Orthodox rabbis and the speaker of Israel’s parliament have raised thousands of dollars to help repair a famous Christian Church torched by Jewish vandals. The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes near the Sea of Galilee was set alight on June 18 and anti-Christian graffiti was daubed on its walls. A crowd-funding Read more
Religious leaders risk fuelling extremism by pretending that all faiths are basically the same, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. The Telegraph reported Archbishop Justin Welby saying faith leaders seemed desperate to hide behind “bland” and “anaemic” statements about what they have in common. This is instead of facing up to the “profound differences” between Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference have written to the group calling themselves Catholic Action and instructed them to cease using the word Catholic in their name immediately. The bishops do not consider the language used by the group in its communications, and actions the group has taken, to be consistent with the way in Read more
Lady Gaga has cancelled her sold-out show in Indonesia after Islamist hard-liners threatened violence, claiming her sexy clothes and provocative dance moves would corrupt the nation’s youth. The controversy was a blow to the predominantly Muslim country’s reputation for combining free speech and democracy with a mostly moderate brand of the faith. Continue reading
The ongoing protests by a Muslim extremist fringe has led to the closure of three Christian places of worship in the province of Aceh, the only province in Indonesia where Shariah (Islamic law) is enacted. According to the radical movement the churches were illegal and they have demanded – under threat – the intervention of Read more