Latest news with #ChristianCommunity
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
What the cluck?! 20,000 Christians condemn 'blasphemy' after cathedral art performance sees half-naked actors dance with plucked chickens in nappies
A bizarre cathedral art performance that sees scantily clad actors dance with plucked chickens in nappies has sparked outrage from Christians in Germany. The show was meant to be a solemn ceremony marking the 1250 year anniversary of Westphalia but instead turned into a shocking scandal. Although the audience reportedly enjoyed the performance, it ruffled feathers within the religious community after a video of it was shared online. More than 20,000 believers condemned the display as 'blasphemous' because it took place at the famous Paderborn Cathedral and have signed a petition demanding an apology. The clip showed semi-nude dancers performing a routine involving plucked chicken carcasses wrapped in nappies, while a song titled Meat is Meat played in the background. The petition said the show was a 'mockery of the central contents of the Christian faith' and a violation of a sacred space. The organisers point the finger directly at Archbishop Udo Markus Bentz, accusing him of failing in his duty to safeguard both the cathedral and the Church's moral authority. But Frank Tafertshofer, spokesperson for the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe, which was responsible for the ceremony, told BILD: 'There was applause; I heard no complaints.' The petition read: 'It is appalling that you silently witnessed this blasphemous performance instead of intervening and protecting and defending the sanctity of your cathedral. 'We therefore call on you to perform an act of repentance and atonement with the re-consecration of the Paderborn Cathedral, which was desecrated by this performance.' The diocese has since apologized: 'Both the LWL and the Metropolitan Chapter of Paderborn express their sincere regret that the performance offended religious feelings. 'In the future, there will be a modified procedure for approving events in the cathedral, which will ensure a more thorough review of the content,' it said.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- RNZ News
Gloriavale leaders refuse to apologise to former member
Gloriavale leaders have refused to deliver a personal apology to a former member for abuse at the Christian community, despite publicly offering to say sorry to victims who ask for one. Leavers say that's exposed their pledge as a PR stunt, as Jean Edwards reports. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- RNZ News
Gloriavale's offer to personally apologise to victims of abuse a 'PR stunt'
Former member Gideon Benjamin. Photo: Supplied Gloriavale's public offer to personally apologise to victims of abuse at the Christian community has been exposed as a PR stunt after leaders refused to say sorry, former members say. Leavers have shared details of email exchanges between former member Gideon Benjamin, Gloriavale servant Peter Righteous and lawyers with RNZ, showing Benjamin's request for an apology was rejected because he would not meet in secrecy. In January, Gloriavale's Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple delivered a public apology on behalf of the church for abuse at the community between 1950 and 1999, following a Royal Commission of Inquiry recommendation last July. "We offer our deepest apologies that abuse had occurred in this time period," Temple said. "We invite victims to request a personal apology from the leadership on behalf of the church for not reporting known cases of abuse to appropriate authorities." Benjamin wrote to Gloriavale's leaders the same day requesting a personal apology for allowing his father, who was jailed last year, to "abuse people for 30 years and not getting him the help that he needed" or dealing with him appropriately. When he did not receive a response to repeated emails, Benjamin threatened to visit Gloriavale to verbally demand an apology. Righteous then replied, warning any trip would be pointless because he was suing current community members. "The path forward is not going to be assisted by you turning up in our community seeking an apology in respect to your father," he wrote. "In your case, you have active proceedings against the leaders making very serious allegations against us. We are not therefore prepared to meet with you on any terms, much less to discuss issues that are directly raised by you in your claim against us." Benjamin was a plaintiff in a multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit filed against Gloriavale and five government agencies by former members who claimed they were held as slaves from birth by the community's leaders. Benjamin's lawyer then requested an apology on his behalf - in private - with the offer of a confidentiality agreement. Gloriavale agreed to a meeting with Temple, proposing that "they each agree they will not disclose or discuss with any person or entity (other than those present) any content of the meeting, including any personal details, responses, acknowledgements or outcomes". Benjamin sought amendments that would allow him to tell current and former members that he had received an apology from the leadership, although the details were to remain confidential. "Gideon's position is Howard's apology was made public so why should the fact he received/did not receive an apology be kept secret," an email said. However, Benjamin's request was ultimately rejected in a final email last month; "The terms counter proposed for the meeting are not acceptable to our client. The meeting with Gideon will therefore not proceed". Gloriavale Christian Community on the West Coast, taken when it was visited by the Employment Court's chief judge on 25 February 2023. