SOPA on a Rope.

Those of you who have gone to the effort of trying to reach pages over at Wikipedia today will have been greeted by the following lovely image:

The Wikipedia Blackout

In fact, Wikipedia were far from alone. Many major web players including Google, Twitter and Facebook have to a greater or lesser degree come out to voice opposition to the proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) bills being considered by the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Scenting blood after the bills received a political setback, the web companies have united and pressed forward with an unprecedented attack in the hope of killing the bills... to hang SOPA on a rope.

On the surface, the basic intention of the bills is to curtail piracy of US media intellectual property on foreign websites and protect the interests of the media entertainment industry... but the problem is that the legislation is just far too clunky.

While Wikipedia has gone dark for a single 24 hour period, there is a very real threat that free expression across the Internet could be at threat and the lights would go out everywhere. As far as I understand it, Web organisations would be responsible for policing their own users for infringements against the act... and preventing the use of  offending material on their websites. Taken to extremes this could very well effect everyone. Do you ever link to a video on YouTube that has not been uploaded by an official source? Everyone does, I've seen my wall on Facebook alone get flooded with unofficially sourced clips from my friends.

It doesn't matter if you are American or not, if you are using a US registered companies platform... SOPA covers you too... Could countless Facebook and YouTube users find their accounts suspended/restricted if SOPA or PIPA passed?

And what of the blogosphere?

I don't think I'd be safe... in no way do I encourage or endorse the acts of online piracy, but regular readers will know that I constantly use music or video clips to illustrate points that I make. Were SOPA or PIPA to become a reality, I have to consider that Blogger/Google might be forced to take steps to stop this kind of behaviour.

I truly believe this would drastically choke free expression and freedom of speech on the Internet. In a speech to the Leveson Enquiry this week, Ian Hislop defended the freedom of press on the grounds that politicians and commentators should balance one another out... too much power in the hands of one is bad news for society as a whole. I'd like to add another party to that concept and make it a triumvirate - the public themselves... us. We are constantly receiving messages from the media and from our leaders but we are not mere receivers of what they have to say, we are in fact transceivers. We have the ability to form our own intellectual and emotional opinions based on our own interpretation of the facts. We ourselves have a voice... a voice that has as much right to be heard as any newspaper editor, film maker, pop star or politician.

Twitter, Facebook, blogs - all of these comprise a major part of that voice... as we have seen only in the last year. When people decide to take hold of a message and spread it, nations can fall and rise again. In fact it is happening now... many thousands of people are becoming mobilised in response to Wikipedia's stance. It has become a talking point and perhaps now the real fight has begun. Were the bills to pass... a lot of the content that has motivated people could be silenced.

At best, SOPA and PIPA represent an ill thought out way of controlling a wild cyberbeast that has outgrown the entertainment industry's limited understanding and outdated business model. At worst, the bills are a cynical ploy by people behind the scenes who fear a Western version of the "Arab Spring", to put a mechanism in place that limits the online exposure of people with highly malcontent views. I'm not prepared to make a pronouncement that heavy but I do think it's worth keeping in mind.

While concluding I'd like to share a quote by Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg which has earned him in excess of 350,000 "likes" and nearly 72,000 "shares". He said:

The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet.


The world today needs political leaders who are pro-internet. We have been working with many of these folks for months on better alternatives to these current proposals. I encourage you to learn more about these issues and tell your congressmen that you want them to be pro-internet.

Obviously as a British citizen I cannot have a direct say in US Law, but as this is is something that affects my own rights and lifestyle, I do believe I have a right to request my own MP (via Email) and Government (via this petition) do all that they can to exert pressure and express my political dissatisfaction at this move. If you believe in a free Internet and enjoy and benefit from making use of its vast resources... I strongly urge you to consider doing something along the same lines.

 

So, please let me know:

• What do you make of SOPA and PIPA?
• Do you intend to make your opinions known to your own political representative?
• Do you think the bills will pass?

The Inner Dark

Amongst the films I am most looking forward to this year, one of the firm favourites has got to be Spider-Man 3.

I'm looking forward to it because it is going to cover the "black suit/Venom" storyline. Essentially the story of Venom has always been to me, a tale about recognising and fighting your own dark side. We all have a dark side, something deep within that urges us to do selfish things that hurt or neglect others. I don't know what you choose to call it, but I call it sin. I wonder if anyone reading these words, is concerned over attitudes they see in themselves that they know are wrong... but feel helpless to deal with?

This particular Spider-Man storyline serves as an excellent parable of how the sinful nature infects us and affects our lives and the lives of others. In the story, Spider-Man comes into contact with an alien symbiont that bonds with him and boosts his powers. However, what Peter Parker does not realise is that this being that he has made a Faustian bargain with, eats away at his soul... making him more aggressive and dangerous and isolating him emotionally from those he loves most of all.

As a Christian, I believe that sin entered the world... and our lives in much the same way:

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. - Genesis 3:6-7

Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." - Genesis 3:13

and:

But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created - James 1:14-18

The Bible also teaches us that sin crouches at our door and desires to have us... but we must master it. Peter Parker, upon realising what this alien creature is transforming him into, is also faced with this daunting challenge. Either to reject the darkness, or be consumed by it.

In the comics and film, the symbiont is vulnerable to intense sound. Our sinful "symbiont" is vulnerable to one sound... the voice of the God who calls out to us in love.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

We have to choose to accept that voice, to accept the offer of grace and forgiveness that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, if we wish to remove our inner demon's from the throne of our hearts.

The central theme of Spider-Man is that "with great power, must come great responsibility". We have been given the most precious power of all... free will. You can choose to embrace your inner darkness, explore the apparent freedoms it gives you... or you can choose to recognise that darkness for what it is, repent of it and ask God to get rid of it.

Of course Spider-Man's choice to reject the symbiont isn't the end of the story... and it isn't for us either. You see, once you cast out the darkness from your heart... it doesn't like being rejected... and will always try to get back in through any chink in our armour - any upset, any character flaw.

We have to learn to grow closer to Jesus and take on his character if we are to effectively combat sin, for the Bible says of Jesus:

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. - Hebrews 2:17-18

Go and watch Spider-Man 3, it will probably be a cracking film... but if anything I have said here has made you recognise something about yourself that needs sorting out, I implore you to address it. If you know you need to get right with God, pray with somebody you trust. If that door doesn't appear open to you.... then I am always here and what is said to me, will remain confidential and sacrosanct.

Unfettered Joy!

I've been thinking a lot about opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses lately and have come to the conclusion that some important changes are going on in me as a person.

In just merrily bumbling along in life, hoping for all the things I wanted... I very rarely looked over my shoulder and contemplated on what I already had. Always with my eyes fixed on the road ahead... I neglected many times to just consider where I was.

For one reason or another I've been thinking about my status in life - 32 and single... but you know what?

