Anti-Conversion Law in India

What if a Christian backslides into Hinduism?

An Anti-Conversion Law has come into force in Himachal Pradesh with Governor V S Kokje giving his assent to it.

It has become the first Congress-ruled state to adopt legislation banning illegal religious conversions. The Governor signed the legislation passed by the state assembly in its winter session in December, Raj Bhawan sources said today.

During the session at Dharamsala, the BJP had obtained a commitment from Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for a law to stop conversions in the state.

Similar legislation exists in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, all ruled by the BJP. The legislation proposes a two-year prison term and a fine of Rs 25,000 or both for persons found guilty of abetting and indulging in conversion from one religion to another. In case of conversion of women and persons belonging to Dalit and tribal communities, the punishment will be three years of rigourous inmprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000. Under the legislation, anybody willing to convert from one religion to another will have to give a month’s notice to the District Magistrate, who after an inquiry, can grant permission to do so.

The population of Christians in Himachal Pradesh is not more than 10,000, but the BJP and Hindu organisations have from time to time complained about conversions by missionary groups.

News You Should Use

Eleven states oppose North American Union

Eleven states are working on resolutions that would oppose not only the implementation but the idea of a “North American Union,” or other plans that would lead to the integration of the United States into a larger structure.

Search in the church

Police search a church in Uzbekistan

The Voice of the Martyrs has received photographs of police officers interrogating believers in and around a church in Qarshi (“Karshy”), Uzbekistan. According to VOM sources police burst into the service on February 25, 2007, confiscated literature and demanded to know who was funding the church.

Here’s some good news from the earthquake zone

A deadly earthquake has residents of Sumatra, Indonesia on edge. West Sumatra’s disaster management agency says 85 people were killed by Tuesday’s two quakes, which were also felt in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, but hundreds more were injured and thousands spent a night in open fields, frightened that further tremors would hit. The Magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the western part of the island of Sumatra earlier this week.

However, one ministry is thanking God for protection. AMG International works in Indonesia. AMG’s Roger Thomas says, “We have 23 child care projects in Indonesia, serving over 500 children and a number of church planters working with young congregations.”

Israelis warned: Leave all nations in Mideast (except Israel)

The Israeli intelligence community, determining immediate insurgency threats, has called on nationals to leave all Middle East countries, Egypt and Jordan in particular.

The National Security Council has issued an updated travel warning that urged Israelis to leave virtually every country in the Middle East.

Newt has “sought God’s forgiveness”

Addressing an issue some regard as a hindrance if he runs for president, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich confessed to evangelical leader James Dobson in a radio interview airing tomorrow to moral failing regarding two previous marriages and said he has “gotten on my knees and sought God’s forgiveness.”

Gingrich said the subject of his two divorces, including an affair that took place as he led impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, is a “very painful topic and I confess that to you directly.”

Dobson told Gingrich he knew him to be a “professing Christian” with whom he has prayed, but said that when they discussed the subject privately in Washington a few weeks ago, “you spoke of it with a great deal of pain and anguish, but you didn’t mention repentance. Do you understand that word, repentance?”

Gingrich replied, “Absolutely,” adding he was raised Lutheran and became a Southern Baptist in graduate school.

“I believe deeply that people fall short and that people have to recognize that they have to turn to God for forgiveness and to seek mercy,” Gingrich said. “Somebody once said that when you’re young you want justice and that when you get older you want mercy. I also believe that there are things in my own life that I have turned to God and have gotten on my knees and prayed about and sought God’s forgiveness. I don’t know how you could live with yourself and not end up breaking down if you didn’t find, try to find, some way to deal with your own weaknesses and to go to God about them.”

Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation\'s History and Future        

Bio Attack?

Super bug kills dozens in hospitals across Israel:

Virulent stain of bacteria believed to be cause of death of 120-200 patients in hospitals. Experts explain most of those infected were already suffering from prior medical conditions. Health ministry says outbreak was kept secret to avoid mass panic

A bio attack?

Oh, don’t be paranoid!

Good point!

Thank you.

But it still might be a good question to ask…

Whatever.

Ripe for the Harvest

Why?

The fields are, as always, ripe for the harvest and New Zealanders and New Zealand-trained missionaries are hearing the call. Several mission agencies reported an increase last year. They’re also expecting increases this year.

Pioneers New Zealand national director Jamie Wood is excited about the trend after preparing 12 long-term missionaries for the field last year, eight of whom have left for six different countries.

Why do people do this?

Why do folks become missionaries?

(Wow! I wish our tiny little mission board could field that many long-term missionaries!)

With Chain Saws and Goats

A little over 20 minutes ago, on my way home from leaving my two youngest children off at school, I stopped at Yoder Store to get myself a can of Coke:

Yoder Store

As I was walking in, I glanced over at the community bulletin board they have outside:

Carbon credits for sale

Alas, they didn’t provide any contact information.

So if you’re in Oregon, in the Yoder community, stop the bike riders to see if they have carbon credits for sale.

🙂

Sickening. Saddening. Shocking?

What does your heart say to this?

Want a sexual slave?

That is the question hundreds of thousands answer each year, as they purchase a child or young person from traffickers in a multibillion-dollar international business known as the global sex trade.

When in many countries a young woman can be kidnapped for $500 and yield $250,000 annually from sexual servitude, it doesn’t take much economic ingenuity to understand why corrupt capitalists crave some buy-in to this repulsive form of commerce.

Ho hum.

What’s the next news bit?

I hope that’s not my heart response!

But beyond sympathy, what can I do?

Private
Above all, love God!