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards Benjamin, 26, was born into Gloriavale but left in March 2023. When approached for comment, the father-of-four told RNZ he gave the leaders every chance to keep their word. "I wanted to be able to say that I gave them every opportunity. It was pretty insane, the lengths I went to. Most people probably would have given up. I felt like it a few times," he said. "If they had been totally different and showed a true heart of repentance, that would have quite honestly shaken my brain. It would have been mind-blowing. Really all they did was just prove me right. They haven't changed. "It's just called them out as liars." Benjamin said he could not accept an apology in secret. "I want the truth to be heard, that's all. For so long there have been too many secrets, cover-ups, things just swept under the carpet. I've had enough of secrets," he said. Benjamin had planned to offer leaders his forgiveness at the end of the meeting, although he said that did not mean he would abandon court proceedings. "I was going to tell them that I forgive them, that the Christian thing for me to do was to forgive," he said. "I can forgive them but I won't stand by and allow wrong to keep happening. It's my job as a human being and as a Christian to stand up for what's right and that doesn't interfere with forgiveness." Gloriavale did not respond to RNZ's request for comment. Former Gloriavale member Virginia Courage said the leaders' response showed their offer was not genuine. "It just looks to me like they were doing another PR stunt. What are you trying to do to this person, traumatise them more?" she said. "An apology is something that's given freely. The acknowledgement and them taking responsibility is what will actually show leavers that Gloriavale has changed and that Gloriavale might be safe for the rest of our families inside. "A real apology isn't just words, it's what comes after those words. If the apology was backed up by action, they would stop fighting in court." Another Gloriavale leaver, who wished to remain anonymous, described the leaders' offer as a "box-ticking exercise" with a "nonsense" confidentiality agreement seemingly designed to protect them in court. "You don't ask someone to come to you. You know that these people are upset, you go, you find them," she said. Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust manager Liz Gregory said decisions about apologies were personal matters for leavers. Last July, the government was urged to do everything it could to ensure the safety of Gloriavale members and their children as a result of Royal Commission findings that leaders allowed physical and sexual abuse at the community. The Abuse in Care inquiry found the Overseeing Shepherd and senior leaders at fault for failing to prevent abuse and protect survivors, and inappropriately handling perpetrators, allowing them to remain at Gloriavale and continue offending. Temple was facing 27 charges of sexual offending against 10 girls over a period of more than 20 years and would face a judge-alone trial in Greymouth. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Fox News
23-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Ancient Christian figurines discovered in 1,500-year-old desert graves
Archaeologists recently uncovered extraordinary artifacts from an ancient African Christian community in Israel, according to officials. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the finds on May 14. In a Facebook post, the organization said the objects were discovered during an excavation at Tel Malḥata, a mound in the Arad Valley of the Negev Desert. In ancient times, Tel Malḥata served as a crossroads that merchants from the Arabian Peninsula, India and Africa used. The items were found in 1,500-year-old graves of women and children, according to the IAA. Pictures show multiple figurines with human face shapes, along with scattered artifacts, including jugs and pottery fragments. Archaeologists also found other burial offerings, including glassware, bronze bracelets, and jewelry made of stone and alabaster. The burials were conducted according to ancient Christian tradition, with excavators describing the figurines as being "heads of African figures, carved in black wood." In a journal article, researchers said the figurines show that a Christian community lived in Southern Israel "about 1,500 years ago, possibly with some of its members coming from Africa." Said the article, "Carved from bone, and from ebony wood – a rare raw material originating from southern India and Sri Lanka – the figurines were designed in the form of women and men bearing prominent African facial features, and with a hole for the purpose of wearing them around the neck." The study added, "It seems their purpose was not only decorative, but also as intimate personal items carrying with them a story of identity, tradition and memory." The IAA noted that the artifacts were "carefully placed" among the deceased women and children, and after 1,500 years, they're still "exceptionally well-preserved." "It is possible that the figures represent ancestors, and thus they reflect traditions passed down from generation to generation – even after the adoption of the Christian religion," researchers said. The article continued, "It is likely that a woman and a child who were buried side-by-side, and in whose graves two of the figurines were discovered, belonged to the same family – and perhaps they were even mother and son." The IAA noted that unearthing African figurines in Christian graves in Israel is quite unusual and called the find "a rare discovery." "[It] deepens our understanding of the cultural diversity among the inhabitants of the country in this region about 1,500 years ago," the agency wrote. Eli Escusido, director of the IAA, described the findings as "moving, not only from an archaeological perspective, but also on a human level." He added, "They serve as a reminder that the Land of Israel has always been a crossroads of cultures and peoples – individuals arrived here, integrated into the local population, and yet still carried with them traditions and beliefs from distant lands." The grave discoveries are a few of many remarkable IAA finds in the past year. In December, the agency announced the discovery of the oldest-known Chinese inscription in Israel, which was found at the holy site of Mount Zion. In March, an Israeli child uncovered a 3,800-year-old Canaanite amulet at a mound called Tel Azeka, located in the Judean Foothills.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pastor celebrates 30 years at local church
NILES, Ohio (WKBN) — There was a big crowd Friday night in Niles to celebrate a milestone anniversary for one of Youngstown's leading pastors. The Eastwood Event Center hosted a celebration for Pastor Michael Harrison and his 30th anniversary as Pastor of Union Baptist Church on Youngstown's Northside. Over 200 people attended the event. Pastor Harrison said he never thought he'd have lasted 30 years but he never regretted staying. 'It hasn't been that much of a challenge but it's been different because those that are joining now are a little bit different than those older members that we had. They're thinking of the world and thinking of church as a little different. So it takes a little more work to get them to understand what it means to be a good Christian,' said Pastor Harrison is 68 and said he has no clue when he might retire. He's happy where he is and plans to stay as long as he can remember his name, address, and phone number. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
