Category: religious freedom


Muslim ads inspire Christian responses

Filed under: evangelism, Islam, religious freedom — Leave a comment
June 9, 2011

The NSW Council of Churches has expressed disapproval at the way in which a Muslim group has sought to spread its message by launching an advertising campaign denigrating Jesus and promoting beliefs offensive to some Christians.

The Muslim campaign, mypeace, claims Jesus as a prophet of Islam, and commends the Qur’an, rather than the Christian Bible, as the final Testament of God to humankind.

According to Christianity, Jesus is the supreme prophet, and the incarnation of God; and Christians honour the Bible – the written Word of God – as the supreme authority for faith and conduct.

The Muslim ad campaign has ironically inspired several responsive campaigns by Christians to share their faith with Muslims – not all of it friendly, or well thought through, and some of it offensive.

We’re all free to express what we believe in sensitive ways, but I reckon the best way to introduce people to God is to do what Jesus did: reach out beyond your comfort zone, make new friends, and live what you believe.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 12 June 2011.

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Muslim ad campaign true and false

Filed under: interfaith dialogue, Islam, religious freedom, theology — Leave a comment
June 9, 2011

One of many Muslim-erected billboards that have infuriated Christians.

You might have seen a billboard advertising campaign run by a Muslim group claiming Jesus as “a prophet of Islam.”

For Muslims, this is true: it says so in their holy book, the Qur’an. But for Christians it is not true. The teachings of Jesus contradict the Muslim claim, and it’s hard to see how Jesus could be the prophet of a rival religion that came into existence 600 years after his birth.

According to Christianity, Jesus is the supreme prophet, and the incarnation of God; and Christians honour the Bible – the written Word of God – as the supreme authority for faith and conduct.

One of the benefits of living in a free society is that the civil law recognises and protects the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience. It’s important to note that such liberties are not available to Christians in many Muslim countries.

It’s in everyone’s interests to promote the peaceful coexistence of different religious traditions in Australia. Member churches of the NSW Council of Churches seek to refrain from making incendiary statements about the beliefs and practices of other faiths, and we expect the leaders of other faiths to do the same.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 12 June 2011.

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Religious liberty in the Middle East

Filed under: human rights, Middle East, religious freedom — Leave a comment
June 9, 2011

Egyptian protesters demonstrate to end the government of Hosni Mubarak, February 2011

We’ve all seen the extraordinary events unfold in the Middle East and North Africa over the past few months – part political, part religious, partly attempts to force recalcitrant regimes to catch up with the rest of the world, and commit to responsible government, and take human rights a little more seriously.

Now the Religious Liberty Partnership, an umbrella group for religious freedom organisations, has called on governments in the region to “ensure that all citizens are granted the foundational human right to adopt a religion or belief of their choice,” and has made recommendations for integrating freedom of religion into newly formed governments.

It would be regrettable if political reforms and leadership changes were followed by further crackdowns on the right to hold and practice religious beliefs according to individual conscience, such as we enjoy here in Australia.

Religiously motivated violence and repression have been evident in the wake of some of the revolutionary change sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East. The Australian government must redouble its efforts toward building free societies which respect and defend the human rights of all citizens, including the foundational right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 12 June 2011.

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Freedom to talk about Jesus

Filed under: medicine, religious freedom, secularism — Leave a comment
May 31, 2011

The stories are mounting up: stories of honest and sincere citizens expressing their faith in harmless ways, trapped and punished by well-organised bands of secularist zealots.

One of the latest victims is British GP Dr Richard Scott, aged 50, who has been censured by the General Medical Council for talking to a 24-year-old patient about Jesus. At the end of a lengthy consultation, Dr Scott suggested that faith in Jesus Christ could give comfort and strength.

This was reported by the patient’s mother, and viewed as breaching professional guidelines, and potentially exploiting a vulnerable patient. But the medical centre where Dr Scott works has six Christian doctors, and clearly advises on its website that spiritual matters are likely to be discussed with patients during consultations.

Dr Scott, formerly a medical missionary in Tanzania and India, says he will appeal the censure in order to give confidence and inspiration to other Christians.

There’s something deeply wrong with a society that denies people the freedom to express their faith in sensitive ways in the workplace.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 29 May 2011.

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Burning holy books is wrong

Filed under: Islam, religious freedom, violence — Leave a comment
May 21, 2011

To the dismay and horror of most Christians, the pastor of a tiny fringe church in Florida supervised the deliberate burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, on March 20, an act that has unleashed a wave of retaliatory protests, burnings and even killings in Muslim-dominated countries.

The NSW Council of Churches joins other Christian groups in absolutely condemning the killing of United Nations workers in Afghanistan, and related violent attacks on Christians and churches in Pakistan. As head of the World Evangelical Alliance Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe said, the pastor in question “does not represent the teachings of Christianity,” and “no book of any faith community should ever be burned or desecrated in any way.”

The World Evangelical Alliance has also asked Muslim leaders to call upon their communities to end the violence, and to clearly explain to their followers that the actions of this extremist American group do not represent the true Christian faith. Religion is not at fault here, but it would seem that the abuse of religion knows no bounds.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 10 April 2011.

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