So much for God Wills It -Belgium's dwindling churches to be converted into mosques
Churches in Belgium are to be turned into mosques as Christian congregations decline while Muslims demand more places to worship.
Philip Heylen, Antwerp's deputy mayor, has called on the city to "break the taboo" over the many empty and unused churches.
"It's a looming issue yet it seems impossible to have a debate about this," he said. "Churches were built as places of worship and they should not be used as shopping malls. We've had a positive response from members of the Muslim community, which is open to the idea of converting them."
Antwerp has 36 mosques but many are located in old buildings that are too small or lack emergency exits. Meanwhile, the building of new mosques is sensitive in terms of planning.
However, some Antwerp Muslims fear that the scheme could heighten ethnic and religious tensions. "This is dangerous and will only lead to resentment," said one. "It's better to keep places of worship strictly separate."
Many of Antwerp's 80 churches were built in the mid-19th century during attempts by the Roman Catholic Church to engineer a religious revival.
Father Jan, at the Sint-Willibrordus Church, conceded that the pews are "far emptier than 50 years ago", but rejected the argument that Antwerp Christians are a dying breed.
No beliefs and no children.
Turn out the lights, the party's over, Vlaams Belang is just rearranging deck chairs on the you know what-
ISLAM ON ITS WAY TO OVERTAKING CHRISTIANITY IN FRANCE Soeren Kern at the Hudson NY (via Big Peace) has some very scary info on the increase of Islam in France: Islamic mosques are being built more often in France than Roman Catholic churches, and there...
-
Spain: Muslims continue demand for joint-use of Catholic churches Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba, Spain, affirmed on June 12 that any “joint use” by Muslims wishing to worship at the Catholic cathedral in that city is but “a euphemism...
-
Indonesia: Muslim Mob Burns Pastor's Home, 2 Churches From Watcher: Another one of those "Islamic tolerance" cases in a "moderate Muslim country". Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a Muslim mob set fire to a pastor's...
- Pigs Heads Left At Malaysian Mosques
From the New York Times: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Worshippers found severed heads of pigs at two Malaysian mosques Wednesday following a spate of firebomb attacks on churches amid a dispute over the use of the word ''Allah'' by Christians,...
- Europe May Be Waking Up
From an article in USA Today: • Supporters of the Swiss referendum collected enough signatures two weeks ago to call for a constitutional ban on minarets, the towers used to call worshipers to prayer. No date has been set for the vote. • Italy's...