Religion Communicators Call for Civil Discourse about 9/11

A religion communicators group is calling for responsible discussion of faith groups in news coverage of 9/11's 10th anniversary, Religion News Service reports. The Religion Communicators Council urged journalists and bloggers to "pursue accuracy, respect and understanding of people of all faiths and faith communities." The statement is in a resolution adopted August 7 in Philadelphia by the board of governors for the 400-member interfaith council (http://www.religioncommunicators.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=128702). The 17-member board called "for responsible discussion of religion and of all faith groups, seeking the understanding and acceptance of religious communities." 


The anniversary of the 2001 attacks could "bring about painful recollections of terrorism and its effects," the resolution said. Rhetoric about the attacks "could become heated and distorted as it intermingles the religious identity of participants in those heinous acts," the measure continued. The council encourages communicators for faith groups to adhere to the highest ethical guidelines in presenting religious faith and values in public discourse. "We encourage our members to consider having their faith groups adopt similar resolutions on civil discourse," said Deb K. Christian, council president.

Israeli border police foil knife attack

An 18-year-old Palestinian man was arrested in Hebron Monday morning while attempting to stab Israeli soldiers stationed at a border police stand. The man was apprehended as he was running towards the soldiers wielding a knife.

Western politicians and  the mainstream media have challenged Israel’s decision to keep control of the city, which is located in Judea — known to most of the world as the West Bank – and is primarily home to Palestinians. The Israeli presence in Hebron, they say, only provokes anger and violence and demonstrates that Israel is not willing to make the necessary sacrifices for peace.

But Israeli settlers have struggled to remain in the city despite the derision of the entire world. The reason is simple — to the Jewish people, Hebron is of enormous significance and the connection to it is rooted in the very essence of our history and faith. Hebron is home to the Cave of the Patriarchs – burial place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah – the second holiest place for the Jewish people after the Temple Mount. To ask Jews to forego their rights to Hebron is tantamount to asking Muslims to relinquish their rights to Mecca.

Peace will remain forever out of reach if the Palestinians continue to deny Jews’ connection to the Holy Land, demanding that we give up our holy sites while the western world insists that we comply with such outrageous demands. The world must wake up to a fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summed up eloquently in his landmark speech to the U.S. Congress in May: “In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers … This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace.”

Last year, the Netanyahu government officially declared the Cave of the Patriarchs one of Israel’s national heritage sites. Predictably, Netanyahu’s announcement was met with protest from the Palestinians as well as international diplomats and media outlets. How is it that the world expects Israel, alone among the nations of the world, to relinquish its holiest sites without complaint or challenge?

---

Author: Amichai Farkas | August 9, 2011

Clubs Bring Hope into The Slums of India

India (MNN) ― India is home to one of the largest illiterate populations in the world.

  

Nearly half of India's population--over 463 million--is under the age of 20, which means that these children will eventually be members of the world's largest democracy.

Dave Stravers is with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India says of these kids, "The vast majority of those children are the poorest of the poor. Their families earn less than $1.25 a day. Forty percent of them are malnourished." As a result of the typical poverty, India also has the highest number of working children, a majority of whom live in villages and urban slums.

"This is systemic poverty," says Stravers. "It's also a very abusive social structure. Those in the higher castes look down on the lower castes and consider them to be less than human," which makes these children part of a vulnerable population. "Poor children, as well as their families, are considered commodities. That's why you have the trafficking."

The issue of human trafficking has gotten more attention as of late, says Stravers. "There's actually a kind of movement starting in India to highlight the abuse of children." However, until there is a change from within, these kinds of grim conditions threaten to overwhelm people with hopelessness.

That's why Mission India has the Children's Bible Clubs (called "Child Development Clubs" in India). "We train workers from local Christian churches who want to minister to these poor people in villages and neighborhoods that usually don't have a church."

Under the loving attention of their volunteer teachers, the dreams of India's boys and girls are changing, and they are discovering joy in Jesus. "We find that a high majority not only pray to receive Christ and stop worshipping idols, but they actually testify to their parents. They're the best evangelists in the world, and literally thousands of their parents are coming to Christ each year."

India's Christians are eagerly waiting for the chance to introduce Children's Bible Clubs into their communities. "We have a formal training program for them," Stravers explains. "We provide them with lesson materials, with some games and sports equipment--everything that they would need to minster to 40 children in their community."

Children's Bible Clubs are introduced in a community through a 10-day program. In the clubs, children enjoy songs, skits and games, listen to Bible stories, memorize Scripture, discover a loving Savior, and learn to pray.

This introduction requires the involvement of someone who knows the community best--a local resident. "Our staff does not lead the Bible Clubs. They do not lead the witnessing. We are there to empower and provide resources to local Christian volunteer workers from all over India."

It costs roughly $1 to introduce another child to Jesus through a Children's Bible Club. Click here to find out how to help.

Or, if you want to take a quick trip through the areas where Mission India works, get your passport here.  Ministry partners are sharing remarkable stories about the children and families in India who are eagerly receiving the Good News of Jesus.