Source http://citizensreport.info/2011/07/13/christian-girls-forced-to-convert-to-islam-by-sexual-coercion/
AINA) — The number of Christian girls abducted and coerced into converting to Islam since the Egyptian “January 25 Revolution” has skyrocketed, according to Father Filopateer Gamil of St. Mary’s Church in Giza. “More than two to three girls disappear everyday in Giza alone,” he said. “The cases that are brought to public attention are few compared to what the numbers actually are.”
Many Christians blame the military council for not intervening to put an end to this problem, which has escalated after the Revolution because of the “emergence of Muslim Salafists,” says activist Mark Ebeid, “who believe strongly that converting a Christian Infidel is in some ways like earning a ticket to paradise — not to mention the earthly remuneration they get from the Saudis.”
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Dec 17, 2011
Oct 23, 2011
Blessed Mother Comforts Copts After Massacre? See pic of apparition.
22/10/2011
Special Report by Antonios Ramzi for OCP Media NetworkIt is reported that, after the events of the massacre of Copts in Maspero, Virgin Mary appeared in Cairo and Alexandria.
Reports says that, Virgin Mary in the sky, in Cairo and Alexandria and at different areas nearby. Lights appeared in the sky, followed by voice.Copts believe that the voice came from heaven to reassure that their prayers are heard after what they have suffered severely in the events of Maspero, which killed 27 believers and left dozens wounded.
Soem of the TV channels have broadcastied the miraculous appearance of the holy Theodokos.
Feb 28, 2011
Egyptian Army Destroys Monastery Walls, Opens Fire on Christian Monks
If video fails click here or go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2011/02/egyptian-army-destroys-monastery-walls.html
From Moonbattery
From Moonbattery
For the second time in as many days, Egyptian armed force stormed the 5th century old St. Bishoy monastery in Wadi el-Natroun, 110 kilometers from Cairo. Live ammunition was fired, wounding two monks and six Coptic monastery workers. Several sources confirmed the army's use of RPG ammunition. Four people have been arrested including three monks and a Coptic lawyer who was at the monastery investigating [the previous day's] army attack.
Monk Aksios Ava Bishoy told activist Nader Shoukry of Freecopts the armed forces stormed the main entrance gate to the monastery in the morning using five tanks, armored vehicles and a bulldozer to demolish the fence built by the monastery last month to protect themselves and the monastery from the lawlessness which prevailed in Egypt during the January 25 Uprising.
"When we tried to address them, the army fired live bullets, wounding Father Feltaows in the leg and Father Barnabas in the abdomen," said Monk Ava Bishoy. "Six Coptic workers in the monastery were also injured, some with serious injuries to the chest." …
Father Hemanot Ava Bishoy said the army fired live ammunition and RPGs continuously for 30 minutes, which hit part of the ancient fence inside the monastery. "The army was shocked to see the monks standing there praying 'Lord have mercy' without running away. This is what really upset them," he said. "As the soldiers were demolishing the gate and the fence they were chanting 'Allahu Akbar' and 'Victory, Victory'."
He also added that the army prevented the monastery's car from taking the injured to hospital.
The army also attacked the Monastery of St. Makarios of Alexandria in Wady el-Rayan, Fayoum, 100 km from Cairo. It stormed the monastery and fired live ammunition on the monks. Father Mina said that one monk was shot and more than ten have injuries caused by being beaten with batons. The army demolished the newly erected fence and one room from the actual monastery and confiscated building materials. The monastery had also built a fence to protect itself after January 25 and after being attacked by armed Arabs and robbers leading to the injury of six monks, including one monk in critical condition who is still hospitalized.
Feb 19, 2011
Answering BBC Muslim propaganda V2
If video fails click here or go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2011/02/answering-bbc-muslim-propaganda-v2.html
The BBC is broadcasting blatant historical lies that are hate litterature by England's own standards but these are directed at the British people themselves and by extention, Europe. My favorite part is that jihad is in the Koran but there is nothing in the Bible about waging war with those who are not Christian.
The BBC is broadcasting blatant historical lies that are hate litterature by England's own standards but these are directed at the British people themselves and by extention, Europe. My favorite part is that jihad is in the Koran but there is nothing in the Bible about waging war with those who are not Christian.
Dec 25, 2010
Dec 22, 2010
Jews and Muslims on the Christmas of 2010.
Jewish PM Netanyahu's Christmas Greetings to Israel's Christian citizens and to Christians throughout the world. If video fails, go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2010/12/jews-and-muslims-on-christmas-of-2010.html
Muslim group launches poster campaign against Christmas declaring it as evil. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340794/Muslim-group-launches-poster-hate-campaign-festive-period.html#ixzz18u4rObU6
By the fruits, a tree is known. Also, it shows that the Jewish God is the Christian God as well. But the so-called diety of Muslims is obviously different from the Judeo-Christian God. To the Jewish people, I wish them a Happy Chanukkah. To the Muslims I counsel, stop worshiping a puppet of a bloody pedophile.
Muslim group launches poster campaign against Christmas declaring it as evil. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340794/Muslim-group-launches-poster-hate-campaign-festive-period.html#ixzz18u4rObU6
By the fruits, a tree is known. Also, it shows that the Jewish God is the Christian God as well. But the so-called diety of Muslims is obviously different from the Judeo-Christian God. To the Jewish people, I wish them a Happy Chanukkah. To the Muslims I counsel, stop worshiping a puppet of a bloody pedophile.
Dec 6, 2010
Dec. 8 is a holy day of obligation - USCCB ruling.
Reminder only.
Canon 1246
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.
This decree of the Conference of Bishops was approved and confirmed by the Apostolic See by a decree of the Congregation for Bishops (Prot. N. 296/84), signed by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin, prefect of the Congregation, and dated July 4, 1992.
SUBSEQUENT ACTION: Canon 1246§2
Canon 1246
§1: Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church. Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary Mother of God and her Immaculate Conception and Assumption, Saint Joseph, the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and finally, All Saints.
§2: However, the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See.
Complementary Norm: In accord with canon 1246, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops decrees that the holy days of obligation to be observed in the United States are the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; the Solemnity of the Ascension; the Solemnity of the Assumption; the Solemnity of All Saints; the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception; the Solemnity of Christmas. The Solemnity of the Epiphany shall be transferred to the first Sunday following January 1; the Solemnity of Corpus Christi shall be observed on the second Sunday following Pentecost.
SUBSEQUENT ACTION: Canon 1246§2
DECREE OF PROMULGATION
On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of American made the following general decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin rite Catholics:
In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.
This decree of the Conference of Bishops was approved and confirmed by the Apostolic See by a decree of the Congregation for Bishops (Prot. N. 296/84), signed by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin, prefect of the Congregation, and dated July 4, 1992.
SUBSEQUENT ACTION: Canon 1246§2
In accord with the provisions of canon 1246§2 of the Code of Canon Law, which states: "... the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See," the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States decrees that the Ecclesiastical Provinces of the United States may transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter according to the following procedure.
The decision of each Ecclesiastical Province to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension is to be made by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the bishops of the respective Ecclesiastical Province. The decision of the Ecclesiastical Province should be communicated to the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and to the President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Nov 17, 2010
Christian woman in Pakistan, has been sentenced to death for blasphemy
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman in Pakistan, has been sentenced to death for blasphemy. On Monday, November 15, her husband was at the court as an appeal of the sentence was filed. He is asking for prayer from Christian brothers and sisters around the world. You can write a letter of encouragement to Asia at http://www.prisoneralert.com/.
She's just some woman that you and I don't really know. But what if she is our sister, niece, aunt or mother? That changes things a lot, doesn't it. Aren't we all siblings in Christ, children of the same adoptive heavenly Father?
If video fails, go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2010/11/christian-woman-in-pakistan-has-been.html
She's just some woman that you and I don't really know. But what if she is our sister, niece, aunt or mother? That changes things a lot, doesn't it. Aren't we all siblings in Christ, children of the same adoptive heavenly Father?
If video fails, go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2010/11/christian-woman-in-pakistan-has-been.html
Oct 26, 2010
Video: I'd take a chance on Christine O'Donnell. Her heart is in the right place.
If video fails, go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2010/10/video-id-take-chance-on-odonnell-her.html
She can learn to become politically savvy. What she has that cannot be learned is honesty, righteousness and integrity. You cannot fake those things. Just watch Obama or Pelosi when they talk about God and moral issues in the public square; they sound so hollow, plastic, fake. And that's because there's no conviction; they don't believe what they say. It's all for show.
Christine O'Donnell on the other hand, has stood for morality even before going into politics. If I have to gamble, then I'd take a chance on her. The other stuff can be learned on the job and besides, she will have counselors.
She can learn to become politically savvy. What she has that cannot be learned is honesty, righteousness and integrity. You cannot fake those things. Just watch Obama or Pelosi when they talk about God and moral issues in the public square; they sound so hollow, plastic, fake. And that's because there's no conviction; they don't believe what they say. It's all for show.
Christine O'Donnell on the other hand, has stood for morality even before going into politics. If I have to gamble, then I'd take a chance on her. The other stuff can be learned on the job and besides, she will have counselors.
