Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 12, 2007

Medical Doctors Present Scientific Evidence of Divine Healing at Conference in Indonesia

ASSIST News Service reports that more than 400 physicians from 13 countries gathered November 2-3 for the WCDN South East Asia Conference in Indonesia, in which medical doctors presented scientific evidence of divine healing. WCDN (World Christian Doctors Network) is an international Christian medical organization that addresses not only urgent questions facing the Christian medical community today, but is also the first of its kind that objectively confirms and examines instances of healing by the power of God. The theme of the unique gathering was “Spirituality and Medicine” and was held under the auspices of the WCDN. Real medical data backing the claims were presented by physicians on healing cases such as infantile paralysis, comminuted fracture, astigmatism, and many other healing cases of incurable and terminal diseases.

China Seizes Christian-Owned Business, Makes Arrests

Baptist Press reports that Chinese authorities seized the assets of a foreign-owned company and placed its Christian owners under house arrest in mid-October, according to a Christian human rights organization that monitors religious freedom in China. Raids at the Enoch Group (www.enochgroup.com), an Australian company owned by naturalized Australians Daniel and Eliza Ng, began in August and authorities since have moved to shut down the company and freeze nearly $13 million in assets and patents, said Bob Fu of the China Aid Association (www.chinaaid.org). Mr. and Mrs. Ng were under house arrest from Oct. 12-25. On Sept. 13, the government reportedly froze both the company's and Mr. & Mrs. Ng's personal assets. Enoch Group's Guangzhou branch is a bio-engineering corporation focused on ecological agriculture, water quality improvement, environmental protection and human health care. High-level government sources told CAA that some central government leaders disapproved of the group's hiring of Chinese Christians and suspected that the company's motto, "Love, peace, joy and faithfulness," promoted Christianity.

Episcopal Leader Says Opponents of Homosexual Bishop Should Refocus

OneNewsNow.com reports that the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, says members unhappy with the consecration of a homosexual bishop in New Hampshire should worry about more important things. From Vermont this weekend, the Bishop said, "A handful of our church leaders are still upset and would like to see the church never ordain and never baptize a gay or lesbian person," but their time would be better spent "on more life-and-death issues like starvation, education, medical care." The Pittsburgh, PA diocese is the most recent in the ECUSA to take a first step toward leaving the denomination.

Church Starts Consultations To Help Secure Unorganized Workers’ Rights

ASSIST News Service reports that the Catholic Church has initiated a series of meetings focusing on how to ensure the rights of about 300 million workers uninvolved in labor unions. The first meeting in Agra, south of New Delhi, drew 25 people to hear speakers such as Bishop Oswald Lewis of Jaipur stressing the basic rights of laborers in non union work. Lewis heads the Indian bishops' Commission for Labor, which launched the initiative. Father Jose Vattakuzhy, the commission secretary, told UCA News the commission plans to host more meetings in all 12 regions of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. 93 percent of India's workers, an estimated 300 million people, are not organized in unions. They are mostly underpaid, and lack the collective bargaining power to assure job security and benefits such as insurance and pensions.