SO what!

I'm finally starting to appreciate the freedoms being single affords me... and yeah, maybe I want to settle down... but the Lord gave me these freedoms for a purpose and I'm not ready to surrender them just yet - because I haven't really used them or explored them as I know I can. Nor have I just let my hair down and relaxed around people as I know I want to. In private, I need to start flexing my spiritual muscles and train for what is ahead of me. In public, I need to learn to play.... to just have fun as I am... and not get encumbered by serious relationships that at the present time I don't really have time for.

I was thinking of a quote from a Spider-Man comic this afternoon:

Are you the man who dreamed of being a spider? Or the spider who dreamed of being a man? Are you the one... or are you the other?"

In fact the quote is actually in turn, based on one from the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi:

One night, Zhuangzi dreamed of being a butterfly — a happy butterfly, showing off and doing things as he pleased, unaware of being Zhuangzi. Suddenly he awoke, drowsily, Zhuangzi again. And he could not tell whether it was Zhuangzi who had dreamt the butterfly or the butterfly dreaming Zhuangzi. But there must be some difference between them! This is called 'the transformation of things'.

Now looking upon those ideas literally, they seem silly. However i had a revelation today. there comes a time in a Christian's walk when he must decide for himself:

Are you the man of God who dreams of being a man with a normal everyday life... or are you the man with an everyday life, who dreams of being a man of God?

I thought I was the latter... but more and more I'm confronted with the realisation that I am the former. That isn't to say that Christianity requires the total rejection of all the things we desire in life... but it does require that they be laid on the altar as a willing sacrifice.

There is the old Star Wars philosophical joke: As a boy you want to be Luke Skywalker.... as a man you want to be Han Solo (boys want to do fancy Jedi tricks and have a light saber, men want to get the girl).

I've always wondered why you couldn't have the light saber and the girl. Maybe you can... and maybe one day I will; but for now, if I can serve God better with a "saber and Jedi powers", than I can running off with princesses, then I can do without. If I have to be a monk rather than a scoundrel then so be it. I'll happily take Gas Meter girl for a coffee if she should happen upon my complimentary email... but it ain't the end of the world if nothing comes of it. Yeah I want to bounce my own kids on my knees one day... but that is the bonus... not the sole purpose of my existence.

Grey Rights

Why is it that society is changing in such a way that anything exclusive must be evil?

I am writing of course, in response to the news that the Christian Union at Exeter University has become embroiled in a legal battle over it's membership and enrolment criteria. Now call me what you will, but I believe that if an organisation exists for a specific purpose that fundamentally defines it's very identity, then it has every right to take steps to protect the factors that decide the nature of it's existence.

It is considered rude and bad form to attend a restaurant - be it Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Italian or French... and demand an English dish. You go to those places to partake in their unique flavour and cultural offerings, you don't go to subject them to your own bland demands... or at least you shouldn't. Why should it be any different for religion or gender for that matter?

Why do we all have to go into the cosmic blender and become congealed into a morass of grey blandness? Sometimes I look at other blogs that are emblazoned with the "Embrace Diversity" banner... and I wonder what the authors understand by that statement? I am sure they fall into two groups. There are those who believe that diversity is about believing everything in culture is equal without question... that we should all have a shared morality that encompasses all belief. There are also those who believe that everybody is equal and entitled to their beliefs... but do not necessarily believe that all those beliefs in themselves are equal. I'm more inclined to believe the latter. I think we can learn from one another's beliefs... but I feel we are wrong when we try to supplant our own agenda (be it liberal or conservative) into a belief system. Don't get me wrong... I have nothing against using examples from one religion to suggest that in actuality it is pointing to another... but to actually change a people's religious practices without them changing their religion... isn't conversion, it is just hybridization.

In a couple of earlier posts I've pointed out that I don't think it's right to expect non-Christians to have to comply with Christian standards if they don't subscribe to the faith. Now I'm turning the argument on it's head. I am defending Christianity's right to maintain it's own standards in the face of outside cultural pressure. I don't want to force my culture on humanity... but I expect humanity to share that same level of respect for my culture. I don't want people who have no interest in a relationship with Jesus Christ... dictating the terms of religious doctrine to me - that is irrespective of whether such people are conservative or liberal.

True diversity lies in accepting and respecting people despite what differences you may share.

If we are going to start accusing people of discrimination on the basis of exclusivity... then I am going to start using ladies toilets... it is discriminative to ban men from any toilet on the basis of their gender. Of course I'm not serious... I only intend to illustrate how ludicrous it is to legislate such things.

Poppycock!

I decided to leave this blog until after Remembrance Sunday, because although it relates directly to the subject of remembrance... I did not want to cross swords on that day.

Basically I have been very annoyed at the tactics of Ekklesia, a Christian think tank. I have grown very cynical over the precise nature of think tanks... and I am especially skeptical about the motives of think tank organisations that purport to be speaking out from a Christian perspective - "my own backyard".

Why?

I feel that these organisations are ego driven, attention getting monstrosities... they seek to make a name for themselves and bend society towards their own particular ideologies. What has angered me recently is this story, reported by the BBC last week.

I believe Ekklesia have deliberately and (conveniently for themselves) missed the point. By making anti-poppy statements in the days prior to Remembrance Sunday, they must have known that they would easily spotted on the political radar. Essentially they have stated that the poppy detracts from the Christian message because as a symbol, it implies that redemption can be achieved through military sacrifice.

I can't understand how anyone would seriously believe that. For me, the poppy has always been about remembering the heavy price that men and women have paid in the past... to safeguard the freedoms I have in the temporal world. Their sacrifice holds no meaning for me in terms of eternal salvation... nobody would claim it did... least of all the servicemen, many of whom came back with precious little to hold on to in this life. I know of a Burma veteran who when he arrived back in his hometown, fell out of his taxi and grasped the church gates to regain his footing. Emotionally that man never let go of his desperate hold on those gates... he endured terrible sufferings - but he knew there was a man - Jesus, who lived and suffered unjustly on account of him... and that helped sustain the veteran until he died.

I believe Ekklesia callously did this to make a name for themselves, just like Christian Voice did several years ago. They have conformed to the pattern of this world in their desperate and cynical cries for attention.

I have always remembered the price that was paid for me so that I could live with temporary earthly freedoms.

I will never forget the price that was paid for me so that I could live in eternal freedom with God my Father.

A longstanding tradition of mine during Remembrance Day is to misquote Churchill and use it as an opportunity to remember Christ's sacrifice. Jesus is the Man of Sorrows and is familiar with all our sufferings... sufferings that men who lay down their lives in defence of freedom, to a certain degree share. I will never confuse the differences in magnitude between those sacrifices... no matter what similarities they may share.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

"Never in the field of human history was so much owed by so many to one man."