Oct 19, 2010
Marian devotion is not a relic but a relationship.
What surprised me was the calming effect of the Rosary brought. They did not get bored or annoyed. After October, we’ll still say it once or twice during the weekdays or on the weekends when we don’t go to Confession. And when May comes along, we'll have a floral offering to her statue in the garden while singing Marian hymns. Maybe I'll post a video by then. We'll make it a family tradition and that way, Mother Mary becomes more and more part of our family.
Marian devotion is the most important devotion of the Christian community. It is not only a lifeless tradition or festivity but part of the life of the Church; just how many Marian apparitions have there been since her Assumption, how many miracles were done through her intercession starting from that party at Cana. And for me, Mother Mary is not just an element of Catholic heritage. She lives and continues to intercede for us.
Oct 13, 2010
Video: Christians persecuted around the world
There are more than 26 million documented cases of martyrdom in the 20th century alone which is more than in the previous 1900 years combined. Close to 165,000 Christians are martyred every year. One Christian is martyred every 3 minutes. More than 250 million Christians in over 60 nations are currently living under the threat of persecution and 60% of these are children.
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are abused as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3
Uphold these saints in Christ with prayer and financial support and by raising awareness of their suffering.
Visit:
http://www.persecution.net/
http://www.persecution.com/
http://www.opendoorsusa.org/
http://www.thebiblesite.org/
Oct 5, 2010
The parable of the stuck CD drive and infected computer
There are 2 problems. First, the system got corrupted that it needs to boot using the backup disks and to have a file recopied from there. Second, the CD drive is stuck.
Some CD drives have a hole where you can stick a paper clip tip to push the drive open. You can go to Youtube and see videos about that approach. I had one that did not have a hole. So after a short prayer, I attached an external CD drive, booted (started) and recovered from there. (You won't find that at YouTube; I got that with a little prayer and insight. So, you saw it first here.)
Moral:
Since this is a religious blog, let me use this to talk about Christian life. The corrupted files are our human frailties that have been overrun and controlled by sin. It can manifest itself in destructive behaviors e.g. addictions or habitual sins. The backup disk with the original files is God's grace that contains our chance to be made fixed i.e. freed from addictions and bad habits. The locked CD ROM drive can be our attitudes e.g. It's too late for me. I can never be forgiven. It won't work. I'll fall back into sin. It can be denial i.e. "Problem? I don't have a problem." or false pride. So, it comes down to one's choice to wallow in sin or to rise up and walk. Just like the joke, how many priests does it take to change a light bulb. One but, the light bulb must really want to change.
The external drive are others who help us through their prayers and counsel. Somehow, some people wake up one day and say, "I tired of this life; I'm going to change." That did not come out of the blue but from some grandmother praying the Rosary every night or some nun behind the cloister wall - just like St. Therese of the Child Jesus who prayed for the murderer who was about to be executed. The man repented at the last minute - just in time to receive God's forgiveness before he died.
The external drive are others who help us through their prayers and counsel. Somehow, some people wake up one day and say, "I tired of this life; I'm going to change." That did not come out of the blue but from some grandmother praying the Rosary every night or some nun behind the cloister wall - just like St. Therese of the Child Jesus who prayed for the murderer who was about to be executed. The man repented at the last minute - just in time to receive God's forgiveness before he died.
Sep 22, 2010
To have a truce with abortion supporters is like ...
To have a truce with abortion supporters is like having a truce with the Nazis. They round up the Jewish people, detain them then put them into hard labor. When they're too weak or sick to work, they gas them and burn their remains. But with a truce, one stands idly by saying, "Sorry, but we need to get our finances in order."
To have a truce with abortion supporters is like having a truce with the Klan. They pick up a black man in the dark of night, bind and gag the poor soul as they head into the woods. They stick a burning cross in his front yard while his wife holds his crying children. In the woods, they beat the man and cut him until when they're done, they end it by tying a noose around his neck and pulling him up a tree while he asphyxiates for his last breath. But with a truce, one looks the other way saying, "We have a deficit to lower so, we can't be distracted by lynching right now."
To have a truce with abortion supporters is like having a truce with gang bangers. They ride up to grab a girl, maybe 7 or 8 and push her in the back seat. They pull up an alley and take turns raping her as she cries for her daddy. With a truce, one ignores the shouts and simply closes the window to drown her pleas. Then one pulls down the shade to keep the crime out of sight. With a truce, one talks a little louder stressing, "Our first priority is to control our expenses. That girl's problems is not important right now."
The unborn are people too who are slaughtered daily in the most excruciating way. They are chemically burned or suctioned into pieces. They are cut and pulled apart piece by piece. To have a truce with abortion supporters is to let this carnage continue daily.
It is good that we see Republicans call for this action because, we know who among our party are with distorted morals and values. These people need to be kicked out of the party because they will usher confusion and institutionalize evil and wrong doing within the platform. Pretty soon, people won't have a leg to stand on as they fall for every new compromise to the most horrible crime in our times. Shame on those Republicans.
To have a truce with abortion supporters is like having a truce with the Klan. They pick up a black man in the dark of night, bind and gag the poor soul as they head into the woods. They stick a burning cross in his front yard while his wife holds his crying children. In the woods, they beat the man and cut him until when they're done, they end it by tying a noose around his neck and pulling him up a tree while he asphyxiates for his last breath. But with a truce, one looks the other way saying, "We have a deficit to lower so, we can't be distracted by lynching right now."
To have a truce with abortion supporters is like having a truce with gang bangers. They ride up to grab a girl, maybe 7 or 8 and push her in the back seat. They pull up an alley and take turns raping her as she cries for her daddy. With a truce, one ignores the shouts and simply closes the window to drown her pleas. Then one pulls down the shade to keep the crime out of sight. With a truce, one talks a little louder stressing, "Our first priority is to control our expenses. That girl's problems is not important right now."
The unborn are people too who are slaughtered daily in the most excruciating way. They are chemically burned or suctioned into pieces. They are cut and pulled apart piece by piece. To have a truce with abortion supporters is to let this carnage continue daily.
It is good that we see Republicans call for this action because, we know who among our party are with distorted morals and values. These people need to be kicked out of the party because they will usher confusion and institutionalize evil and wrong doing within the platform. Pretty soon, people won't have a leg to stand on as they fall for every new compromise to the most horrible crime in our times. Shame on those Republicans.
Sep 21, 2010
The Christian way to go - freely, obediently, lovingly and with Jesus.
You'll read more and more about dying on your terms or with dignity. It is a sales pitch to take your life yourself and some countries are making that legal. For those with no religious vision or spiritual life, this can be a rational decision. Rather than exhaust one's savings in a prolonged suffering, why no cut one's loses with suicide or assisted suicide?
For those blessed with the knowledge of God through faith, suffering is meaningful and a slow painful death becomes a fruitful sacrifice. This is one of the times when Christian have a leg up on everyone else. For one thing, it is much better to be purified in this world than it is to be later. Now, we have a choice to accept the pain with love and make it an offering for our wrong doing, to commute the sufferings of our loved ones, for the conversion of sinners and a host of other reasons. In the after life, we have to be purified and it won't be on our terms.
But purification is a must unless one is already perfect. Since God is perfect, one needs to be a pure as God to enter into union with Him. St. John of the Cross writes about this in his classic, The Dark Night of the Soul. And while God is with us, then there is no pain or anguish that is unbearable. Recall how the martyrs died while mauled and eaten by lions or burned at stakes.
That is why Christians do not disrespect God by killing themselves. Instead, they join the Son of God to suffer again on the Cross in their own way and surrender their lives when the time comes. It is the last act of love for God - to die in God's terms and in God's time. And when that happens, death has lost it's sting - as St. Paul writes.
For those blessed with the knowledge of God through faith, suffering is meaningful and a slow painful death becomes a fruitful sacrifice. This is one of the times when Christian have a leg up on everyone else. For one thing, it is much better to be purified in this world than it is to be later. Now, we have a choice to accept the pain with love and make it an offering for our wrong doing, to commute the sufferings of our loved ones, for the conversion of sinners and a host of other reasons. In the after life, we have to be purified and it won't be on our terms.
But purification is a must unless one is already perfect. Since God is perfect, one needs to be a pure as God to enter into union with Him. St. John of the Cross writes about this in his classic, The Dark Night of the Soul. And while God is with us, then there is no pain or anguish that is unbearable. Recall how the martyrs died while mauled and eaten by lions or burned at stakes.
That is why Christians do not disrespect God by killing themselves. Instead, they join the Son of God to suffer again on the Cross in their own way and surrender their lives when the time comes. It is the last act of love for God - to die in God's terms and in God's time. And when that happens, death has lost it's sting - as St. Paul writes.
Aug 23, 2010
41 stories re: Christian martyrs of Cordoba. ( That's the NY mosque name; so it is like "Auschwitz" for Nazi firing range. )
1.) St. Perfectus
The first martyr of this age was the aptly-named priest Perfectus, who served at the basilica of St Acisclus, just outside the city walls of Cordoba. One day on his way to market he was stopped by a group of Muslims. Seeing that he was a priest, they asked him to explain his faith and to share with them his opinions about Christ and Muhammad. Fearing that he would only provoke his audience, Fr Perfectus declined. But when the Muslims swore to protect him, he proceeded, in Arabic, to denounce Muhammad as one of the false prophets foretold by Christ and as a moral reprobate who had seduced the wife of his kinsman.
