The European Crusade Against Christianity

Photo: EPA

From The Voice of Russia

By Milena Faustova

The Christian civilization is in great danger. Today about 100 million followers of the teachings of Jesus Christ are being persecuted. People are suffering or sometimes even dying for their faith not only in the countries of the Middle East, Northern and Southern Africa but also in South East Asia – regions that are essentially non-Christian. The believers in Europe and America, i.e. residents of the states where the adoption of Christianity in the past determined their development and formation, increasingly often face anti-religious prosecution.

 

In 2013 Europe had a ceremonial celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan. At its time that document served as an important step towards turning Christianity into the official religion of the modern EU. However, that historic celebration did not stop those who are today convinced that there should be no place for religion in modern society. The latest scandal of the year was the firing of a Norwegian TV presenter this past November. The journalist was punished for showing up at work wearing a cross around her neck and refused to take it off. That is not the only such case in Europe. Such persecution is currently underway in practically all countries of the Old World. One of the main reasons for the growing phobia of Christianity is the total change of the view of the world and conscious abandonment of Christian values and rules, thinks Yuri Tabak, a specialist in religions:

“The last few decades have been tied to the process of final separation of the European values from the religious values. The secularization of modern Europe is going very fast. Its goal is to leave the religious values only for private, absolutely individual use by the people. A few years ago when the European Constitution was adopted, they seriously debated the issue whether the word God could be left in the document. Back then it was decided that the word God should not be mentioned in that document. In other words, the entire religious component, traditional for the many centuries of Europe's development, back then was left out of the modern view of the world. That is why they are currently trying to take out all the religious symbols and referrals from use”.

The persecutors are no longer shy to demonstratively give up their spiritual roots, to adopt laws that contradict the biblical rules, to ban all mass festivals with Christian attributes and try to replace the traditional faith by a non-traditional one. A couple of days ago the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom officially accepted scientology as a religion. In today's EU the cases when Christian churches and sacred objects are sold, desecrated or sometimes completely destroyed are taking place more and more often. With the silent consent of the European society about 200 unique ancient churches of Kosovo and Metohija have been lost. The Hagia Sofia, the famous church of Constantinople (now Istanbul) is also under threat. That grand cathedral-monument that goes back to the first centuries of Christianity might soon be turned into a mosque once again. With such an attitude towards the historic religion, muezzins' call to prayer will soon be heard all over Europe. Pavel Svyatenkov, a political scientist, expressed the following concern:

“As the sacred place does not remain empty for long, the European Union is most likely in for islamization. Today Islam is actively spreading. Representatives of that religion come to Europe from Middle Eastern and African countries. However, I am convinced that with the current persecution of Christianity the conservative layers of society will start protesting more loudly. For example, the decision made by the French president François Hollande to make legal same sex marriages, which this year went through the parliament, caused great protests in the country”.

Not only secular politicians, liberals and atheists are to blame for Christianity leaving Europe, but also the followers themselves. Despite the fact that the rights of Christians are violated practically every day, many people are in no rush to defend them. The appeals to the European Court to restore religious freedoms are quite rare. Meanwhile, there have been several cases at the European Court of Human Rights when the fairness in the area of faith has been restored, says Philipp Ryabykh, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Council of Europe:

“At some point a woman from Italy tried to prove that the schools in the country have no right to place a crucifix on the walls. Initially the ECHR passed a decision in favor of the woman and enacted that the country’s authorities took down all religious symbols from state schools. But then the same court revised its decision and passed a different verdict. The decision protected the presence in schools of crucifix as a symbol of Christian culture and identity”.

However, the revision of the crucifix case became possible only due to the protests expressed to the ECHR by many countries, including Russia. By the way, the Moscow Patriarchy has repeatedly expressed sharp criticism of any demonstration of Christianity-phobia and has appealed to the European community with a request to protect Christians. In 2011 a special document was passed at the meeting of the Holy Synod, in which Russian bishops called upon the political authorities, social activists and scientists, as well as international organizations to apply maximum effort in fighting the persecution of Christians.

England’s Saints Have Been Written Out of History

Our isle was once a land of saints, but now there is a trend to consign all religious people to the dustbin of history

St. Etheldreda at St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Ampton, Suffolk

From The Catholic Herald (UK)

By Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith

Today, under the old dispensation, which may yet return, would have been Corpus Christi, and at least in the Cathedral town of Arundel, it still is, and thousands of people will be rushing down to West Sussex to see the magnificent carpet of flowers and to take part in the solemn Mass and procession at 5.30pm. I, sadly, cannot be with them, and for those in that position, I offer some consolation in a reflection of today’s very English saint, St Etheldreda.

