Religion News : [Shincheonji testify] - 18-Minute Sermons?Pastors Blast TED Ispired Advice

18-Minute Sermons? Pastors Blast TED Inspired Advice

By Tyler O'Neil, CP Contributor

August 9, 2013|4:29 pm


Several pastors criticized the suggestion that 18-minute sermons would be the most effective way to share the Gospel on Sunday mornings, as proposed by a seminary student inspired by TED talks.

Jeff Tatarchuck, an Andrews University seminary student and guest writer on TED, a non-profit dedicated to "Ideas Worth Spreading," suggested pastors limit their Sunday messages to 18 minutes. He argued that shorter messages would make more sermons go viral.

If "the topic is short and simple enough for people to listen and digest the information, it makes it much easier for the audience to take action, which is to share the information with others," he wrote. Making the Gospel short, simple, and shareable would greatly expand the pastor's reach, and bring more people to Christ, he said

While agreeing that they need to broadcast the Gospel as widely as possible, several pastors said that 18 minutes proves extremely insufficient for their mission in the pulpit.

Ken Hutcherson, former NFL linebacker and senior pastor of Seattle's Antioch Bible Church, told The Christian Post, "I guess we'd better make professional football games eighteen minutes – have you noticed how bored they are when the fourth quarter comes around?" Hutcherson found Tatarchuck's suggestion of 18-minute sermons laughable.

"No one can drive over eighteen minutes anywhere because their attention span drops," he quipped. Like some people's morning commute, his sermons go for about 40 to 45 minutes, "and sometimes that's too short."

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Hutcherson, who has spent three years preaching through the Gospel of John, claimed that inspiration from the Holy Spirit and connecting with his audience matter a great deal more than the length of his sermon. He traced the problem back to pastors themselves, who too often make their sermons dry.

"As in the football stadium, people in church get excited by something that stimulates them," he said. To better connect with his congregation, Hutcherson said he studies the word, trusts God, and uses all of himself, "steadied up under the Holy Spirit, I turn myself loose when I get in the pulpit."

"I love TED talks," Ryan Carrell, lead pastor of Indianapolis' The Southeast Project Church, to CP Thursday, but said his focus, like Hutcherson's, isn't on brevity.

Less heavy on step-by-step exegesis, Carrell zeroes in on connecting with people, he said. He acknowledged that every week "there are churched and unchurched, Christians and not-yet-Christians, in the same room." He connects people with biblical narratives, not by holding up biblical heroes, but by linking their struggles with the struggles of his congregation – and showing how God changes everything.

Carrell emphasized that faith grows gradually, over time, in the process of sanctification. His "modern church" uses sermons as a path to relationships with his congregation. "We can do a lot of teaching on Sunday mornings, but discipleship really occurs in those community moments as people are wrestling with faith together, not staring in rows and listening to somebody preaching," he said.

Despite his church's modern style, the Indianapolis pastor said he would never limit his sermons to 18 minutes, because sometimes it takes 40 or 45 minutes to inspire his audience through scripture.

Wallace Henley, senior associate pastor of the 60,000 member Houston Second Baptist Church and columnist for CP, echoed both Hutcherson and Carrell's main points. "What happens when the Spirit of God manifests itself through the world and people are magnetically attracted to it? They want more after 18 minutes," he told CP. Also, "it would be wrong to think that we could truly disciple a person in an 18-minute time span."

Henley also emphasized the need, even in topical sermons, of setting the exegetical background for a bible passage. He said his 40-minute sermons explain the background, why the text was written, and how to apply the passage today.

He related Hutcherson's focus on teaching and Carrell's emphasis on community with the call for discipleship. "You can make a disciple, as Jesus made disciples, in the relationship and the intentional teaching ties, as modeled in the Sermon on the Mount."

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/18-minute-sermons-pastors-blast-ted-advice-101947/#F3DCLsmsQlMFPDvC.99


Source: http://global.christianpost.com/news/18-minute-sermons-pastors-blast-ted-advice-101947/

    Recently, Christianity tries to pay attention to people, so it makes their duties useless. Even though sermons are absolutely part of God, human’s convenience is becoming a standard of many Christians’ activities. Reducing the sermon time is nonsense on the ground that people can be easily boring. It could be possible, however; if the word is truth and word of life, anyone really wants to listen to the word whether it takes one minutes or one hour.