A Day of Atonement

Today is the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and although I'm not jewish... today has seen an atonement of sorts for me personally.

No, I didn't fast for 25 hours or follow any of the practices of modern Judaism... and I certainly didn't have any bulls or goats sacrificed on my behalf in Jerusalem... for as a Christian, I believe that Jesus' death outside Jerusalem has paid for my sin... or as Matt Redman once put it - the cross has said it all!

Anyway, I digress. The atonement I speak of today is a financial one. Today, the last direct debit on my penultimate loan came out... and siezing the moment, I took the opportunity to alter my final outstanding loan. I will no longer have to wait 18 months to be free... by God's grace I have reduced the timescale down to a maximum of 12 months... and I have changed the nature of my loan, so that I can pay extra amounts if I choose to. Optimistically I could well get the heck out of Dodge by late summer next year!

Glory to God!

OK, so you could argue that I'm ahead of myself here... I'm not free yet, after all. However, to cite an example:

In the United States of America, Independence Day is celebrated on the 4th
July... but the historical fact is that independence had not been secured on
that day. The war did not end... and my people did not recognise
the Declaration of Independence until over 7 years later.

In the same way as America's founding fathers served notice on Britain, I have served notice to my own tyrants... though my enemies are not flesh and blood... but fiscal.

"No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power tyrants and dictators cannot stand. The Centauri learned that lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free." - Citizen G'Kar (Babylon 5 Season 2: The Long Twilight Struggle)

Again I want to use this post as a rally cry to those struggling in sin, debt or any weakness. If I can be free, then any of you can be free... all of you can be free!

You don't have to write what your problem is here... but send me a comment with just your name in it... that can be YOUR signature in your own personal declaration of independence from whatever problems ail you. If your name goes in here... not only are you making your pledge to fight for yourself.... but you have my word that I will at the very least say a prayer for you.

If you want to be free of your chains then give them to Jesus, for this is why he came:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

If you don't feel in a position to do that then lay them here at this door and be assured that those who follow Christ and read this blog... will take up your cause with you. I fundamentally believe that whatever weighs you down today... be it guilt, sin, hurt, fear, illness, bitterness, loss, rejection, neglect, abuse... whatever it is... God would have you be free of it and I offer you the chance to cry out for that freedom here and now!

For freedom's sake write down your name.

God bless you... whatever you decide

N

Feeling Out of Place Among Friends

Have you ever had one of those profound moments, where you just see something in the world about you that serves as a commentary of who or where you are as a person? One such moment happened to me a few years ago. I saw a group of ducks, resting on a small bit of shale underneath Gunnings Bridge.

Nothing unusual in that you might well think, except for one small thing. There amongst the Mallards was a Mandarin Duck... a drake in fact - very distinctive in both appearance and sound and very much alone. All the other ducks tolerated him and seem to get on fine at a distance... but he was still alone, one among many. They let him get on with his business, so long as he didn't interfere with theirs.

A friend told me that he'd probably escaped from a local stately home due to the flooding we'd had - 1998 was a bad year for floods in the Midlands. I thought this was cool, to have an unusual bird wandering in the river... maybe he could hook up with a lady Mallard and make a go of it... a bit of cross species interaction. Sue told me that she thought that Mandarins were too far removed from Mallards to interbreed... and that the other ducks would probably reject him. This made me feel incredibly sad and the feeling has never left me. I think I know why now... because several years down the road... I can see I have travelled a similar path to that Mandarin.

After many years of being trapped in an oppressive relationship, I too found my freedom. I paddled away down the river of life... and found the other ducks. However, most of them made it clear that I was to be tolerated as an anomaly... and not accepted as one of their own. Yeah... I'm a duck and they are ducks, we all do duck like things... we worship the same duck God (Daffy of course! Sorry, just kidding Lord), but as far as many of them are concerned - that is where the similarities end.

What is the point of achieving freedom... of mixing with other people, if they want you to remain on the fringe - just because according to their sociological pigeon-holing, that is where they believe you should be?

That's not freedom.

Having tasted the fresh air and swum in clean waters, I naturally want to do the things that come naturally to me. However it is infuriating when those around me say "No, you are a Nick - you belong here... you do this, you do that. You leave all the relationship stuff to us Mallards. You!? You don't even belong here... goodness only knows where you came from, but you can stay here as long as you dance to the tune we set for you."

I'm not settling for that... and do you know, I think that's why a lot of people do their worst to constrain me all the more.

From a psychological and social perspective, my walk with humanity has been much harder than my walk with Christ. When people become Christians they turn the back on the ways of the World. I had to do more than that, I had to turn my back on the ways of my own little world too. We are on trains heading for the same station.... we are all hurtling away from the sins of our past and heading for the same destination in Christ - but oh how I wish I could join you guys on your train.... but your train never ever seems to stop at the same stations as me.... so how can I make the switch?

OK it's a crude and very thick analogy, but that's what it feels like. Staring across through the window of your empty train carriage and seeing everyone else you know on another train having the time of their lives and waving to you occasionally. That's how it is. That is not how it can stay, or to quote Bruce Hornsby:

They say hey little boy you can't go

Where the others go

'Cause you don't look like they do

Said hey old man how can you stand

To think that way

Did you really think about it

Before you made the rules

He said, Son:

That's just the way it is

Some things will never change

That's just the way it is

But don't you believe them

...and I won't!

I'm not an aberration and neither are you.

Remembrance

Today was one of those rare occasions where I attended my hometown church instead of my regular place of worship. I went to the outdoor section of the Remembrance Sunday service. It was quite moving because the Two minute silence conveniently began on the 1st chime of the clock at 11am, usually it's just a little bit out.

I know that some people have hang ups about Remembrance Sunday because in some places, God is cut out of the picture. However, I feel as Christians we already have insight into the culture of sacrifice... and it is important to give thanks for the spiritual freedom we enjoy eternally and the physical freedoms we enjoy... while they yet endure.

This morning I was watching a clip from "The Last Tommy", where one of the last surviving servicemen from World War I remembered the passing of three of his comrades. For him, Remembrance Day is on September 12th... because that is when his friends were taken and he escaped with an injury. He asked forlornly why they had to die. Some callous minded people might think that after living a long and fruitful life... he might have an answer to that question; but I couldn't help wondering whether he was asking that while reflecting on our world today? Have we let our forefathers down? Have we betrayed the standards that they swore to protect... even unto death?

A part of me sadly would have to answer yes. We as a nation do not treat the freedoms they preserved for us responsibly. Either we abuse them and do things that they would have regarded as abominable, or in the case of our leaders we seek to curb those freedoms.

As a Christian... I do not just believe these men and women lay down their lives for me... I also believe my God lay his life down for me.

Churchill once famously said with regard to the pilots of the Battle of Britain:

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

I say this of Jesus Christ:

"Never in the field of human HISTORY was so much owed by so many to one man."

