1.         Art show sees Europe as 'new Roman Empire'

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels

(Filed: 14/09/2004)

The European Union is poised to overtake America to become the premier superpower, according to an EU exhibition launched yesterday in the heart of Brussels.

The pop-art collage mounted in a tent outside the European Commission narrates 50 years of EU history and projects events into the future in an unusually frank display of European ambition.

Segments sketched across 80 yards of canvas predict that the 21st century will be the "European Century" as the EU pushes its borders deep into Eurasia, North Africa, and the Middle East and comes to dominate world affairs through its vast "legal and moral reach".

Under the heading the "Roman Empire returns", it says the EU will be renamed "The Union" once it grows to 50 states over the next three decades.

The United Nations headquarters will be moved to Gibraltar as the EU defends the international order against the "American onslaught".

The euro will break the "overbearing monopoly of the dollar" by 2010 as China and India switch their reserves to punish America for its "stratospheric deficit".

Casting the United States as the villain of modern times, it says: "The lonely superpower can bribe, bully or impose its will almost anywhere in the world, but when its back is turned, its policy is weakened."

Entitled "The Image of Europe", the display is not a formal expression of EU policy but it captures views that can be heard every day in the corridors and canteens of the Union's institutions.

The exhibit was co-ordinated by the European Commission and sponsored by the European Council. The EU's Dutch presidency said yesterday it was designed to narrow Europe's "iconographic deficit" by conjuring up forceful images.

Jane Almond from England provided the following in regard to the above article:

Spiritually, this collage is very interesting.  Firstly, as stated in the second to last paragraph of the item, the collage is a physical manifestation of the collage of views "heard every day in the corridors and canteens of the Union's institutions."  I believe the EU understand very well the creative power of art (see Alice Bailey's 10 point plan No 9. "debase art in all its forms") and, although they may not be able to express these views publicly, are allowing them to be expressed through this collage.  Art touches the heart and this collage is an expression of the rabid arrogance and ambition endemic in the EU spirit - it is an imperial spirit, ergo the title "The Roman Empire returns..."

 We should not allow this kind of creative statement to pass unchallenged. We need to be aware of all the methods the enemy would use to strengthen his demonic agenda and art is one of them.  This art statement is dangerous because of the spiritual powers at work behind it.  We need to pray against this in the Spirit.  There is much discussion on a global and continental level at present about the relationship between Europe and the US - from this EU art statement, one could conclude that Europe is wanting to create a new "balance of power" in the world with Europe on one side and the US on the other. I think this is a divisive power agenda.  It is clear that the EU as an institution sees itself as a superstate/power.  As I've said before, it is becoming clear this was always their agenda.  'We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God...' (2 Cor 10.5)

 The title of the collage is also relevant - "The Image of Europe" - this is clearly the EU's image of itself which its rulers (i.e. rulers = archons (Eph 1.21) are seeking to project globally.  (An interesting point is also raised about the UN moving to Gibraltar, which has been a point of conflict for years between England and Spain.  By allowing this statement to remain on the collage, is the EU trying to influence the UN?) There is also much geo-political debate at present about the EU's role and relationship with the UN.  The EU seeks to be a global influencer.  We know what spirit is operating here!  'So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, placed his seal on them and sent them..." (1 Kings 21.8)

 We also know that there are those who seek to hold the spiritual, moral and legal high ground in and for Europe - both these areas are mentioned in this collage.  Clearly, the EU rulers (Eph 1.21) feel these facets should be part of their global role.  But with a history of deception in the structures from the day of their foundation, the people involved need to examine their own hearts.  Here, European intercessors must take responsibility for praying this through, as the Lord leads.

 The EU rulers are also sensitive from recent failures in European and global peacekeeping (e.g. in Kosovo, Bosnia and in its lack of support in Iraq) and are jealous of the global role the US has taken on following 9/11.  This, in spite of the fact that they sit in judgment on the US for their actions.  I am not fully including England in this criticism because our nation stood alongside the US and we do have a better relationship with the US than most.  Nevertheless, like Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, who identified with Israel's sin, England is part of Europe and need to be part of the solution.  

