Current Events

Significant Restrictions on Freedom of Religion

Most people live in environments with significant restrictions on freedom of religion. These are the findings presented by the US Secretary of State who released the 2020 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. The report “describes the status of religious freedom in every country” outside of the United States. It identified some of the successes for religious freedom in the past year, but it also highlighted the increasing persecution against religious groups in countries. According to the report as well as recent reports by other governments, religious persecution is globally on the rise. The Director of the Office of International Religious Freedom stressed that “four out of every five people in the world [are] living in environments with high or very high restrictions on religious freedom.”

—ADFInternational.org

Canada Churches Are Being Burned

An apparent ongoing anti-Christian campaign in Canada has resulted in a total of 45 churches being attacked with some of the buildings being burned to the ground. Terrorists are responsible for the attacks against mainly Roman Catholic churches serving indigenous congregations. The fires and the vandalism span six provinces and the Northwest Territories. Some of the attacks have been in the heartland of First Nation’s territory. It is reported that terrorists have also targeted other churches not affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. The assistant Pentecostal minister at Living Waters Church said, “Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us indigenous people. As I said, we do not destroy people’s places of worship.” The church fires were reported across Canada following the recent discoveries of unmarked graves on the sites of former boarding schools for Indigenous children, many of which were run by churches.

—CBN.com

Supreme Court Divide for Major Abortion Case

Conservative justices make up the majority of the Supreme Court, but this latest term has taught Americans that not all conservatives are created equally. Instead of a 6-3 divide between conservative and liberal justices, some of the court’s major decisions reveal a 3-3-3 divide. “I think the most conservative members are Justices Thomas and Gorsuch, and close by probably Alito,” a professor at South Texas College of Law says. “In the middle,” he says, “are Justices Roberts, Kavanaugh, and the court’s newest member Barrett.” Still, next term the court will tackle several hot-button issues like an abortion case out of Mississippi that strikes at the heart of Roe versus Wade. So how will this new alignment on the court play out? The professor has predicated he doesn’t think there are enough judges with the backbone to change Roe vs Wade.

—CBN.com

Church in Bangladesh Attacked by Buddhists

A church in Bangladesh was attacked and demolished by Buddhist radicals. Local reports indicate the attack took place after weeks of threats. There are about 50 Christians living in Suandrapara who worship at this church. On July 12, Buddhist radicals reportedly confronted the Christians and told them they had to tear down the church within three days. When the Christians did not succumb to these threats, the radicals attacked the church three days later, damaging the church’s gate, cross, and other parts of the building. After the July 12 attack, the radicals demanded the Christians stop all kinds of church activities and reconvert to Buddhism. The Christians were given seven days to meet these demands. On July 22, three days after the radicals’ deadline, they attacked again and demolished the church’s wall, door, and tin roof. The attackers told the Christians that there would be dire consequences for any who reported the attacks to the media or local police.

—Persecution.org

Planned Parenthood Dispensing Cross-sex Hormones

A Planned Parenthood employee is speaking out against the organization’s practices of dispensing cross-sex hormones to trans-identifying teenagers. She feels morally conflicted about the volume of young people coming into the clinic claiming a transgender identity and yet showed signs of emotional and mental health issues. She also expressed great concern over the speed at which they were being prescribed cross-sex hormones, such as testosterone. The young clients were prescribed hormones with almost no examination of their underlying problems, and medical oversight was practically nonexistent, the employee alleged. She said the youths are cash cows, and they are kept on the hook for the foreseeable future in terms of follow-up appointments, bloodwork, meetings, etc.

—ChristianPost.com

Gunmen Kidnap 140 High School Students in Nigeria

Gunmen have kidnapped 140 students from a boarding school in northwest Nigeria, a school official said on Monday, the latest in a wave of mass abductions targeting schoolchildren and students. Heavily armed criminal gangs often attack villages but since the start of the year they have increasingly targeted schools and colleges. “The kidnappers took away 140 students, only 25 students escaped. We still have no idea where the students were taken,” a teacher at the school said. “Tactical police teams went after the kidnappers,” a police spokesman said. Around 1,000 students and pupils have been abducted in different Nigerian states since December last year. Most have been released after negotiations with local officials, although some are still being held.

—CBSNews.com

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