The Reasons for the Intensification of Persecution of Christians and the Activities of the Russian Orthodox Church Aimed at Their Protection

С самых первых веков своего существования христианство было подвержено разного рода притеснениям переходящим в открытые гонения. Церковь по своему духовному устройству является богочеловеческим организмом, который одновременно присущ миру земному и небесному. Враг рода человеческого не может смириться с тем, что сущность Церкви является неотмирной. Господь наш Иисус Христос в Евангелии дает прямое указание на то, что христиан впоследствии будут гнать и преследовать: «Если Меня гнали, будут гнать и вас» (Ин. 15, 20); «Возложат на вас руки и будут гнать вас, предавая в синагоги и темницы, и поведут пред царей и правителей за имя Мое…» (Лк. 21, 12). В современном мире преследование и дискриминация христиан приобрели системный характер. В то же время не менее интересен тот факт, что христиане по своей численности являются крупнейшей общиной в мире, но, несмотря на это, она находится в худшем состоянии. Цель статьи состоит в том, чтобы в комплексном виде представить факты дискриминации христиан в современном мире, а также действия Русской Православной Церкви, направленные на их защиту. Beginning from the first centuries of its existence, Christianity was subject to various kinds of oppression passing into open persecution. The Church in its spiritual structure is a God-human organism, which is at the same time inherent in the world of earth and heaven. The enemy of the human race cannot accept the fact that the essence of the Church is not out of this world. Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel gives a direct indication that Christians are going to be persecuted: «If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you» (Jn. 15, 20). «They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake...» (Lk. 21, 12). In our modern world, persecution and discrimination against Christians have become systemic. At the same time Christians are the largest community in the world, but despite this fact, it is in the worst condition. The aim of this article is to present in a comprehensive form the facts of discrimination against Christians in the modern world, as well as the actions of the Russian Orthodox Church focused on their protection.

MENGGAGAS DAKWAH KORESPONDENSI NABI MUHAMMAD SAW

<p><em>This type of research is qualitative by using historical approach. Technique of collecting data in this research is library research (literature study). The results of the study as follows; the background of sending letters as a medium of propaganda by Rasulullah SAW. to the kings of his time were carried out for several reasons from theological and political aspects. The propagation format of Rasulullah SAW. which was sent to the kings and rulers of the time was astonishing, as evidenced by several things, namely; a). The Prophet's Epistles. always preceded the sentence Basmalah, b) The composition of the sentence in the letter of the Messenger of Allah. always preceded the phrase "From Muhammad the servant of God and his messenger", c). The contents of the letter of the Prophet SAW. worth persuasively invites kings to embrace Islam. From the elaboration of the correspondence of Prophet Muhammad SAW this should da'i be able to apply the information media as part of the dakwah correspondence.</em></p>

Seven Calamities: Insight into the Kara-e Depicted Catastrophes of Japan

The Seven Calamities (1773, Cleveland Museum of Art) is an emakimono, or Japanese handscroll, created by Nijo Yana during the Edo Period of Japan depicting seven catastrophes that occurred in Japan throughout time. Buddhist Monk Nichiren used the seven calamities found in ancient sutras to explain the disasters agonizing Japan in his time and to stress the importance of following the Buddhist lifestyle. In order to keep the seven calamities at bay, the kings and rulers of Japan were required to recite and teach ancient sutras including the Prajna-Paramita sutra. As the legend tells it, Tathagata — honorific title of a Buddha — had committed this sutra to the kings and rulers because they had requisite power needed to establish the Law of the sutra, unlike the monks and nuns. Had the sutra not been extensively taught to the populace, the seven calamities would befall upon the land and punish the impudent humans that strayed away from Saddharma — Sanskrit for the Correct Law. In essence, it was up to the kings that Tathagata appointed to ensure order and balance to the lands by reciting the Prajna-Paramita. Each of the calamities were painted on paper with black ink, known as sumi-ink, contain ma, which means negative space, and use minimal color. This paper will dissect the history of the seven disasters of Japan and the reasoning behind their occurrence, analyze the use of Japanese sumi-ink combined with the kara-e Chinese style of art, and will contemplate the artist’s choice of substituting several of the seven original calamities with his or her own rendition and depiction of sequenced actions.

Problems in Visualizing and Validating History: A Discourse on Rani by Jaishree Misra

Our Indian education system is such that we are taught a lot about history, long fought battles, wars, invaders and kings and rulers who died when and how. In broader sense, history does not only about dates and battles, it associates and intersperses our past and present with social, cultural, religious and traditional discourses. Our history spanning over thousand years guide our present and future. Indian writers have given their thoughts flying colors making our history unbelievably great. They get inspired from our enormously vast past incidents and express them according to their views and idea. There is no particular parameter which may define the history as fiction. Indian mythological epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata have been described and redefined in numerous different ways. India and Indian people have suffered a lot when British army ruled us for more than 200 years. There were many brave patriots who fought for our independence. One of such fighters is Rani Lakshmi Bai. This paper explores her life validating history through the novel, Rani. This novel is written by Jaishree Misra. Indian writers have explored the life and bravery of this amazingly courageous woman who redefined the womanhood and valor in her own way making a wave for the revolutionary fight for independence.

Caliph and the 'Islamic State' - Lessons of History

The declaration of a so-called ‘Islamic State’ in parts of Syria and Iraq on 27 June 2014/1 Ramadan 1435 by Sunni Jihadist renegades led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (a.k.a. Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri, or Abu Du’a, born 1971)2 claimed a universal authority throughout the Muslim ummah in the manner of the caliphs of old. The veteran Iraq observer Patrick Cockburn objectively describes IS to be “the most powerful and effective extreme jihadi group in the world… violent and sectarian… highly fanatical.” Abu Bakr sends a powerful message resonating in the minds of militants across the Islamic world, by denying the legitimacy of the political and religious leaders of 1.6 billion Muslims. “I do not promise you, as the kings and rulers promise their followers and congregation, luxury, security and relaxation,” he said in his Khutbah in Mosul; “instead I promise you what Allah promised his faithful followers” [i.e. Paradise through martyrdom]. In his audio message posted online on 1 July 2014, Ibrahim stated it was the duty of all Muslims to immigrate to his self-styled ‘Islamic State’, and he named a list of countries from the Central African Republic to Myanmar and Xinjiang (in Chinese Turkistan) where violations are being committed against Muslims. “Your brothers on every piece of this earth are waiting for you to rescue them,” he declared; “By Allah, we will take revenge! by Allah we will take revenge! even if after a while.”