"The threat of this radical Islam is not abating. It is growing. It is spreading across the world. It is destabilising communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalisation."For background, read the myriad professing Christians arrested in the UK, and the court cases ruling against Christians.
-- Tony Blair, former prime minister
Also read Christians Becoming Extinct in 9 Western Nations as well as European Union Drops Christmas in Favor of Non-christians
. . . and on this side of the pond, Congress: America No Longer a Christian Nation as demonstrated by President Obama's National Cathedral: the Seat of Apostasy
In addition, read American Decline: President Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians
-- From "Stand up for our Christianity, David Cameron tells UK" posted at BBC News 4/16/14
Britons should be "more confident about our status as a Christian country", Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
Although he described himself as a "classic" member of the Church of England - "not that regular in attendance, and a bit vague on some of the more difficult parts of the faith" - he rejected the idea that in an "ever more secular age" people should not talk about their religion.
"Crucially, the Christian values of responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, and love are shared by people of every faith and none - and we should be confident in standing up to defend them," he wrote.
Last week, in his Easter message, he spoke of the "peace" he found in Christianity.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cameron’s Description of Britain as ‘Christian Country’ Draws an Angry Response" by Steven Erlanger, New York Times 4/21/14
The fuss over the [prime minister's] remarks fit into the debates on national identity that are going on all over Western Europe, in the face of increasing immigration, especially from non-Christian societies. The debate is particularly striking in Britain, an ancient kingdom . . .
[PM David Cameron] wrote: “I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organizations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people’s lives.” Britain has an established church, the Church of England, which is Christian and whose “supreme governor” is the queen; Mr. Cameron is a member.
But his effort to head off criticism failed, and his article prompted a four-paragraph letter to the British daily newspaper The Telegraph, signed by 56 prominent people, including scientists, authors, broadcasters and comedians. . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Former archbishop of Canterbury: We are a post-Christian nation" by Tim Ross, Cole Moreton and James Kirkup, UK Telegraph 4/26/14
Britain is now a “post-Christian” country, the former archbishop of Canterbury has declared, as research suggests that the majority of Anglicans and Roman Catholics now feel afraid to express their beliefs.
. . . an exclusive poll for The Telegraph today discloses . . .
• Almost two-thirds of practising Christians appear to be frightened of speaking out about their beliefs. The poll found 62 per cent saying the rise of religious fundamentalism had made Christians afraid to express their faith;To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
• Widespread concerns also emerge over the perceived vulnerability of Christians in the UK to abuse or discrimination. Sixty-two per cent of people who hold Christian beliefs but do not worship regularly say they feel Christians are given “less protection” than other religious groups by the state.
From "Rowan Williams Says Britain Is a 'Post-Christian' Nation" By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor 4/28/14
Britain is "post-Christian in the sense that habitual practice for most of the population is not taken for granted," Williams, who is now master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, told The Telegraph in an interview. "A Christian nation can sound like a nation of committed believers, and we are not that."
He expects "a further shrinkage of awareness and commitment" due to a lack of knowledge about Britain's Christian legacy among younger generations, who could bring "a certain freshness" as they will not see Christianity as "the boring old stuff that we learned at school."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Tony Blair: west must take sides against growing threat of radical Islam" by Patrick Wintour, political editor, UK Guardian 4/23/14
Western military intervention in the Middle East has so far failed due to the distorting impact of an Islamic extremism so opposed to modernity that it could yet engender global catastrophe, Tony Blair warned on Wednesday in a keynote speech on the state of politics in the Middle East.
[He urged the west] to counter the Islamic extremism that lies at the root of all failures of western intervention.
He said: "For the last 40 to 50 years, there has been a steady stream of funding, proselytising, organising and promulgating coming out of the Middle East, pushing views of religion that are narrow minded and dangerous. Unfortunately we seem blind to the enormous global impact such teaching has had and is having.
Insisting that the west had to take sides, he described Islamic extremism as "not about a competing view of how society or politics should be governed within a common space where you accept other views are equally valid. It is exclusivist in nature. The ultimate goal is not a society which someone else can change after winning an election. It is a society of a fixed polity, governed by religious doctrines that are not changeable but which are, of their essence, unchangeable."
"But what is absolutely necessary is that we first liberate ourselves from our own attitude. We have to take sides. We have to stop treating each country on the basis of whatever seems to make for the easiest life for us at any one time. We have to have an approach to the region that is coherent and sees it as a whole. And above all, we have to commit. We have to engage"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read CBS News Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates
