net worth to our nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), however, his relative wealth is less than half of what John D. Rockefeller had when he died. Rockefeller’s $1.4 billion was about 1.5% of the United States GDP; Buffet’s wealth is less than 1% of our country’s GDP. The story has been told that John D. Rockefeller was once asked, “What is the secret for becoming wealthy?” Rockefeller responded: “There are three simple rules for anyone who wants to become rich: 1) Go to work early. 2) Stay at work late. 3) Find oil on your land. This is probably good advice for those who seek wealth, today even more than in the 1870's when Rockefeller’s Standard Oil created a monopoly out of its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. C. S. Lewis describes this beautifully in "Weight of Glory", “If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” In 1 Timothy 6:6, Paul reminds Timothy, “There is great gain in godliness, if you have with it, contentment.” One of Aesop’s fables tells the story of a Miser who buried his gold in a secret place in his garden. Every day he went to the spot, dug up the treasure and counted it piece by piece to make sure it was all there. He made so many trips that a Thief, who had been observing him, guessed what the Miser had hidden, and one night quietly dug up the treasure and made off with it. When the Miser discovered his loss, he was overcome with grief and despair. He groaned and cried and tore his hair. A passerby heard his cries and asked what had happened. “My gold! O my gold!” cried the Miser, “someone has robbed me!” “Why did you put it there? Why not keep it in the house where you could easily get it when you had to buy things?” “Buy!” screamed the Miser angrily. “Why, I would never think of spending any of it.” The stranger picked up a large stone and threw it into the hole and said, “If that is the case, cover up that stone. It is worth just as much to you as the treasure you lost!” Each of us wants to steer clear of pain and misery, flee temptation, escape the snare, stay away from senseless and harmful desires, avoid ruin and destruction, and not pierce ourselves with many pangs. These personal dangers would entrap and destroy us; we all agree they should be avoided, but how do we do this? Some witty person said, “Money will buy: * a bed but not sleep; * books but not brains; * food but not appetite; * finery but not beauty; * a house but not a home; * medicine but not health; * luxuries but not culture; * amusements but not happiness; * a crucifix but not a savior; * religion but not salvation.” Wealth is funny that way, isn’t it? It promises happiness, but the more I set my heart on wealth, the more it clouds my vision of what would really make me happy.
There are two things we should note:
1. Faith in God Demands that We Store Up Treasures (1Timothy 6.17-19) 2. Be careful of riches; they make us prideful. We begin to imagine that we are better than others because we have “earned” more cash than some. Money also sings a siren song of salvation. Those who are rich appear to have the power to escape the problems and pains of this world. As a result, a subtle switch happens. Instead of placing my hope in escape from this evil world, my hope slides onto escaping the problems and pains of this world. As a result, I begin to see the pleasures of this world as the place of fulfillment, rather than the presence of God. So, what shall we do? We are advised to invest our wealth, and do so wisely. We should think carefully and prayerfully about every penny you spend. We are to do good with our wallets, to be rich in good works, to be ready to share, to feed the poor. We are to be generous, especially to those in the family of God. We are to be ready to share with those who have need. Why? By so doing we store up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Please, we must not be foolhardy—not one of us can take it with us. We can, however, send it ahead. In his chapter, “Money”, in "Desiring God", John Piper observed that many Christians are confused about how to use their money because they do not realize the state we are in. “There is a war going on. All talk of a Christian’s right to live luxuriantly ‘as a child of the King’ in this atmosphere sounds hollow—especially since the King himself is stripped for battle…. A wartime lifestyle implies that there is a great and worthy cause for which to spend and be spent.” To illustrate, Piper drew the reader’s attention to the Queen Mary, now a floating museum in California. This great ship was built as a luxury liner, and it served the wealthy with lavish comforts. Part of the ship has been restored to show the way it was outfitted in all its regal glory, with grand dining rooms set with china and gold utensils and large, elegant staterooms. Three thousand people could travel the seas in the grandest luxury accommodations. However, if you move your eyes across the partition, you will see the way the ship was refitted for WWII, “The wartime austerities present a sharp contrast. One metal tray with indentations replaces fifteen plates and saucers. Single beds were replaced by bunks, not just double, but eight tiers high.” No longer was the ship the temporary lavish home for 3000 well-to-do socialites vacationing in comfort, but it became the transport vessel to 15,000 soldiers, ferried to war. What would cause the owners of one of the most beautiful, elegant, luxurious ships ever made, to paint it dingy grey and submit it to the indignities of being stripped of its glory and filled with filthy soldiers? Nothing less than the survival of a nation depending on it would engender that response. Have we been lulled to sleep by the comforts of our wealth and forgotten we are at war? I want you to send your wealth to the front lines, to supply the army and fight the battle. Then your Father will see that your heart is thrilled by his cause, and will reward you. Will you lay up treasures in heaven? You think about that.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATBLXyJxyTI
Rice raises concern over violence against Christians in Orissa state Published : Oct 6, 2008
NEW DELHI, Oct. 5 (APP): The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has raised concern about violence against Christians with the Indian leadership on Saturday. Communal violence against Christian community has been continuing for the last several weeks during which the Hindu oufits attacked members of Christian community and their properties. Dozens of Christians have been killed during the violence.
Rice also raised this issue during meeting with the Leader of Opposition L K Advani as BJP is ruling the state, media reports said.
Earlier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy along with the chief of the European Union, Jose Manuel Barosso had strongly raised their concerns with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Marseilles last week.
L K Advani reportedly took up with Rice about the issue of US refusal to grant visa to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has warned to impose President’s rule in Orissa if the violence is not stopped.
Talking to a private channel, he termed the inaction of the NDA-led Orissa government to check violence a “violation of the Constitution.”
He said security forces and helicopters had been provided to the state to control the situation. Six warnings have been sent to the Orissa state over the issue.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the sporadic incidents of violence are still continuing in Kandamal district of the state.. Thousands of Christians have fled to the dense jungles to escape from violence. More in NEWS REPORTS
Weird Facts - Oldies but goodies
Did you know that Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to have been born in a hospital?
Or that Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food FROM freezing?
The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Uses every letter in the alphabet. (developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications)
In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
In the 1940s, the FCC assigned television's Channel 1 to mobile Services(two-way radios in taxicabs, for instance) but did not Pre-number the other channel assignments. That is why your TV set has channels 2and up, but no channel 1.
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
Hang On Sloopy is the official rock song of Ohio.
Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ?
The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.
The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie." (Thus the name of the Don McLean song.)
When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.
The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19.You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
No NFL team, which plays its home games in a domed stadium, has ever won a Superbowl.
The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It to Beaver".
Over the last few weeks we have seen great turmoil in the financial world. It is quickly becoming a global crisis. As Christians we are deeply concerned about it. We are called to intercede for our nation, for our leaders, and for our financial institutions, so that the Lord would forgive us and heal our land. There is a wake- up call for us to turn to the Lord of grace and mercy for His power and for His mercy. The earth belongs to the Lord and the fullness thereof. He owns every thing. He gives us generously and lavishly. He calls us to be faithful and trustworthy stewards. He calls us to invest in His kingdom. He takes away from us fear and tyranny. He calls us to be the partners in His miracles as serve Him with our time, talents and treasures.
According to Forbes Magazine, Warren Buffet is the wealthiest man on earth, with a net worth of $62 billion. Comparing his net worth to our nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), however, his relative wealth is less than half of what John D. Rockefeller had when he died. Rockefeller’s $1.4 billion was about 1.5% of the United States GDP; Buffet’s wealth is less than 1% of our country’s GDP. The story has been told that John D. Rockefeller was once asked, “What is the secret for becoming wealthy?” Rockefeller responded: “There are three simple rules for anyone who wants to become rich: 1) Go to work early. 2) Stay at work late. 3) Find oil on your land. This is probably good advice for those who seek wealth, today even more than in the 1870's when Rockefeller’s Standard Oil created a monopoly out of its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. C. S. Lewis describes this beautifully in "Weight of Glory", “If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” In 1 Timothy 6:6, Paul reminds Timothy, “There is great gain in godliness, if you have with it, contentment.” One of Aesop’s fables tells the story of a Miser who buried his gold in a secret place in his garden. Every day he went to the spot, dug up the treasure and counted it piece by piece to make sure it was all there. He made so many trips that a Thief, who had been observing him, guessed what the Miser had hidden, and one night quietly dug up the treasure and made off with it. When the Miser discovered his loss, he was overcome with grief and despair. He groaned and cried and tore his hair. A passerby heard his cries and asked what had happened. “My gold! O my gold!” cried the Miser, “someone has robbed me!” “Why did you put it there? Why not keep it in the house where you could easily get it when you had to buy things?” “Buy!” screamed the Miser angrily. “Why, I would never think of spending any of it.” The stranger picked up a large stone and threw it into the hole and said, “If that is the case, cover up that stone. It is worth just as much to you as the treasure you lost!” Each of us wants to steer clear of pain and misery, flee temptation, escape the snare, stay away from senseless and harmful desires, avoid ruin and destruction, and not pierce ourselves with many pangs. These personal dangers would entrap and destroy us; we all agree they should be avoided, but how do we do this? Some witty person said, “Money will buy: * a bed but not sleep; * books but not brains; * food but not appetite; * finery but not beauty; * a house but not a home; * medicine but not health; * luxuries but not culture; * amusements but not happiness; * a crucifix but not a savior; * religion but not salvation.” Wealth is funny that way, isn’t it? It promises happiness, but the more I set my heart on wealth, the more it clouds my vision of what would really make me happy.
