Asia Bibi, Christian Mother Sentenced to Death, Nominated for Prestigious Religious Freedom Prize

Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian mother of five who has spent seven years on death row due to blasphemy charges, has been nominated for a prestigious European Union religious freedom prize.

“Her case is a symbol for others hurt in their freedom of expression and especially freedom of religion,” Dutch Europarliamentarian Peter van Dalen of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group’s member faction ChristenUnion-SGP told BosNewsLife on Wednesday.

“It is good that my colleagues in the ECR and I continue to defend the rights of Bibi and many others.”

Bibi is now in the running for the $59,500 award that comes with the Sakharov Prize. The ceremony will be held on Dec. 10 in Strasbourg, France.

The mother’s ongoing legal saga began back in 2009, after Muslim co-workers accused her of blasphemy for praising Jesus Christ and allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Bibi denied the charge but was found guilty and sentenced to death in November 2010. Several appeals have since followed and the latest hearing, which Bibi’s attorney attempted to have scheduled for June, was delayed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar.

The Christian mother’s plight has drawn international attention and condemnation of Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws by a variety of persecution watchdog and human rights groups.

Christian lawyer Naeem Shakir pointed out that Islamic hardliners are greatly invested in seeing her denied freedom.

“The plight of Bibi has had a dampening effect on minorities. Their grief cannot be addressed because of religious retrogressive and extremist groups,” Shakir said.

Unless Bibi’s death sentence is overturned, she is set to become the first woman in Pakistan to be executed under the blasphemy laws.

Previous recipients of the Sakharov Prize include Nadia Murad and Lamya Aji Bashar Taha, two young Yazidi women who were kidnapped by Islamic State extremists and forced to live as sex slaves.

Aji Bashar, who won the award alongside Murad in 2016, has spoken about IS’ abuse of children as young as 9 years old, describing them as “monsters.”

“I would really like to explain what happened to me there, not only for myself, but so others, the other women, are not treated like this, so that we Yazidis never have to go through anything like this again,” the Yazidi woman said.

Murad, who has been traveling around the world to raise awareness for the genocide of Yazidis, stated, “I’ve seen thousands of refugees go through the same thing as myself and my family. We are scattered all over the place. I also know that Islamic State is still trying to exterminate us. I think about this and this is what gives me the strength, all the strength, to continue.” 

PHOTO:(REUTERS)Asia Bibi (R) was sentenced to execution in 2010 after being accused by her former colleagues of blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammad.

[written by By Stoyan Zaimov ]

Church urged to restore the decaying levels of morality among the youths in Zambian society

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) has called for the church’s cooperation in its efforts to restore the decaying levels of morality among youths in the country.

ZANIS Ndola reports that YMCA National president Thabo Kawana said this in Ndola this morning during a meeting with Ndola District Pastors fellowship at Ndola Baptist Church.

Mr Kawana explained that the recent development concerning youths that were rounded up at a sex-party in Woodlands area Lusaka was disheartening and that his organisation had since taken up a leading role in counselling the youths together with their parents.

“What happened in Lusaka is shocking. Infact it is disheartening. How can we have such types of parties where youths must be naked to enter? We have failed as parents. YMCA has since taken up a leading role in counselling the youths whose number has swelled to 138, together with their parents,” he said.

He added that the problem was that parents were only providers and had no time to be available for their children.

“The problem is that as parents we are only providing and not being present. If a child asks for money for a shoe we provide without knowing where they are taking that money to. That is why only rich people’s children were present at that party. We are failing as parents,” he said.

Mr Kawana further implored the church not to work in isolation with regards to issues pertaining to young people.

“As a church don’t work in isolation when it comes to youths. The church must lay the foundation and as YMCA, we shall build and then government shall out on the roof. Then we shall all be comfortable that we are raising responsible and God fearing young men, “ he said.

The YMCA National president furthermore challenged the church to be concerned with the reduction in the number of youths in church while bars and night clubs were recording increased patronage.