  Word which makes people feel good can be found other places in the world. However, the word of truth, life is nowhere. If people know the word of truth, the time would not be a problem.

[Religion News] - Shinchonji testify : Evolutionism or Creationism?

< Religion News - 6 >

Only 1 in 5 Americans Believe in

 Complete Evolution Without God - New Poll

A woman walks beside an exhibit displaying the evolution of humans, at the Darwin's Evolution Exhibition

 in the Calouste Gulbenkina Foundation in Lisbon February 12, 2009.

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter

July 23, 2013|7:34 pm

A new poll indicates that only one in five Americans believe in evolution without the guidance of God, while a majority at 62 percent believe God played some role in human creation.
The results come from a recent YouGov poll, which was conducted among 1,000 participants in the U.S. from July 8 to 9 and questioned peoples' views on the origins of humans.
The poll asked the question "Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin of human beings," with 21 percent answering "Human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years, and God did not directly guide this process."
A total of 62 percent answered that God had a hand in human creation, with only 27 percent saying "Human [beings] evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years, but God guided this process."
In addition, 55 percent said, "God created human beings in their present form within the last ten thousand years."

A total of 17 percent of participants said they were unsure of the origins of man.

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The YouGov poll says that although these results indicate a small portion of the American population believing in pure, godless evolution, they actually show a spike in pure evolutionists, compared to a poll taken in 2004.

The same question was asked by a CBS poll in 2004 and found that only 13 percent believe in total evolution without God; when the question was asked again in 2008, the number rose to 15 percent, and as seen by the most recent findings, the number has now risen to 21 percent.

YouGov said in a press release that the number of Americans believing wholly in evolution without the influence of God may increase in the coming years, if the trend from 2004 to 2013 continues.

"This number may continue to increase in the coming years, as the belief in evolution without the influence of God is most common among those 18-29 years old, with 31% of those in that age group believing it," the U.K.-based market research firm said in the press release.

The recent YouGov poll also asked Americans what they thought about the teaching of creationism in public schools, with 40 percent saying they favor the teaching of creationism and intelligent design, and 32 percent saying they oppose it; 29 percent said they are not sure.

Of those results, 57 percent of Republicans favor the teaching of creationism, compared to only 30 percent of Democrats; only five percent of Republicans believe God played no role in human creation or evolution.

YouGov, an internet-based, international market research firm founded in the U.K., conducted the survey among a "representative sample of 1,000 Americans" earlier in July.

Read more at http://global.christianpost.com/news/only-1-in-5-americans-believe-in-complete-evolution-without-god-new-poll-100727/#dPgQwsWQeyRVLwyA.99

  Which one is the truth, Evolutionism or creationism? Scientists and Christians have argued continuously about this controversy. We cannot ignore these two theories easily. If you realize the real truth, you can find out the answer that can lead you to the right way.
  
  God had hidden the truth, the secrets of the Bible, through the parables, and the meaning of the creation of heaven and earth is not an exception. The contents of Genesis are in parables, so it has deeper meaning that we should understand. The creation of heaven and earth is the re-creation of new heaven and earth, and it is the spiritual meaning.
 
  It is time to realize the true meaning of the creation of heaven and earth. Shinchonji can explain this, so you can understand the words of God that he wanted to tell us. Come and listen to the word of God in Shinchonji.

 Belief in Shinchonji, belief in God! That comes from only through the bible. Please come and see what is the truth and the belief God wants from us. 

Religion News 5 - Audio Version of Bible Now Available in 733 Languages

Audio Version of Bible Now Available in 733 Languages


July 13, 2013|12:58 pm

New Mexico-based ministry has added eight more languages to its Scripture recordings, which are now available in 733 languages with the potential of reaching three-quarters of the world's population with the Gospel. The ministry offers free access to its digital resources.

"Whether it be through resources, technology, our talented and dedicated staff, or ministry partners from all over the world, God's provision continues to make our work possible," said Jerry Jackson, founder and president of Faith Comes By Hearing, in a statement announcing the newest additions.

The new languages include Awajun from Peru; Canela from Brazil; Chadian Arabic and Kenga from Chad; Tharaka from Kenya; Toura from Cote d'Ivoire; and the Copala dialect (part of the Trique dialects) and Yatzachi dialect (of the Zapoteco dialects) from Mexico.

