Bolivia Bans Evangelism and Calls Sharing the Gospel a Form of ‘Human Trafficking’

Bolivia adopted a new penal code on December 15th called Article 88. The measure states that “whoever recruits, transports, deprives of freedom, or hosts people with the aim of recruiting them to take part in armed conflicts or religious or worship organizations will be penalized 5 to 12 years of imprisonment,” the Evangelical Focus, a Spanish media organization, reported. 

Although Bolivia is run by an atheistic socialist government, most of its population is Christian with 77% identifying as Catholic and 16% Protestant. Now, many Christian leaders are concerned that even more of their rights will be taken away. 

“Will they denounce us if we bring a group of people to a Christian camp?” one pastor told Evangelical Focus. “Will I no longer be able to preach the Gospel on the streets?”

According to the Inter-American Federation of Christian Journalists and the Bolivian Association of Christian Journalists, the law compares sharing the gospel with human trafficking. 

“The article says that one commits the crime of human trafficking who: captures, transports, transfers, welcomes, or receives people, with the purpose of participation in religious or worship organizations,” the organizations stated. “This means that one can be punished: a) who carries out proselytizing activities, in public or private, because they are ‘capturing people’; b) who transports a person from their home to their church or religious temple, or simply invites them to the church; c) who welcomes or receives people to participate in a religious or worship organization, that is, who would commit this crime are pastors, rabbis, priests, parents, leaders, etc.” 

 Birmingham diocese visit to Bolivia in 2015

Evangelical leaders say this is a violation of human rights. 

“It is deplorable that Bolivia becomes the first Latin American country to persecute the rights of freedom of conscience and of religion, which are protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the declaration of San José de Costa Rica, and our Constitution,” the National Association of Evangelicals in Bolivia said in a statement. 

The new penal code comes after Bolivia’s government abolished term limits, allowing President Evo Morales to stay in power indefinitely. 

Cult Member Arrested during Church Service in Ikorodu, Nigeria

A suspected member of the notorious cult group, Badoo, Ahmed Adeleke, was arrested by members of a white garment church located at Irapade community, Agbowa, the outskirts of Ikorodu after failed attempt to murder a member of the church.

The suspect who disguised as a worshipper, attended the church’s vigil. At the end of the event, church members heard a female member shouting for help after the alleged cultist attacked her, Vanguard reports.

When curious members of the church rushed to the scene, the suspect had smashed the victim’s head. She reportedly pointed to the direction where the suspect took.

Some church members went in the direction and reportedly found the suspect changing his clothes. He was said to have denied the allegation.

But on further observation, the white garment which he pulled off was discovered to be blood stained.  In his narration, the suspect denied being a Badoo member.

“I was a Muslim, but later converted to Christianity. I live at 9, Ojokoro Street, Agric. I was invited to worship there that night by a senior colleague, Kehinde, at the tailoring shop where I work,” he said.

While parading the suspect at the Police Officers Mess, Ikeja, the Lagos State Command boss, Fatai Owoseni said: “Policemen from Ipakodo Division rushed to the church.

“Although the suspect denied the accusation, when the area was searched, three handkerchiefs (white, blue and red) were recovered from him. Also, a grinding stone, which he used to hit his victim on the head, was also found.”

[written by Idris Aina]

 

• Things that many American’s don’t know about the “Badoo” cult in Lagos, Nigeria. People living in Ikorodu, Lagos State have been under a cloud of fear since the Badoo cult members began their ritual killings. According to the International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICR) a criminal described by residents as a “serial ritual killer” was apprehended in Ikorodu on June 12, 2016 and his name was given as “Badoo”. According to the residents of Ikorodu, after every attack, he would write, “I am Badoo” and paste on the door of his victims. He continued in a seemingly invincible manner until he was caught after he molested and killed a 27 year old woman and her 9 month old child. Following the arrest a group of other people rose up and continued the killings- they came to be known as “Badoo.” The cult group carries a stone to use for their ritual killings and have also used clubs, household grinding stones, and mortars with pestles. According to a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police and chairman of the Lagos State Neighborhood Corp. “After they are done, they clean the blood with white clothes and they escape. This is bizarre and it is fetish and a ritual”.  Churches are easy targets for this cult group and has recently killed three people at a “Cherubim and Seraphim” church in Nigeria.

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]