“You must be concerned with the way youths have reduced in number during your Sunday services and yet take a tour of bars and nightclubs they are always crowded with the same youths who have be at church. These are the issues that you should be addressing,” he advised.

PHARISEES AND CHRISTIANS ARE THE SAME

Christ reproved some Pharisees calling them hypocrites, and most “Christians” have mistakenly taken that to mean the word “Pharisees” denotes hypocrisy. Christ’s criticism of the Pharisees as recorded in “Mathew 23” does not imply that all Pharisees were pretenders. As a matter of fact, Christianity and Phariseeism have many things in common. To begin with, the word Pharisees stands for “separated ones,” Christians also claim to be the “called-out ones”.  Just as the Christians have different denominations; the Pharisees were also of diverse groups during Christ’s time. The Jewish Talmud- Ṣota 22b shows that there were seven different categories of the Pharisees and they all had different characters, surprisingly Christians have the same characteristics of the seven groups of the Pharisees.

[Part 1 of a 10 part series, written by Babylon Today staff writer]

Oklahoma Police Chief Defends Posting Bible Verses After ACLU Threatens to Sue

Mounds, Oklahoma, Police Chief Antonio Porter defended himself amid lawsuit threats from the American Civil Liberties Union, which criticized him for posting Bible verses on the police department’s Facebook page and questioned whether the department can protect non-Christians.

Porter said in an article in News on 6 on Friday that he starts each day by reading his devotional.

“Right after that, I immediately post them on Facebook and on LinkedIn,” the police chief said.

He said that his intention at first was not to get a “bunch of likes,” but revealed that the response from the town community has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I would hear stuff like, ‘Wow, I needed this.’ It would just hit right to their heart,” he said.

The ACLU, which often challenges institutions it deems are violating the separation between church and state, sent Mounds Mayor Rosa Jackson a letter on Wednesday, arguing that the Facebook Bible verses represent “direct advocacy for the Christian religion,” calling them “inappropriate” and “unconstitutional.”

“By promoting one specific religion on its official Facebook page, the Mounds Police Department has established clear preference for that faith above other faiths and above no religious faith at all. This kind of government interference with our religious freedom is simply not permissible under United States or Oklahoma law,” wrote Brady Henderson, the ACLU of Oklahoma’s legal director.

“In addition to the clear violation of one of the central tenets of American government, freedom of religion, the actions of the Mounds Police Department call into question whether or not the department can be trusted to adequately protect all those living under its jurisdiction, including members of minority faiths and those of no religious faith at all,” Henderson continued.

“By establishing a preference for the Christian faith, the department undermines confidence in their ability to perform their duties in a manner consistent with our understanding of one of our most basic and cherished liberties.”

The Mounds Police Department Facebook page features a banner depicting a police officer with angel wings, and has continued posting Bible verses and calls for prayer despite the controversy.

“Matthew 21:22: All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive,” one post on Friday read.

Another one from Wednesday quotes 2 Corinthians 4:8-10: “We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed; always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

Porter said in an interview with FOX23 that he is not concerned about ACLU’s letter.

“With all the negativity in the world, it is time for people to start coming together with positive words and prayer,” he stated.

[written by Stoyan Zaimov]

ATLANTA Church Is BOYCOTTING Beyonce Because She Said That She Wanted To USE THE BIBLE As a MAXI PAD!!!

Social media rumor has it that a number of Atlanta mega-churches are expecting to make an announcement this week – to BOYCOTT the singer BEYONCE. These type “threats” have been made in the past regarding this woman and has not stopped  “Christians” from buying her albums or playing her music, and I’m sure that “the church” isn’t in-boxing her, sending her letters or calling her to say that she needs to repent and live a life of holiness ESPECIALLY if she’s giving them “donations”.  And how can they correct her when they support her by going to her concerts, etc. (I guess as long as she doesn’t sing against Christianity she’s okay, right?)

