AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* SURVEY REVEALS AMERICANS’ ATTITUDE TO MARRIAGE IS STILL
STRONG
* 135 EVANGELICAL CHURCHES RECEIVE LEGAL STATUS IN ALBANIA
* PUSH TO REPEAL PAKISTAN’S BLASPHEMY LAWS
* CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT PRAY FOR PROTECTION FROM EXTREMIST
ATTACKS
* SUPPORT AT U.N. FOR DEFAMATION OF RELIGIONS DWINDLING
* INDONESIA: 110 CHURCHES CLOSED IN THREE
YEARS
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SURVEY REVEALS
AMERICANS’ ATTITUDE TO MARRIAGE IS STILL STRONG
Despite the rising figures for cohabitation, divorce, and single
parent child rearing, a study by the Pew Research Centre on how
Americans view marriage and family shows only five percent of those
under 30 don’t plan on marrying. The study found that traditional
marriage appears in no danger of disappearing. “Marriage, remains the
norm for adults with a college education and good income but is
markedly less prevalent among those in the lower socio-economic
bracket” the report states.
The survey found those in this less-advantaged group are as likely as
others to want to marry, but they place a higher premium on economic
security as a condition for marriage. The survey also found that “In
1960, 68% of all twenty-somethings were married. In 2008, just 26%
were.” Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council said
“A decline in the percentage of adults in their twenties who are
married is largely because people delay marriage, not because they
forego it altogether”.
Of those polled 58% disagreed with the question “Is marriage becoming
obsolete?” although a growing number (39 percent, up from 28% in
1978) agreed. Furthermore, 67% of Americans said they were
“optimistic” about the future of marriage and family. 76% of those
polled said their family was the most important element of their life
and they were “very satisfied” with their family life, whilst 80%
said their current family was as close or closer than the family in
which they grew up.
Only 5% of Americans under 30 don’t plan to marry. The report notes
that the public’s response to changing marital norms and family forms
reflects a mix of acceptance and unease. 69% say the trend toward
more single women having children is bad for society, and 61% say
that a child needs both a mother and father to grow up happily. 43%
of those polled said that increases in cohabitation without marriage,
unmarried couples raising children, and homosexuals raising children,
were bad for society.
“Relatively few say any of these trends are good for society, but
many say they make little difference,” the report stated. The
changing definition of “family” is notable. Although 99% said that a
married couple with children constitutes a family, and 86% say a
single parent and child is a family, nearly as many (80%) say an
unmarried couple living together with a child is a family, and 63%
say a homosexual couple raising a child is a family.
The presence of children clearly matters in these definitions. The
report says, if a cohabiting couple has no children, a majority says
they are not a family. However if a childless couple is married, 88%
consider them to be a family. Even as marriage shrinks, family – in
all its emerging varieties – remains resilient. The vast majority of
adults consider their own family to be the most important element of
their lives,” the Pew report concludes.
Source:
LifeSiteNews.com
———————————————–
135 EVANGELICAL
CHURCHES RECEIVE LEGAL STATUS IN ALBANIA
In 1965, the Albanian government under its despotic leader, Enver
Hoxha, announced the closure of all religious institutions in the
country, declaring Albania the world ¢â‚¬â„¢s first officially atheist
state. According to Hoxha, the surge in anti-religious activity began
with the youth. The result of this  ¢â‚¬Å“spontaneous, unprovoked movement ¢â‚¬ 
was the closing of all 2,169 churches and mosques in Albania.
Persecution of religion intensified, and religious-based town and
city names were changed.
Personal religiously-based names were also made illegal. In 1982 The
Dictionary of People ¢â‚¬â„¢s Names was published containing 3,000 approved
secular names. Albanians were told that religion was banned, because
it was brought in by outsiders, and foreign influence was not wanted
in the country. The Turks brought Islam, the Italians the Roman
Catholic Church, and the Greeks Orthodox Christianity. This was in
spite of the Government themselves followed a Marxist-Leninist
philosophy.
In 1992, the Papal Nuncio for Albania, said that of the 300 Catholic
priests present in Albania prior to the Communists coming to power,
only 30 survived. All religious practice and clergymen were outlawed
and religious figures who refused to give up their positions were
arrested or forced into hiding. Following a heart attack in 1973
Hoxha turned most state functions over to Ramiz Alia. His death in
1985 left Albania with a legacy of isolation and fear of the outside
world.
Albania had been the poorest European country throughout the Cold
War. Little of Hoxha ¢â‚¬â„¢s legacy remains today since the transition to
capitalism in 1992. But things have now come full circle. On November
22, the Albanian Minister of Culture signed an agreement with the
Albanian Evangelical Alliance (AEA), granting legal status to over
135 evangelical churches in Albania. This agreement is truly
monumental but Albania still has a long way to go to become a truly
democratic nation.
 ¢â‚¬Å“This is great news for Albania, and a truly unique and historic
moment! ¢â‚¬  reports Rev. Klajd Vampa, Door of Hope International ¢â‚¬â„¢s
(DOHI) co-worker in Albania. Please continue to pray for Albania as
corruption is still rampant and Islam is growing as many Islamic
nations continue to pour money and resources into Albania. Child
trafficking continues. Revenge killings take place in the north.
Please hold the Albanian Church in your prayers Rev Vampa added.

