Go_Aachmed
Shared on Mon, 04/28/2008 - 09:30Just some more confirmation that telling King George to shove it was a good thing to do. This is the kind of thing that happens when the government gets too much power. This is what happens when freedom and liberty isn't the cornerstone of a society. This is what happens when hungry Politicians are interested in appearances over facts. This is the kind of thing that could happen to us.
cbn.com -LONDON - If you live in London, and you want build the largest Mosque in Europe, that's great. But if you want to build the largest church, forget about it.
London's Kingsway International Christian Church, the largest church in Europe, no longer has a permanent home. Nor is there much prospect of it finding one in London.
This congregation of as many as 10,000 was forced off its property to make room for the 2012 London Olympics. And now it must hold five Sunday services jammed into a 1000-seat former theatre in East London.
"I'm probably one of the few pastors around the world who has to preach 5 times every Sunday," Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo.
When Kingsway had its old building taken from it for the London Games, it not only was forbidden to re-build nearby, where most of its church members live. But the London Development agency offered this predominantly black church land on the far outskirts of London, in a white suburb, where local officials didn't want a large black church and turned down Kingsway's planning request.
"We were left high and dry, to face the wrath of the community," Ashimolowo said. "When you have a church of our magnitude with 90 percent ethnic minorities from about 46 nations, the first thing that comes to the mind of the neighborhood is, 'Oh my God, this large church is coming to our neighborhood.'"
So for now, Kingsway has nowhere to move. Feeling more than just abandoned by the city, Pastor Ashimolowo contends government officials' treatment of the church amounts to racial discrimination and religious persecution.
"When the largest church has its property taken from it and made to operate from a small building, that is a form of persecution," Ashimolowo said.
"KICC is the largest church in Western Europe, and I think that ought to have been celebrated," Ashimolowo said. "Rather, I believe that we were victims of the fact that it was a Christian church that has succeeded. The megachurch growth of the large church is so unknown to them. In fact, they call KICC "the American style church led by a Nigerian pastor," he added.
Alan Craig, a Christian city councilman running for London mayor, calls it "a perfect illustration" of the City of London's "prejudice against Christianity."
"It's just appalling the way they've been treated," he said. "KICC are left swinging in the wind. They have no permanent home, as we stand here today."
So while London city government has literally told the largest church in the city to take a hike, it's still pushing the construction of the largest mosque in Europe.
Not far from Kingsway's former church property is land that has been set aside for a huge mosque complex for as many as 70,000 Muslims. The City of London wants it to be an integral part of the 2012 London Olympic site. This despite the fact that the so-called mega mosque is widely controversial, because it is being built by a secretive group called Tablighi Jamaat, which some have tied to terror.
"Mayor Livingstone is actively courting the Muslim vote. That's what he's doing. I also think our secular authorities are actively writing Christianity out of the script," Craig said.
It's not surprising, then, that a leading Islamic cleric in Britain recently called on Muslims to support Ken Livingstone's re-election campaign.
Here from Councilman Craig's campaign Web site is a video of his trying to confront the Tablighis, in what was supposed to be a public open house to improve the image of the mega mosque project. Except that the Tablighi leaders refused to answer Craig's questions.
"I wanted to ask them about terrorism, I wanted to ask them about their separatism, I wanted to ask them about their ideology. I have 20 or 30 questions I want to ask them, but they wouldn't answer any of them. They said, no no, another day," Craig said.
As the mosque project goes forward, the London Development Authority has said it's doing all it can to find a home for Kingsway. But the church seems less than convinced.
"Here is the United Kingdom, which sent missionaries around the world. Suddenly, now, they tore down the largest church building, to permit, just next door, the largest mosque in Europe," Ashimolowo said.
"We're facing a clash of kingdoms in the realm of the spirit. Light will have to prevail, some way, over darkness," he said.
This is not a slight on Islam, and no one is saying that the Muslims shouldn't have a mosque (hoping of course that this group isn't tied to terrorism). But clearly a political agenda is being played out here. Even if this proposed mosque isn't in the picture, to kick this group out of their place of worship to make way for the Olympics is egregious. This is the same behavior that sent the pilgrims across the Atlantic in search of the freedom to worship without interference from government. It's this behavior by Big Brother (1984 was written by George Orwell who happens to be an Englishman by the way) that spurred our forefathers to address it in the very first amendment to our constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
I certainly hope we can repel the forces in this country that would like change this. They are among us. You might recognize them as senators, congressman judges and presidents.
-Jim
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Submitted by SeaCat on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 23:45
Submitted by aimzb on Mon, 04/28/2008 - 14:17