So I remember the sacrifices of my forefathers and I try to live my life responsibly out of respect for the price they paid for a free Britain. More than this out of remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, I long to live my life in a manner that pleases him... and only in his living strength can I do that.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning... we will remember them...

...but we will also remember HIM!

Remember the dead... but don't forget the Living One... in whom all have hope of new life and resurrection.

Christian Persecution: The International Hall of Shame

You may have noticed a link to the Open Doors Foundation on the right hand side of my blog. Open Doors seeks to assist and encourage Christians who are persecuted in the world. It seems hard to believe it happens from way over here in the nice comfy West... doesn't it? For your information.... I am posting a "naming and shaming" list, of countries who carry out or allow wide scale persecution to take place. If by chance you are reading this and you come from one of them... please do not think I am getting at you personally. The list was compiled using a rating based on a set of questions, it is updated annually and some of the nations on the list (e.g. Turkey), have improved and are continuing to do so. So without further ado:


1. North Korea
2. Saudi Arabia

3. Vietnam

4. Laos

5. Iran
6. Maldives
7. Somalia
8. Bhutan
9. China
10. Afghanistan
11. Yemen
12. Turkmenistan
13. Pakistan
14. Comoros
15. Uzbekistan
16. Eritrea
17. Myanmar
18. Egypt
19. Sudan
20. Libya
21. Iraq
22. Azerbaijan
23. Morocco
24. Brunei
25. Nigeria (North)
26. Cuba
27. Russian Federation [1]
28. Tajikistan
29. Sri Lanka
30. Djibouti
31. Mexico (South) [2]
32. Tunisia
33. Qatar
34. India
35. Nepal
36. Colombia (Conflict areas)[3]
37. Indonesia
38. Algeria
39. Turkey
40. Mauritania
41. Kuwait
42. Belarus
43. United Arab Emirates
44. Oman
45. Syria
46. Bangladesh
47. Jordan
48. Kenya (North east)
49. Ethiopia
50. Bahrain

Copyright (c) 2005 Open Doors International
[1] Muslim republics of the Russian Federation: Chechnya, Kabardino Balkarya, Dagestan

[2] Southern Mexican state of Chiapas

Focus on the Top Ten

1. North Korea ►
The Stalinist country of North Korea is characterized by a complete lack of religious freedom and of many other human rights. For the third year in a row, North Korea heads the ranking as the worst violator of religious rights. Christianity is observed as one of the greatest threats to the regime’s power. The government will arrest not only the suspected dissident but also three generations of his family to root out the bad influence. Our local co-worker reports that at least 20 Christians were arrested for their faith in 2004. It is believed that tens of thousands of Christians are currently suffering in North Korean prison camps, where they are faced with cruel abuses. North Korea is suspected to detain more political and religious prisoners than any other country in the world. Though no exact figures can be given, our staff discovered that more than 20 Christians were killed by open air shootings or by beatings in the prison camps during the past year.

2. Saudi Arabia ►
Also this year, Saudi Arabia is high in the top ten of the World Watch List. Religious freedom does not exist in the Wahhabist kingdom. Its citizens are not allowed to adhere to any other religion than Islam. The legal system is based on Islamic law (sharia). Apostasy -- conversion to another religion -- is punishable by death. Christians and other non-Muslims are prohibited from gathering for public worship. Christians spreading their religion are likely to be imprisoned, as was Indian citizen Brian O’Connor who was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and 300 lashes during the past year. While in prison, he discovered other Christians in prison for their faith in Saudi Arabia. O’Connor was physically mistreated and pressed to convert to Islam, then released unconditionally from prison after seven months and deported.

3. Vietnam ►
New to third place is Vietnam, rising one position. One of the few communist nations in the world, Vietnam considers Christians to be a hidden enemy. Authorities fear that Evangelical Christianity, suspected to be connected to the United States, is being used in a peaceful revolution against the communist system. Although the constitution provides for religious freedom, the government considerably restricts unrecognized religious activities. A new law on religion was introduced during the past year and bans any religious activity deemed to threaten national security, public order or national unity. The new ordinance was also used to prohibit unregistered church services in private houses. More than 100 Christians -- mainly from a tribal background -- were imprisoned. Many were forced to renounce their faith. During Easter, hundreds of ethnic minority Montagnards were arrested or injured and an unknown number killed in demonstrations against religious oppression and confiscation of tribal lands in Dak Lak province. Though the demonstrations resulted from a larger Montagnard issue and cannot be attributed solely to Christian repression, they probably brought additional repression to minority Christians.

4. Laos ►
Laos’ constitution provides for religious freedom in this Southeast Asian country. However, the absence of rule of law and specific regulation on religious matters allows local officials to interpret and implement the constitutional provisions as they choose. Article 9, for instance, discourages all acts that create divisions among religions and persons, and officials use it to prohibit evangelizing and to discourage religious conversions. Decree 92 on religious practice requires that almost all aspects of religious practice be approved by the authorities. During the past few years, religious conditions have improved slightly for Protestant Christians, although intolerance continued in some areas. Several Christians were arrested and accused of engaging in illegal church activities outside of their church premises because they didn’t have an official permit to travel outside of their villages. They were also accused of speaking negatively about the government. Some local officers have threatened to kill believers if they do not renounce their faith.

5. Iran ►
Islam is the official religion in Iran, and all laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of sharia law. Because conservative parties were victorious in the elections (at the beginning of 2004), religious freedom further deteriorated. Although Christians belong to one of the recognized religious minorities who are guaranteed religious freedom, they have reported imprisonment, harassment and discrimination because of their faith. Iranian authorities have banned the Bible and closed down Protestant churches that accept worshippers from an Islamic background. Hundreds of Christian converts were arrested throughout the year. Iranian Christians considered the detention of 85 Christian pastors in September to be the biggest crisis in 10 years. Most of the prisoners have been released, but many reported they received severe beatings and threats in jail. A former army colonel was sentenced to three years in prison for hiding his Christian faith, despite documented proof that the army knew he had become a Christian before he was ever given officer rank. There is a risk that he will be charged before a sharia court. In sharia legislation, apostasy is punishable by death.

6. Maldives ►
In the archipelago of the Maldives, Islam is the official state religion and all citizens must be Muslims. Sharia law is observed, which prohibits the conversion from Islam to another religion. A convert could lose citizenship as a result. It is prohibited to practice any other religion than Islam, which is considered to be an important tool in stimulating national unity and maintenance of the government’s power. Hence it is impossible to open any churches, though foreigners are allowed to practice their religion in private if they don’t encourage citizens to participate. The Bible and other Christian materials cannot be imported apart from a copy for personal use. In the country -- one of the least evangelized countries on earth, -- there are only a handful indigenous believers who live their faith in complete secrecy. The lack of respect for religious freedom in the Maldives remained the same during 2004.