There are two things we should note:
1. Faith in God Demands that We Store Up Treasures (1Timothy 6.17-19) 2. Be careful of riches; they make us prideful. We begin to imagine that we are better than others because we have “earned” more cash than some. Money also sings a siren song of salvation. Those who are rich appear to have the power to escape the problems and pains of this world. As a result, a subtle switch happens. Instead of placing my hope in escape from this evil world, my hope slides onto escaping the problems and pains of this world. As a result, I begin to see the pleasures of this world as the place of fulfillment, rather than the presence of God. So, what shall we do? We are advised to invest our wealth, and do so wisely. We should think carefully and prayerfully about every penny you spend. We are to do good with our wallets, to be rich in good works, to be ready to share, to feed the poor. We are to be generous, especially to those in the family of God. We are to be ready to share with those who have need. Why? By so doing we store up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Please, we must not be foolhardy—not one of us can take it with us. We can, however, send it ahead. In his chapter, “Money”, in "Desiring God", John Piper observed that many Christians are confused about how to use their money because they do not realize the state we are in. “There is a war going on. All talk of a Christian’s right to live luxuriantly ‘as a child of the King’ in this atmosphere sounds hollow—especially since the King himself is stripped for battle…. A wartime lifestyle implies that there is a great and worthy cause for which to spend and be spent.” To illustrate, Piper drew the reader’s attention to the Queen Mary, now a floating museum in California. This great ship was built as a luxury liner, and it served the wealthy with lavish comforts. Part of the ship has been restored to show the way it was outfitted in all its regal glory, with grand dining rooms set with china and gold utensils and large, elegant staterooms. Three thousand people could travel the seas in the grandest luxury accommodations. However, if you move your eyes across the partition, you will see the way the ship was refitted for WWII, “The wartime austerities present a sharp contrast. One metal tray with indentations replaces fifteen plates and saucers. Single beds were replaced by bunks, not just double, but eight tiers high.” No longer was the ship the temporary lavish home for 3000 well-to-do socialites vacationing in comfort, but it became the transport vessel to 15,000 soldiers, ferried to war. What would cause the owners of one of the most beautiful, elegant, luxurious ships ever made, to paint it dingy grey and submit it to the indignities of being stripped of its glory and filled with filthy soldiers? Nothing less than the survival of a nation depending on it would engender that response. Have we been lulled to sleep by the comforts of our wealth and forgotten we are at war? I want you to send your wealth to the front lines, to supply the army and fight the battle. Then your Father will see that your heart is thrilled by his cause, and will reward you. Will you lay up treasures in heaven? You think about that.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATBLXyJxyTI
Rice raises concern over violence against Christians in Orissa state Published : Oct 6, 2008
NEW DELHI, Oct. 5 (APP): The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has raised concern about violence against Christians with the Indian leadership on Saturday. Communal violence against Christian community has been continuing for the last several weeks during which the Hindu oufits attacked members of Christian community and their properties. Dozens of Christians have been killed during the violence.
Rice also raised this issue during meeting with the Leader of Opposition L K Advani as BJP is ruling the state, media reports said.
Earlier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy along with the chief of the European Union, Jose Manuel Barosso had strongly raised their concerns with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Marseilles last week.
L K Advani reportedly took up with Rice about the issue of US refusal to grant visa to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has warned to impose President’s rule in Orissa if the violence is not stopped.
Talking to a private channel, he termed the inaction of the NDA-led Orissa government to check violence a “violation of the Constitution.”
He said security forces and helicopters had been provided to the state to control the situation. Six warnings have been sent to the Orissa state over the issue.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the sporadic incidents of violence are still continuing in Kandamal district of the state.. Thousands of Christians have fled to the dense jungles to escape from violence. More in NEWS REPORTS
Weird Facts - Oldies but goodies
Did you know that Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to have been born in a hospital?
Or that Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food FROM freezing?
The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Uses every letter in the alphabet. (developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications)
In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
In the 1940s, the FCC assigned television's Channel 1 to mobile Services(two-way radios in taxicabs, for instance) but did not Pre-number the other channel assignments. That is why your TV set has channels 2and up, but no channel 1.
