Posted on 06/04/2007 5:25:41 AM PDT by siunevada
JAKARTA (AFP) - Muslim hardliners stormed a church in Indonesia during services, smashing images of Jesus Christ and demanding that it be closed down, the pastor said on Monday.
Dozens of churches have had to be closed in the Muslim-majority country in recent years, and Sunday's attack was the second on the small Protestant church in the West Java town of Soreang since 2005.
Reverend Robby Elisa, who heads the church, said around 100 hardliners attacked while Sunday school was in session. He said his wife was beaten and that at least four stained glass depictions of Jesus were smashed.
"They came and forced their way into the church," he said. "The attackers claimed to be from the Anti-Apostate Movement Alliance. The same group had already attacked the church in 2005."
The secretary of the church's headquarters in Jakarta, Reverend Budi Setiawan, said that the attack had been reported to the Indonesian Church Association (PGI).
West Java, where Islam is strong, has seen a series of attacks on churches to force their closure.
The Jakarta Post newspaper said that more than 30 churches have had to close their door in West Java since 2004 because of attacks by Muslim hardliners. Dozens of churches have also been forced to close in other provinces, it said.
According to a current decree by the religious affairs ministry, houses of worship must obtain the approval of at least 60 percent of local residents and have at least 90 followers to be able to operated.
Elisa said that his church was small and only had a congregation of some 20 adults and 40 children and teenagers.
"Where else can we go? We are too far from the city and our congregation needs a place to worship," Elisa said.
The district police chief could not be immediately reached for comment, and the officer on duty at the district police declined to comment.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority nation with over 90 percent of its 220 million people adherents of Islam.
Although the constitution gives all religions equal footing, laws make it difficult for religions other than Islam to establish houses of worship.
Religion of Psychopaths.
ping.
I think it’s well past time we return the favor.
The Christians shouldn’t have had images of God there to be smashed.
Im not so sure.
BLOODY SAVAGES!!
):^(
Where does the story mention 'images of God'?
How do you figure? (I’m almost reluctant to ask...)
Wherever two or more are gathered in my name........ Matthew 18:20 (King James Version) King James Version (KJV) 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Right.
Spent much time, in West Java?
Funny. A liberal jackass was telling me just last night that the only reason these Islamofascists are attacking us is because we attack them, that we’re in their countries. We antagonize them.
Well, I guess he’s right. As long as we exist and we don’t agree with them, we antagonize them and should expect to be killed by them. Of course, I prefer the other plan.
Satan’s foot-soldiers doing what they have been doing forever.
Because of the commandment to not make graven images of God (one of the Ten Commandments). You can extrapolate that images of God in general should not be made.
Line three, at the end.
Why not?
Please remember that idolatry is the literal worship of idols - the belief that a given statue or graven image is a literal god, to be propitiated and feared. I hope you're not suggesting that Christians with statues or crucifixes in their churches literally believe that these are their gods.
No. The commandment is that "Thou shalt not bow down and worship them"
Indonesia : another nuc target?
You could be in the middle of radical Islam (or other un-Christian) central, and you still wouldn't be in the right to attack Muslims unless it was for defense.
Given that you're Australian, there's a higher chance that you are Roman Catholic (which would explain your earlier comment). In the Bible, there is a clear case that can be used as analogous to this situation. Christians in the Roman Empire were being persecuted by the Romans. Some Christians contemplated uprising. Instead, they were exhorted to not uprise--the Roman government was the one sanctioned by God. All governments rule because God lets them rule.
Christians aren't supposed to respond to injustices tit for tat.
Bible verse link.
Also, vengeance is God's. Christians shouldn't comport themselves in a vindictive behavior (obviously Christians are fallible).
I really wish those naughty Christians wouldn’t provoke the peace loving muslims so.
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