7. Somalia ►
The eastern African country of Somalia is new in the top ten. Less than one percent of ethnic Somalis are Christian, practicing their faith in secret. Having no central government, the country lacks a constitution or other national laws to protect religious freedom. Islam is the official religion and social pressure is strong to respect Islamic tradition, especially in certain rural parts of the country. Somali Christians indicated that they face heavy pressure to join Islam. During 2004, several Christian converts from Islam reported physical assaults due to their new faith, and some had to escape to other villages. In those regions, even the possession of a Bible can lead to a dangerous situation. Three converts were killed by fundamentalist Muslims because of their beliefs. There is a saying that a Christian Somali is a dead Somali -- when discovered, they risk immediate death.

8. Bhutan ►
Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Officially, the Christian faith does not exist and Christians are not allowed to pray or celebrate in public. Priests are denied visas to enter the country. Christians are being deprived of their rights, such as children’s education, government jobs and setting up private businesses. Society exerts strong pressure to comply with Buddhist norms. During Easter, three house churches were raided by the police. The church members were warned not to gather for worship and told that the government considered their meetings to be “terrorist activities.” The import of printed religious matter is restricted, and only Buddhist religious texts are allowed in the country. The lack of respect for religious freedom did not change during 2004.

9. China ►
During 2004, China’s government increased control of religious activities, further restricting them. Three internal directives were issued, aimed at the suppression of conversion of Communist Party members, the growth of religion and religious organizations across the country and the increase of religious activity on university campuses. The government wants Marxist atheism research propaganda and education to be further strengthened. Local Christians reported intimidation, harassment and detention of believers. Several mass arrests took place in which hundreds of unregistered Christians were detained. A Christian woman was beaten to death in custody for handing out Christian tracts. However, the number of believers in both registered and unregistered churches continued to grow.


10. Afghanistan ►
Afghanistan is back in the top ten. Religious freedom for Christians deteriorated mostly because of the influence of Islamic extremists. During 2004, five Afghan Christian converts were killed for abandoning Islam and spreading their new faith. Some parts of the country, mainly in the south and east, are still under the influence of the Taliban. Afghanistan’s new provisional constitution does not provide sufficiently for religious freedom. The document stipulates that the country is an Islamic republic. Followers of other religions are free to practice their religion provided that these practices are within the limits of the provisions of the law and that “no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.” This clause basically gives the official and unofficial religious leaders the right to question every action that they might consider contrary to their beliefs. Blasphemy and apostasy still fall under sharia law and are officially punishable by death. Christian converts face social discrimination and threats.


Countries Where the Situation Deteriorated ►
Apart from Somalia and Afghanistan, the status of religious freedom deteriorated in Iraq, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Whereas Christians enjoy more political liberties than before in Iraq, they are experiencing considerable pressure from fundamentalist groups. Written threats, kidnappings, bombings and murder by Muslim extremists continued to drive tens of thousands of the minority Christian population out of the country. Several churches were bombed in 2004 and many were injured or killed. In some parts of the country, Christian women are forced to cover their heads. The general insecurity allows crimes such as killings, rapes and property confiscations to remain unpunished. Religious minorities are the main victims of this lawlessness and unrest. At the beginning of 2004, the draft constitution was agreed upon. It recognizes Islam as a source of legislation and specified “no law can contradict the universally agreed tenets of Islam.” The vague wording of this provision could lead to clerics holding veto power over the legislative body in determining what is Islamically correct.

The year 2004 saw a wave of arrests of evangelical believers in Eritrea. More than 400 Protestant Christians are currently imprisoned for their beliefs, a clear increase compared to the previous year. The believers suffered severe punishment and were locked in metal shipping containers. Many were put under pressure to renounce their faith. The only authorized religions recognized by the state are Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Islam. A new phenomenon last year was the arrest of Catholics, who are officially recognized.

Although the constitution of Ethiopia provides for freedom of religion, local Christians feel the government controls this freedom. Evangelical believers are not recognized and they report their churches are monitored. Christians experience the most opposition from local authorities and radical Muslims in majority Islamic regions. A number of believers have been imprisoned or have remained in hiding throughout the year because of their faith. Christians from an Islamic background are often fiercely persecuted by family members. Not only are they ostracized from the community, but they also face threats and attacks.


Countries Where the Situation Improved ►

The situation for Christians improved to different extents in Sudan, Colombia, Myanmar, Algeria, Turkey and Qatar.

After 21 years of devastating civil war, which claimed the lives of two million people, Christians in Sudan are cautiously hopeful for the new peace deal. Under the accords, the mostly Christian and animist South will remain autonomous for six years. Subsequently, there will be a referendum on independence from the largely Muslim North. Local church leaders expect the agreement will mean a lot to the Christians in Sudan. They expect to begin to enjoy access to food, water, shelter, medicines and clothing, which they were denied before. Also, as far as we could verify, fewer Christians were killed or physically harmed during 2004 than in the previous year.

Whereas the status of religious freedom did not change significantly in the conflict areas of Colombia, the ranking dropped because fewer Christians were reportedly killed or physically harmed compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, believers in rebel-occupied areas continue to live under pressure and amidst violence, partly because of their faith, although this is not easy to discern. The national army and guerrilla factions accuse believers of being allied with the rival group, although the church holds strong to its non-violence convictions. Guerrilla groups are also blaming the church for discouraging local youth from joining the insurgency. Pastors are kidnapped for money, and many live under threats of kidnapping. Evangelical families are among the thousands of persons displaced by fighting, and believers are killed in bomb explosions.

During 2004, we were able to collect more information on Myanmar during field trips. This information disclosed that religious freedom is less fierce than previously estimated. However, Christian believers still face church closures, major difficulties in registration, prohibition of construction of church buildings, and discrimination in the workplace.

There is an indication of slight improvement in the situation of Christians in Algeria. Threats against churches by Islamists continued, but they remained without repercussions. According to our staff, Algerians are increasingly getting used to the presence of Christians -- even indigenous believers -- and are tolerating them more and more. The indigenous church is growing, and they are able to gather openly with little interference from the authorities. Generally, the government does not interfere in the activities of non-Islamic religions. However, by law it is still prohibited to gather to practice a faith other than Islam, and non-Islamic evangelizing is illegal. Converts from Muslim backgrounds often face strong social pressure, especially from family and neighbors.

The status of religious freedom for Christians in Turkey improved to some extent. Legislation for religious freedom was somewhat accommodated to European Union laws. A Turkish pastor was acquitted of criminal charges for opening an “illegal” church due to the recent reforms. At the end of the year, formal approval was granted for his church -- the first new Protestant church to be built since the founding of the Turkish republic. Small Protestant congregations have often struggled against police and court harassment during the past 10 years. A Turkish TV producer was even sentenced to almost two years in jail for airing false provocations against Turkish Protestants. According to our local contact, the improvement is not really defined in most formal laws or accepted in the minds of the people.