Source: Assist
News
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PUSH TO REPEAL
PAKISTAN’S BLASPHEMY LAWS
Pakistan ¢â‚¬â„¢s Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti,
has recommended the repeal of the widely-misused blasphemy laws. The
recommendation came as part of Minister Bhatti ¢â‚¬â„¢s investigation into
the case of Asia Bibi, thought to be the first woman sentenced to
death under the blasphemy laws, and was submitted to President Asif
Ali Zardari on 25 November. The report concluded that the blasphemy
case registered against Asia Bibi, a Christian, is without
foundation.
According to the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Minister
Bhatti ¢â‚¬â„¢s report proposed that Asia Bibi be released from prison or
pardoned if her pending appeal in the Lahore High Court is not
addressed within an appropriate timeframe. President Zardari has
reportedly agreed to pardon Asia Bibi if her appeal  ¢â‚¬Å“languishes ¢â‚¬  in
the courts, and Minister Bhatti has said that the government is
making efforts to guarantee the safety of Asia Bibi and her
family.
The President has also called for the formation of a high level
committee, headed by Shahbaz Bhatti, which will consult with Islamic
scholars, political parties and human rights organisations to review
the blasphemy laws and propose recommendations to prevent their
misuse. Minister Bhatti has regularly spoken out against the
blasphemy laws, and the Ministry for Minorities Affairs has long been
leading negotiations with other state officials to agree possible
amendments to the legislation.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston
said,  ¢â‚¬Å“We welcome Minister Bhatti’s bold call for full repeal. The
significance of President Zardari ¢â‚¬â„¢s decision to establish a committee
on the issue should not be underestimated. It’s members should not
limit discussions to amendment alone. Regarding Asia Bibi ¢â‚¬â„¢s case, we
hope that due process can be quickly and justly followed by way of a
high court appeal so that her innocence can be proven to
all”.
Source: Christian Solidarity
Worldwide
———————————————–
CHRISTIANS IN
EGYPT PRAY FOR PROTECTION FROM EXTREMIST ATTACKS
Christians in Egypt are calling for prayer amid threats of extremist
attack and heightened anti-Christian sentiment. Months of raised
tension between the Coptic community and the Muslim majority have
come to a head with the news that extremists who have killed scores
of Christians in Iraq in recent weeks may also target believers in
Egypt. Prayer meetings are being held at churches throughout Egypt
amid heightened security.
In Cairo, the number of security officers standing guard outside
churches has doubled. And in Zamalek, visitors to a recent Christmas
bazaar and festival at the All Saints Cathedral were met with body
searches, metal detectors and sniffer dogs. The Government has asked
pastors to  ¢â‚¬Ëœcancel unessential, large-scale public meetings ¢â‚¬â„¢.
President Hosni Mubarak has reportedly made a statement through the
state-run MENA news agency promising protection for Copts.
In his statement the President affirmed his intention to protect the
nation ¢â‚¬â„¢s sons, Muslims and Copts, from the extremist forces of
terrorism. There has been heated debate in the national media over
Egypt ¢â‚¬â„¢s  ¢â‚¬ËœCoptic heritage ¢â‚¬â„¢ and its  ¢â‚¬ËœIslamic identity ¢â‚¬â„¢  ¢â‚¬“ which has
drawn in influential figures from both the Christian and Muslim
communities. The threat from militants in Iraq came during the recent
hostage siege at the Church of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad which
ended in the deaths of 53 Christians.
The extremists told the media that the assault was in response to
allegations that the Coptic church in Egypt was holding against their
will two Coptic women who, militants said, had converted to
Islam.Their allegations appear to be based on unfounded rumours
surrounding the whereabouts of these women, who had reportedly at
some point separated from their husbands, both Coptic priests.

Source: Intercessors
Network
———————————————–
SUPPORT AT U.N.
FOR DEFAMATION OF RELIGIONS DWINDLING
Opposition to a defamation of religions resolution is accelerating
among member countries of the United Nations General
Assembly according to religious liberty experts. The resolution seeks
to curtail speech offensive to the religious sensibilities of
listeners. What religious liberty advocates find troubling is its
arbitrary enforcement and capacity to restrict freedom of religious
expression, the International Religious Liberty Association’s (IRLA)
board of experts said in a statement last year.
The oldest association dedicated to freedom of conscience for people
of all faiths and persuasions, the IRLA is vocal in its opposition to
the defamation of religions resolution. Dwindling support for the
measure is encouraging, said Barry Bussey, director of UN relations
for the IRLA. “We are seeing numbers in the right direction,” Bussey
said. “We are now only 13 votes away from defeating this problematic
resolution.”
In 2005, 101 UN member countries voted to support a similar
resolution, 53 voted against it and 20 abstained, Bussey said. This
year, 76 voted Yes, 64 No and more than twice as many countries
abstained when compared to five years ago, he said. “As we’ve raised
the problems with the resolution, more country delegates recognize
the pitfalls,” Bussey said.
Source: Adventist News
Service
———————————————–
INDONESIA: 110
CHURCHES CLOSED IN THREE YEARS
Islamic extremist groups and local governments in Indonesia have
closed 110 churches during the past three years according to
religious and human rights organizations. Radical Muslim groups
coerced local governments to send letters to churches prohibiting any
activities. When churches did not comply, they have often been burned
down or otherwise damaged.
The Wahid Institute, a moderate Muslim non-governmental organization,
along with church associations and the Indonesian Human Rights
Commission reported that discrimination and violence against churches
was most common in the provinces of West Java, Banten, Central Java,
South Sulawesi and Bengkulu.
Source: Intercessors
Network

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