Though angered, the Muslims respected their oaths and let Fr Perfectus go on his way. But a few days later the priest ran into some of the same group, who no longer felt constrained by their earlier promise. Seizing him, they took him before the magistrate and testified that he had disparaged Muhammad. As they led him to prison to wait out Ramadan, he realized that his fate was sealed and he repeat his denunciation of Islam. On Easter Sunday, 18 April 850, Fr Perfectus was beheaded before the crowds that had gathered to celebrate the end of their fast.
2.) St. Isaac
The next, and probably most politically prominent, of the martyrs of Cordoba was Isaac. His noble birth and training in Arabic contributed to his rise within the local government to one of the highest positions to which a non-Muslim could aspire: that of secretary to the emir, or, as St Eulogius called him, exceptor republicae. Sometime later, he gave up his post and retired to the monastery at Tabanos, located in the mountains some seven miles north of Cordoba.
Isaac remained at Tabanos for three years. Then one day he left his retreat and returned to Cordoba. Approaching the emir’s palace where he had once been employed, he asked the Muslim magistrate for some instruction in the fine points of Islam. No sooner had the official begun to elaborate on the life of Muhammad when the monk stated that its ‘prophet’ was languishing in hell for misleading the Arabs.
The magistrate was dumbfounded. His first reaction was to hit Isaac, but he restrained himself when his counsellors reminded him that Islamic law protected the accused from physical harm prior to sentencing. At the suggestion that he must either be drunk or mad to disparage Islam in the presence of a magistrate, Isaac assured him that the ‘zeal of righteousness’ compelled him to speak out against Islam and that he was prepared to face martyrdom for his indiscretion. After arresting Isaac and reporting the case to the emir, Abderrahman II, the magistrate sentenced the monk. On 3 June 851, and aged only twenty-seven, Isaac was beheaded and suspended upside down for public viewing on the opposite bank of the river Guadalquivir. His body was then cremated and its ashes cast into the river.
3.) St. Sanctius
Just two days after the monk’s death, a young Christian soldier, named Sanctius, was beheaded for the same crime. Born in Albi in southern France, Sanctius had been captured as a boy and raised to serve in the Cordoban army, perhaps in the palace guard established by the emir’s father.
4.) Sts. Peter, Walabonsus, Sabinian, Wistremund, Habentius and Jeremiah
More explicit are the connections between Isaac and six Orthodox who were martyred forty-eight hours later. Peter, a priest from Ecija, thirty miles south-west of Cordoba, and the deacon Walabonsus from Elche on the south-east coast of Spain, had come to Cordoba to study. At the time of their deaths, they were serving in a convent dedicated to the Mother of God just west of Cordoba in the village of Cuteclara. Sabinian from Fronianus, a small mountain village twelve miles northwest of the city, and Wistremund, another native of Ecija, had recently entered the monastery of St. Zoilus, some thirty miles north of Cordoba. Joining these four were Habentius, a native Cordoban from St. Christopher’s monastery just down river from Cordoba, and Jeremiah, an elderly kinsman of Isaac and a founder of the monastery at Tabanos.
All six presented themselves together before the authorities and made their intentions and inspiration very clear: ‘We abide by the same confession, O magistrate, that our most holy brothers Isaac and Sanctius professed. Now hand down the sentence, multiply your cruelty, be kindled with complete fury in vengeance for your prophet. We profess Christ to be truly God and your prophet to be a precursor of Antichrist and an author of profane doctrine’. Their martyrdoms brought the total number to eight in less than a week.
As a result, the emir swiftly ordered the arrest and detention of all the clerical leadership of the local community, among them the priest Eulogius, the future chronicler of the heroic martyrdoms of the Cordoban Orthodox. It was in prison indeed that he managed to finish the first part of his three-part chronicle of the martyrs Memoriale sanctorum and that he composed his Documentum martyriale. The purpose of this latter work was to encourage the resolve of those who faced martyrdom.
5.) St. Sisenandus
A month after the clergy had been imprisoned, three more Christians set out on the increasingly well-worn path to martyrdom. The deacon Sisenandus had, like Peter and Walabonsus, come to Cordoba to study, in his case from Beja, in the southwest corner of the peninsula. Inspired by their example and by a vision in which the two martyrs beckoned him to join them, he was martyred on 16 July. Sisenandus’ example in turn prompted a deacon named Paul, from the church of St. Zoilus, to sacrifice himself a few days later. Within a week a monk from Carmona, named Theodemir, added his name to the growing list of martyrs.
6.) Sts. Flora and Mary
After the death of Theodemir, the martyrdoms subsided for three months. The next victims were Flora and Mary, the first of nine females whose names appear in St Eulogius’ martyrology.
Mary’s father, a Christian landowner, had married a Muslim woman whom he had subsequently converted to the Orthodox Faith. Forced, as a consequence of her marriage and apostasy, to leave their family lands in Elche, the couple came with their two children to live in the village of Fronianus. Shortly afterwards, Mary’s mother passed on and her father decided to live in penitence. So he arranged for his son, Walabonsus, to study at the local monastery of St. Felix and his daughter to go to the convent in Cuteclara. The two siblings were later reunited when Walabonsus was appointed to serve as one of the convent’s priests.
The martyrdom of her brother in June had had a profound effect on Maria. This, combined with the fact that her Abbess, Artemia, had witnessed the execution of two of her sons, John and Adulf, thirty years before, no doubt contributed to her decision to follow in her brother’s footsteps. While praying for guidance at the church of St Acisclus, Mary met Flora. Flora was also the product of a religiously mixed marriage. Her mother, a Christian from the village of Ausianos just west of Cordoba, had married a Sevillan Muslim who had passed away while Flora was still quite young. Deprived of this paternal influence, the girl grew up as a Christian. Well aware that children of mixed marriages legally had no choice but to be Muslim, the mother and daughter worked together to keep Flora’s faith a secret from her older Muslim brother.
Ultimately the tension forced her to run away from home in the company of a sympathetic sister. Her hopes of practising her faith in peace were spoiled, however, when her brother, apparently an influential figure in Cordoba, began to put pressure on. the Orthodox, forcing Flora to return. When neither threats nor promises had any effect on her resolve to remain Christian, he turned her over to the authorities. Despite Flora’s defence that she had been a Christian from birth and was therefore innocent of the charge of apostasy, Flora was severely flogged and placed on probation in her brother’s custody. No sooner had her wounds healed, however, than she fled again, this time taking refuge in an Orthodox household before leaving town with her sister. Ultimately, however, she decided to return and suffer the consequences.
Although Flora and Maria had approached the Muslim magistrate and denounced Islam together, they were, in fact, guilty of two distinct crimes. Flora, as the daughter of a Muslim, was legally an apostate. Unlike her predecessors, she had been a fugitive long before she presented herself before the magistrate. Her subsequent treatment by the authorities reflected the special nature of her offence. In contrast to the ‘blasphemers’, whose fates were sealed from the moment they opened their mouths, she was given ample opportunity in prison to avert her sentence by renouncing Christianity and becoming Muslim.
7.) St. Gusemindus
Apart from Flora and Maria, only two other Orthodox were martyred in Cordoba between July 851 and July 852. Gusemindus had come from Toledo with his parents, who had dedicated him to the priesthood and arranged for his training at the basilica of St. Faustus, St Januarius and St Martialis. On 13 January 852, he and the monk, Servus Dei, who was associated with the same church, delivered their confessions before the authorities and were martyred.
8.) Sts. Aurelius, Sabigotho, Felix, Liliosa, and George
The six-month lull that followed the executions of Gusemindus and Servus Dei ended in July with the deaths of five more Orthodox: Aurelius, Sabigotho, Felix, Liliosa, and George. Aurelius’ father was, like Flora’s, a Muslim who had married a Christian. Apparently orphaned at an early age, the boy had been raised by a paternal aunt, who had directed his studies toward Arabic literature. But again like Flora, Aurelius harboured a secret longing for Christianity and began to seek out priests for his instruction. When he had come of age, his relatives selected what they thought to be a suitable spouse, not knowing that the young woman, Sabigotho, was also a secret Christian. In her case, both of her parents had been Muslims, but when her widowed mother remarried, she happened to pick a clandestine Orthodox who had succeeded in converting his new wife. At the time of Sabigotho’s marriage to Aurelius, she had long since embraced the faith of her stepfather.
Aurelius had a relative named Felix who, to make things even more complicated, had been born of Orthodox parents and converted to Islam, only to decide that he had made a mistake. In Muslim eyes, this also constituted apostasy, so he too had to practise his Christianity in private. But he managed to find sympathy in his spouse Liliosa, who, like Sabigotho, was also a secret Orthodox.
The two couples concealed their faith for some years, and perhaps would have continued to do so, had not Aurelius witnessed the flogging and humiliation of a Christian merchant, John, who had indiscreetly sworn by the name of Muhammad. Struck either by the injustice of the punishment or the fortitude of the victim, Aurelius decided that it was time to make public his faith regardless of the consequences. Together with Sabigotho, he adopted a regime of penitence in preparation for martyrdom. For one thing they transformed their marital relationship into a fraternal one so as to generate ‘spiritual offspring’ to match the two children they had produced in their previous life.
