Category Archives: Religion

Religion

WitchTok: TikTok for Witches

For TikTok users, WitchTok is probably nothing new. TikTok has an algorithm which adapts users content around their interests, and if your interest is witchcraft the WitchTok is the place for you.

Witchcraft has seen as massive resurgence in recent years; largely due to the internet and social media. Modern witches now take to TikTok, or WitchTok, to evangelize the masses and promote their beliefs.

Some use the platform to teach spells, do tarot readings, or potion making. The social media platform is particularly helpful this year as Halloween approaches, and they cannot meet in person. They are taking to WitchTok and other platforms for a socially distanced Halloween. And the fact that Halloween falls on a Full Moon makes it especially poignant for them.

Read More: BBC

Religion

Anti-Trump Worship Leader Writes Song to Rebuke Evangelical Trump Supporters

Daniel Dietrich, the worship pastor at South Bend City Church, Indiana, has penned a “hymn” rebuking the 81% of white evangelical Christians who voted for Trump.

The lyrics of the song accuse the evangelicals of “putting kids in cages, ripping mothers from their babies” and “weaponiz[ing] religion.”

“There’s so much work to do to combat white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, sexism — all the ways in which people are treated as less than the children of God that they are,” Dietrich told Religion News Service.

Despite being praised by many evangelicals from the left the hymn has not been embraced by all: “Deitrich’s words are not elevating or edifying; they are divisive,” Goins-Phillips, of Faithwire, writes. “Our worship and discipleship should be challenging, but it should be challenging in ways that call us back to Scripture, not to our anger at one another.”

Read More: FoxNews

Religion

Kanye West Tells 12,000 Students How Jesus Changed His Life

Rapper Kanye West continues his crusade to tell how his faith in Jesus has transformed him. West began a year ago to host pop-up services. Last weekend he spoke to over12,000 college students  in Tennessee, over 1,000 students came to Christ according to organisers. He told them how he overcame alcoholism:

“Jesus saves,” West testified. “No matter how long you think you’ve been away. No matter how long you’ve been in the dark, the light is right there ready to save. To give you the confidence where they don’t want us to be brave. So you tell the devil today that we’ll no longer be his slave.”

The day before West held a 10 hour prayer rally in Arizona, Awaken 2020.

Read More: Fox News

Religion

Chinese Religious Freedom at a 40-Year Low

A new report published on Thursday has concluded that religious freedom has hit a 40-year low in China.

The communist state has imposed strict laws controlling religious freedom since the Communist Party took power in 1949. However, in recent years things have become worse for people of faith in China.

China has persecuted its Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang, but also Buddhists, Jews and Christians.

Churches in China have seen buildings destroyed, bibles confiscated and an increase in believers being imprisoned for their faith.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has particularly targeted the underground church movement in China, which has seen phenomenal growth over the last two decades.

Read More: Breitbart

Religion

Pastor of Chinese Megachurch Imprisoned for Faith has More Charges Added

The continued clamp down on faith groups in China has seen the imprisonment of Pastor Wang Yi. He was arrested 7 months ago with his wife and around 100 members of his congregation. Pastor Wang Yi has now had more charges added, to the original charge of “inciting subversion”. His supporters believe this is because it is difficult to prove a charge of “inciting subversion”. The new charges include “illegal business activities”.

Most of the 100 members have already been released, along with Pastor Wang Yi’s wife. However, members of the church are under close surveillance from authorities.

Before his arrest Pastor Wang had released a letter denouncing the communist parties recent activities:

“I believe that this Communist regime’s persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely,” the pastor wrote.

“The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.”

The Chinese government only allows protestant churches within its state approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which censors what can be preached. However recent years has seen new restrictions and clamp downs on both State approved and illegal churches.

China ranks 27 in the Open Doors World Watch List of persecuted countries.

Read More: The Christian Post

Religion

Satanic Temple on the Rise in Canada

The Satanic Temple has seen it’s numbers rise in recent years in Canada. Although there is only one official chapter in Ottawa, there are unofficial meetings emerging throughout the country.

Many of the new members are former Roman Catholics. The organisation says they do not “worship Satan”. However, events see attendees proclaiming, “Hail Satan!” and performing Black Masses, as well as unbaptisms.

The organisation sees its vision to advance the separation of church and state. The Satanic Temple’s literature describes their vision as: “the communication and motivation of politically aware Satanists, secularists and advocates for individual liberty.”

Read More: Global News

Education, News, Religion

‘Allahu Akbar’: Man Attacks Women With Hammer in France

A man wielding a hammer has attacked and injured two women in France while shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for ‘my God is greatest’).
The attacker, who stuck in Chalon-sur-Saône, Eastern France, was wearing all black and is still on the run, French media reports.

French prosecutors say they are treating the incident, which occurred just before midday, as a possible terror attack but did not rule out other motives.

The two assaults happened near Place de Beaune, 15 minutes apart. One of the two women is believed to have been hit in the back of the head.

A helicopter was flying over the area to try to find the fugitive.

“A man assaulted two women using a hammer, slightly injuring one of them in the back of the head; both victims are in shock. The events took place near the city centre,” authorities confirmed in a statement.

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Education, News, Religion

‘Allah hu Akbar’ Shouting Woman Threatens to Blow Herself up at Cannes Festival

A 27-year-old woman from Cannes was arrested this week outside the CanneSeries television festival after she yelled “Allah hu Akbar” and threatened to blow herself up.
The threat of terrorism took place at the Place de Gaulle in Cannes, within the vicinity of the Palais des Festivals where both the internationally renowned Cannes film festival and the TV festival take place, regional newspaper Nice-Matin reports.

More disturbingly, the 27-year-old was accompanied by her two children aged two and four years old while she was making threats to explode. Police were able to quickly arrest the woman who was later taken for a psychiatric evaluation and hospitalised on the advice of a clinical psychiatrist.

The two children were taken into protective custody with social services.

The incident was not the only terrorist threat in France this week as two men were arrested in Saint-Brieuc in Brittany after they both also shouted “Allah hu Akbar” and uttered death threats against an employee of France’s national railway company SNCF at a train station.

Several witnesses to the incident said the two men were shouting not only “Allah hu Akbar” but were also making disparaging remarks about French people and Roman Catholics.

After the men threatened the employee, the station was evacuated until 15 police officers arrived on the scene with anti-bomb equipment as they were concerned the men may have bombs in their suitcases. “We had to react very quickly. We did not know what their suitcases contained,” a local police officer said.

The two men were quickly arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital. One of the men, a 23-year-old born in France was said to be homeless and known previously to police, the other a 32-year-old was also known to police.

The threats come only weeks after a radical Islamic terrorist entered a supermarket in Trebes, taking several hostages and killing four people including French policeman Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame who traded himself for a hostage and died the following day of his wounds.

The man, identified as Moroccan migrant Redouane Lakdim, demanded the release of Bataclan terrorist Salah Abdeslam. He was killed by police after they stormed the supermarket.

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