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
Hang On Sloopy is the official rock song of Ohio.
Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ?
The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.
The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie." (Thus the name of the Don McLean song.)
When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.
The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19.You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
No NFL team, which plays its home games in a domed stadium, has ever won a Superbowl.
The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It to Beaver".
India update 10-07-08
Kandhmal: Christians unwilling to return home
7 Oct 2008, 0316 hrs IST, Anand Soondas,TNN
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RAIKIA (KANDHMAL): A huge question mark is now hovering over when the thousands of Christian refugees, cowering after a bloody purge, will be psyc
A relief camp in Kandhmal. (TOI Photo)
More Pictureshologically ready to leave the relief camps and head home. As a TOI team visited shelters put up by the administration and NGOs in the districts hit by violence — Kandhmal, G Udayagiri, Raikia, and Nuagam — it looks as if it would take a long time before broken families and homes are able to gather courage to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. "They came in a large group, too many to count," said Asha Lata Naik on Monday, clutching her six-month-old child at the Vijaya High School relief camp for homeless christians of Raikia and adjoining villages. "Then two of them raised their swords high and brought it down on my husband's head. He bled to death in front of me. He had been working hard to save money so that he could celebrate our child's first birthday. Tell me how will I go home." Fear is so pervasive here that one can almost touch it. In fact, there is such terror that Christians say they will try to remain in the relief sites for as long as they can. At the camps, where CRPF jawans have their eyes on every group and where headcounts are maintained with regimental discipline, the Christians take small breaks of an hour each in the morning and in the evening for their ablutions. Then they return to their dingy, stinking cluster of tents in obedient, single files. After that they look around to ensure friends and family too have returned. There is panic if someone is missing. There is another woman, Kanakha Rekha Naik, whose husband was killed in the presence of their two children, six and three. "Parikhit (her husband) begged them that we be spared. But he wasn't. He was hacked to pieces. I spent three days in the jungles before I heard of this relief camp." Ironically, Parikhit's elder brother, Vinayak Naik, is a CRPF officer entrusted with the protection of people's lives. "But look at me," he said. "I've never been so much at the mercy of people. We lived in a joint family, so my house is gone, too. I can't leave them alone and have extended my leave indefinitely. I am a soldier but I am afraid to be alone now. We are better off here." If Asha Lata and Kanakha have lost their husbands, Christo Das Naik, 60, lost his wife. At the G Udayagiri camp, where inmates said there were around 6,000 of them, the old man said: "They killed my wife, Ramoni. Around 1,500 people came to my village, Rudangiya, and attacked us — burning our houses. My wife couldn't escape though my son did. I will not leave until he returns. I have nowhere to go until then." There are whispers about his son that Christo Das wouldn't want to hear. A CRPF officer at a Nuagam relief camp said there is simmering anger regarding the abysmal conditions there. "These people have always been independent and dwelled in the forests like they owned them. But they don't have an option. Most feel they will get killed if they go home," he said. The government says things are under control and the refugees are returning to their villages. Home secretary T K Mishra said on Sunday that "situation is normal" and that nearly "10,000 of the around 23,000 villagers taking shelter in relief camps have returned home". There is no sign of it, though. The Christian houses remain broken, with no trace of human life in any of the deserted hamlets. The only thing that moves is the saffron flag planted atop some of the broken roofs.