Chadian Arabic is the largest people group from these new releases, while the smallest is Canela, spoken primarily in Brazil, the ministry said. The new releases represent more than 1.4 million people who now have God's Word in audio available in their heart language.

The 733 languages collectively represent a potential outreach to more than 5.7 billion people in more than 189 different countries.

Faith Comes By Hearing offers free access to its digital collection of Scripture via streaming, downloads, and podcasts. The ministry has also developed apps, like Bible.is and Deaf Bible.is.

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To reach out to those who do not have regular access to the Internet or mobile devices, the FCBH provides audio versions of New Testaments via its 330,000 solar-powered proclaimers.

The FCBH seeks to help fulfill the Great Commission in this generation by providing access to the Word of God in every translated language. Its mission is to "record and use heart-language Audio Bibles to bring His church together and make disciples from every nation, tribe, language, and people."

The audio version of the Bible is significant because 50 percent of the world's population is illiterate, the ministry says. "A vast majority of people living in underdeveloped countries cannot read the Word of God, even when it is translated in their own language … The easy accessibility of our Audio Bibles makes them an effective tool in spreading the Word to every person around the world who wants or needs to hear about God's Love.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/audio-version-of-bible-now-available-in-733-languages-99989/#PD6xGOd8i0lVy88u.99

Source:http://global.christianpost.com/news/audio-version-of-bible-now-available-in-733-languages-99989/


    The audio version of the Bible will be helpful for people who do not easily access to the Bible. They can hear the words of the Bible easily, and they can accept the words of God more through this version. As the Bible translated into all languages in the world, I hope people in the world would realize the true meaning of the Bible and believe it to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Religion News 4 - Alabama Preacher Becomes Pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church at 19 Years Old

< Religion News - 4 >

Alabama Preacher Becomes Pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church at 19 Years Old
Courtney Meadows, Preaching Since the Age of Six, Believes He's Been 'Called' by God to Ministry

By Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Reporter

July 9, 2013/1:53 pm

(Photo: Facebook/Courtney D. Meadows)

Courtney Meadows, 19, was installed as pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church in White Hall, Ala., on Sunday, June 30,

Courtney Meadows, currently 19 and preaching since the age of six, was finally able to answer his calling when he was installed as pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church in White Hall, Ala., during a recent and well-attended Sunday service.

"I can honestly say, there has never been a time when I couldn't imagine myself preaching," Meadows told the Montgomery Advertiser. "I always make this statement: If I'm not preaching, life is not worth living for me, because I know that's what I've been called to do."

Meadows couldn't help but smile, and the congregation laugh with him, when the presiding bishop mentioned during his installation service the New Testament requirement for a church leader to be the husband of one wife and manage his children — "when the time comes," the bishop added.

Despite his age, the 19-year-old minister has been described as an "old soul" for his spiritual insight, a "blessing" and an "exceptional leader." Meadows, according to his mother, started asking questions about God when he was three years old, preached his first sermon at the age of six, became a licensed minister at age nine, and was finally ordained when he turned 18.

The "highly requested and gifted preacher and speaker," as noted on his website, will have his mother become acting first lady of First Missionary Baptist Church. She told the local paper, "He's always been an extraordinary child. Just different. He really loved to go to church and worship God."

The Rev. L.L. Brown Sr., who has led the White Hall church for more than 40 years, said of Meadows, "I've met a lot of preachers, but he stands out to me."

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"I thank God for this young man," the reverend added.

Meadows' mentor and pastor of the past seven years, the Rev. Ezekiel Pettway Sr. of Maggie Street Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery, called it a blessing to be "used by God at such a young age." He added that he "always knew there was greatness" in the teen minister.

The teen pastor, who has excelled at public speaking throughout his academic career, is studying marketing full time at the University of Montevallo, where he is president of the Student Government Association.

Meadows travels regularly to speak at various churches in Alabama as well as across the nation, recently making a stop at Riva Tims' Majestic Life Church in Orlando, Fla. In addition to his speaking engagements, new pastoral role and serving as leader of his university's student government, the young minister is also the National Youth Director for the The Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute.
"Although anointed by God while in the womb of his mother, Pastor Meadows affirmed his call to the Evangelistic Ministry at age six and has since devoted his life to empowering mankind through the gospel of the Kingdom of God," reads the teen's biography.

During his installation ceremony, Meadows thanked the First Missionary Baptist Church congregation for "taking a risk" on him as their new pastor. The church's former pastor, Meadows' mentor as well as the church's board of deacons and trustees were expected to help guide the young minister.