The Gulf state of Qatar enacted its first constitution in 2004, guaranteeing freedom of expression, assembly and religion. Also, five Christian communities were allowed to begin construction of new churches. The Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican and Protestant churches will be the first Christian churches in the country since the seventh century. Before the new constitution was adopted, the Christian communities in the country were illegal but tolerated.


So what do you make of it all. Do you have any personal experiences of persecution? Please list them if you do. This is your place to let the people of the free world know that people still suffer for the name of Jesus.

Tony Blair's Speech

As many regular visitors will know, I am strongly biased against the authoritarian right politics of Tony Blair. Something he mentioned in his speech yesterday, caught my ear. Here is the segment to which I refer:

"The whole of our system starts from the proposition that its duty is to protect the innocent from being wrongly convicted.

Don't misunderstand me. That must be the duty of any criminal justice system.

But surely our primary duty should be to allow law-abiding people to live in safety.
It means a complete change of thinking. It doesn't mean abandoning human rights. It means deciding whose come first"

I apologise for quoting him (it's like using the black tongue of Mordor in the Shire). What he said didn't sit right with me. Those of you who read your bible will know that if you read a version with complex words that you don't understand, it is fairly easy to misinterpret what the Bible is saying. I think Blair's speech was written deliberately to have the same effect.

If you broke down this paragraph in to basic English (especially the emboldened words), you could argue that Blair is sanctioning the imprisonment of the innocent, to ensure the safety of the masses. He seems to be saying "if the Government believes somebody is dangerous... regardless of background, we should put them in jail without evidence or proper trial; in the interests of national security". If that were true, it would be authorising political imprisonment, which is abhorrent.

I'd like your thoughts on that particular segment of his speech, please let me know what you think he is saying.

Disagreeing With Theological Giants

This probably isn’t as in depth as the original, which for some reason disappeared into the ether… great!!!! All thanks to MSN Spaces, where this was originally posted back in 2005.

I think my understanding of spiritual condition and sin is radically different from the versions put forward by both Augustine and Pelagius.

My understanding of “original” sin, is that the guilt for it lies solely with the original perpetrators, but the consequences of it still lie with us. Augustine would probably agree with this but the buck probably stops there.

Augustine would have us believe that our nature is changed to one of evil, that without baptism, we are all doomed from birth; even infants would not escape hellfire. This doesn’t fit with scripture, because scripture teaches us that we are judged by the light we receive. I think that people who have not developed a proper understanding of right and wrong, are not held accountable. God is completely righteous, completely loving and completely just.

Pelagius believed that our nature was essentially good, and that God would not call us to be good if we didn’t have the means within us to achieve this in the first place.

I disagree here with both of them. I agree our nature changed, but not in a sense of good or evil, just in attitude.

What we lost as a race when we fell, was not our capacity to do good, it was our ability to be in direct fellowship with God. This meant that we were made much more susceptible to evil desires. We were acting independently of God. It means that we cannot have a proper relationship with God though, one without true union. Although this makes us sinful, it doesn’t make us inherently evil by nature. Sin, as I have mentioned before came from an archery term meaning “to fall short”. In this state, how we fall short is up to us. We can try and keep God’s commands (but we will fail at some point), or we can openly rebel against God. However, in the final analysis… without God’s intervention both paths unfortunately end in destruction.

As an example, think of a broken tooth that becomes rotten. The break itself will not cause death, but it will attract more tartar and plaque which will lead to it’s death through rotting. We can obey God’s Law (which I suppose is equivalent to brushing your teeth and flossing), or we can openly rebel by refusing to do that and worse… eat sugary foods that we know are harmful.

By observing God’s will for us in our actions, we “clean our teeth”, by acting in rebellion to God we hasten our spiritual demise.

However, observance of the Law in itself is not sufficient (because we will always fail to some degree). The damage done to us means the eventual balance will lead to spiritual death. What we need is something that plugs the gap in our broken tooth.

That, would be Jesus. By dying for our sins, he restored the gap in our broken tooth. No, even more than this… he recreated us in his image, we are new creations… complete in god’s sight through Christ’s sacrifice. We can still sin of course, and that will harm the eventual condition of the tooth… but it will never rot to a point where it dies. This is why it is important to avoid sinning… scripture clearly teaches us that after death, Christians are still accountable for what they do with their salvation, it’s just that the eventual discipline does not result in eternal death.

Where Augustine believed mankind is fundamentally bad, Pelagius believed that mankind’s nature was fundamentally good. I believe that mankind is fundamentally broken, but has a diverse nature… Many of us are on the whole good, many essentially bad… but when we have reached that certain point of accountability in our life, we ALL require divine grace in order to attain salvation.

Both Pelagius and Augustine were of their time, as was Calvin… so I try not be too hard on them.

Calvin used the scripture “those God foreknew, he predestined” to propagate the idea that God only bothers trying to save a lucky few. If that were true, how would you explain the parable of the sower? Or the fact that according to Peter, Jesus preached to the Flood dead?

I find that teaching completely abhorrent. I believe that God loves and reaches out to all, equally and without discrimination. He does this despite the fact he knows people will reject him. This is perhaps the most tragic yet moving thing about his love for us. You might be an atheist from the cradle to the grave, and God will know this... he will know the fruitlessness of reaching out and attempting to save you... but do you know what, even with a 0% possibility of you choosing to accept him... he still reaches out.

There is a much used statement about Christ's sacrifice that is true: If by dying he could only save one person, and that person was you... he'd still do it.

What I believe is also true, is that even if NOBODY had chosen to accept his gift of salvation, he would still have offered it.

Pelagius, Augustine and Calvin all have to some degree or other, valid points. However, they all fall short because they do not have a proper understanding of how time works. They all favour either free will or destiny, without trying to properly explain the role of the other they have rejected.

God is outside of and yet permeates time completely. To him, all the past and all the future is happening in the present tense (can you even imagine the complexity of that?). He knows and loves you to the very core of your being. He knows every choice you have made, and will make, and why you made or will make them. He knows the way you will jump in every conceivable scenario, even when the interaction of others is involved. Each person’s individuality from the dawn of time till the end of days is taken into consideration; we therefore all have free will and the freedom to make any choice we wish. However, God also has a complete and perfect plan for the human race, which we all play our part in. So we have a destiny

That is the beautiful paradox. We are both completely free and completely destined. Recently I came across a proverb, which I believe backs this idea up:

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

So based on my conclusions here and in other blog entries, I believe if I had existed at some point between 300 and 1700 AD, I would have been burned at the stake by at least one denomination.