Tue, 07/10/2008 - 7:38am Blame game over seer death Hindu radical outfits try to divert attention
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 6: As the CID crime branch investigation into the death of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati progresses at a snail’s pace, Naxalites and stung by the outbursts against VHP and others for their role in the murder and rape against Christians Hindu outfits have begun a blame game with their conflicting versions of the “truth”.On Sunday, top CPI(Maoist) leader Sabyasachi Panda on behalf of the group, claimed responsibility for the swami’s murder.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Tue, 07/10/2008 - 7:16am BJP favours anti-conversion law in Karnataka:‘Reign of terror’ in Dalit locality in Rajasthan ruled by BJP
DH News Service, New Delhi:Demanding anti-conversion law in Karnataka, the BJP on Monday charged the UPA government with not helping out Karnataka and Orissa to deal with the problem of “social, ethnic conflicts and conversions” in the two states.Accusing the central government of “adding fuel to the fire for short sighted political mileage”, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu also blamed some of the constituents of the UPA dispensation of making “irresponsible statements” and creating “further social unrest”.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Mon, 06/10/2008 - 5:03pm Fanatical Mob Mistook Victim For Christian
Sandeep MishraBhubaneswar: The Orissa government, already under fire for neglecting to rein in communal violence, faced further embarrassment on Saturday following revelations that a Hindu girl had been brutally raped and burnt alive by fanatics belonging to the community who presumed that she was a Christian. The girl lived in a church-run orphanage. The incident reportedly took place in Bargarh district on August 25.The state government, drawing severe flak for reacting late to the nun rape case in Kandhamal, today admitted that two more rape-related cases had been reported from the same district.“A complaint about rape of a 22-year-old has been lodged at Tikabali police station recently. A case (No. 149/2008) has been registered and one person has been arrested in this connection,” state home secretary T.K. Mishra told reporters here.The attempt to rape case had been lodged in Phulbani Sadar police station, said the home secretary, adding that a case had been registered and investigation was on
A Christian priest claimed that Rajani Majhi, who was burnt alive during the mob violence at Padampur, had been gangraped before she was killed. The revelation, which has come just a day after the state government confirmed the rape of a nun in Kandhmal, was rubbished by the police.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
7 Oct 2008, 0316 hrs IST, Anand Soondas,TNN
Discuss
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Text:
RAIKIA (KANDHMAL): A huge question mark is now hovering over when the thousands of Christian refugees, cowering after a bloody purge, will be psyc
A relief camp in Kandhmal. (TOI Photo)
More Pictureshologically ready to leave the relief camps and head home. As a TOI team visited shelters put up by the administration and NGOs in the districts hit by violence — Kandhmal, G Udayagiri, Raikia, and Nuagam — it looks as if it would take a long time before broken families and homes are able to gather courage to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. "They came in a large group, too many to count," said Asha Lata Naik on Monday, clutching her six-month-old child at the Vijaya High School relief camp for homeless christians of Raikia and adjoining villages. "Then two of them raised their swords high and brought it down on my husband's head. He bled to death in front of me. He had been working hard to save money so that he could celebrate our child's first birthday. Tell me how will I go home." Fear is so pervasive here that one can almost touch it. In fact, there is such terror that Christians say they will try to remain in the relief sites for as long as they can. At the camps, where CRPF jawans have their eyes on every group and where headcounts are maintained with regimental discipline, the Christians take small breaks of an hour each in the morning and in the evening for their ablutions. Then they return to their dingy, stinking cluster of tents in obedient, single files. After that they look around to ensure friends and family too have returned. There is panic if someone is missing. There is another woman, Kanakha Rekha Naik, whose husband was killed in the presence of their two children, six and three. "Parikhit (her husband) begged them that we be spared. But he wasn't. He was hacked to pieces. I spent three days in the jungles before I heard of this relief camp." Ironically, Parikhit's elder brother, Vinayak Naik, is a CRPF officer entrusted with the protection of people's lives. "But look at me," he said. "I've never been so much at the mercy of people. We lived in a joint family, so my house is gone, too. I can't leave them alone and have extended my leave indefinitely. I am a soldier but I am afraid to be alone now. We are better off here." If Asha Lata and Kanakha have lost their husbands, Christo Das Naik, 60, lost his wife. At the G Udayagiri camp, where inmates said there were around 6,000 of them, the old man said: "They killed my wife, Ramoni. Around 1,500 people came to my village, Rudangiya, and attacked us — burning our houses. My wife couldn't escape though my son did. I will not leave until he returns. I have nowhere to go until then." There are whispers about his son that Christo Das wouldn't want to hear. A CRPF officer at a Nuagam relief camp said there is simmering anger regarding the abysmal conditions there. "These people have always been independent and dwelled in the forests like they owned them. But they don't have an option. Most feel they will get killed if they go home," he said. The government says things are under control and the refugees are returning to their villages. Home secretary T K Mishra said on Sunday that "situation is normal" and that nearly "10,000 of the around 23,000 villagers taking shelter in relief camps have returned home". There is no sign of it, though. The Christian houses remain broken, with no trace of human life in any of the deserted hamlets. The only thing that moves is the saffron flag planted atop some of the broken roofs.