They also began frequenting the Cordoban prison where they visited not only the merchant John, but also sought advice from the imprisoned priest Eulogius, who was to become their biographer. More significantly, Sabigotho met Flora and Maria. In fact, she ‘frequently visited their cell...and stayed at night as if she herself were shackled, not only to console the two soldiers, but to confide in them her own intention to die’. Her devotion to the confessors paid off. During the vigil that Sabigotho kept after the execution of Flora and Maria, the two virgins appeared to her in all their newly-won martyrs’ glory, and promised that she would ultimately join them. Sabigotho’s time, they said, would be at hand, when a foreign monk arrived to share her fate.
With renewed vigour, Sabigotho and Aurelius readied themselves for what they now felt certain was their destiny. They sold all their worldly possessions and spent their last days at Tabanos, where they not only prepared for their deaths but arranged for the care of their children. Finally the promised sign appeared, in the form of a monk from Palestine named Fr George.
Born in Bethlehem, Fr George was a monk in the large and famous monastery of St Sabbas just south of Jerusalem. From there he knew not only Greek, Latin and Arabic but had engaged in ascetic sacrifices, which would win for him the unbounded admiration of, among others, Eulogius. The chain of events leading up to his arrival in Cordoba began when his Abbot had sent him on a mission to solicit donations from monasteries in North Africa. There George had found the church so ‘oppressed by the incursion of tyrants’ that he decided to turn to Spain. Again he had been surprised by the affliction he found. Leaving the city of Cordoba, he had proceeded north to Tabanos, where the Abbess Elizabeth, apparently recognizing him as a portent, referred him to Sabigotho. A dream had thus identified him as the one for whom she had been waiting, and henceforth the monk and the couple sought martyrdom together. Soon Felix and Liliosa, having sold all of their property, joined them as well.
When the day of their public profession arrived, the women entered a church with unveiled faces and were immediately detected and arrested as apostate Muslims. Meanwhile Aurelius, after making the final arrangements for his children, waited at home with Felix in anticipation of his own arrest. The soldiers came shortly afterwards and marched them all to the magistrate. At first, the guards ignored George. Their task had been to arrest the husbands of the apostates. But Fr George’s views on Islam sufficed to bind his fate with that of the others.
As in the case of Flora, the newly discovered apostates were granted every opportunity to change their minds, but remained unmoved: ‘Any cult which denies the divinity of Christ, does not profess the essence of the Holy Trinity, refutes baptism, defames Christians and denigrates the priesthood, we consider to be damned’. After a four day imprisonment, the captives still refused to relent. The authorities, who had not heard Fr George’s earlier views, gave him permission to leave. The monk responded with a new denunciation of Islam and on 27 July 852 five more Orthodox were martyred.
9.) Sts. Christopher and Leovigild
During that same summer, six more joined the ranks of martyrs. Fr Christopher was a Cordoban-born monk of the monastery of St Martin at Rojana in the mountains above the city. Learning of the other martyrs, he came forward to offer his confession and was immediately imprisoned pending execution. There he met Fr Leovigild, a monk from Granada who lived in the mountain monastery of St Justus and St Pastor, some fifteen miles north of Cordoba. He too denounced Islam and on 19 August was martyred along with Christopher.
10.) Sts. Emila and Jeremiah
The week before the death of the emir Abderrahman, on 22 September 852, brought with it four more cases of denunciation of Islam. Emila and Jeremiah, childhood companions who had been educated together at the church of St Cyprian, delivered an especially forceful denunciation of Islam in Arabic, one which served only to multiply the frustration of the dying emir.
11.) Sts. Rogelius and Servus Dei
As if to add insult to injury, a monk Fr Rogelius, from a village near Granada, together with a Syrian pilgrim, whose name in Latin is Servus Dei, entered the mosque in Cordoba. To the horror of the Muslim worshippers present, they preached the truth of the Gospel and the falsehood of Islam. Saved by the authorities from death at the hands of the irate crowd, the two were sentenced to a grisly punishment: their hands and feet were cut off before they were beheaded and their bodies were then cremated.
One of the first official actions of the new emir, Abderrahman’s son, Muhammad I, was to purge the Cordoban bureaucracy of Christians. He must have been pleased with the apparent effect of this change in policy: the next nine months passed without incident. But again, as the following summer approached, a new parade of martyrs stepped forth.
12.) St. Fandila
Fandila, from the town of Guadixitist, east of Granada, had, like so many of the other martyrs, come to Cordoba to study. Living first at Tabanos under Abbot Martinus, Fandila became a priest, serving the needs of the monks of the nearby monastery at Pinna Mellaria. It was Fandila’s confession which, according to Eulogius, pushed the emir to the point of considering drastic measures for silencing the Cordoban Christians. He settled, however, for Fandila’s head on 13 June 853.
13.) Sts. Anastasius, Felix and Digna
The very next day, three more Orthodox were martyred. The priest Anastasius, who had been trained at the church of St Acisclus, turned to the monastic life before finally ‘descending to the forum’ to offer his confession. He was joined by the monk Felix, a native of Alcalá de Henares, fifty miles northeast of Toledo. Though of Numidian Muslim parentage, Felix was exposed to Christianity in Asturias, and later converted. The nun Digna from Tabanos, inspired by a vision of St Agatha and by the news of the double execution, added her own name to the martyrology before the sun had set. The following day, an aged laywoman, named Benildus, so moved by the martyrdom of St Anastasius, sacrificed her life as well. Her body was burnt and her ashes thrown into the Guadalquivir.
The fact that two of the first five Christians executed under the new emir had been associated with the monastery of Tabanos, which had already produced more than its share of martyrs, must have simplified Muhammad’s decision about where to begin enforcing new restrictions on church building. But the legacy of Tabanos as a seedbed for confessors outlived the monastery, which was levelled in the summer of 853.
14.) St. Columba
Columba, the sixth Orthodox to be martyred under Muhammad I, was the sister of Elizabeth and Martin, two of the co-founders of Tabanos. Having evaded her mother’s plan to give her away in marriage, Columba followed her siblings into their monastery. When the Muslims arrived to close Tabanos, she took up residence at the basilica of St. Cyprian, where she prepared herself penitentially for a martyr’s death. On 17 September that year she was beheaded.
15.) St. Pomposa
Columba’s example in turn prompted the nun Pomposa to seek martyrdom. Her parents had founded the monastery of St. Salvador at Pinna Mellaria which had already contributed the martyr Fandila. Now, three months later, Pomposa prepared to follow his example. Despite the efforts of her fellow nuns to dissuade her, she escaped to Cordoba where she was martyred on 19 September 853.
16.) St. Abundius
After Pomposa’s sacrifice, the executions became more sporadic. Fr Abundius, a parish priest from Ananellos in the Sierra Morena, was beheaded ten months later on 11 July 854, as the result of what Eulogius referred to as the ‘trickery of the gentiles’. His body was thrown to the dogs. Perhaps, like Perfectus, he unwittingly ‘blasphemed’ Muhammad. In any case, another ten months would pass before the next martyrdoms.
17.) St. Amator
The priest Amator, who had come to Cordoba from a village near Jaén to study, joined forces with the monk Peter from Pomposa’s monastery of Pinna Mellaria, and a layman, Ludovic, a brother of the deacon Paul who had been one of the earliest martyrs in the summer of 851. All three were executed for ‘blasphemy’ on the last day of April 855.
18.) St. Witesind
At some unspecified point during the same year another Christian was executed for apostasy. This was the layman Witesind from Cabra, thirty miles southeast of Cordoba, ‘who suffered a lapse of the holy faith’ and converted to Islam only to convert back again and thus find the crown of martyrdom.
19.) Sts. Elias, Paul and Isidore
Fr Elias, an elderly priest from western Spain, and two young monks and spiritual children, named Paul and Isidore, denounced Islam, and were martyred on 17 April 856.
20.) St. Argimir
Two months later, Argimir, a nobleman from Cabra who had served as Muhammad I’s censor, was martyred for the same crime, but under very different circumstances. Having, like Isaac, ‘retired from the administration of justice to inhabit the peace and quiet of a monastery’, he was accused by Muslims of having degraded the prophet and professed the divinity of Christ. The emir gave him a chance to save his life by embracing Islam, but Argimir refused and was hung up alive on a gibbet before being martyred on 28 June 856.
21.) St. Aurea
Three weeks later the virgin Aurea was martyred, again under quite unique circumstances. Her father had been a Sevillan Muslim, yet for more than thirty years she had lived with her mother Artemia as a nun in the convent at Cuteclara without the knowledge of her Muslim relatives. During that time she had seen her two brothers John and Adulf executed for apostasy in the early 820s, and witnessed the deaths of Peter, Walabonsus and Mary, who were associated with her convent in the early 850s. When some of her Muslim relatives came from Seville and recognized her, they brought Aurea to a judge for religious rectification. Offered the choice of renouncing her faith or suffering the penalty for apostasy, Aurea opted for the former and was freed. But bothered by her lack of fortitude, she continued to practise her faith, all the time preparing herself for her second encounter with the authorities. Finally discovered by her family to have relapsed, she was imprisoned and executed.