Etheldreda (630-679), sometimes called Audrey, was a royal princess, daughter of a king, twice married, second time around to the King of Northumbria; nevertheless she remained a virgin, took religious vows, and founded the Abbey of Ely. The Viking invaders later destroyed her abbey, but it was restored in more peaceful days, only to be suppressed once more in the 16th century by Henry VIII.

The period in which she lived is often called the Dark Ages. We ourselves live in a period of self-proclaimed Enlightenment. But these are broad brush terms, and as Catholics we believe in a hermeneutic of continuity: the past is not to be swept away, but rather should inspire us and provide us with a firm foundation for future progress. So we can learn, even from the Dark Ages. Sadly, St Etheldreda is now an almost forgotten historical figure, remembered in few places. The heroes of our history are those who destroyed her abbey, and who did so much damage to the fabric of our nation.

Obama's 'War Against Churches and Charities'

From OneNewsNow
By Jim Brown

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says President Obama's plan to raise taxes on upper-income earners is designed to create bigger government and a more secular America.

Author and political commentator Newt Gingrich of American Solutions calls President Obama's tax program a "war against churches and charities." Gingrich accuses President Obama of "deliberately" trying to take away the charitable deduction for successful people so they will not give as much money to churches or charities.

"I think there's a clear to desire to replace the church with a bureaucracy, and to replace people's right to worship together with a government-dominated system," he contends.

The former House Speaker says the Obama administration is talking seriously about taking away the right of conscience in terms of performing abortions.

"This is most aggressive, militant, secular program I can remember," Gingrich admits. "And I think you have to be really clearly aware that they want an America which is radically different than the country which was created by those pioneers who first landed back in 1607 at Cape Henry and erected a cross to thank God for having allowed them to cross the Atlantic Ocean."

Gingrich believes people often forget that the first act of the first successful American colony was to "erect a cross at Cape Henry, to thank God for their survival and their salvation, and then to go up to Jamestown to found the colony."

Virginians Call for New Statute for Religious Freedom

By Stephen Strehle

In 1786, our state passed the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which disestablished the Anglican Church. The statute rejected the notion of supporting certain religious denominations and excluding certain people by law from participating in the political process, at least based on their profession of faith. The statute made a monumental contribution to the cause of liberty in the state and helped inspire the disestablishment clause in the U.S. Constitution, which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

Through this amendment, the country decided to distance itself from Mother England and reject the practice of exalting a certain denomination of the church through the power of the national government.

But neither document went so far as to establish an "a-theocracy" in its place and eliminate religious influence from the government. The Virginia Statute and the U.S. Constitution rejected any prior commitment to certain religious groups and their ongoing status, but never pretended that religion and its deconstruction provide no contribution to the people's concept of government or deserve no provisional representation in public.

Since those days, secular forces have worked to create their own hegemony by separating religious people, along with their ideas and symbols, from representation in the government. Secular jurists like Hugo Black and Felix Frankfurter found religion destructive to the government and sentenced its activities to the margins of society, using the United States Supreme Court to erect a "wall between church and state," which is "high and impregnable."

In subsequent cases, the court tried to maintain the wall, but its decisions lacked consistency in trying to do the impossible — separate religious affections from the nation's statutes (morals), symbols, ceremonies and policies. Eventually, in 1971 the court admitted its wall was more like a "line," which seemed "blurred, indistinct, and variable," and in recent cases, it has shown more sympathy toward religious people by granting them some access to public facilities and funding.

Today the court's decisions no longer display the open hostility of the wall, but still labor under an unfair and unclear distinction that seeks to privilege secularity.

This is why the citizens of our state need to support a New Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Secularism is now the enemy of religious freedom, not the Anglican Church.

The new statute is needed to update the old in light of the current threat to religious liberty and provide clear direction to the nation as it did in the past. The purpose of the statute is found in granting religious people access to the public square and recognizing the importance of religion in our civil lives.

The statute rejects the muddled thinking of the Supreme Court in its attempt to define, distinguish and untangle what is secular and sacred, playing a ridiculous name game. It finds a better and fairer distinction by rejecting any guarantees that ensure a permanent place of privilege for any specific religious profession, while honoring and representing the valuable contribution of religion in shaping the civil government.

All of this might not matter if the government stayed within its original, limited role, but the situation has changed dramatically. In an age of large and increasing government, religious people can no longer sit back in their decreasing margin in society and watch their communities fold while the state promotes secularity.

The time is right to press the issue with the election of politicians like Barack Obama and Tim Kaine, who recognize the importance of their own religious affections in shaping their political lives.

You can check out the new statute and its rationale at our Web site: newvastatute.org. Please join us and help our effort to pass the statute.


Strehle is an associate professor of philosophy and religion at Christopher Newport University. He has written a number of books and articles, the latest of which, "The Egalitarian Spirit of Christianity: The Sacred Roots of American and British Government," was published by Transaction Publishers.