Tue, 07/10/2008 - 7:38am Blame game over seer death Hindu radical outfits try to divert attention
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 6: As the CID crime branch investigation into the death of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati progresses at a snail’s pace, Naxalites and stung by the outbursts against VHP and others for their role in the murder and rape against Christians Hindu outfits have begun a blame game with their conflicting versions of the “truth”.On Sunday, top CPI(Maoist) leader Sabyasachi Panda on behalf of the group, claimed responsibility for the swami’s murder.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Tue, 07/10/2008 - 7:16am BJP favours anti-conversion law in Karnataka:‘Reign of terror’ in Dalit locality in Rajasthan ruled by BJP
DH News Service, New Delhi:Demanding anti-conversion law in Karnataka, the BJP on Monday charged the UPA government with not helping out Karnataka and Orissa to deal with the problem of “social, ethnic conflicts and conversions” in the two states.Accusing the central government of “adding fuel to the fire for short sighted political mileage”, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu also blamed some of the constituents of the UPA dispensation of making “irresponsible statements” and creating “further social unrest”.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Mon, 06/10/2008 - 5:03pm Fanatical Mob Mistook Victim For Christian
Sandeep MishraBhubaneswar: The Orissa government, already under fire for neglecting to rein in communal violence, faced further embarrassment on Saturday following revelations that a Hindu girl had been brutally raped and burnt alive by fanatics belonging to the community who presumed that she was a Christian. The girl lived in a church-run orphanage. The incident reportedly took place in Bargarh district on August 25.The state government, drawing severe flak for reacting late to the nun rape case in Kandhamal, today admitted that two more rape-related cases had been reported from the same district.“A complaint about rape of a 22-year-old has been lodged at Tikabali police station recently. A case (No. 149/2008) has been registered and one person has been arrested in this connection,” state home secretary T.K. Mishra told reporters here.The attempt to rape case had been lodged in Phulbani Sadar police station, said the home secretary, adding that a case had been registered and investigation was on
A Christian priest claimed that Rajani Majhi, who was burnt alive during the mob violence at Padampur, had been gangraped before she was killed. The revelation, which has come just a day after the state government confirmed the rape of a nun in Kandhmal, was rubbished by the police.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
Monday, October 6, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update10-6-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Exodus 20. This the record of God speaking clearly and lucidly, and giving the Ten Commandments. . . The Ten Words. . . The Decalogue. The first 4 commandments center on our relationship with the Lord God, who has made us and has redeemed us. The next six commandments center on our relationship with people in our lives and around us. The first four deal with God's personality, His Name, His Holiness, and His majesty. He demands exclusive devotion from His people whom He has created and redeemed. His commands are not burdensome. They are blessing. Within the boundaries of the Ten commandments we find freedom and the abundant life.
Alistair Begg tells the story of Thomas Aikenhead, who was a young theology student in Scotland in 1697. In 1695, Scotland had decreed a blasphemy law, which stated that a person ‘not distracted in his wit’ who railed or cursed against God or persons of the Trinity was to be punished with death. The Lord Advocate (or Attorney General) in 1697 prosecuted Thomas Aikenhead for such blasphemy. The Advocate addressed Aikenhead by stating, ‘It is of verity, that you Thomas Aikenhead, shaking off all fear of God and regard to his majestic laws, have now for more than a twelvemonth made it as it were your endeavor and work to vent your wicked blasphemies against God and our Savior Jesus Christ.’ And with that Aikenhead, 18 years of age, was taken to the gallows, the ladder was pulled away, his body swung, and he died for the crime of blasphemy.
How far Western Civilization has come from a time when one could readily be killed for blasphemy to a time when blasphemy is a staple of everything from conversation in the factory, to the punch line in a sitcom, to the words of choice for the smallest of children. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." The first two commandments are written in the first person. In commandment 1 God states ‘no other gods before me’ and commandment 2 God states that He shows steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love me.’ They are both personal, in the first person. But the third commandment is in the third person ‘the name of the Lord your God.’ Why the shift? It is because God is emphasizing His covenant name first revealed to Moses at the burning bush. LORD is YHWH meaning ‘I am who I am’. It is the personal Name for God given to His covenant people. And in the third commandment God is emphasizing this Name. God’s emphasis on His own Name is a way of pointing to all that His Name represents; namely, God’s own inherent resplendent glory, His holiness, His purity, His supremacy.
If we know the God who is, then we will pray with reverence, “Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by thy name.” If we know the God who is, then we will sing with reverence, “O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.” If we know the God who is, then we will gather in the church service to praise Him, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” If we know the God Who is, then we will endure suffering for Him, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." Keeping the third commandment is a matter of knowing the God Who is. Here we can see that the emphasis is on the fact that God is creating a people who will honor His Name. God commands His people to honor His Name, so God is creating for Himself a holy and distinct people. That is, the great purpose of God in salvation is to create a holy people, a distinct people. YOU shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain is a command for all people! All are bound by it and held accountable to it. Yet, while we will not expect those who do not follow Christ to honor God’s Name, we certainly will expect that those who claim to be God’s people will obey this command. Acts 4:12 remains a precious promise for each and every person who will trust in Christ. "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Thus it is that we trust in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, when we recognize His holy nature in contrast to our desperate sinfulness, when we recognize Jesus’ position as Lord of the Universe in contrast to our finitude and smallness, when we humbly embrace the sacrifice that Jesus alone has made on the cross to endure the punishment for sins, then we are saved.