Meadows' story might bring to mind that of another young preacher who attracted national attention when he was featured on ABC News in 2012. Ezekiel Stoddard, 12 years old and ordained as minister at his parents' independent Fullness of Time Church in Capitol Heights, Md., has spoken clearly of the moment he believes he was called by God to preach the Gospel.

"When I was about 7-years-old God spoke to me. He was saying, 'Son, I want you to do my will. I want you to preach the Gospel,'" Stoddard has said. "I can't describe what the voice sounded like but it was the voice from God because when that Man comes by and tells you to write a sermon, an eight-page sermon? He'll give you everything."

Read "Md. Boy Ordained as Pastor, Claims God Called Him to Preach" for more about Stoddard.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/young-alabama-preacher-becomes-pastor-of-first-missionary-baptist-church-at-19-years-old-99669/#EwU6s8oBzZ3TqVKd.99

Source:http://global.christianpost.com/news/young-alabama-preacher-becomes-pastor-of-first-missionary-baptist-church-at-19-years-old-99669/

   A vocation of pastor is to preach the word of God to the whole world. Starting sacred vocation in young age is so remarkable thing, and it is a very honored job that used by God.    

   However, people cannot understand the whole word of Bible by their own power. Realizing the true meaning of Bible can be possible by being with the Holy Spirit, the Counselor.

 * but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  – 1Co 2:10

   We cannot understand God’s will without the Holy Spirit even though a preaching is so excellent.  

  Then, who is the pastor that preaches the word of truth and is being with the Holy Spirit? The proof is that the promised pastor testifies the prophecies and its fulfillments which no one in heaven and earth could open or solve (Rev 5: 3).

One important thing we should remind is that there is the promised pastor who preaches the word of truth, prophecies and fulfillments in Shincheonji. This means that Shincheonji is the right place to find out the word of truth.

 I hope that you come to Shincheonji and listen to the word of truth. You can be a real believer loved by God.   
 

Religion News 3 - People Hunger for Truth and Love Today

<Religion News - 3>

06/28/2013 14:05

VATICAN

Pope: Christian unity, an "urgency" in a world "hungry for truth and love"

Francis receives Ecumenical Patriarchate delegation in Rome for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The Pope and Bartholomew, who sent a message, highlight how the search for unity is not the compilation of different opinions promulgated to integrate in a harmonious way, but the revelation of the one truth expressed through and in the divine person of Jesus Christ.

 

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Christians cannot escape the "urgency" of the search for unity, in a world "hungry and thirsty for truth, love, hope, peace and unity." On the occasion of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the Church of Rome, these are the sentiments echoed by the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who - as has now become customary since 1969 - has sent a delegation - and a message - for the celebration

The Orthodox delegation, led by Ioannis (Zizioulas), Metropolitan of Pergamon, co-chair of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was received by Francis, with whom he then had lunch.

The search for unity, in the words of the Pope, "is important for our own witness, to finally announce with one voice the good news of the Gospel."

"I am confident that the effort to reflect together, complex and laborious though it is, will bear fruit in due course. I find it reassuring to know that Catholics and Orthodox share a notion of dialogue that is not about seeking a theological lowest common denominator on which to reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening our grasp of the sole truth that Christ has given to his Church, a truth that we never cease to understand better, as we follow the Holy Spirit's promptings".

"Our faith - writes Bartholomew in his message - is not a compilation of diverse opinions promulgated to integrate discussion in a harmonious way; it is the revelation of the singular truth expressed through and in the divine person of Jesus Christ".

"We are not ignorant - he adds - We are not ignorant of the existing impediments to the desirable unity of all Christians. Nevertheless, we shall not cease working with all our strength and aspiring to the All-Holy Spirit. Today, the same Spirit also renders us "bold heralds" of Christian unity."

The Ecumenical Patriarch also emphasizes simplicity that characterizes the style of Pope Francis. "This spirit - he adds - must surely also characterize relations among Churches and Christians, who for reasons known to the Lord are divided today." "It is our personal hope that the incomplete dialogues among the various Churches - and especially the dialogue between our two great Churches of Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, a dialogue of love, theology and truth - will continue to bear fruit in a spirit of simplicity and fraternity, of mutual understanding and truthfulness, in order to bring about the desired result of rapprochement through the unique authenticity in Christ".