This woman who is also a mother and wife had the audacity to sing these lyrics:

I plugged my menses with pages of the holy book and still coiled deep inside me was the need to know — are you cheating on me?

which is what is causing an outrage. Beyonce is who she is; a man made god, a woman living in complete darkness who needs to want to see the Light of God, God wont force Himself on ANYONE, not even Beyonce’.  My question is, why do so many people call her “queen”? QUEEN OF WHAT? DARKNESS???

Why would anyone worship African gods?

The traditional West Africa Yoruba tribe’s tradition proclaims and believes that Ile-Ife in the State of Osun, Nigeria is where Olodumare (a demon who is addressed as god almighty but also means the God of Abraham to those who are followers of Christ) started the creation of the world. The participants of this  Santaria religion say “we believe in only one god” – but they are NOT referring to the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus! It is important to understand that Not all Yoruba’s believe in and/or practice this evil belief, there are MANY who have denounced it, and even more have never had any involvement in it. There are countless numbers of African Americans, Caucasian Americans, Hispanics, Jamaicans, etc. who have been brainwashed into believing in and dedicating themselves to the deity’s (elegba, oshun, ogun, oshosi, obatala, yemaya, shango, oya, orunmila) and practices of this evil, Antichrist belief all in the name of “connecting to their African roots.” ANYONE who dedicates themselves to this evil practice has knowingly or unknowingly given themselves to Satan himself with a false belief that they will be protected, and all of their needs will be supplied by the evil deities of this religion by offering sacrifices to them. This practice is full of divination and sacrifices, sometimes the “orisha’s” (demons) require a blood sacrifice, in which the practitioners will openly admit that they offer animal sacrifices such as dogs, chicken’s, goat, pigeon and the blood of these animals (the specific animal is determined by the demon) but what they WONT openly admit is that there are times when a human sacrifice is required!   The Yoruba orisha worship, upon which Santeria is based, practiced human sacrifice until the 1860’s when it was judicially prohibited by the British Colonial Administration.  Some human sacrifices were conducted after that date, although their number radically decreased after the prohibition, as now those who participated in these sacrifices could be put to death for murder. There are still rather strict rules concerning human sacrifice. The former is taught occasionally to those who study the worship of orisha (demons). The rules for human sacrifice are quite like those taught to initiates of Kali worship in India, where human sacrifice was also abolished by the British Colonial Authority in the 1860’s. In Yorubaland, human sacrifice was a regular part of orisha (demon) worship. The orishas gladly took the blood of human sacrificial victims, usually these victims were from opposing tribes (most likely Igbo’s) that were captured in battle and even members of the same tribe itself were offered to the orisha in times of drought, disease and disaster. The orishas (demons) do indeed take human blood as part of the sacrificial offering, with the practice dating back to early Yoruba civilization until the early 1900’s and in some parts, is still practiced secretly today! HUMAN SACRIFICE is a practice of the orisha worshipers and many dont want to admit it because it is barbaric, and shameful and they don’t want to be stigmatized but it doesn’t change the fact that it is indeed part of the Yoruba religious culture and it does indeed continues to happen today. Anyone who wants to debate this simply must look at the religious history of the Yoruba and the answers are there, spend some significant time is Osun state and you’ll see for yourself, people are caught and arrested often with human sacrifices ranging from children to adults and if there are any Yoruba reading this, you know that I’m writing the truth. Within Santeria blood sacrifice is a required part of any initiation (Elekes, Warriors, Orisha Addimú, Kariocha) and without blood sacrifice you do not have the presence of the demons (aka orishas) in that ritual, and you do not have a legitimate consecration. This is an ancient and traditional practice upheld by the culture bearers of  orisha worship religion and is not something that can be excluded in said rituals. The Church in United States has ignorantly embraced these demons by not boycotting or otherwise refuting the manufacturing and sales of a Barbie doll (by Mattel) in a glamorized version of the likeness of osun the river goddess (a marine demon/spirit)! After researching all of the Barbie dolls made by Mattel,I discovered an alarming number of dolls on the market made in the likeness of idols, especially a sun goddess. Your children are probably being secretly indoctrinated by these demons by playing with certain toys, and watching certain programs where this demon has been glamorized and secretly introduced into households worldwide. Because this country expresses “freedom of religion” this demonic sect has crept in all to the detriment of our young women and children (oftentimes the demon asks for virgins and children). Each year, adherents and non-adherents of osun, travel from all over the world to attend the annual Osun-Osogbo festival in August. Visitors include nationals of Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, Grenada, and other nations in the Americas with a significant Yoruba cultural heritage. Annual traditional festivities and invocations of the Osun goddess are held along the banks of the river bearing her name into which – according to Yoruba oratory traditions – “she transformed”. The origin of the Osun festival started over 700 years ago when a group of settlers led by one great hunter Olutimehin, settled at the bank of the river to escape the famine in their former dwelling place. Osun, the water goddess was said to have appeared to Olutimehin and requested him and his group to move up some bit to higher ground – the present Osogbo town.

