Tag: Catholic Church

Need a 2012 Voter Guide? Take your pick –

Peanut Gallery – In America, churches can’t force anyone to do anything. Freedom of Religion includes freedom from government interference, freedom of religious choice… and freedom of concsience.

That said – pastors and churches have every right to proclaim the Gospel Truth as they see it. They might be right, they might be wrong – but they are free to say what they want to from the pulpit as long as it conforms to the standards of the particular church or association of churches to which they belong.

Parishoners can agree or disagree and are free to vote with their money and/or their feet. We live in America folks – not Saudi Arabia.

So… here are a selection of voter guides for you to ponder. They are all pro-life, so don’t bother looking for a counter argument here. But they come from different sources and therefore have differing degrees of authority depending on your point of view. This list is not exhaustive and I welcome your pro-life additions that others might be able to use. But it’s a start… and November 6th is only a few weeks away.

From the US Conference of Catholic Bishops –

In this coming election and beyond, we urge leaders and all Catholics to share the message of faithful citizenship and to use this document in forming their own faithful citizenship consciences, so we can act together to promote and protect human life and dignity, marriage and family, justice and peace in service to the common good. This kind of political responsibility is a requirement of our faith and our duty as citizens.

The full document – Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship – may be found here (click on link.)

From the Catholic Spanish Leadership Alliance –

Our lives are filled with grace and blessings too numerous to count. But we are also filled with struggles of every kind. No small part of those struggles is how we feel about certain things and what our individual opinions are about other things. Often we have strong opinions and old habits to which we cling. It seems that in this presidential election year, more than most, we are challenged to reconcile our strong feelings, opinions or old habits with what our Catholic teaching tells us is right and wrong as we come face-to-face with our expressed commitment to our faith versus our public choices in the voting booth.

For the full text of – Catholic Voters Education Guide – please click here.

From the Family Research Council –

FRC Action seeks to fortify the traditional foundations of civil society through efforts to educate, inform and influence elected officials in support of the country’s historic ideals of equality under the law, and the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness on which the nation was founded.

For the full text of –2012 Values Voter Presidential Voter Guide – please click here.

Peanut Gallery: The Faith and Freedom Coalition also has a voter guide that it is sending out to swing state voters, but I haven’t been able to find a free online copy yet. If you know of other pro-life voter guides for 2012, please let me know.

Please pray for King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

Peanut Gallery: Religious freedom in the Islamic world is an oxymoron. Any attempt by an Islamic government to move toward a more tolerant society – no matter how small – is met by fierce resistance.

Imagine that you are the King of Bahrain with all the power of a monarchy – what would you do in this situation? He really can’t win for losing. He has no easy choices.

Please pray for King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa – for God’s wisdom and justice and a clear path through the chaos over which he presides.
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PLAN for CATHOLIC CHURCH MAKES WAVES in BAHRAIN
Published September 03, 2012 – Associated Press

MANAMA, Bahrain – The building of the largest Roman Catholic church in the Gulf was supposed to be a chance for the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain to showcase its traditions of religious tolerance in a conservative Muslim region where churches largely operate under heavy limitations.

Instead, the planned church — intended to be the main center for Catholics in the region — has turned into another point of tension in a country already being pulled apart by sectarian battles between its Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities.

Hardline Sunni clerics have strongly opposed the construction of the church complex, in a rare open challenge of the country’s Sunni king. More than 70 clerics signed a petition last week saying it was forbidden to build churches in the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam. Continue reading “Please pray for King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain” →

Please pray for Libyan believers

September 1-2 | Libya – Thank the Lord for new believers. Pray for them, as they are under a lot of pressure right away. Also pray for the seasoned believers, that they will stay strong in the Lord and will be shepherds for the new believers.

At least 30,000 Libyans died in he civil war which ousted Muammar Gaddafi and sectarian violence continues today – click here.

Wikipedia gives an overview of religion in Libya – click here.

Other than the majority of Sunni Muslims, there are also small foreign communities of Christians. Coptic Orthodox Christianity, which is the Christian Church of Egypt, is the largest and most historical Christian denomination in Libya. There are over 60,000 Egyptian Copts in Libya, as they comprise over 1% of the population.[208] There are an estimated 40,000 Roman Catholics in Libya who are served by two Bishops, one in Tripoli (serving the Italian community) and one in Benghazi (serving the Maltese community). There is also a small Anglican community, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli; it is part of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt.

Open Doors describes the current plight of Christians in Libya here –

Under Gaddafi’s despotic rule, the situation for Christians was already extremely harsh. The secret police restricted church activities and evangelism was criminalised. But after the civil war that led to Gaddafi’s death, the future could be even worse for the church. Because of the unrest, 75 per cent of expat Christians left the country and it is not clear how many remain. The National Transitional Council is expected to implement Sharia and make Libya an even more Islamic state than before. Under their supervision the Saint George’s Church was ransacked when they took control of Tripoli.

Christians in Libya face a dangerous and uncertain future – click here for more detailed prayer concerns.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to
reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim. 2:2)

Pray for Tunisian people

August 31 | Tunisia – Reem (not her real name) and her sister have both met Jesus in a vision. This encounter gave them a deep desire to learn more about Him. They have just received a Bible.

Pray that the precious words of Jesus will come alive to them and that they will surrender their lives to Him, being the firstfruits of an even greater harvest in their family.

Wikipedia describes life for the 23,5000 Christians in Tunisia –

“Since the revolution of 2011, religious violence has increased in Tunisia, primarily consisting of Muslim attacks on Christians and members of other non-Muslim groups. Tunisian journalists and human rights activists were harassed and faced surveillance and imprisonment under harsh conditions. Others were dismissed from their jobs or denied their right to communicate and move freely. The authorities had also prevented the emergence of an independent judiciary, further compounding the problem. Islamist groups have also violently repressed artistic expression that is viewed to be hostile to Islam.”

Tunisia (population 10.6 million) is the smallest country in North Africa with a fascinating history. The self-immolation of a frusrtated Tunisian street vendor was the catalyst that ushered in the “Arab Spring.” For more information, click here.

Open Doors describes expands on the prayer needs of believers in Tunisia – click here.

“I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4)