Sunday, November 17, 2013

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Defamation of Religion


          There is a insidious movement by a  number of countries in the UN to restrict the proselytization of religions other than Islam.  Your ability, and your right under our constitution to tell people about Jesus, is in jeopardy.  You could be fined, jailed or even be put to death for telling other people about your faith.  In order to protect their religion, from what they consider blasphemy (which would be anything said against their religion, or in favor of another religion), the Islamists want laws similar to those in Sharia to allow them to practice what they believe and hinder what everyone else believes.  The DOR (Defamation of Religion) resolution, which as been pushed, in the United Nations, since 1999 would effectively meet their  goals.

          "Defamation of religion is an issue that has been repeatedly addressed by some member states of the United Nations (UN) since 1999. Several non-binding resolutions have been voted on and accepted by the UN condemning "defamation of religion." The motions, sponsored on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, aim to prohibit expression that would 'fuel discrimination, extremism and misperception leading to polarization and fragmentation with dangerous unintended and unforeseen consequences.' Religious groups, human rights activists, free-speech activists, and several countries in the West have condemned the resolutions arguing it amounts to an international blasphemy law. Critics of the resolutions including human rights groups argue that they are used to politically strengthen domestic anti-blasphemy and religious defamation laws, which are used to imprison journalists, students and other peaceful political dissidents.

Since 2001 there has been a clear split, with the Islamic bloc and much of the developing world supporting the resolutions, and mostly Western democracies opposing. Support has been waning in recent years, due to increased opposition from the West, along with lobbying by religious, free-speech, and human rights advocacy groups. Some countries in Africa, the Pacific, and Latin America have begun switching from supporting to abstaining, or from abstaining to opposing. The most recent resolution in 2010, condemning the Swiss ban on minarets as well as defamation of religions in general, passed with only 20 supporting, 17 opposing, and 8 abstaining."  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation_of_religion_and_the_United_Nations)

          "The United Nations Human Rights Council has moved decisively away from a resolution that sought to protect religion from defamation, and which for the past 12 years has drawn widespread criticism from human rights advocates around the world. Since 1999, the controversial Defamation of Religions resolution had been championed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which argued the resolution was needed to combat 'incitement to religious hatred in general and against Islam and Muslims in particular.'

The 47-member Human Rights Council rejected this argument March 23 and voted instead for a resolution that seeks to protect individuals from religious persecution and violence, rather than protect religion from criticism.

The Defamation of Religions resolution had been passed every year since 1999. If it had become a binding legal precedent it would have restricted freedom of speech and involved governments in the affairs of religion. It was widely seen as a cover for the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, which led to the violent killings of prominent politicians including Christian cabinet member Shahbaz Bhatti.

The Human Rights Council passed the new resolution by consensus. The new wording removes many of the controversial statements and instead focuses on the “intolerance, discrimination and violence” aimed at individuals as opposed to religions.  It condemns religious hatred that leads to incitement of violence against religious followers and appeals to government intervention.

Support for the former Defamation of Religion resolution reached a peak in 2006, receiving 111 votes in the UN General Assembly. But by 2010 support plummeted to a mere 76 votes—well less than half of the General Assembly.  The number of “No” votes combined with the number of abstentions has exceeded the “yes” votes for the past three years.  In 2010, 64 countries voted no and 42 abstained. 

'Though we are pleased with the removal of the Defamation of Religions resolution,' notes Barry Bussey, the IRLA representative at the UN, 'we cannot but be moved at the sacrifice of individuals like Shahbaz Bhatti.'"
(un-drops-controversial-defamation-of-religion-resolution)


 

          Are you under the impression that they are giving up on this endeavor?  There are 57 Islamic countries under the banner of the "Organization of Islamic Cooperation" still pushing for this and or similar resolutions.  This organizations goal is to take the world for Islam, and wipe out Judaism and Christianity.  "They are compelled to intimidate, persecute, harass, criminalize - whatever it takes - to drive Christians "underground," out of site, out of existence."(American Center for Law and Justice, an organization which I support)

 

                                    Your Christian faith could be made a crime and you could be targeted for sharing your faith.  The Bible instructs us that a person must be willing to enter into Christianity of their own volition. (see John 3:16 and Romans 10:9)  It takes faith to become a Christian, not intimidation.  Christianity is a personal relationship with the Messiah (the Christ).  Satan has been using organizations like the OIC, radical Islam, his own fallen angels and many others to hinder the God of the Bible since before the beginning of time. He knows he hasn't got much time left, and he wants to keep as many of us as possible from spending eternity with God.  I realize that nothing in the Bible can be regarded as blasphemy, because it is the Word of the one true and living God, the creator of everything.  An historical problem is the pride and arrogance of man, in cooperation with the devil, to invent atheism and false religions.

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