Osun revealed herself to be the “goddess of the grove and of the river” and pledged to protect the group and make their women fruitful if only they would offer an annual sacrifice to her in return. The group agreed and vowed to sacrifice annually to the goddess (marine spirit) if she would honor her vows. This evil which started as an annual sacrifice to a river goddess, has been glamorized and later became a universal celebration of a river goddess!  Americans have made this ugly powerless demon out to be a giver of beauty, and elegance and that was NEVER the agreement then or now between this demon and the particular Yoruba sect that embraced her. This ugly, filthy demon made it’s vow to a particular sect of YORUBA PEOPLE, not Americans- although nothing is stopping anyone from worshiping her and killing animals to appease her. There is a woman remembered by the Yoruba named Susanne Wenger who was an Austrian who since the early 1950s wasted her entire life until her death dedicated to the river goddess osun and other deities.  She renovated shrines that were abandoned and remodeled 75 Yoruba cultural gods in sculptures. If this demon is a demon of beauty, Susanne Wenger certainly wasnt a good example of it! In fact, there are plenty of ugly women who worship this blood thirsty deity.

Look people, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE! I’ve seen many women on YouTube glamorizing this worship of demons and they don’t even know what they think they know because the secrets of this practice are held tightly among the Yoruba’s and they will never share those secrets with a foreigner- EVER! You can wear Nigerian attire and learn to speak Yoruba, even visit the country and change your name, but you are and will always be A FOREIGNER and as long as you dont appose, your money and attention towards these orishas (demons) will be welcomed.  I have read were some real dumb Americans FLEW ALL THE WAY TO NIGERIA to PAY MONEY to be initiated into this worship of demons, well- the truth is, genuine initiation into this shameful practice doesn’t cost ONE CENT, and you DON’T have to travel to Nigeria to do it so when they see the American mu-mu’s interested in becoming a demon worshiper they will GLADLY take your money, trick you into going to Nigeria while calling you mu-mu all the way to the market. These misled women then return to the United States calling themselves “priestess” when the truth of the matter is A REAL OSUN PRIESTESS LIVES IN OSOGBO and dedicates her life to the deity daily- I’ve seen one bi-sexual, a homosexual and a lesbian all claiming to be “priestesses” and devotees to these deities– their ignorance is almost laughable.  No form of homosexuality is accepted or embraced in Nigeria, if you go there claiming to be a homosexual you’ll most likely be sacrificed to one of those deity’s they worship!  I also read an inquiry from a CHRISTIAN asking how she could submit herself to the demon osun so that she could become pregnant!!!!  LET ME TELL YOU THE PRICE THAT YOU WILL PAY FOR WORSHIPING THESE DEMONS… 

1.You will never receive anything from a demon for free, it will ALWAYS cost you something 

2.The more you ask for, the more you must give

3. When you begin to ask for GRANDIOSE THINGS like an excessive amount of money, fame, etc  the demon will then ask you to sacrifice blood…. Human blood!