So on a heresy rating of 1-10, where do you guys rate me? If you think I’m wrong, tell me. If you have your own comments on the thoughts of Pelagius, Augustine and Calvin… do tell. If I’ve gotten anything out of context please comment.

Blessings and regards

Nick

There is a Storm Coming...

Sometimes, the news can get very depressing... but nonetheless, it's good to keep informed.

Last night was a good example. First there was the news that the ID card bill had passed through the first hurdle on it's way to become law. For those who don't know, this is my position:

As long as it was just a photo ID card with basic essential details on it, I'd be fine. However I resent the whole idea of biometric information being stored. I'm also highly opposed to the presence of a computer chip that can update the Government on your movements, every time you are processed somwhere using your ID. The Government has no God given right to know where on Earth I am, nobody does. As for the biological info. As for the bioligical information, I don't see why any government should be allowed to keep this on file. The Blair regime is corrupt enough as it is, however... can you even imagine what a truly maniacal government could do with access to that much data. In a worst-case scenario, if you became a political "problem" and they had access to your DNA; they could create a personalised toxin that would harm you alone. Imagine what Hitler could have done with access to the information that comprises the human genome, and the resources to develop specialised biological warfare. If you had the knowledge and the technological means, you could theoretically eradicate an entire genetic subgroup in a short space of time. That prospect chills me to the bone. Even if that wasn't the case, our biology is none of the Government's darn business. This isn't just something lawbreakers need to be fearful of, it doesn't matter whether or not you've got something to hide... privacy will begin to become a thing of the past. The current thinking on ID cards is barely a few steps away from skin implant tagging. Trust me, you don't even want to go there. Think about it, it would be the end of political free expression... because if you ever became inconvenient... you wouldn't be able to hide. I don't know any charismatically minded Christian who is actively for such a scheme. As it stands, about 84% of the public are opposed to it... so how the heck can Dr Evil (cough cough) sorry Mr Blair, even have the gall to claim that it's what most of the public wants?

As for making us pay for a compulsory scheme that we don't want, that's just taking the proverbial michael. It is no better than rubbing someones nose in excrement.

As if things weren't enough, the next story covered Zimbabwe. What the heck does my country think it's doing? Our Government is deporting asylum seekers back to a country where it knows they will come to eventual harm... probably death. I know asylum is an issue for many people, but Commonwealth countries should receive our priority in my opinion. If a country within the Commonwealth has become oppressive, I feel the UK is honour bound to take in people who flee from it. As a former colonial power, we must not forget that we share a degree of responsibility for the quality of democracy that has evolved. I'm not saying it's our fault. I'm just saying, if we've historically been in a country and messed about with it's power structure, we should be among the first to offer help when the wheels fall off. Even if we can't take them in ourselves, we should at least have an agreement with the rest of the Commonwealth to share out genuine asylum cases among them. The Government will not reconsider it's position, and the deportations will continue. They have however suspended them according to the Times, merely to keep the heat off Blair. Personally with regard to his career, I say let Mr Blair cook. He was a wolf in sheeps clothing from the start. The Commonwealth and the UK need to come up with a realistic and much stronger approach to dealing with Mugabe. What's the point in economic sanctions... the people who end up suffering are the poor and the common man. Dictators like Mugabe are experts at turning the anger and hatred that come from that into political brownie points. All evil dictators need to turn a people to war and persecution, is a scapegoat. Right now Mugabe is laughing because he's got exactly that, and it's us all the way!

We should never pick our fights on the basis of profitability... but on the worthiness of the cause. This is an issue I raised in an earlier, recent posting as well.

As I switched channels, I noticed the sound of thunder erupting across the dark, shrouded sky. Lightning flashed with intensity, as if God and nature themselves were angered by the politics of Britain at the moment. It seemed fitting to me, that according to the reporter, when the ID card vote was taking place, London was at the eye of a black and terrible storm.

Not Good... Defintely Not Good.

Somebody at work is trying to set me up on a blind date, not for me thanks, I know what I'm like and it wouldn't be beneficial! I know in many ways, I just need to chill out, but I just hate situations that are forced.

First of all I like to sound out where a person is coming from, before even approaching them. As far as I'm concerned, a blind date is an artificially generated scenario... and I'd rather get to know a person within a proper social environment first, where there is no danger of expectation, and there isn't a focus on one person (if the conversation isn't going too well, you can always move on and talk to somebody else, no questions asked).

Secondly, I'm not a secular minded person at all, and however "nice" somebody is, I'm always going to be looking at every relationship (platonic and romantic) from a spiritual perspective.
Thirdly, for some bizarre reason, there was a reasonably attractive young lady at church this week, and you never know she might become a regular... it's also possible she's just there to get her bans read and her bloke doesn't want to come along... need to check out that fourth finger next time! This warrants further investigation!

I wouldn't even go on a blind date if someone at church tried to set me up, I'm just not comfortable with the whole idea. I am a self confessed control freak, but this whole thing is giving me bad vibes.

My best mate keeps telling me, that one of my greater faults is that I won't be told. You can't tell me something is good for me, or that I'll enjoy it, because I don't want to be a sheep... I don't like other people pulling my strings. If I want to read something, watch something, chat someone up, it'll be because I'm comfortable with the idea... not because I'm acting on another human being's agenda!

Would people (especially people who don't know me really well) please let me make my own decisions? To quote Tolkien: "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger!"

It's my life (and more importantly it's God's), I would at least like a say in it!

And in the final analysis, we've seen on two separate occasions what happens to me when I go into any kind of relationship without having done my homework properly... it's disastrous.

I'm paranoid that this is going to get set up against my wishes, which will leave me with two options. 1) Don't go... no one has a right to expect me to go to something they know I had no desire to see happen., or 2) Go, and just use it as a chance to witness. That will either scare them off, or get them interested in God. I've got absolutely no intention to pursue anything romantic from such a set-up.

Blair "Terror Warning"

And so we have yet another Terror warning from Uncle Tone. Here's the dictionary definition of the word "terrorise":

v 1: coerce by violence or with threats [syn: terrorize] 2: fill with terror; frighten greatly [syn: terrify, terrorize]

So, yes, we do have hundreds of terrorists within Britain's borders. However, if you look at interpretation 2, it has to be said perhaps one of the biggest and influential terrorists lives behind a black door with No.10 stamped on it? No? I'm sorry, but the politics of fear is just as an effective terror weapon as any c4 explosive package... perhaps more so, because ideas are that powerful.

I do believe there is a real physical terrorist threat, yes of course I do. However, I believe it's being deliberately played up and the politics of fear is being played like a card to bring in REALLY dodgy measures that under normal circumstances, the general public would NEVER accept.

The thing that bothers me, is that I don't see an end to this. I don't trust any of the political parties with our democratic future at the moment. None of them seem worthy of it. I believe if you don't believe in a parties policies heart and soul, you shouldn't vote for them. Why should we have to settle for the least worst party?