22.) Sts. Roderick and Solomon
The final two martyrs whose passions Eulogius recorded were Roderick and Solomon. The former was a priest in Cabra whose family life was complicated by the fact that one of his two brothers had converted to Islam. Once, while Fr Roderick was intervening to break up a fight between his brothers, he received a blow which left him unconscious. His Muslim brother then dragged him through the streets claiming that Fr Roderick had decided to embrace Islam. Upon regaining his senses and realizing what had happened, he left town fearing that he might be arrested for apostasy.
He found what appeared to be a safe hideaway in the mountains above Cordoba, but one day he ran into his Muslim brother. Finding himself in front of the local Muslim judge, Fr Roderick denied the charge of apostasy on the grounds that he had never abandoned his Christianity in the first place. But his plea of innocence fell on deaf ears. The magistrate offered him the standard apostate’s choice: accept Islam or die. In prison Fr Roderick met Solomon, an Orthodox layman from some unspecified foreign land, who, like Felix and Witesind, had converted to Islam and then reconverted to Christianity. After three attempts to change their minds, the authorities martyred them on 13 March 857.
23.) St. Eulogius
Although this is where Eulogius’ accounts, which he had added to and updated continually throughout the decade, end, we know that the martyrdoms did not stop with those of Roderick and Salomon in 857. The layman Paul Alvarus now takes up the chronicle. He informs us that two years later the authorities arrested the virgin Lucretia for apostasy. ‘Born among the dregs of the gentiles’, Lucritia was introduced to the teachings of Christianity by a relative named Litiosa. At first no one had suspected that Lucretia’s frequent visits to Litiosa’s home were anything more than social. Even after her parents discovered the truth and tried to dissuade her, Lucretia refused to relent. But like Flora, Lucretia began to fear the spiritual consequences of practising her religion in secret.
Using messengers, she sought the advice of Fr Eulogius and his sister Anulo, who, like Litiosa, was also a ‘virgin dedicated to God’. Both encouraged her to leave home. So as to be able to depart without arousing suspicion, Lucretia made it appear as if she were attending a wedding. But no sooner was she out of sight than she hastened to meet Fr Eulogius and Anulo. Like Flora’s brother, Lucretia’s parents responded by applying pressure on the Orthodox community in an attempt to determine her whereabouts. But in this case the search efforts were hindered by Fr Eulogius who made certain that the girl never stayed in any one hiding place for very long. Fr Eulogius continued to meet Lucretia to instruct her in the Orthodox Faith. But after one of these sessions, her appointed escort failed to appear to lead her to her latest hiding place. A betrayal led the authorities to the house, where they not only arrested Lucretia for apostasy, but Fr Eulogius for proselytizing. On 11 March 859 Fr Eulogius, though given a chance to avert his execution, was beheaded. Four days later Lucretia met the same fate.
From St Eulogius’ writings: "Documentum martyriale" http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/oecordob.htm
The first martyr of this age was the aptly-named priest Perfectus, who served at the basilica of St Acisclus, just outside the city walls of Cordoba. One day on his way to market he was stopped by a group of Muslims. Seeing that he was a priest, they asked him to explain his faith and to share with them his opinions about Christ and Muhammad. Fearing that he would only provoke his audience, Fr Perfectus declined. But when the Muslims swore to protect him, he proceeded, in Arabic, to denounce Muhammad as one of the false prophets foretold by Christ and as a moral reprobate who had seduced the wife of his kinsman.
Though angered, the Muslims respected their oaths and let Fr Perfectus go on his way. But a few days later the priest ran into some of the same group, who no longer felt constrained by their earlier promise. Seizing him, they took him before the magistrate and testified that he had disparaged Muhammad. As they led him to prison to wait out Ramadan, he realized that his fate was sealed and he repeat his denunciation of Islam. On Easter Sunday, 18 April 850, Fr Perfectus was beheaded before the crowds that had gathered to celebrate the end of their fast.
2.) St. Isaac
The next, and probably most politically prominent, of the martyrs of Cordoba was Isaac. His noble birth and training in Arabic contributed to his rise within the local government to one of the highest positions to which a non-Muslim could aspire: that of secretary to the emir, or, as St Eulogius called him, exceptor republicae. Sometime later, he gave up his post and retired to the monastery at Tabanos, located in the mountains some seven miles north of Cordoba.
Isaac remained at Tabanos for three years. Then one day he left his retreat and returned to Cordoba. Approaching the emir’s palace where he had once been employed, he asked the Muslim magistrate for some instruction in the fine points of Islam. No sooner had the official begun to elaborate on the life of Muhammad when the monk stated that its ‘prophet’ was languishing in hell for misleading the Arabs.
The magistrate was dumbfounded. His first reaction was to hit Isaac, but he restrained himself when his counsellors reminded him that Islamic law protected the accused from physical harm prior to sentencing. At the suggestion that he must either be drunk or mad to disparage Islam in the presence of a magistrate, Isaac assured him that the ‘zeal of righteousness’ compelled him to speak out against Islam and that he was prepared to face martyrdom for his indiscretion. After arresting Isaac and reporting the case to the emir, Abderrahman II, the magistrate sentenced the monk. On 3 June 851, and aged only twenty-seven, Isaac was beheaded and suspended upside down for public viewing on the opposite bank of the river Guadalquivir. His body was then cremated and its ashes cast into the river.
3.) St. Sanctius
Just two days after the monk’s death, a young Christian soldier, named Sanctius, was beheaded for the same crime. Born in Albi in southern France, Sanctius had been captured as a boy and raised to serve in the Cordoban army, perhaps in the palace guard established by the emir’s father.
4.) Sts. Peter, Walabonsus, Sabinian, Wistremund, Habentius and Jeremiah
More explicit are the connections between Isaac and six Orthodox who were martyred forty-eight hours later. Peter, a priest from Ecija, thirty miles south-west of Cordoba, and the deacon Walabonsus from Elche on the south-east coast of Spain, had come to Cordoba to study. At the time of their deaths, they were serving in a convent dedicated to the Mother of God just west of Cordoba in the village of Cuteclara. Sabinian from Fronianus, a small mountain village twelve miles northwest of the city, and Wistremund, another native of Ecija, had recently entered the monastery of St. Zoilus, some thirty miles north of Cordoba. Joining these four were Habentius, a native Cordoban from St. Christopher’s monastery just down river from Cordoba, and Jeremiah, an elderly kinsman of Isaac and a founder of the monastery at Tabanos.
All six presented themselves together before the authorities and made their intentions and inspiration very clear: ‘We abide by the same confession, O magistrate, that our most holy brothers Isaac and Sanctius professed. Now hand down the sentence, multiply your cruelty, be kindled with complete fury in vengeance for your prophet. We profess Christ to be truly God and your prophet to be a precursor of Antichrist and an author of profane doctrine’. Their martyrdoms brought the total number to eight in less than a week.
As a result, the emir swiftly ordered the arrest and detention of all the clerical leadership of the local community, among them the priest Eulogius, the future chronicler of the heroic martyrdoms of the Cordoban Orthodox. It was in prison indeed that he managed to finish the first part of his three-part chronicle of the martyrs Memoriale sanctorum and that he composed his Documentum martyriale. The purpose of this latter work was to encourage the resolve of those who faced martyrdom.
5.) St. Sisenandus
A month after the clergy had been imprisoned, three more Christians set out on the increasingly well-worn path to martyrdom. The deacon Sisenandus had, like Peter and Walabonsus, come to Cordoba to study, in his case from Beja, in the southwest corner of the peninsula. Inspired by their example and by a vision in which the two martyrs beckoned him to join them, he was martyred on 16 July. Sisenandus’ example in turn prompted a deacon named Paul, from the church of St. Zoilus, to sacrifice himself a few days later. Within a week a monk from Carmona, named Theodemir, added his name to the growing list of martyrs.
6.) Sts. Flora and Mary
After the death of Theodemir, the martyrdoms subsided for three months. The next victims were Flora and Mary, the first of nine females whose names appear in St Eulogius’ martyrology.
Mary’s father, a Christian landowner, had married a Muslim woman whom he had subsequently converted to the Orthodox Faith. Forced, as a consequence of her marriage and apostasy, to leave their family lands in Elche, the couple came with their two children to live in the village of Fronianus. Shortly afterwards, Mary’s mother passed on and her father decided to live in penitence. So he arranged for his son, Walabonsus, to study at the local monastery of St. Felix and his daughter to go to the convent in Cuteclara. The two siblings were later reunited when Walabonsus was appointed to serve as one of the convent’s priests.
The martyrdom of her brother in June had had a profound effect on Maria. This, combined with the fact that her Abbess, Artemia, had witnessed the execution of two of her sons, John and Adulf, thirty years before, no doubt contributed to her decision to follow in her brother’s footsteps. While praying for guidance at the church of St Acisclus, Mary met Flora. Flora was also the product of a religiously mixed marriage. Her mother, a Christian from the village of Ausianos just west of Cordoba, had married a Sevillan Muslim who had passed away while Flora was still quite young. Deprived of this paternal influence, the girl grew up as a Christian. Well aware that children of mixed marriages legally had no choice but to be Muslim, the mother and daughter worked together to keep Flora’s faith a secret from her older Muslim brother.