4. The human sacrifices ALWAYS start with family members and those who have “eaten” of your wealth

5. Once you’ve sacrificed human blood it will be very difficult if not impossible to stop appeasing the demons, if you try to leave them, they will kill you by spiritual means

6. The demons ALWAYS take back what they’ve given you

7. You wont live a long life

Santaria religion is evil and leads to more evil and there is no escaping it. Don’t expect them to tell you EVERYTHING because it’s not going to happen! Do you really think that they will openly admit to murdering people? If you doubt me GO THERE, spend a considerable amount of time in Osun State where there are many occasions of “head hunters” being caught and paraded with there victims that were to be used to sacrifice to ogun and the other mean blood thirsty demons. While we’re alive, we don’t own ANYTHING because when we die we wont take anything with us, but when you make a CONSCIOUS DECISION to submit to a demon to obtain stuff, you will indeed pay for it with your soul. Don’t play around with these demons, no one in their right mind would EVER want to be possessed by a mami wata demon (which is what osun and the other deity’s associated with her are), A mami wata demon is one of the most difficult demons to leave a person if you ever open yourself up to be overtaken by one. My husband and I took in a little boy that is possessed with a mami wata spirit when I lived in Nigeria, we taught him “Jesus songs” taught him how to pray- even took him to church all to no avail. The little boy admitted that he didn’t want to be possessed by the demon but he was initiated against his will by his mother when she took him and his brothers to a stream to dedicate them all to the deity. It’s common for children with a mami wata spirit to kill other people by spiritual means.  Don’t let anyone lie to you and tell you that orisha worship is the religion of our African ancestors. There are MANY Africans who have never heard of orisha worship and there are many who do know about it but want absolutely nothing to do with it because they know the implications of submitting to this darkness.  I know what I know because of my ties to Nigeria, my husband is a Nigerian and some of his family members initiated into the highest level of orisha worship and now their children (who are now adults) are living unproductive, unsuccessful lives because of the sins of their fathers and their refusal to submit to the same demons. My husband and I have MANY friends who are the products of their father’s bad decisions to worship demons and NONE OF THEM are living fruitful lives. I lived briefly in Nigeria and learned a lot during my stay there and my husband is the best teacher one could ask for. I am by nature very inquisitive and I asked a lot of questions.  Before you consider joining Satan, consider that all God requires from us is holiness THAT’S ALL!  You don’t have to kill animals or people for God, if you live for Him and submit to Him and let go of worldly stuff, you can and will live in peace and live life everlasting with Him. Just let go of all the cares of this temporary world and live to please Him, after all we were created by Him for Him.  Submitting to God has nothing to do with joining a church or choosing a religion, those are man-made things, and God has NOTHING to do with ANY religion!  I’ve heard a lot of people say that they began orisha worship because the church disappointed them, people will ALWAYS disappoint you but God won’t, and ANY real spiritual person will know and tell you that God (Elohim, Elshadi, Adoni) is the most High God and there is NONE greater than Him. ALL PRINCIPALITIES must bow before Him.  I pray that this writing is an eye opener to anyone considering partaking in this madness. Please, don’t do it– Blessings.

• I have posted photos of what these idols look like- these are the oracles that the people in Yurobaland go to worship (those who engage in Santaria demon worship), all of the beautiful pictures of bare-breasted mermaids that are floating all over the internet are LIES! Absolute fabrications. You should ask yourself this question (especially the idiots that went there to be initiated), if these gods are so wonderful, why are so many Nigerians living in extreme poverty, especially the ones who only sacrifice a chicken here and a goat there.
• Wow! no wonder so many children and young women come up missing in this country, could they be a part of ritual sacrifices? Well, I have a few questions, #1. Since there is a significant number of Santaria worshipers here in the United States, WHY COULDN’T YOUR gods STOP THESE HURRICANES? (or perhaps they are the cause of them)  #2 Church,How could you allow this filthy worship of demons to come in and desecrate the United States, a country that claims to worship God? I’ve never seen or heard of ONE demonstration by the “church” the “body of christ” to keep this and all other anti-God religions out of this country but when there is racial tension the “church” is the first on the scene with elaborate speeches and demonstrations!  Now “freedom of religion” is putting innocent children and women on the slabs of oracles to be used as sacrifices! Church, you have failed again!