 There is a section in the collage that casts the US as the villain of modern times saying '...it can bribe, bully or impose its will almost anywhere in the world, but when its back is turned, its policy is weakened.'  It is true that any superpower could do that - the US could do that - it is up to the intercessors to make sure it doesn't!  We need to pray for the United States in this current climate that it will not be controlling and dominating and will choose to let freedom reign.  'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' (2 Cor 12.9)

 I do believe the Lord is in the process of uncovering ungodly agendas among geopolitical organisations and exposing the darkness.  I also believe the Lord has exposed motives through this art display as a result of recent prayer in Brussels and in Santiago de Compostela.  In this circumstance, our battle is tactical not strategic (see www.openheaven.com Kingdom Revival & Apostolic Strategy (Pt 1) by David Orton for good definitions of tactical & strategic) but still needs to be prayed through.  

 Surely, the Lord does nothing without first revealing it to his prophets!  (Amos 3.7)  We are being called to have eyes to see!

2.  CBN.com 

The Christian Broadcasting Network TURNING POINT

 Back to the Future: Is Russia Returning to Totalitarian Rule?

 By Dale Hurd
CBN News Sr. Reporter

CBN.com – WASHINGTON -- More than 300 people died in Beslan, Russia two weeks ago when terrorists blew up a school. At least half of the dead were children. But the Beslan tragedy has also put another nail into the coffin of Russian democracy.

The Russians call the massacre at Beslan their 9-11. Russia watchers are already calling Beslan another turning point in Russian history. Because of Beslan, what's left of Russian democracy has taken another hit. And some of Russia's neighbors hope they won't take the next hit.

Vladimir Putin now has a mandate to strike back and crack down. Most Russians want vengeance, strength and order, and most think Putin is the man for the job.

With approval ratings as high as 80 percent, Putin is the most popular Russian leader since Peter the Great. But Putin is not nearly as powerful as Peter, because the chief ruler of the Russian state and the Russian military today is not Putin, but corruption. So Putin's options after Beslan are limited. Some expect a Russian strike on Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, where Chechen rebels may be hiding.

“There were, not just Chechens, there were al Qaeda operatives or other Islamist operatives in that gorge,” says Ariel Cohen, of the Heritage Foundation. “It was no man's land, basically. The Georgian government did not exercise effective control. The weakness of these states comes to bare now, Georgia, maybe Azerbaijan, other countries, that cannot control their territories from all over the world to come there and do their dirty business.”

Russian analyst Cohen met with Putin in the Kremlin a few days after Beslan. He says the Russian military must be overhauled before they will be effective.

“If they do that, the next thing would probably be decapitation of the Chechen terrorism. And try to go and destroy the camps and terrorist leaders outside of the Russian borders.”

The Kremlin is seething after Chechen leader Shamil Basayev bragged on television that he pulled off both the Beslan Massacre and the recent Russian plane hijackings and crashes. But the Russian military, still low tech and still inept, has had trouble finding Chechen leaders or Chechen bases.

“He doesn't have any military options,” explains Don Jensen, a former diplomat to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and now the chief Russia analyst for Radio Free Europe. “They can overkill, which is to say to massively attack, but that's not going to work. They don't have the military capacity really, to do anything.”

Jensen says Russia's military options are also limited by corruption and a ragged chain of command.

“If Putin ordered a ceasefire in Chechnya today, it's an open question as to whether it would work, whether they would follow the orders.”

Jensen says Putin cannot even stop rogue officers from selling weapons to the Chechens.

“You're saying the Russian army is selling arms to Chechens? Answer: Yes. Question: Who are killing Russians? Answer: Yes. Question: And Putin might not be able to stop it? Answer: Yes, I'm saying that. If he tried to cut off the money flows then there would be pressure on him, of a political nature. Corruption in Russia is not a threat to the system. It is the system.”

Winston Churchill said trying to figure out Russian politics was like watching two dogs fighting under a carpet. It's as murky today as in Churchill's day. Analysts are still asking, 'Who is Vladimir Putin?'

“We don't know,” says Jensen. “He's a KGB officer. KGB officers are trained to use a variety of skills to get what they want. He's a very slippery character.”