In Christ,
Brown
Mon, 06/10/2008 - 3:30pm Karnataka Full Gospel church burnt
Radicals on October 5th, burnt down Immanuel Full Gospel at at Kanaji Pura, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Mon, 06/10/2008 - 7:31am "You either embrace Hinduism or you die"-VHP writ in Kandhamal
NUAGAM (KANDHMAL): At the infamous Nuagam relief camp near Baliguda, where a nun was raped on August 25 and where today there are about 2,000 tribals bunched up around leaky tents and on ground wet from flooding, Johan Naik and four others like him stand out as the most wretched.
"We are accursed," says Johan, rubbing his gnarled hand on his bald head. A month ago, as rampaging Hindu mobs ran through Kandhmal, looting, burning and pillaging, around 400 men converged at his house in Pirigada, a cluster of Protestant houses in Nuagam block. There, with swords unsheathed and drunk on the righteous rage of bigots, five of them gave Johan a choice. "You either embrace Hinduism or you die," he was told.
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Sun, 05/10/2008 - 11:30pm Single teacher tribal schools fund diverted for idelogy of hate
Per 2006 tax records, Ekal Vidyalaya allocated more than two million dollars to India, India Development Relief Fund (IDRF) allocated 1.6 million USD, and Sewa International USA allocated 284,800 dollars. Other organisationschanneled funds for the Sangh Parivar to Orissa via groups located in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and elsewhere. All together,substantial money continues to be accumulated from upper caste/landed communities in Orissa.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sun, 05/10/2008 - 10:56pm Respect an individual's decision-anti christian thuggery
(Shashi Tharoor) My last column has triggered an overwhelming response. Gratifyingly, many readers (including several describing themselves as believing Hindus) are as outraged as I was at the anti-Christian thuggery that has been perpetrated in the name of Hinduism. Killers of children are not Hindus, even if they claim to be acting on behalf of their faith; it is as simple as that. Murder does not have a religion - even when it claims a religious excuse.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sun, 05/10/2008 - 11:27am Prayer hall attacked in Delhi
NEW DELHI: Some local residents allegedly targeted a Christian prayer hall at Peeragarhi Relief Camp in West Delhi about a fortnight ago alleging that efforts were being made to illegally extend its boundaries.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Sun, 05/10/2008 - 7:39am Maoist leader lays claim on VHP leader`s killing
Source : Zee News and Orissa TV)Bhubaneswar, Oct 04: Prominent Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda alias Sunil today "claimed responsibility" for the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four others, which lead to large scale flare-up in Orissa's Kandhamal district, on two regional news channels.
A Maoist leader, identified as Panda, told the reporters of the two private Oriya television channels at an undisclosed destination, that the Maoist outfit decided to eliminate Saraswati as he was "spreading social unrest" in the tribal dominated district.
Praise the Lord for this new day. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Exodus 20. This the record of God speaking clearly and lucidly, and giving the Ten Commandments. . . The Ten Words. . . The Decalogue. The first 4 commandments center on our relationship with the Lord God, who has made us and has redeemed us. The next six commandments center on our relationship with people in our lives and around us. The first four deal with God's personality, His Name, His Holiness, and His majesty. He demands exclusive devotion from His people whom He has created and redeemed. His commands are not burdensome. They are blessing. Within the boundaries of the Ten commandments we find freedom and the abundant life.
Alistair Begg tells the story of Thomas Aikenhead, who was a young theology student in Scotland in 1697. In 1695, Scotland had decreed a blasphemy law, which stated that a person ‘not distracted in his wit’ who railed or cursed against God or persons of the Trinity was to be punished with death. The Lord Advocate (or Attorney General) in 1697 prosecuted Thomas Aikenhead for such blasphemy. The Advocate addressed Aikenhead by stating, ‘It is of verity, that you Thomas Aikenhead, shaking off all fear of God and regard to his majestic laws, have now for more than a twelvemonth made it as it were your endeavor and work to vent your wicked blasphemies against God and our Savior Jesus Christ.’ And with that Aikenhead, 18 years of age, was taken to the gallows, the ladder was pulled away, his body swung, and he died for the crime of blasphemy.