Ultimately the tension forced her to run away from home in the company of a sympathetic sister. Her hopes of practising her faith in peace were spoiled, however, when her brother, apparently an influential figure in Cordoba, began to put pressure on. the Orthodox, forcing Flora to return. When neither threats nor promises had any effect on her resolve to remain Christian, he turned her over to the authorities. Despite Flora’s defence that she had been a Christian from birth and was therefore innocent of the charge of apostasy, Flora was severely flogged and placed on probation in her brother’s custody. No sooner had her wounds healed, however, than she fled again, this time taking refuge in an Orthodox household before leaving town with her sister. Ultimately, however, she decided to return and suffer the consequences.
Although Flora and Maria had approached the Muslim magistrate and denounced Islam together, they were, in fact, guilty of two distinct crimes. Flora, as the daughter of a Muslim, was legally an apostate. Unlike her predecessors, she had been a fugitive long before she presented herself before the magistrate. Her subsequent treatment by the authorities reflected the special nature of her offence. In contrast to the ‘blasphemers’, whose fates were sealed from the moment they opened their mouths, she was given ample opportunity in prison to avert her sentence by renouncing Christianity and becoming Muslim.
7.) St. Gusemindus
Apart from Flora and Maria, only two other Orthodox were martyred in Cordoba between July 851 and July 852. Gusemindus had come from Toledo with his parents, who had dedicated him to the priesthood and arranged for his training at the basilica of St. Faustus, St Januarius and St Martialis. On 13 January 852, he and the monk, Servus Dei, who was associated with the same church, delivered their confessions before the authorities and were martyred.
8.) Sts. Aurelius, Sabigotho, Felix, Liliosa, and George
The six-month lull that followed the executions of Gusemindus and Servus Dei ended in July with the deaths of five more Orthodox: Aurelius, Sabigotho, Felix, Liliosa, and George. Aurelius’ father was, like Flora’s, a Muslim who had married a Christian. Apparently orphaned at an early age, the boy had been raised by a paternal aunt, who had directed his studies toward Arabic literature. But again like Flora, Aurelius harboured a secret longing for Christianity and began to seek out priests for his instruction. When he had come of age, his relatives selected what they thought to be a suitable spouse, not knowing that the young woman, Sabigotho, was also a secret Christian. In her case, both of her parents had been Muslims, but when her widowed mother remarried, she happened to pick a clandestine Orthodox who had succeeded in converting his new wife. At the time of Sabigotho’s marriage to Aurelius, she had long since embraced the faith of her stepfather.
Aurelius had a relative named Felix who, to make things even more complicated, had been born of Orthodox parents and converted to Islam, only to decide that he had made a mistake. In Muslim eyes, this also constituted apostasy, so he too had to practise his Christianity in private. But he managed to find sympathy in his spouse Liliosa, who, like Sabigotho, was also a secret Orthodox.
The two couples concealed their faith for some years, and perhaps would have continued to do so, had not Aurelius witnessed the flogging and humiliation of a Christian merchant, John, who had indiscreetly sworn by the name of Muhammad. Struck either by the injustice of the punishment or the fortitude of the victim, Aurelius decided that it was time to make public his faith regardless of the consequences. Together with Sabigotho, he adopted a regime of penitence in preparation for martyrdom. For one thing they transformed their marital relationship into a fraternal one so as to generate ‘spiritual offspring’ to match the two children they had produced in their previous life.
They also began frequenting the Cordoban prison where they visited not only the merchant John, but also sought advice from the imprisoned priest Eulogius, who was to become their biographer. More significantly, Sabigotho met Flora and Maria. In fact, she ‘frequently visited their cell...and stayed at night as if she herself were shackled, not only to console the two soldiers, but to confide in them her own intention to die’. Her devotion to the confessors paid off. During the vigil that Sabigotho kept after the execution of Flora and Maria, the two virgins appeared to her in all their newly-won martyrs’ glory, and promised that she would ultimately join them. Sabigotho’s time, they said, would be at hand, when a foreign monk arrived to share her fate.
With renewed vigour, Sabigotho and Aurelius readied themselves for what they now felt certain was their destiny. They sold all their worldly possessions and spent their last days at Tabanos, where they not only prepared for their deaths but arranged for the care of their children. Finally the promised sign appeared, in the form of a monk from Palestine named Fr George.
Born in Bethlehem, Fr George was a monk in the large and famous monastery of St Sabbas just south of Jerusalem. From there he knew not only Greek, Latin and Arabic but had engaged in ascetic sacrifices, which would win for him the unbounded admiration of, among others, Eulogius. The chain of events leading up to his arrival in Cordoba began when his Abbot had sent him on a mission to solicit donations from monasteries in North Africa. There George had found the church so ‘oppressed by the incursion of tyrants’ that he decided to turn to Spain. Again he had been surprised by the affliction he found. Leaving the city of Cordoba, he had proceeded north to Tabanos, where the Abbess Elizabeth, apparently recognizing him as a portent, referred him to Sabigotho. A dream had thus identified him as the one for whom she had been waiting, and henceforth the monk and the couple sought martyrdom together. Soon Felix and Liliosa, having sold all of their property, joined them as well.
When the day of their public profession arrived, the women entered a church with unveiled faces and were immediately detected and arrested as apostate Muslims. Meanwhile Aurelius, after making the final arrangements for his children, waited at home with Felix in anticipation of his own arrest. The soldiers came shortly afterwards and marched them all to the magistrate. At first, the guards ignored George. Their task had been to arrest the husbands of the apostates. But Fr George’s views on Islam sufficed to bind his fate with that of the others.
As in the case of Flora, the newly discovered apostates were granted every opportunity to change their minds, but remained unmoved: ‘Any cult which denies the divinity of Christ, does not profess the essence of the Holy Trinity, refutes baptism, defames Christians and denigrates the priesthood, we consider to be damned’. After a four day imprisonment, the captives still refused to relent. The authorities, who had not heard Fr George’s earlier views, gave him permission to leave. The monk responded with a new denunciation of Islam and on 27 July 852 five more Orthodox were martyred.
9.) Sts. Christopher and Leovigild
During that same summer, six more joined the ranks of martyrs. Fr Christopher was a Cordoban-born monk of the monastery of St Martin at Rojana in the mountains above the city. Learning of the other martyrs, he came forward to offer his confession and was immediately imprisoned pending execution. There he met Fr Leovigild, a monk from Granada who lived in the mountain monastery of St Justus and St Pastor, some fifteen miles north of Cordoba. He too denounced Islam and on 19 August was martyred along with Christopher.
10.) Sts. Emila and Jeremiah
The week before the death of the emir Abderrahman, on 22 September 852, brought with it four more cases of denunciation of Islam. Emila and Jeremiah, childhood companions who had been educated together at the church of St Cyprian, delivered an especially forceful denunciation of Islam in Arabic, one which served only to multiply the frustration of the dying emir.
11.) Sts. Rogelius and Servus Dei
As if to add insult to injury, a monk Fr Rogelius, from a village near Granada, together with a Syrian pilgrim, whose name in Latin is Servus Dei, entered the mosque in Cordoba. To the horror of the Muslim worshippers present, they preached the truth of the Gospel and the falsehood of Islam. Saved by the authorities from death at the hands of the irate crowd, the two were sentenced to a grisly punishment: their hands and feet were cut off before they were beheaded and their bodies were then cremated.
One of the first official actions of the new emir, Abderrahman’s son, Muhammad I, was to purge the Cordoban bureaucracy of Christians. He must have been pleased with the apparent effect of this change in policy: the next nine months passed without incident. But again, as the following summer approached, a new parade of martyrs stepped forth.
12.) St. Fandila
Fandila, from the town of Guadixitist, east of Granada, had, like so many of the other martyrs, come to Cordoba to study. Living first at Tabanos under Abbot Martinus, Fandila became a priest, serving the needs of the monks of the nearby monastery at Pinna Mellaria. It was Fandila’s confession which, according to Eulogius, pushed the emir to the point of considering drastic measures for silencing the Cordoban Christians. He settled, however, for Fandila’s head on 13 June 853.
13.) Sts. Anastasius, Felix and Digna
The very next day, three more Orthodox were martyred. The priest Anastasius, who had been trained at the church of St Acisclus, turned to the monastic life before finally ‘descending to the forum’ to offer his confession. He was joined by the monk Felix, a native of Alcalá de Henares, fifty miles northeast of Toledo. Though of Numidian Muslim parentage, Felix was exposed to Christianity in Asturias, and later converted. The nun Digna from Tabanos, inspired by a vision of St Agatha and by the news of the double execution, added her own name to the martyrology before the sun had set. The following day, an aged laywoman, named Benildus, so moved by the martyrdom of St Anastasius, sacrificed her life as well. Her body was burnt and her ashes thrown into the Guadalquivir.
