Uganda: Gay, Clergy Clash At People's Space
Josephine Maseruka
New Vision (Kampala)
23 November 2007
PEOPLE advocating for the rights of homosexuals and those against the practice are using the People's Space at Hotel Africana in Kampala to air out their views. Drama ensued on Thursday when the Catholic and Anglican clergymen, who were condemning gays, sat next to pro-gay people who were watching a film on homosexuality.
The film, which attracted several youth, showcased the various countries which have embraced gays, particularly Egypt.
As homosexuals and lesbians gave testimonies on how they were attracted to each other in the movie, the clergy were addressing a press conference to express their disappointment at Commonwealth member-states that were advocating for gay rights.
Whereas the youth mischievously cheered at the gays' testimonies in the film, the clergy were defending the Church's stand on what they referred to as 'evil and unnatural behaviour.'
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Turks accused of killing Christians go on trial
Three died in brutal attack during Bible study group
Case begins amid growing intolerance to minorities
Helena Smith
The Guardian (UK)
November 24, 2007
Seven months after a German and two Turks were murdered in a Bible publishing house in eastern Turkey, the five men accused of the crime filed into court yesterday for their long-awaited trial.
The case is seen as a test of how the country will handle mounting intolerance towards non-Muslim minorities. It began at a time of draconian security and heightened nationalist fervour after attacks by Kurdish separatists.
The members of a Protestant missionary group were killed during a Bible study class in Malatya on April 18. Their attackers tied the men to their chairs, targeting Tilmann Geske, a German father of three, before turning to Pastor Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel. By the time police arrived, the Turkish converts had been virtually decapitated, with their buttocks, testicles, stomachs and backs repeatedly stabbed, their fingers sliced and throats slashed from ear-to-ear. The accused, all between 19 and 20, allegedly filmed clips on their mobile phones.
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Hindu, Episcopal divides continue
By SUE NOWICKI
The Modesto (CA) Bee
November 23, 2007
While an officer in the British army, John Bowker was sent to control a riot over a donkey between religious factions in a northern Nigerian marketplace.
"I did everything by the book," Bowker said. "You had to blow a trumpet, you had to have an interpreter, you had to say, 'Go home,' three times or, 'I'll fire.' "
It was no use. The crowd could not be calmed and soon pulled the donkey limb from limb. While witnessing the spectacle, Bowker had an epiphany.
"I suddenly realized I wanted to understand why religious people hated each other so much," he says. His career has included Anglican priesthood and editing The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. He also has written several books, including "Licenced Insanities: Religions and Belief in God in the Contemporary World."
"My answer is that religions are so dangerous because they matter so much," he said.
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Pluralism is part of gift from creator
Youngstown (OH) Vindicator
November 24, 2007
Pilgrim Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony surely did not intend a pluralist feast when he proclaimed a three-day Thanksgiving celebration in October 1621.
Nonetheless, that first Thanksgiving brought together the 50 (of 102) Mayflower Pilgrims who survived their first year in America and 90 or so Wampanoag Indians. The celebration was built on a relationship with the Indians that had begun only in March. The Wampanoags outnumbered the Pilgrims nearly 2 to 1. They enhanced the feast with their abundant food, including four wild turkeys and pumpkins, but probably not with their faith.
Whatever Gov. Bradford's intent, the first Thanksgiving was in fact a pluralistic celebration. The Wampanoags were not Christian. They were one of numerous tribes in the Plymouth Bay area (Massachusetts, Punkapogs, Narragansetts, Nipmicks, and others) belonging to the Algonquin language group that stretched from Canada to South Carolina and as far west as today's Wisconsin.
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CARY MCMULLEN: Even religion reporters have crises of faith
Tuscaloosa (AL) News
November 24, 2007
One of the stereotypes of popular fiction is the hardboiled, cynical reporter. He’s seen it all, heard it all, nothing surprises him or gets to him.
Stereotypes have at least one foot in the truth. If you report on enough crimes or hang around city hall long enough, it certainly can foster a jaded view of human nature, although very few of my colleagues over the years fit the stereotype. Even the tough ones have had soft spots.
That’s true, too, for my fellow religion reporters. We are affected by what we write about. So my attention was caught by a recent report that for the second time within the past four months, a religion reporter for a major newspaper had not only left the beat, he had given up his faith as well.
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