St. Nicholas for Nice Children; Krampus for Naughty

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The integration of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in rural Austria is facing a terrifying challenge this holiday season.

CHR Comment: Sometime in the medieval era the Christian feast for St. Nicholas, a historical fourth century bishop, was mixed with pagan folklore about a humanlike beast that punished naughty children. This is the Austrian version of the “naughty or nice” element in modern Christmas celebrations. This a good example of syncretism in European Christianity.

Source: Austrian Villagers to Refugees: Please Don’t Fear Krampus – NBC News

Terrorist Threats to Pope Francis and the Vatican

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The ISIS-inspired attack thwarted Tuesday was not the first time Pope Francis has been targeted by extremists.

CHR Comment: Four men from Kosovo were arrested for planning an attack. There were also statements from ISIS that the Vatican would be attacked.

Source: Pope Francis-Islamic State Plot: Four Arrested In Italy For Planning ISIS Attack On Pontiff Following Paris Terrorism

American Christians Remain Divided Over Abortion

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In February 2013, as she prepared to re-open a Wichita women’s health clinic shuttered since the 2009 shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, Julie Burkhart looked out the window of her home and saw protesters.

CHR Comment: The article opens by referring to the shooting of Tiller, an abortion provider, who was an active member of his church. The latest violence against Planned Parenthood was not purely religious but seems to have come in part from the shooter’s mental illness. Christians differ on whether abortion is about health care for women (liberal view) or a violation of the commandment, “You shall not kill/murder” (conservative view). Conservatives Christians condemn violent acts against abortion providers, though the article lists some exceptional cases where people with religious motives have attacked.

Source: Threat of violence ever-present at abortion clinics, advocates say

African American Christians and Donald Trump

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Donald Trump sounded enthusiastic following a meeting with black pastors in New York on Monday amid controversy over whether they plan to endorse the billionaire businessman’s presidential bid.

CHR Comment: African American Christian leaders have sharply different views of presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The conservative-liberal divide so far focuses on things that Trump says rather than on specific decisions or treatment of minorities, such as questioning his fairness in business dealings or philanthropy.

Source: Donald Trump enthused after meeting with black pastors – CNNPolitics.com

Assyrian Christian Hostages Held for Ransom

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The Islamic State released 10 Assyrian Christian hostages Tuesday night in the Tel Temir town in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, but over 150 remain captured and threatened with death.

CHR Comment: Those released seem to be persons who could not easily be held in captivity (sick and elderly). The captors seek millions of dollars in ransom money. Terrorist groups use these methods as a form of fundraising.

Source: ISIS Releases 10 Assyrian Christian Hostages; Over 150 Remain Captured

Pizza Delivery Man Tipped $700 in Publicity Stunt

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This Ohio church’s random act of kindness snowballed into something huge.

CHR Comment: A similar event took place in October (see second link below) with Pastor Markle of Sycamore Creek Church in Pickerington, OH. This more recent event was with Pastor Wright of Life Point Church in Mentor, OH. As noted earlier, these acts appear to be publicity stunts rather than simple acts of kindness. It is not yet clear whether the churches are related to one another or whether the Mentor church is borrowing the practice from the Pickerington church.

Source: Pizza guy tipped $700; church learns later how it helped

https://churchhistoryreview.org/2015/10/17/church-tips-driver-1000-for-5-99-pizza/

Ten Ministers Receive Death Threats in Bangladesh

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Single letter lists names of priests in and around the city of Rangpur, saying that they will be killed one by one.

CHR Comment: The threat was received by Pastor Barnabas Hemron of Rangpur Baptist Church. (The writer apparently incorrectly titles Baptist ministers as “priests.”) The person who sent the threat wrote that Muslim laws would be applied in Bangladesh. According to Rev. John Sagor Karmakar, about 30 ministers and others have restricted their activities in view of threats. Recently, an Italian medical missionary, Piero Parolari, was shot; Pastor Luke Sarkar escaped an attempted murder.

Source: Ten priests receive death threats in Bangladesh – Al Jazeera English

Pope Francis Visits Ugandan Shrine Amid Gay Rights Debate

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Pope Francis traveled to Uganda’s holiest shrine on Saturday, paying tribute to 19th century Christian martyrs killed for their faith.

CHR Comment: The 47 Ugandan martyrs were burned by King Buganda Mwanga II. One issue was the king’s homosexual advances toward boy pages in his court. Martyr Charles Lwanga was killed for trying to protect these boys. The story of this martyr intersects with current issues of homosexuality. Uganda has passed strong laws against homosexual acts, though western officials have regarded such laws as repressive.

Source: Pope Francis Visits Ugandan Shrine Amid Gay Rights Debate – NBC News

Immigration History and the Current Discussion of Syrian Refugees

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A wave of migrants from the Mediterranean meets a hostile reception from many Americans. The migrants are seen as alien in religion, culture, politics, law. So different in fact that some Americans argue that they can never be assimilated. They are the Italians, in the 1890s.

CHR Comment: The article uses the example of Italian Catholic immigration to predominantly Protestant America in the nineteenth century to argue for changes in attitude toward Syrian immigrants today. Americans at that time were afraid of Sicilians and mafia due to acts of violence. The comparison seems inexact since the Sicilians weren’t killing people for religious reasons.

Source: A brief history of America’s hostility to a previous generation of Mediterranean migrants — Italians | Public Radio International

Christian Militias in Central African Republic

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Shocking probe by UN human rights investigators comes days ahead of visit by Pope Francis.

CHR Comment: The anti-balaka (“anti-machete”) militias are fighting with Muslims Seleka rebels over power in Central African Republic. Government troops make up a third force in the nation. People in this region are superstitious about witchcraft. According to a United Nations report, Christian groups have extorted money from people by accusing them of witchcraft, then gathering a bribe from them. Some who cannot pay are burned. A local clergyman who intervened was likewise injured. However, according to a Voice of America article from 2014, the anti-balaka groups may have Christians or practitioners of native religion. Their actions are not so much religious as political and vigilante. The nation is supposed to have an election of new leaders in December.

The second and third links give further information about Central African Republic.

Source: Christian militias in Central African Republic ‘burnt witches at stake’, says UN report – Telegraph

http://allafrica.com/stories/201402190037.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34956969?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-27/despite-security-risks-pope-francis-plans-visit-central-african-republic?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews