Religion Today Summaries – July 12, 2005
Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world. In today's edition:
Sri Lanka: Tsunami Orphans Finding New Hope through Native Missionaries
Ministry Rescues ‘Forgotten’ Children in the Dominican Republic
Pastor's Trial Indicative of Religious Persecution in China, Says Activist
Saudi Arabia: Relative of India Ministry Leader Arrested, Tortured
Sri Lanka: Tsunami Orphans Finding New Hope through Native Missionaries
Christian Aid Mission
As the Sri Lankan government slowly begins allowing approved organizations to adopt tsunami orphans, one indigenous ministry supported by Christian Aid has been able to take in seven boys and girls. Immediately following the tsunami, the government of Sri Lanka "froze" children where they were, not allowing them to be taken in by anyone other than a relative. The action was made after reports surfaced of children being abducted into forced labor or child prostitution by people posing as aid workers. Now, after thoroughly evaluating organizations and individuals wanting to adopt children, the government is gradually letting them go into the hands of caretakers other than family members. Many boys and girls have been living with relatives who lost everything in the tsunami and are scarcely able to provide for themselves, much less additional children. Leaders of the home hope eventually to take in 100 tsunami orphans, once they are able to expand their already crowded facility. Pray with them that this need would be met so that more children would be able to experience the healing of Christ's love.
Ministry Rescues ‘Forgotten’ Children in the Dominican Republic
Charisma News Service
An attorney is championing orphaned, special-needs children in the Dominican Republic through the ministry of Project Child. In February 2000, Frank Valladares and his wife, Lourdes, were on their honeymoon in Santo Domingo, where Valladares hoped to spend time scuba diving and enjoying the sights. Lourdes wanted to visit a local orphanage for special-needs children where she traveled a year earlier. "The first time I walked into the orphanage, I thought I had walked into hell itself," Valladares told New Man magazine. The couple left Santo Domingo knowing that they had to respond to this travesty. The first step was the creation of Project Child. With consent from the facility that they had visited, Valladares and Lourdes hired additional caregivers and a doctor to look after the children's medical concerns. In the last five years, Project Child has expanded to include 16 full-time caregivers. The organization is building their own facility known as Casa de Luz (House of Light) where phase one will accommodate 64-96 children.. "I never thought five years ago that I would be doing this," Valladares said. "But God showed me that I can make a difference. All of us can make a difference." (www.projectchild.org)
Pastor's Trial Indicative of Religious Persecution in China, Says Activist
Allie Martin, AgapePress
The president of an organization with a mission to tell the truth about Christian persecution in China says the recent arrest of a Chinese Christian pastor should be protested by the international community. Pastor Cai Zhuohua is on trial for illegally printing more than 200,000 Bibles and other Christian literature. He was arrested in September 2004. Jason Lee Steorts reported in National Review in January that the pastor's house was searched by police from China's Security Bureau, as was a neighboring building that housed a printing press. Two press operators were arrested along with Cai, but were later released. The pastor's trial was to have occurred last week in Beijing, says the China Aid Association. Bob Fu is president of the Texas-based China Aid Association. He says despite its claims, China does not uphold religious freedom. Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has designated China as a country of concern for religious freedom violations. Fu is urging the international community to demand that the Communist Chinese regime respect religious rights. "We Christians should urge both the U.S. government ... and the Chinese embassies in the U.S. to press the Chinese government to act quickly to address the serious religious persecution and violation of religious freedom guaranteed by China's U.N. constitution," he says.
Saudi Arabia: Relative of India Ministry Leader Arrested, Tortured
Christian Aid Mission
Christian Aid has just learned that one of the Indian believers arrested in Saudi Arabia's well-publicized crackdown on Christians is the relative of a native ministry leader it supports. The leader requests prayer on behalf of his family member, who continues to suffer beatings at the hands of police. On March 22, while on his way to a Bible study, Brother Samkutty was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police. Samkutty has been sentenced to one year in jail and has been beaten "more than 300 times." His capture seems to have been the precursor for another eight arrests made May 28, presumably because Samkutty had on him the names and numbers of other Indian Christians. Thankfully, five of the eight were released, but Samkutty remains in prison. These men join more than 40 others who have been arrested in recent weeks in what Washington, D.C.- based persecution monitor International Christian Concern has called Saudi Arabia's largest crackdown on Christians in a decade. Spokespeople for the Saudi government have firmly denied that any such arrests are taking place. In Saudi Arabia, public expression of any faith except Islam is illegal. The country's royal family has claimed individuals are permitted to practice any religion in their own homes, though such was not the case with the recently arrested Indian Christians.
Originally published July 12, 2005.