The fact that two of the first five Christians executed under the new emir had been associated with the monastery of Tabanos, which had already produced more than its share of martyrs, must have simplified Muhammad’s decision about where to begin enforcing new restrictions on church building. But the legacy of Tabanos as a seedbed for confessors outlived the monastery, which was levelled in the summer of 853.
14.) St. Columba
Columba, the sixth Orthodox to be martyred under Muhammad I, was the sister of Elizabeth and Martin, two of the co-founders of Tabanos. Having evaded her mother’s plan to give her away in marriage, Columba followed her siblings into their monastery. When the Muslims arrived to close Tabanos, she took up residence at the basilica of St. Cyprian, where she prepared herself penitentially for a martyr’s death. On 17 September that year she was beheaded.
15.) St. Pomposa
Columba’s example in turn prompted the nun Pomposa to seek martyrdom. Her parents had founded the monastery of St. Salvador at Pinna Mellaria which had already contributed the martyr Fandila. Now, three months later, Pomposa prepared to follow his example. Despite the efforts of her fellow nuns to dissuade her, she escaped to Cordoba where she was martyred on 19 September 853.
16.) St. Abundius
After Pomposa’s sacrifice, the executions became more sporadic. Fr Abundius, a parish priest from Ananellos in the Sierra Morena, was beheaded ten months later on 11 July 854, as the result of what Eulogius referred to as the ‘trickery of the gentiles’. His body was thrown to the dogs. Perhaps, like Perfectus, he unwittingly ‘blasphemed’ Muhammad. In any case, another ten months would pass before the next martyrdoms.
17.) St. Amator
The priest Amator, who had come to Cordoba from a village near Jaén to study, joined forces with the monk Peter from Pomposa’s monastery of Pinna Mellaria, and a layman, Ludovic, a brother of the deacon Paul who had been one of the earliest martyrs in the summer of 851. All three were executed for ‘blasphemy’ on the last day of April 855.
18.) St. Witesind
At some unspecified point during the same year another Christian was executed for apostasy. This was the layman Witesind from Cabra, thirty miles southeast of Cordoba, ‘who suffered a lapse of the holy faith’ and converted to Islam only to convert back again and thus find the crown of martyrdom.
19.) Sts. Elias, Paul and Isidore
Fr Elias, an elderly priest from western Spain, and two young monks and spiritual children, named Paul and Isidore, denounced Islam, and were martyred on 17 April 856.
20.) St. Argimir
Two months later, Argimir, a nobleman from Cabra who had served as Muhammad I’s censor, was martyred for the same crime, but under very different circumstances. Having, like Isaac, ‘retired from the administration of justice to inhabit the peace and quiet of a monastery’, he was accused by Muslims of having degraded the prophet and professed the divinity of Christ. The emir gave him a chance to save his life by embracing Islam, but Argimir refused and was hung up alive on a gibbet before being martyred on 28 June 856.
21.) St. Aurea
Three weeks later the virgin Aurea was martyred, again under quite unique circumstances. Her father had been a Sevillan Muslim, yet for more than thirty years she had lived with her mother Artemia as a nun in the convent at Cuteclara without the knowledge of her Muslim relatives. During that time she had seen her two brothers John and Adulf executed for apostasy in the early 820s, and witnessed the deaths of Peter, Walabonsus and Mary, who were associated with her convent in the early 850s. When some of her Muslim relatives came from Seville and recognized her, they brought Aurea to a judge for religious rectification. Offered the choice of renouncing her faith or suffering the penalty for apostasy, Aurea opted for the former and was freed. But bothered by her lack of fortitude, she continued to practise her faith, all the time preparing herself for her second encounter with the authorities. Finally discovered by her family to have relapsed, she was imprisoned and executed.
22.) Sts. Roderick and Solomon
He found what appeared to be a safe hideaway in the mountains above Cordoba, but one day he ran into his Muslim brother. Finding himself in front of the local Muslim judge, Fr Roderick denied the charge of apostasy on the grounds that he had never abandoned his Christianity in the first place. But his plea of innocence fell on deaf ears. The magistrate offered him the standard apostate’s choice: accept Islam or die. In prison Fr Roderick met Solomon, an Orthodox layman from some unspecified foreign land, who, like Felix and Witesind, had converted to Islam and then reconverted to Christianity. After three attempts to change their minds, the authorities martyred them on 13 March 857.
23.) St. Eulogius
Although this is where Eulogius’ accounts, which he had added to and updated continually throughout the decade, end, we know that the martyrdoms did not stop with those of Roderick and Salomon in 857. The layman Paul Alvarus now takes up the chronicle. He informs us that two years later the authorities arrested the virgin Lucretia for apostasy. ‘Born among the dregs of the gentiles’, Lucritia was introduced to the teachings of Christianity by a relative named Litiosa. At first no one had suspected that Lucretia’s frequent visits to Litiosa’s home were anything more than social. Even after her parents discovered the truth and tried to dissuade her, Lucretia refused to relent. But like Flora, Lucretia began to fear the spiritual consequences of practising her religion in secret.
Using messengers, she sought the advice of Fr Eulogius and his sister Anulo, who, like Litiosa, was also a ‘virgin dedicated to God’. Both encouraged her to leave home. So as to be able to depart without arousing suspicion, Lucretia made it appear as if she were attending a wedding. But no sooner was she out of sight than she hastened to meet Fr Eulogius and Anulo. Like Flora’s brother, Lucretia’s parents responded by applying pressure on the Orthodox community in an attempt to determine her whereabouts. But in this case the search efforts were hindered by Fr Eulogius who made certain that the girl never stayed in any one hiding place for very long. Fr Eulogius continued to meet Lucretia to instruct her in the Orthodox Faith. But after one of these sessions, her appointed escort failed to appear to lead her to her latest hiding place. A betrayal led the authorities to the house, where they not only arrested Lucretia for apostasy, but Fr Eulogius for proselytizing. On 11 March 859 Fr Eulogius, though given a chance to avert his execution, was beheaded. Four days later Lucretia met the same fate.
From St Eulogius’ writings: "Documentum martyriale" http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/oecordob.htm
Aug 21, 2010
The Christian and other people's private lives.- when addiction hits the family
A relative got addicted to cocaine and got booted out of work. When we saw him, he told us he'd go to rehab clinic for a week and then get back his work. It didn't go that way and in the following months, he exhausted his savings and sold off his house, car, boat and anything that can be sold. We visited him when we he'd let us and talked him out of it. He said he knew his predicament and that he can stop anytime. But he didn't until he hit rock bottom. At that point his girlfriend left him and another friend dropped him off in our place. We didn't give him money, only food and shelter. A week later, he decided to hike the Appalachian Trail as some lady challenged him. That he did for a few months, starting in the Summer and ending as the snow flurries came. He kicked the habit and started to look for work. He has been employed for a couple of years now and I haven't heard of any relapse.
The flip side of that coin are the people who were behind him. In the states, we were his closest relatives but it is not like we can just come and tell him to stop using. It is not like he comes to us all teared up and begging for our help. Rather, he was quite arrogant and even manipulative. So, we felt helpless. But we just can't leave him to OD or become a criminal to feed his addiction. Some people have that frame of mind i.e. that we're not responsible for his actions, decisions and life in general. And maybe that is true. But we cannot just let it happen. I've contacted relatives from the old country as I too am beginning to need support as I have my 4 young children to nurture and a wife to partner with. So, whenever I take time off for the addict, it is time taken away from my wife and kids. But then, the relatives in the old country are pushing and expecting that I take this person under my wing and straighten him out. They forgot that this guy is an adult who is well aware of his rights and is as cocky as hell.
At the that point, something had to give. It was my career. In short, I got demoted. But before so, I had to go through a Performance Improvement Program followed by a Progressive Discipline Program. My manager was a divorced Liberal feminist who gave me hell during our sessions - probably because I am her opposite in all things. I remember Googling for the words of Lead Kindly Light and praying it often.
"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene; one step enough for me."
Despite that, I broke down that I had to go to our Employee Assistance Program for counseling. The counselor was wondering why I am getting upset about this relative's problems and pretty much advised me that I should not feel responsible for his decisions.
But my faith tells me otherwise, so I kept asking prayers from my family and friends. Our family prayers always included him. So, to conclude I believe that it is through the power of prayers that this person was healed.
The flip side of that coin are the people who were behind him. In the states, we were his closest relatives but it is not like we can just come and tell him to stop using. It is not like he comes to us all teared up and begging for our help. Rather, he was quite arrogant and even manipulative. So, we felt helpless. But we just can't leave him to OD or become a criminal to feed his addiction. Some people have that frame of mind i.e. that we're not responsible for his actions, decisions and life in general. And maybe that is true. But we cannot just let it happen. I've contacted relatives from the old country as I too am beginning to need support as I have my 4 young children to nurture and a wife to partner with. So, whenever I take time off for the addict, it is time taken away from my wife and kids. But then, the relatives in the old country are pushing and expecting that I take this person under my wing and straighten him out. They forgot that this guy is an adult who is well aware of his rights and is as cocky as hell.
At the that point, something had to give. It was my career. In short, I got demoted. But before so, I had to go through a Performance Improvement Program followed by a Progressive Discipline Program. My manager was a divorced Liberal feminist who gave me hell during our sessions - probably because I am her opposite in all things. I remember Googling for the words of Lead Kindly Light and praying it often.