"We must not - concluded the Pope - be afraid of encounter and true dialogue. This does not lead us away from the truth; rather, through an exchange of gifts, it leads us, under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth, towards the whole Truth.

 

Source: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-Christian-unity,-an-urgency-in-a-world-hungry-for-truth-and-love-28334.html

 

 

There are many people who preach the word of God to the world; however, why people hunger for the truth and love?

The reason is that they do not know the real truth and love. How can we find the real truth and love? What is the truth and love that God told to us?

 At the time of the First Coming, Jesus gave the truth, the word of revelation from heaven, to his disciples (Jn 17:14-17), and he showed the true love to the world (Jn 13:34). When Jesus left to prepare a place for us, he promised that he will send another Counselor for us (Jn 14:16). The Counselor whom God will send in Jesus name is the spirit of truth (Jn 14:17), so he will testify all things in the Bible that Jesus said figuratively and will remind everything that Jesus said to us (Jn 14:26, Jn 16:25). As God came to Jesus and preached the word at the time of the First Coming, the spirit of truth comes to the promised pastor and tells the word of Jesus.

The promised pastor who be with this Holy Spirit, speak and work with this Counselor and testify the fulfillment and prophecies of Revelation and parables about kingdom of heaven. The time that Counselor comes to the world is the time that the Revelation is fulfilled. Today, here Shincheonji testifies the prophecies and fulfillments of the Revelation and all secrets in the Bible that no one can solve in the world, so it is the proof that the Counselor who Jesus promised to us came to Shincheonji. Also, the promised pastor who is with the Counselor is right in the Shincheonji, so Shincheonji is the place that the Holy Spirit is with.

Shincheonji is the only one place that people can realize the truth in the Bible. People who realize the real truth can execute the true love, a new command that Jesus told to us. If you love Jesus, you should obey his teaching (Jn 14:23). Therefore, anyone who believes and loves Jesus should find the pastor who works with the Counselor. Then, they should follow the promised pastor, and they should listen to the word of truth.

 
   Come and Listen to the word of truth, here Shincheonji!! You can find the real truth and the true meaning of love that Jesus wanted to tell us. Let us be the one who keeps a new command that Jesus gave to us!!

Religion News - No one is useless in the Church, we are all equal and necessary

< Religion News – 2 >

 

Pope: No one is useless in the Church, we are all equal and necessary.

At the general audience Francis illustrates the concept of the Church as a temple built of "living stones". "The Church is not a mix of things and interests, but it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the temple in which God works." "There is nothing worse than a tired, bored, indifferent Christian: it is bad, wrong, a Christian must be joyful to be a Christian, to be a part of God's people."

 

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - In the Church "No one is useless, we are all needed to build the temple made up of living stones", "nobody is secondary", "we are all equal, and if someone says, but you, Mr. Pope, are more important, it is not true, we are all equal. " This is how Francis summed up, the concept of the Church as the temple of living stones today, speaking to 70 thousand people present in St Peter's Square for this last general audience before the summer break. They will resume on August 7.

"The word temple - he said - makes us think of a building, a building and the mind goes to the history of the people of Israel" who had built the temple in Jerusalem, in which there was the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of the law, the manna and the rod of Aaron, signs that God was always close to the people, he had guided and accompanied their steps. "

"The ancient temple was built by human hands, was made to give a home to God", "The Church is the temple in which dwells the Holy Spirit, who animates, guides and sustains her. If we ask ourselves, "Where we can meet God? Where can we enter into communion with Him through Christ? Where can we find the light of the Holy Spirit to enlighten our lives?" the answer is, "in the People of God, among us, for we are Church - among us, within the People of God, in the Church - there we shall meet Jesus, we shall meet the Holy Spirit, we shall meet the Father. The ancient temple was built by the hands of men: they wanted to "give a home" to God, to have a visible sign of His presence among the people. With the Incarnation of the Son of God, the prophecy of Nathan to King David is fulfilled (cf. 2 Sam 7.1 to 29): it is not the king, it is not we, who are to "give a home to God," but God Himself who "builds his house" to come and dwell among us, as St. John writes in the Prologue of his Gospel (cf. 1:14). Christ is the living Temple of the Father, and Christ himself builds His "spiritual home", the Church, made not of stone materials, but of "living stones" - of us, our very selves. The Apostle Paul says to the Christians of Ephesus: you are "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone: in whom all the building, being framed together, groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord.(Eph 2:20-22)" How beautiful this is! We are the living stones of God, profoundly united to Christ, who is the rock of support, and among ourselves. What then, does this mean? It means that we are the Temple - the Church, but, us, living - we are Church, we are [the] living temple, and within us, when we are together, there is the Holy Spirit, who helps us grow as Church. We are not isolated, we are People of God - and this is the Church: People of God".