I trust Gordon Brown, he seems like a man of integrity to me. However I don't see Blair standing aside until some fancier job comes along... like maybe EU President or err Supreme Potentate (that was said tongue in cheek before any eschatological fiction readers get all excited!).

What hope for this country? It's going to the dogs.

Thoughts anyone?

Human Nature

I'd like to share my views on the controlling aspect of our human nature.

Firstly I'd like to take a look at Genesis chapter 3, principally the bit where man receives his "punishment":

"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken;for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Sometimes I wonder, just how much of that is actually punishment, and just how much is consequence of what Man had become by taking the fruit of the tree and good and evil?

What do I mean?

Well, before the Fall, everything we received came from God. but when we begin thinking like God, start developing independence, we tend so start not to rely on him.... seeking instead to provide for our own needs and the needs of those around us. With this new found ability, you might think God would be pleased at the opportunity to put his feet up.

Yet clearly in the Bible, there are instances where God provides for his people when they call on his name. The Israelites in the wilderness, Hagar and Ishmael at death's door. Over and over, when a person's own resources are spent, they call upon God and he answers.

What is the key to this? I believe the answer lies in the following passage:

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

What does that mean? Well think about a little child for a moment. a child cannot fend for itself, it relies up on it's parents and benefactors to provide for it, until it is ready.

I think that's what Jesus is saying. That we need to stop thinking we have to do this in our strength. That instead we should rely upon his power, trust purely in him... easier said then done, I know. However, I still believe it should be our aim.

After all, all the major instances of revival in this nation have been when people in the Church get on their knees and say sorry for trying to run God's Kingdom for him.

God is sovereign, he alone knows whats best for us as individuals and in the Church as a whole.

We don't need to be INDEPENDENT, we need to be IN DEPENDENCE.

Blessings to you

Nick

Racial Hatred Laws

I've received an e-mail from a friend of mine (thanks Em) regarding the proposed Racial Hatred laws. There are several Christian charities that are getting concerned that should the law be passed, it will severely hamper their work overseas.

Hard as it may seem for many people in the west to believe... there are places in the world where Christianity is still treated with much the same disdain that it received during the early Roman persecutions. There are places in the world where the dominant regional culture (whatever it may be) abuses or persecutes Christians and/or their places of worship.
The fear is, the wide mandate of this new law could technically make it illegal to speak out (in this country) against cultures that condone the abuse of the Church.

We should of course seek to stamp out something that discriminates against people because of their physical/ethnic background. However, I think questioning or openly criticising a persons ideas, motives and beliefs (when done respectfully and in good faith that something is badly wrong), is fair game... and I include my own beliefs, views and motives in that assessment.

I'm saying this as someone who has had to defend their faith from criticism from various quarters. People don't always agree with Christian viewpoints, and that's their prerogative. However, I'd never deny someone the right to question my faith... because then, how could I answer them?

It's for this reason I think religious tolerance should be encouraged rather than legislated.
The Christian charities are worried that they are going to face prosecution for speaking out against human injustices at the hands of religious/ideological extremists.

Incidentally for anyone wanting more info, I've added a link to the charity website Em sent me. Have a look, see for yourself and then decide on your own evaluation what to do!

N

My Testimony

I thought it would be a good opportunity this afternoon, to give anyone reading this an insight into why I became a Christian. Are you sitting comfortably....?

Then I'll begin.

When I was a kid, I was raised by parents who worshipped in an Anglican church. I was in the choir and when I was very young, I'd keep asking my Dad if we could sneak out of the vestry during the sermon, as i needed the loo. However, I very rarely needed it, I actually just wanted to go and look at the big stained glass window of the crucifixion... from the other side. However, by the time I was ready to go to school, Mum and Dad didn't feel the CofE school had a decent standard of religious education. So off I was sent to a Roman Catholic school. This was really good because it meant I had to deal with two different doctrines at an early age... and it meant I questioned my faith early on.

The priest who officiated the occasional school service was a staunch believer in the ideology that "All protestants will burn in hell!!!" I sometimes wonder what he made of me? I always used to go and talk to the boys who'd been serving, and used to talk openly about God with him, and them.

Secondary school was a little different. Again, it was roman catholic, but the priest was totally different. I'd quite often go to confession, but seeing as I wasn't catholic I couldn't confess, so I just had the odd theological chat. By the end of school, the two best R.E. students were me (the Anglican, and another guy was an atheist. There's got to be some irony there.

Now, I'd say at that time, I was religious in the christian sense... but I wouldn't say my faith had become alive yet. In fact, so keen was I to protect my beliefs, I purposely made myself the school clown. I forced people to stay at arms length, because I wanted them to like me, but not love me. I really wish I hadn't done that, because it helped to cut the real me off from other people for a LONG time.

At this time, I was going to a local youth fellowship, and the free and more emotional worship was beginning to have an effect on me, but as yet I couldn't understand what changes that was bringing about within me. I think the first major step was in 1989 during the Billy Graham mission to the UK. I think that was the first time i had a real full understanding that Christianity was not man's attempt to find God, but God's mission to redeem man. Before then I'd probably have been convinced that my works on their own counted for something. I was a bit of a pharisee at school. I talked some of the things that bothered me, over with a counsellor... but most of it I spoke to God about alone (one good thing that came out of my isolationism, is that I tended to communicate with God a lot). The important thing though was that after that I started to listen to Him as well.

In 1991, upon leaving school I became quite depressed, for one reason or another (you don't really need to be burdened with that). It was during that year that after being pelted with eggs and repeatedly told to "Shut Up!", that I had a bit of a breakdown. It was then that i finally realised that the Christian walk is not one to be undertaken in your own strength. There were a few special moments that day, but my outlook for the future had changed somewhat, and the most important thing was that it started to make me more open... to start letting people into my heart... that is something that has gathered momentum in recent years.

Since then, I've made some foolish mistakes, foolish pride and shame made them last longer than they should have. However, I believe that whatever I'd done with my life, I would have ended up at the same point by about July 2003. I really feel, that the first part of my life has been a kind of "playtime" and now the real stuff begins. In some ways I don't think the Nick Payne of any year till about 2000 would recognise the Nick Payne of today. I'm a different creature. I wonder how many of my friends would make the same distinction about the changes in me?

I've changed churches a couple of times, and my role in the church and indeed the Church, has started to become much more involved. There is no feeling on earth like speaking and knowing your God is with you, or seeing something new revealed to you by God in a powerful way. I really believe we are living in exciting times... we are on the cusp of something big and wonderful. My strongest desire, is that the people around me don't miss out on God's promises.

That brings us up to the present day I think. I'll have to do something more light hearted now, because that was a mega heavy entry!

Blessings to you all!

Nick