Magyar Egyház, 2006 (85. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2006-04-01 / 2. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 5. oldal sioned fathers to be spiritual leaders. And you’re the spiritual leader of your home whether you realize it or not. You will either lead your family closer to God or further away. But as a Christian, it is your responsibility to lead them closer to Him. If you don’t, you’ll be leading them closer to the evil one and his kingdom. As spiritual leaders it’s our responsibility to show that we are genume, that our Christianity is not just something for Sunday, but something we are all week long. So if you come to church and carry your Bible and look very pious on Sunday, but you never open it through the week, your kids will know. They’ll be watching you and they’ll know. If you pray here on Sunday morning when everybody else is praying, but you never pray at home, your kids will loiow that, too. If you never ever worship God through the week, or if you aren’t a good steward, your children will learn that, too. It is absolutely essential that we be genuine, that our children see the authenticity of our faith. POSITIVE INFLUENCE Finally, there is the trait of positive influence. Paul writes in 2:12 “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting & urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom & glory” That is what a father does. He encourages, comforts and urges his children to live lives worthy of God. And it’s all positive. But not every dad is a positive influence. Life unfortunately provides us with countless examples. Let’s all as fathers make a conscious and prayerful effort to make a positive influence on our children for that’s what we really can call love. Rev.Frank Varga, Dean News from the world Presbyterians Stand Against Torture Presbyterians from around the nation will convene in Chicago to speak out against torture and demand better treatment for prisoners under U.S. custody, The Christian Post reports. The meeting by the PC(USA)-affiliated No2Torture group is part of a month-long movement against torture that will be observed by a number of human rights, civil liberties and religious organizations in June. “Our confessions affirm that human beings are created in God’s image. Rooted in that affirmation, Presbyterian General Assemblies have consistently spoken against the use of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” said the Rev. Mark Koenig, the program’s associate for resources and publications. Organizers intend to define torture as a “crime against humanity” that cannot be justified, even in the name of fighting terrorism. The two-day event will kick off June 2 at First Presbyterian Church in LaGrange, 111. Diverse Faith Groups Unite to Push for Federal Marriage Amendment AgapePress reports that several major religious denominations have come together to urge the U.S. Senate to approve a marriage amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The Religious Coalition for Marriage has released a statement signed by 50 leaders and expressing support for the proposed federal marriage protection amendment. The Coalition is comprised of all eight U.S. Catholic cardinals, as well as officials of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Church of God in Christ, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, and the National Association of Evangelicals. While diverse in many ways, the groups represented share a singleness of purpose ~ the protection of traditional marriage. As Dr. Richard Land of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention notes, this alliance of faith groups is "truly an historic coalition." He notes that this is the first time these churches, religious leaders, and institutions have coordinated their efforts on this scale. Don't Be Friends With Christians or Jews, Saudi Texts Say Saudi Arabia's latest textbooks continue to promote intolerance of other religions, a new study said Tuesday. The New York Times reports that Saudi first-grade students are taught that "Every religion other than Islam is false," while teachers are instructed to "Give examples of false religions, like Judaism, Christianity, paganism, etc." Fifth graders learn "It is forbidden for a Muslim to be a loyal friend to someone who does not believe in God and his prophet, or someone who fights the religion of Islam." Numerous examples of such instruction were cited Tuesday in a new study by the Center for Religious Freedom. Muhammad al-Zulfa, a member of the consultative Shura council, said the Saudi public is generally in favor of reforming textbooks and curriculum, but religious conservatives have stymied the effort. And even if the textbooks were changed, the effort might not amount to much unless the country's teachers were retramed. Christians, Jews in Iran to Wear Colored Identification Reports out of Iran indicate religious minorities could be forced to wear colored badges on their clothing, says a Family News in Focus story. In a chilling reminder of Nazi Germany, Jews in Iran could soon be forced to wear yellow, while Christians would wear red. There are around 300,000 Christians in Iran, 25,000 Jews, and about 300,000 other religious minorities. Andy Hollinger of the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. said, "The parallels are certainly disturbing. It begins by removing a group of people from the civil life of a society and dehumanizing them on many levels." Dissident Ali Behroozian quotes a recent speech by Iranian Ayatollah Ahmed Jenati in which he said, "Human beings apart from Muslims are animals who roam the earth and engage in corruption." One Holocaust survivor has another recommendation for religious minorities living in Iran "If you see the handwriting on the wall, get out." House OKs Military Prayers in Jesus' Name The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a measure that would permit military chaplains to pray in Jesus' name at public events, Baptist Press reports. The provision was added to a $513 billion Department of Defense authorization bill, which the House passed. The Senate will still have to approve the language, which says: "Each chaplain shall have the prerogative to pray according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience, except as must be limited by military necessity, with any such limitation being imposed in the least restrictive manner feasible." Many former and current chaplains have complamed about limitations on praying in Jesus' name. After the Air Force issued its initial, interim guidelines in August, 70 representatives and two senators in October asked President Bush for an executive order protecting the religious freedom of chaplains, including the right to pray in Jesus' name.
