July 11th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
ABC News reports female genital mutilation is on the rise in Britain despite the practice having been outlawed since 2003. I wasn’t surprised by that, but I was surprised by one paragraph:
It is practiced by Muslims and Christians alike, deeply rooted in the Nile Valley region and parts of sub-Saharan African, and is also done in Yemen and Oman. Through migration, the practice has spread to Western countries like Britain.
I’d never heard of Christians doing this. An internet search revealed this report from the State Department regarding Ethiopia. Among the most shocking: “Some use religion as the basis for their justification in performing these procedures, despite the fact they are not required by either the Quran or the Bible. Some Coptic Christian priests refuse to baptize girls who have not undergone one of the procedures.”
Wow. This is worse than just “not required” by Christianity. Withholding the promises of baptism on account of anyone not wanting to participate in this procedure is anti-Christian.
July 11th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
In the same vein, the so-called “honor killing” phenomenon is not exclusive to Islam, either. Christians in the upper Nile region also commit this hideous crime.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Christian men in west Africa also take multiple wives. My parents, who traveled in diplomatic circles, used to receive invitations that read something like, “The wives and children of His Excellency Chief Immanuel Mambi-jambi request the honor of your presence at his marriage to Princess Lydia Humba-lumba on August 12, 1975.”
Right now my father has a home health aide from Siera Leone whose father has several wives.
Anastasia
July 12th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Hmm… makes one wonder if these people are really Christians to begin with.
Yet, in the context of sin, how are they any different from all the Christian alcoholics and other addicts of various types here in Western culture?