"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene; one step enough for me."
Despite that, I broke down that I had to go to our Employee Assistance Program for counseling. The counselor was wondering why I am getting upset about this relative's problems and pretty much advised me that I should not feel responsible for his decisions.
But my faith tells me otherwise, so I kept asking prayers from my family and friends. Our family prayers always included him. So, to conclude I believe that it is through the power of prayers that this person was healed.
Jul 22, 2010
Video: Civil disobedience - immanent
One of Chuck Colson's leading theological advisors and co-architect of the Manhattan Declaration, Dr. Timothy George, joins Mr. Colson in explaining the Christian duty of civil disobedience under certain circumstances. Mr. Colson also highly recommends you read T.M. Moore's, "When Not To Obey: A study on civil disobedience" and the other important resources listed below the video to learn more about this important subject.
Video description: Chuck Colson talks about civil disobedience and cases where Christians may need to practice it. Drawing on the Manhattan Declaration, which refers to civil disobedience as a possibility (if government encroaches too much on religious freedom), Colson also brings in Dr. Timothy George, a co-drafter of that document. Mr. Colson also highly recommends you read T.M. Moore's, "When Not To Obey: A study on civil disobedience" and the other important resources here: http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-cente...
Video description: Chuck Colson talks about civil disobedience and cases where Christians may need to practice it. Drawing on the Manhattan Declaration, which refers to civil disobedience as a possibility (if government encroaches too much on religious freedom), Colson also brings in Dr. Timothy George, a co-drafter of that document. Mr. Colson also highly recommends you read T.M. Moore's, "When Not To Obey: A study on civil disobedience" and the other important resources here: http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-cente...
Jun 20, 2010
I came under the knife and back again - with tips for you.
I was taken for a heart procedure last week and brought back a few lessons that may be helpful to you.
Before the procedure, I was asked if I had a living will or end of life directive. I didn't and my wife doesn't know if I want to fight on or have the plug yanked in case I'll turn into a vegetable. So I'll have that discussion with her and put my decision in writing. Better still, I might have the word, "Resuscitate!" tatooed across my chest to ally all doubts. With today's culture of death, people are a little too anxious to pull the plug and harvest your organs.
Then I was asked my religion and so was the person next to me. That cracked me up because my neighbor identified herself as a cafeteria Catholic.
After the interrogation, I was wheeled into the operating room where my groin was shaved. The female nurse put a skimpy face towel over my pride and joy to give me some assurance of privacy. At that point, I pretended to be unconscious, wouldn't you? But the doctor kept asking questions so, everyone knew I was conscious. After a couple of hours the doctor said it was alright. There won't be any need for intervention. I still pretended to be unconscious. The nurse asked why I was so mellow. With my groin half shaved and a catheter travelling through my artery, do I have a better choice?
I ended back to the station for monitoring. I heard that I wasn't given any anesthesia. I guess if they don't hear you wail, scream or groan then you won't get any. If your turn comes, remember P-E-R-C-O-C-E-T. But ask your doctor first.
While laying strapped with tubes, I felt so helpless. I had to call a nurse to help me pee. Then there were moments of solitude. I did remember to call on an old friend, my Lord Jesus. I felt him near but not to take me home - not yet. I sensed a certain disappointment from him about my meaness with Obama and his Catholic supporters. He seems to say that his way of patience and love will be more effective in the end. It will be a challenge for me because I hate these Judases with a white heat passion - specially because they facilitate the murder of the weakest and most defenseless: the unborn and the old.
I did have a consolation and that is I tried to follow God's will most of the time if not always. I thought of the good that I did when I joined a religious order and taught kids about God. And my best decision ever was to leave the order because of my doubts about keeping celibacy. I had a little treasure stashed up in heaven because the Lord saved me and helped me save with an act of love here and there. How I wish those acts of love were a lot more. And it is not hard to do. One needs to forget oneself and forgive others.
But I lived and will see my doctor next week. He'll probably tell me to cut down on the red meat. And I'll obey. I'm just in my 50's and I have 4 young children plus 1 on the way. Perhaps I can have some more years to my life with life in those years. It's up to God's plan and my cooperation.
More than diet and exercise, I will try to love even my enemies. I will still expose their deceitfulness and wrong doing but I shall pray for their conversion and not wish them to burn in hell. I will let go of my resentments and grudges and fight for God and God alone. I will forgive and let go. It will be hard but nothing is impossible with God.
May 27, 2010
Sin or Bankruptcy/Jail - Cath. Hospitals must choose.
Last year, the bishops threatened to close Catholic hospitals if FOCA was ever legislated. Now with Obamacare, they may have to push through with the threat unless that law gets repealed or amended to allow conscientious objections. Then again, even without Obamacare the Catholic hospitals will still be in a dilemma of choosing between sin or jail as shown in the case of Sister McBride. See Wiki page below for details. Her situation is not a case of double effect but an abortion. Since the fetus is a person with rights, the Church condemns its murder even to save the mother.
US Law however sees it differently. If the hospital did not abort and the mother died, then the hospital could be liable for not providing a reasonable "standard of care". So, the hospital either sins or risks fines and jail time.
So, even without abortion on demand from Obamacare, the Church faces this issue now albeit rarely. The nun chose to allow the abortion thus incurring an automatic excommunication as provisioned in canon law. Had she chosen otherwise, then the hospital might have been sued and forced to shut down. Probably, the nun selected what she thought was the lesser evil. Although I beg to differ because, what is worse than offending God with sin?
While medical ministry is still valid, cases like this offend God or waste the resources of the faith community. So, in my opinion, unless the laws here change then it is best to continue this ministry elsewhere. Perhaps, it is a call to relocate these facilities and professionals in areas whose people are not covered by Obamacare.
http://www.spiritual-politics.org/2010/05/the_excommunication_of_sister_margaret.html - The justice in not aborting a non-viable fetus and letting the mother of three die is incomprehensible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_McBride - Wiki page Excommunication of Margaret McBride
http://catholickey.blogspot.com/2010/05/when-is-catholic-hospital-not-catholic.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCatholicKeyBlog+%28The+Catholic+Key+Blog%29
May 25, 2010
Video: Mohammedans shed false notion of Jesus
Muslims think they're better than Christians because they believe they have the greatest and last prophet, Mohammed teach them about God. Their understanding of Jesus comes from their view that Jesus was a great moral teacher or a minor prophet. If they want to know who Jesus is, they need to go beyond their own narrative and be pleasantly surprised. After that, they may need to run for their lives from Islam. But at least they will find the truth and the life.
If the video fails, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CExvHJxJnY
Others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19FU7Yyx4D4&feature=PlayList&p=DF98532A8BC7E830&playnext_from=PL&index=29&playnext=1
Muslim clerics in the Middle East and North Africa are leaving Islam for Christianity, according to Father Zakaria Boutros.
Father Zakaria is an Egyptian Coptic priest who was kicked out of his country for converting Muslims to Christ. Today he has a ministry to the Muslim world through his satellite TV broadcast, 'Truth Talk.'
Broadcast daily into the Middle East, the program challenges Muslims to examine their faith and encourages them to discuss issues in an Internet chat room on Pal Talk.
Watch the interview to learn how those broadcasts are leading Muslim clerics to Christ.
Original source : http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/35307.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmQbgAbvkgo&feature=related
Dina's Journey from Islam to Jesus Christ ! Source : cbn.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MdM7rKEXM0&feature=related
Zamzam, Former Muslim Lady's journey to find True God. From Islam to Christ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdVnILalpeo&feature=related
According to Al-Jazeerah's interview with Sheikh Ahmad Al Katani, the president of The Companions Lighthouse for the Science of Islamic Law in Libya, In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity.
Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity.
In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."
If the video fails, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV18QAj6UIY&feature=player_embedded#!
If the video fails, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CExvHJxJnY
Others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19FU7Yyx4D4&feature=PlayList&p=DF98532A8BC7E830&playnext_from=PL&index=29&playnext=1
Muslim clerics in the Middle East and North Africa are leaving Islam for Christianity, according to Father Zakaria Boutros.
Father Zakaria is an Egyptian Coptic priest who was kicked out of his country for converting Muslims to Christ. Today he has a ministry to the Muslim world through his satellite TV broadcast, 'Truth Talk.'
Broadcast daily into the Middle East, the program challenges Muslims to examine their faith and encourages them to discuss issues in an Internet chat room on Pal Talk.
Watch the interview to learn how those broadcasts are leading Muslim clerics to Christ.
Original source : http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/35307.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmQbgAbvkgo&feature=related
Dina's Journey from Islam to Jesus Christ ! Source : cbn.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MdM7rKEXM0&feature=related
Zamzam, Former Muslim Lady's journey to find True God. From Islam to Christ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdVnILalpeo&feature=related
According to Al-Jazeerah's interview with Sheikh Ahmad Al Katani, the president of The Companions Lighthouse for the Science of Islamic Law in Libya, In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity.
Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity.
In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."
If the video fails, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV18QAj6UIY&feature=player_embedded#!
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