Putin is accused of using Beslan to continue his "creeping coup" against Russia's democratic revolution. After Beslan, he weakened the power of the Duma, or parliament, and decided that he will appoint Russia's governors. He plays a double game with the West, saying nice things to western visitors, then telling the Russians that the West is the enemy.

“It was interesting,” remembers Cohen. “The meeting I attended with President Putin, he three times referred to the common sources, the common roots of Russia, western Europe, and the U.S. as Christian civilization.”

And Cohen said Putin gave him warm praise for President Bush. But then just a few days ago in a speech to the Russian nation, he was whipping up Soviet style paranoia by essentially blaming the West for helping the Chechen terrorists.

As democracy takes a back seat in Putin's Russia, discrimination and repression of Russia's evangelicals could grow, but Soviet style persecution is very unlikely. It's been said that Putin does not need to put evangelicals in prison because he already has them on a leash, meaning that in Putin's Russia, religion isn't bad as long as it's controlled. And while Russians have traditionally viewed Catholics and Protestants as a sinister foreign influence, Putin's biggest concern is for the 20-million Muslims living inside the Russian federation. Most are peaceful, and Putin does not want them to become radicalized like the Sufi Muslims in Chechnya.

“I'm sure Beslan would not have happened if Wahhabi indoctrination had not taken root in Chechnya, funded and trained by al Qaeda style clerics,” says Cohen. “They introduced the Sharia law back in (19)96 in Chechnya when Chechnya was quasi independent.”

Putin might try to use the Beslan tragedy to somehow return Russia to greatness, but the cruel truth is that Putin does have much of a nation to work with. Many of the negative, unproductive social forces from 70 years of communism are still in play.

“I don't think the future of Russia is Stalinist authoritarianism,” says Jensen. “I think that the future of Russia is a corrupt corporatist bureaucracy.

Because massive corruption on the Russian scale not only weakens attempts to build democracy, it also weakens attempts to build a dictatorship.

The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. © 2004

 3.         POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

A Seat at the Table: Islam Makes Inroads in Education

By David Brody
Congressional Correspondent
CBN.com – WASHINGTON -- If you look closely, what is inside your child's textbooks may shock you. They are full of evolution theories, and many liberal historians are rewriting American history as well. But there is even more. How Islam is portrayed in today's textbooks is a subject of concern also.

The familiar images of Islam include praying at Mecca, and the prophet Muhammad, a man Muslims say is the messenger of God. But this is not the whole story.

When all is said and done, the story of Islam is being told and taught to our nation's school kids in their textbooks. But are they getting the whole story, or just part of it?

Since the early 1990's, teaching Islam to kids has taken on a new dimension. As our society moved into the era of political correctness where it became taboo to offend any one group, many educational analysts say that the controversial nature of Islam started to not only be downplayed, but to be totally ignored.

One of the leading critics is the American Textbook Council, which came out with a scathing report a year ago. It is called "Islam in the Textbooks," and in it are numerous examples of how Muslim scholars are simply not telling kids the full truth.

For example, take the word Jihad. It is believed to represent a holy war, and the object is to bring the whole world under Islamic rule and law. But in the textbooks, that is not what kids are reading. In the World History Book, "across the centuries," Jihad is called a struggle "to do one's best to resist temptation and overcome evil."

The president of the American Textbook Council, Gil Sewell, recently spoke about his concerns at a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill.

Sewell said, "When it comes to Holy War, to Islamic law, to slavery, to the treatment of women, the textbooks fudge, hedge - and it's not accidental."

And the report says, when it comes to women, most textbooks do not mention how many men in the Islamic world look at women as just another possession. Many times, it just ignores that aspect altogether. One textbook says, "Although men had most of the power in Arab society, women had some freedom. For example, women could own and inherit property. Women contributed to the group through such activities as spinning and weaving."

When it comes to putting a positive spin on the teachings of Islam, one of the most influential organizations out there is the Council on Islamic Education, based in California. It is a research institute that gives guidance to publishers when it comes to what they say about Islam.

The founder, Shabbir Mansuri, came to the CBN News studios in Washington, and we asked him if the textbooks today are really giving students a complete and true picture.

Mansuri answered, "I think that is a valid point. I don't think it's a point we shouldn't put on the table for us to discuss. I think it's a valid point."

But, Mansuri says, with just a few pages devoted to Islam in the textbooks, you can only include so much. And, he says, kids in grade school may not be ready to comprehend it all, anyway.

Mansuri added, "You can make an argument that we want them to know the good and bad of it. Valid argument. [But] are they equipped to understand the good and bad of it?"

Which brings us to Whahabbism, an extremist fundamentalist brand of Islam. Whahabbism is being taught to school children in Saudi Arabia, and its most infamous follower is Osama bin Laden himself. This is not being mentioned in American textbooks.

Mansuri remarked, "It's put in some sort of large way that, as a Muslim, I'm scratching my head and saying what are they talking about?"

We said we surmised that it was prevalent in the Islamic world.

Mansuri replied, "It is not. That is what I am saying. It is in the mind of those who are deniers."

Mansuri said that all his group is trying to do, is to make sure that what is written about Islam comforms to the textbook standards in each state. In California, the standards say, "When ethnic or cultural groups are portrayed, portrayals must not depict differences in customs or lifestyles as undesirable, and must not reflect adversely on such differences."

So, Mansuri says that he strives to make that happen.

But Historian David Barton says that all the facts must be put on the table. Barton remarked, "They [Muslims] may want to be presented well today, but historically there are some footprints that have to be looked at."

And he says those footprints are not always so flattering. Barton said, "There was a Barbary Powers war that went on for 16 years in America, where America was dealing with Muslim terrorists for 16 years back, from 1790 through 1806. That is the reason we have the Marine Corps hymn. 'From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli' was because the American Marines went inland in the same area where they are now, to release enslaved Americans [who] had been taken prisoner by Muslim terrorists. And for 16 years, for four presidents, we fought a war against Muslim terrorists." (emphasis added)

Barton says that history should not be edited to make a faith look good. "As a Christian," Barton said, "I can't say we're not going to teach the witch trials because that would make me look bad as a Christian."

But in today's textbooks, Muhammad is not made to look bad at all. He is mentioned numerous times in a positive light, but critics are curious as to why there is no mention of the controversy in which he supposedly had multiple wives, and one of them was a very young girl. Instead, you find role-playing exercises for students, like reading the Koran in class or dressing up as Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca.

Jordan Rubio in Virginia Beach knows the feeling. At his public school, one of his classmates was asked to go in front of his class and pretend to be an Egyptian pharaoh. Then Jordan and the rest of his classmates had to bow down to him. His mother could not believe it.

Teresa Rubio said, "I asked him how he felt when he did that, and to my surprise, he responded that he immediately went to praying, and asked for forgiveness."

Jordan was not the only one in her family who had a problem. Her daughter Emily was asked to do an English grammar assignment, and the book used was the Koran. Theresa says, why not the Bible?

Teresa Rubio remarked, "I can understand that we need to understand other cultures and other traditions, but when Jesus is not given equal time in the classroom, I just feel that I have to oppose that."

All of Theresa's experiences have led her to a strong conclusion. "We really just need to pay very close attention to where we're sending our children, and what they are learning when they go there."

Mansuri says that the way Islam is taught is not the problem. Instead, he says, Christians simply do not have a seat at the table when it comes to reviewing textbooks at the state level.

He said, "Every committee that I'm invited to sit [on], if there are religious institutions that are brought in, I never see conservative Christians, for example."

That is a problem. And until that happens, the textbooks remain in their current state. It can be debated whether the violent images kids see on TV should be represented in the pages of their textbooks. What is not up for debate is that only some of the facts are being taught to kids in America's classrooms.

The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. © 2004

What Parents Can Do 1) Review textbooks for any anti-Christian bias. 2) If bias is present, write to your local school board, citing biased section or sections. Please visit the National Schoolboards Association Web site. Our Christian Heritage: A Refresher Course Historian David Barton, founder of Wallbuilders, a national pro-family organization which distributes historical, legal, and statistical information, can show you the Christian history, heritage, and traditions that have shaped our great nation. Visit www.wallbuilders.com to find out more. To learn more on the American Textbook Council's position on Islam in textbooks please visit their Web site.