"The Church is not a weave of things and interests, it is rather the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Temple in which God works, the Temple in which each of us with the gift of Baptism is living stone. This tells us that no one is useless in the Church - no on is useless in the Church! - and should anyone chance to say, some one of you, "Get home with you, you're useless!" that is not true. No one is useless in the Church. We are all needed in order to build this temple. No one is secondary: "Ah, I am the most important one in the Church!" No! We are all equal in the eyes of God. But, one of you might say, "Mr. Pope, sir, you are not equal to us." But I am just like each of you. We are all equal. We are all brothers and sisters. No one is anonymous: all form and build the Church. Nevertheless, it also invites us to reflect on the fact that the Temple wants the brick of our Christian life, that something is wanting in the beauty of the Church".

"All together no one can leave." But, " how do we live our being Church? We are living stones? Are we rather, so to speak, tired stones, bored, indifferent? Have any of you ever noticed how ugly a tired, bored, indifferent Christian is? It's an ugly sight. A Christian has to be lively, joyous, he has to live this beautiful thing that is the People of God, the Church. Do we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, so as to be an active part of our communities, or do we close in on ourselves, saying, "I have so many things to do, that's not my job."? "May the Lord - concluded the Pope - grant us His grace, His strength, so that we can be deeply united to Christ, the cornerstone, stone of support for all of our lives and the life of the Church. Let us pray that, animated by His Spirit, we might always be living stones of the Church."

Source : http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-No-one-is-useless-in-the-Church,-we-are-all-equal-and-necessary-28305.html

 

No one is useless in Church, we are all equal and necessary. However, if we know the true meaning of living stone and the temple of Holy Spirit, we could find out what is the truth that we should seek. We should know the spiritual meaning of the living stone and the temple according to the Bible.

Religion News -1 Aung San Suu Kyi has criticised

< Religion News - 1 >

  Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has criticised a proposal by nationalist monks to restrict marriages between Buddhist women and men of other faiths, describing it as a violation of human rights, a report said Friday.

  YANGON: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has criticised a proposal by nationalist monks to restrict marriages between Buddhist women and men of other faiths, describing it as a violation of human rights, a report said Friday.

  "This is one-sided. Why only women? You cannot treat the women unfairly," Radio Free Asia quoted the Nobel Peace Laureate as saying in an interview. 

  "I also understand that this is not in accordance with the laws of the country and especially that it is not part of Buddhism," the veteran activist said.

  "It is a violation of women's rights and human rights."

  Under the proposal -- spearheaded by the controversial Mandalay cleric Wirathu -- non-Buddhist men wishing to marry a Buddhist woman would have to convert and gain permission from her parents to wed or risk 10 years in jail.

  The idea was raised at a recent meeting of more than 200 monks called to discuss a surge in Buddhist-Muslim violence in the former junta-ruled country.

  Wirathu said the law was needed "because Buddhist girls have lost freedom of religion when they married Muslim men".

  Senior clerics have distanced themselves from the proposal while women's rights groups have voiced opposition.

  Sectarian bloodshed -- mostly targeting Muslims -- has laid bare deep divides that were largely suppressed under decades of military rule which ended two years ago in the Buddhist-majority country.

   Radical monks -- once at the forefront of the country's pro-democracy movement -- have led a campaign to shun shops owned by Muslims and only to visit stores run by Buddhists. Some were also involved in the religious unrest. 

  Suu Kyi has been accused by some international human rights activists of failing to clearly condemn the anti-Muslim violence.

  Dozens of people were killed in clashes in central Myanmar in March while about 200 people died last year in sectarian unrest in the western state of Rakhine.Last month Suu Kyi criticised a controversial ban imposed on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine having more than two children.

- AFP/sb

Source : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/suu-kyi-slams-proposed/719918.html

 

   People have freedom of religion, so no one can unduly oppress to others’ religion through marriage. However, if we achieve the unification of religion, we do not have to fight and harm each other. Thus, the unification of religion is urgent problem.