How far Western Civilization has come from a time when one could readily be killed for blasphemy to a time when blasphemy is a staple of everything from conversation in the factory, to the punch line in a sitcom, to the words of choice for the smallest of children. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." The first two commandments are written in the first person. In commandment 1 God states ‘no other gods before me’ and commandment 2 God states that He shows steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love me.’ They are both personal, in the first person. But the third commandment is in the third person ‘the name of the Lord your God.’ Why the shift? It is because God is emphasizing His covenant name first revealed to Moses at the burning bush. LORD is YHWH meaning ‘I am who I am’. It is the personal Name for God given to His covenant people. And in the third commandment God is emphasizing this Name. God’s emphasis on His own Name is a way of pointing to all that His Name represents; namely, God’s own inherent resplendent glory, His holiness, His purity, His supremacy.
If we know the God who is, then we will pray with reverence, “Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by thy name.” If we know the God who is, then we will sing with reverence, “O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.” If we know the God who is, then we will gather in the church service to praise Him, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” If we know the God Who is, then we will endure suffering for Him, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." Keeping the third commandment is a matter of knowing the God Who is. Here we can see that the emphasis is on the fact that God is creating a people who will honor His Name. God commands His people to honor His Name, so God is creating for Himself a holy and distinct people. That is, the great purpose of God in salvation is to create a holy people, a distinct people. YOU shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain is a command for all people! All are bound by it and held accountable to it. Yet, while we will not expect those who do not follow Christ to honor God’s Name, we certainly will expect that those who claim to be God’s people will obey this command. Acts 4:12 remains a precious promise for each and every person who will trust in Christ. "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Thus it is that we trust in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, when we recognize His holy nature in contrast to our desperate sinfulness, when we recognize Jesus’ position as Lord of the Universe in contrast to our finitude and smallness, when we humbly embrace the sacrifice that Jesus alone has made on the cross to endure the punishment for sins, then we are saved.
In Christ,
Brown
Mon, 06/10/2008 - 3:30pm Karnataka Full Gospel church burnt
Radicals on October 5th, burnt down Immanuel Full Gospel at at Kanaji Pura, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 06/10/2008 - 7:31am "You either embrace Hinduism or you die"-VHP writ in Kandhamal
NUAGAM (KANDHMAL): At the infamous Nuagam relief camp near Baliguda, where a nun was raped on August 25 and where today there are about 2,000 tribals bunched up around leaky tents and on ground wet from flooding, Johan Naik and four others like him stand out as the most wretched.
"We are accursed," says Johan, rubbing his gnarled hand on his bald head. A month ago, as rampaging Hindu mobs ran through Kandhmal, looting, burning and pillaging, around 400 men converged at his house in Pirigada, a cluster of Protestant houses in Nuagam block. There, with swords unsheathed and drunk on the righteous rage of bigots, five of them gave Johan a choice. "You either embrace Hinduism or you die," he was told.
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
read more newsman's blog 3 comments
Sun, 05/10/2008 - 11:30pm Single teacher tribal schools fund diverted for idelogy of hate
Per 2006 tax records, Ekal Vidyalaya allocated more than two million dollars to India, India Development Relief Fund (IDRF) allocated 1.6 million USD, and Sewa International USA allocated 284,800 dollars. Other organisationschanneled funds for the Sangh Parivar to Orissa via groups located in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and elsewhere. All together,substantial money continues to be accumulated from upper caste/landed communities in Orissa.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Sun, 05/10/2008 - 10:56pm Respect an individual's decision-anti christian thuggery
(Shashi Tharoor) My last column has triggered an overwhelming response. Gratifyingly, many readers (including several describing themselves as believing Hindus) are as outraged as I was at the anti-Christian thuggery that has been perpetrated in the name of Hinduism. Killers of children are not Hindus, even if they claim to be acting on behalf of their faith; it is as simple as that. Murder does not have a religion - even when it claims a religious excuse.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Sun, 05/10/2008 - 11:27am Prayer hall attacked in Delhi
NEW DELHI: Some local residents allegedly targeted a Christian prayer hall at Peeragarhi Relief Camp in West Delhi about a fortnight ago alleging that efforts were being made to illegally extend its boundaries.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Sun, 05/10/2008 - 7:39am Maoist leader lays claim on VHP leader`s killing
Source : Zee News and Orissa TV)Bhubaneswar, Oct 04: Prominent Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda alias Sunil today "claimed responsibility" for the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four others, which lead to large scale flare-up in Orissa's Kandhamal district, on two regional news channels.
A Maoist leader, identified as Panda, told the reporters of the two private Oriya television channels at an undisclosed destination, that the Maoist outfit decided to eliminate Saraswati as he was "spreading social unrest" in the tribal dominated district.
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