Vatican and World Alliance of Churches Want Globally Accepted Religion

Christian News Feature * christian news blog * RSS FEED ARCHIVES *
Vatican and World Alliance of Churches Want Globally Accepted Religion
Added: May 15th, 2006 7:32 AM

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife at
BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest

ATHENS/ROME/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- In a move expected to raise
eyebrows among Evangelicals predicting the impending rule by the
'Anti-Christ' as described in the Bible, the Vatican and the world's
largest alliance of Christian churches are seeking a "Common Code of
Conduct" for conversions, in which non-Christian religions will have a say.

Following talks in Athens, Greece, this week, the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and Vatican representatives announced they would open
contacts with Islam and other faiths "to study ways to avoid conflicts."

On Saturday, May 13, the two groups were expected to continue
negotiations with Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims near Rome as part of a
four-day conference to sketch out an eventual "Code of Conduct" on
Christian conversions, officials said.

Religious freedom and missionary outreach by Christian groups have
become "increasingly sensitive topics" as many Muslims perceive their
faith as under threat by the West and nations such as China struggle to
maintain state controls on churches, organizers explained.

OTHER FAITHS

"How can we - anxious to maintain, develop and nurture good relations
with people of other faiths - deal with this highly complex issue that
sometimes threatens the fiber of living together?"added Rev. Hans Ucko,
head of the Interreligious Relations Office for the WCC in published
remarks.

Especially active 'Evangelical' Christians across all denominations have
been singled out for attacks by Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist militants
opposing Christian conversions in several countries of the world,
including in Asia and the Middle East BosNewsLife Research established.
But Evangelicals says Jesus Christ specifically ordered His Church to
spread the Gospel into all nations and that persecution was to be expected.

Talks in Rome were held as in India on Saturday, May 13, thousands of
Christians, including former Hindu-orphans, concluded their night of
prayers and fasting against attacks against them by Hindu militants, who
are fighting the spread of Christianity.

WORLDWIDE PRAYERS

Millions of others around the world were also believed to be involved in
the All India
International Night of Prayer May-12-13, sparked by events in the tense
state of Rajahstan where Hindu-leaders have attempted to close down
operations of one of India's largest evangelical mission groups
Hopegivers International and its Indian affiliate Emanuel Mission
International (EMI), and imprison their leaders.

Last month, lawmakers in the western Indian state of Rajasthan become
the latest region in the country to outlaw proselytizing with
punishments up to five years in prison. Critics claim the laws will be
used to target Christian missionaries, who are often the target of
denunciations from Hindu nationalists. But Muslims - who account for
about 14 percent of India's population - also say the measures could be
used against them.

In India's neighboring country of Sri Lanka, Christians on Saturday, May
13, were still recovering from attacks against their churches by
Buddhist radicals trying to introduce anti-conversion legislation.

MOB ATTACKS

Recently, car tires were reportedly set on fire in front of a Methodist
church to prevent people from entering for Sunday worship. On Saturday,
May 6, a Buddhist monk in Poddala apparently led a mob to a site where
members of the United Christian Fellowship had begun building a
community hall and threatened the pastor and a construction worker.

In Piliyandala, southeast of the capital Colombo, Buddhist monks on
April 30 led a mob to a Methodist church and prevented members from
entering, as police declined to help, media reports said.

Also in Piliyandala, an Assembly of God church is facing a poster
campaign and threats of massive protests if it does not close down.
Violent mobs have carried out at least 160 attacks on churches or
Christian institutions since 2002, when Buddhist monks first launched
their campaign to introduce anti-conversion legislation, estimated
Christian news agency Compass Direct.

CONDUCT CODE

In what they view as a move to ease tensions over conversions in Asia
and across the globe,
envoys from the Vatican's office on interreligious dialogue and the
Geneva-based WCC - which includes over 350 mainline Protestant, Orthodox
and related churches - said the hope to come up with the controversial
'Code of Conduct' soon.

The document was expected to take at least three years to research and
draft with the other world religions.

Analysts said the biggest challenges to the project was involve
Pentecostal and evangelical-style congregations who lead the drive for
conversions around the world and represent the fastest-growing bloc in
Christianity.

The WCC maintains links with some groups, including the 50
million-member Assemblies of God churches and the World Evangelical
Alliance. Ucko reportedly said leaders hope to use the contacts to talk
more with "the most zealous groups to try to find a common voice."

TAKING SHAPE

The details of the conversion code will take shape in the coming years,
said Ucko, but it will explore "the dos and don'ts" of trying to spread
Christianity among other faiths, he told The Associated Press (AP) news
agency.

He suggested Christian evangelists should stay away from places in the
Muslim world where conversion from Islam is a punishable offense.

"This is complex moral and ethical territory. We want to open up a space
to talk about this with other faiths," Ucko said. "What are the limits
on seeking new Christians? What about people who have converted, but are
afraid to come forward because they could be persecuted?"

NO LIMITS?

Evangelical groups say there are no limits on spreading the Gospel as
Jesus Christ died at the cross for the sins of everyone, before His
resurrection on the third day, so whoever believes in Him has
everlasting life, as mentioned for instance in Bible verse John 3:16.

Supporters of the Code of Conduct point our however that conversions can
be dangerous, referring to Abdul Raman, a Christian convert from Islam
who faced a possible death sentence in Afghanistan before the charges
were dropped in March and he was granted amnesty in Italy.

The move seems part of a broader initiative as it comes roughly 2.5
years after leaders at an unprecedented religious congress in the former
Soviet republic of Kazakhstan agreed to create what they called a
"United Nations of Religions."

PRESIDENT SUPPORT

In September 2003, the President of the mainly Muslim and former Soviet
nation, Nursultan Nazarbayev, offered to provide a new building in the
capital Astana for the organization where disputes can be discussed in a
neutral setting.

Delegates in Astana said they would call the organization "the Congress
of World and Traditional Religions", dropping the word "national"
because most faiths stretch across national boundaries.

Evangelical commentators, including best-selling author Hal Lindsey have
warned that organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union
with apparent support from the Vatican and likely WCC groups, are
increasingly trying to create a universally excepted religion ideology,
which they believe will in the end be a far cry from "the Way, the Truth
and the Life of Jesus Christ," and likely be directed against Israel as
part of a new World Order.

ASIAN POLITICS

In the short term, analysts say that the discussions over conversions
are likely to spill into religious politics of Asia, including the
alleged persecution of "house churches" in places such Vietnam and China
amid an escalating clash between the Vatican and Chinese Communist
authorities over control over Catholics.

Chinese Catholics must worship in the state-approved church, which
doesn't recognize the Vatican. Last week, China angered the Vatican by
ordaining two bishops without the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. The
Vatican warned that those who took part might face excommunication.

The WCC represents more than 500 million Christians worldwide. The Roman
Catholic Church, with about 1.1 billion members, is not a WCC member,
but cooperates closely on many levels. (With BosNewsLife Research,
BosNewsLife Reports, BosNewsLife News Center and reports from Kazakhstan
and Greece).

Copyright 2006 BosNewsLife. All rights reserved.