Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Friday, December 06, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Pre-Christmas Party Angers Dutch Campaigners
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Call Off Christmas? Berlin Rebrands Religious Holidays On Equality Grounds
Saturday, January 07, 2012
The Coptic Orthodox celebration follows an escalation in violence against the minority, an estimated 10 per cent of Egypt’s 85 million people, over the past year.
Many Christians blamed a series of street clashes, assaults on churches, and other attacks on radical Islamists who have become increasingly bold after Mr. Mubarak’s downfall.
Celebrations of Orthodox Christmas began with a late night Friday Mass at Cairo’s main cathedral, which was attended by prominent figures from across Egypt’s political spectrum. They included leaders of Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose associated political party has won nearly half the seats in parliament. » | Sarah El Deeb | The Associated Press | CAIRO | Saturday, January 07, 2012
Friday, December 30, 2011
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through Nigeria, not a creature was stirring except for the members of the militant Islamic sect Boko Haram, preparing to bomb Christian churches across the country and setting on fire the cars of worshippers inside a church just outside of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state.
Christmastime in the United States now brings with it a new tradition that is becoming as familiar as eggnog, mistletoe, and the Macy’s Parade: skirmishes in the ongoing cultural war on Christmas. But as the recent attacks in Nigeria prove, in Muslim lands around the world there is also a very real and very violent war on Christmas, or more specifically on Christians themselves minding their own business in peaceful celebration of the birth of Jesus.
In Iraq, for example, all Christian services and masses were scheduled for daylight hours. Why? “Midnight Christmas Mass has been canceled in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk as a consequence of the never-ending assassinations of Christians,” bluntly stated Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. In Egypt, where we are witnessing the outright, state-assisted genocide of the dwindling Coptic Christian population, churches were also threatened with violence. Christian prisoners in Pakistan, incarcerated for such crimes as blasphemy against Islam, were refused Christmas Day visits from their families. Read on and comment » | Mark Tapson | Friday, December 30, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis,
Laudamus te, benedicimus te,
adoramus te.
Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi,
propter magnam gloriam tuam.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Church leaders have hit out at a branch of McDonald's which is to open on Christmas Day.
A Muslim branch manager has been drafted in by the fast food outlet to cover for the usual boss who is taking the day off and staff have volunteered to work that day for seven hours.
Parish Rvd Wayne Stillwell said the decision to open the branch showed 'the continuing decline of Christendom in this country' and his reaction was 'one of great sadness'.
He added: 'I’m sad that we’ve got to this point in our society where something that means as much as Christmas seems to mean so little.
'It shows the continuing decline of Christendom in our country.' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Friday, December 02, 2011
This year, Christmas has been stolen by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee. Chafee is one of those rare old birds, a liberal Republican. And Republican liberals are the worst kind of liberals because they think they’ve got something to prove. In a display of tolerance that no one asked for, Chafee renamed the 17-foot blue spruce tree in his statehouse “the holiday tree”. Fox News was indignant. Anchor Steve Doocy pointed out that the holiday tree was bought on a Christmas tree farm. Not only that, but it looks an awful lot like a Christmas tree and it was erected in celebration of … Christmas. So why rename it? Doocy put a phone number up on screen and urged viewers to call Chafee to complain. “Give him a little surprise,” he said. “It’s just an hour and three minutes until the governor's office opens.” Read on and comment » | Tim Stanley | Friday, December 02, 2011
Friday, January 07, 2011
LE POINT: De nombreux fidèles ont assisté à la messe de minuit, rassurés par la sécurité renforcée après l'attentat du 1er janvier.
Il n'y a pas eu d'attentat en Égypte durant la nuit du 6 au 7 janvier, et les coptes-orthodoxes ont pu assister aux offices de Noël en toute quiétude, mais non sans tristesse. C'est un Noël de deuil tant la tragédie du 1er janvier - l'explosion d'une bombe qui a fait 22 morts et plus de 80 blessés à l'église des Saints à Alexandrie - est présente dans les coeurs. Du reste, dans divers gouvernorats, la messe de Noël est célébrée à l'intention des victimes du nouvel an.
Le calme qui a régné durant les cérémonies religieuses était prévisible. L'État avait adopté des mesures de sécurité exceptionnelles pour protéger les chrétiens lors de la messe de minuit, au Caire comme dans tout le pays. Plus de 70.000 policiers étaient en fonction à travers l'Égypte, et, dans les grandes villes, des barricades empêchaient toute voiture de stationner devant la façade des lieux de culte. Près de l'église des Saints, à Alexandrie, un camion anti-émeute laissait entrevoir des canons de mitraillettes à travers ses fenêtres étroites. Des centaines de fidèles avaient tenu à assister aux offices dans cette église où une main criminelle avait semé la mort le jour de l'an. Colère >>> Par Denise Ammoun, la correspondante du Point au Caire | Vendredi 07 Janvier 2011
LE POINT: En France, Noël copte sous haute sécurité >>>
WELT ONLINE: Islamisten bestrafen wachsenden Mut der Christen: In der islamischen Welt werden alteingesessene Christengemeinschaften zum Ziel von Terror. Ein Theologe hat dafür eine Erklärung. >>> Autor: Till-R. Stoldt | Freitag, 07. Januar 2011
LE MONDE: Les coptes de France célèbrent jeudi 6 janvier un réveillon du Noël orthodoxe sous tension : la surveillance a été renforcée autour des dix-neuf édifices coptes du pays, dont certains figurent sur une liste de lieux de culte désignés début décembre comme cibles par un site d'Al-Qaida. Sobhy Gress, secrétaire général de l'Association internationale solidarité copte-Europe, revient sur les sentiments de la communauté. >>> LeMonde.fr | Jeudi 06 Janvier 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Hi-Fi Hymn Book >>>
You can support H-Fi Hymn Book here
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama's family holiday in Hawaii is reportedly costing at least $1.5 million (£1 million) as mainland America is battered by storms.
The calculation of Mr Obama's holiday costs included $63,000 for his wife's early flight out, and $16,800 to house Secret Service agents and Navy Seals in beach front accommodation for two weeks.
There will be a further hotel bill estimated at $134,400 for 24 White House staff staying in the Moana Hotel at a rate of $400 a day.
The estimate, by the Hawaii Reporter, also included $250,000 for local police overtime, $1 million for the president's own round trip flight to Hawaii on Air Force One, and $10,000 for a local ambulance to accompany the presidential motorcade. >>> Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis,
Laudamus te, benedicimus te,
adoramus te.
Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi,
propter magnam gloriam tuam.
King’s College, Cambridge >>>
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Human Rights Act is protecting the rights of minority groups while encouraging judges and politicians to discriminate against Christians, a senior bishop said yesterday. The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, warned that the death of “religious literacy” among those who made and administered the law had created an imbalance in the way in which those with faith were treated compared to sexual minorities.
Highlighting the case Gary McFarlane, a relationship counsellor who was sacked by Relate for refusing to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple, he said that the judiciary now went out of its way to protect the rights of minorities.
At the same time, for the first time in British history politicians and judges were largely ignorant of religion and so failed to appreciate the importance Christians placed on abiding by the scriptures rather than the politically correct values of the secular state. Read on and comment >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS: THE BBC has angered Christians with a TV drama in which the Virgin Mary is branded a prostitute and sex cheat.In The Nativity, written by EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan, 15-year-old Mary is attacked by people who do not believe her claim that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph accuses her of “whoring” and even suggests that her pregnancy might have been the result of rape.
The Church of England has described the four-part drama, which goes out before the 9pm watershed from tomorrow, as “a gritty interpretation”. >>> David Stephenson | Sunday, December 19, 2010
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Britain has become ashamed of Christmas, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey declared yesterday.
He said Christmas cards are censored, school nativity plays stripped of Christian content and Christmas decorations banned in the campaign to block the festival out of the calendar.
Lord Carey said the trend was part of a broader attack on the Christian faith which underpins tolerance and democracy in this country.
He made his remarks in support of the launch today of a move to persuade Christians to show their faith in public and challenge employers who stop staff expressing their Christianity.
The ‘Not Ashamed’ campaign, organised by the pressure group Christian Concern, will encourage millions to wear a cross to work or a badge with a slogan saying they are ‘not ashamed’ of their religion.
Pope Benedict also criticised the marginalisation of Christianity in Britain and the accompanying push to discourage the celebration of Christmas during his recent state visit.
Lord Carey said: ‘The attempt to air-brush the Christian faith out of the picture is especially obvious as Christmas approaches.
‘The cards that used to carry Christmas wishes now bear “Season’s greetings”. The local school nativity play is watered down or disappears altogether.
‘The local council switches on “winter lights” in place of Christmas decorations. Even Christmas has become something of which some are ashamed.’ He added that ‘a new climate hostile to our country’s tradition and history is developing’. >>> Steve Doughty | Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
DAILY STAR: A FAR-RIGHT group has vowed to “close down” any town that ditches British traditions and shows favouritism to Muslims.
The English Defence League said it has written to every council in the country threatening a mass invasion if they ban the word “Christmas”.
It includes using the term “winter festival” in case Christmas upsets Muslims.
EDL leader Stephen Lennon said “working class people” in the UK were “at boiling point” over what he says is the “Islamisation of Britain.” >>> Steve Hughes | Tuesday, October 26, 2010
HT: Weasel Zippers >>>
Friday, January 08, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Churchgoers targeted after Coptic Christmas Eve mass in apparent payback for alleged rape of Muslim girl by Christian
Clashes between thousands of protesters and riot police shook Egypt today after six Coptic Christians were murdered, prompting some of the worst sectarian violence the country has seen.
The victims were gunned down in a drive-by shooting as they emerged from church in the early hours of this morning following a Coptic Christmas Eve mass. Egypt's interior ministry said it believed the attack, in the southern town of Naga Hammadi, 40 miles north of Luxor, was in revenge for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old Muslim girl by a Christian man last year. A Muslim security guard was also killed.
"It is all religious now," said the church's Bishop Kirollos. "This is a religious war, about how they can finish off the Christians in Egypt." >>> Jack Shenker in Cairo | Thursday, January 07, 2010
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