UN Human Rights Committee Review of Civil and Political Rights in Ethiopia

Recorded live on July 11, 2011 4:30 PM GM

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World Disasters Map Legend

Click on the above picture to enlarge; it maps the totality of disasters that have happened in 2011 in various parts of the world Australia,New Zeland, Japan and the current huge drought in the Horn

What was the impact of post colonialism theory on Ethiopian politics ?

By Anko Zuta, Blogger of De Birhan Blogspot

10-7-2011

Last week, at one of the two places I work, I was asked if I would be interested to give a lecture on cultures and education. I hope it did work out well. I was asked for an autograph/signature by girls as soon as i finished lecturing lol am bragging here. But on a serious note, it was kinda cool.

I was off-tracked in the middle of my speech by one student who asked me what I think has the role of Western ways of thinking, has been on human progress and development. In my answer, i have quoted an Ethiopian Orthodox Priest who shared me his opinion on modern education vis a vis Western ways of thinking once. He described it in this phrase " it is a blinding devil". That was what i answered them- though not hundred percent, I opt to agree with the Priest. Education has made me/us sceptical, coward,confused and constrained.

One of the less nicer effects of education is seen in the case of postcolonial theory. I ain't a post colonialist in stand and academia. I rather find this theory a new form of intellectual despotism and ''divide and rule''. Our newly born neighbour, South Sudan is a result of postcolonialism theories in one way or the other.

What is postcolonial theory ?

According to the encyclopedia.com definition, Postcolonial theory, often said to begin with the work of Edward W. Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Homi K. Bhabha, looks at literature and society from two broad angles: how the writer, artist, cultural worker, and his or her context reflects a colonial past, and how they survive and carve out a new way of creating and understanding the world and/or as to Wikipedia is a specifically post-modern intellectual discourse that consists of reactions to, and analysis of, the cultural legacy ofcolonialism. Postcolonialism comprises a set of theories found amongst anthropology, architecture, philosophy, film, political science, human geography, sociology, feminism, religious and theological studies, and literature.

Postcolonial Theory - as epistemology, ethics, and politics - addresses matters of identity, gender, race, racism and ethnicity with the challenges of developing a post-colonial national identity, of how a colonised people's knowledge was used against them in service of the coloniser's interests, and of how knowledge about the world is generated under specific relations between the powerful and the powerless, circulated repetitively and finally legitimated in service to certain imperial interests.

In general, it is a thinking, movement and an academic endeavour that is anti,post colonial in nature and aims to achieve real independence and freedom from colonisation of both the mind, culture,identity,gender,race and nation.

Ethiopian postcolonial theorists ?

Broadly speaking Ethiopia doesn't expectedly have post colonial theorists. Why? because it has never been colonised.I don't know of any Ethiopian scholar or writer who has written with an anti-West or coloniser dynamism or genre.

But.... But there are post-colonial theorists who have never publicised themselves as postcolonial theorists so far but factually are.They were brainwashed,educated and manipulativly exploited by the postcolonial theory. They as the by products of postcolonial theories have established political parties led them so far and even attempted to realise their wish in practice. Oromo Liberation Front(OLF), Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) , Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) are the very good cases.

These parties were all founded by Western or third level educated postcolonail theorists. Although they shoved the ideologies of different Western philosophers such as Marx and Lenin- they are all the by products of postcolonial theories.

Aregawi Berhe,Tecola Hagos,Jordan Gebre-Medhin,Hussien Sora,Elemo Quilixxu, Abdirahman Mahdi, Sheikh Ibrahim Abdalla Mohamed and many others I haven't named here were and are still postcolonial theorists who founded or advocated a political movement with modules of anti colonialism - the coloniser being the Abysianain or the undefinable ''Shewan Dynasty''.

Their core ideology is that the ethnic Oromo,Tigreans,Eriterains or Ogadenians were colonized by the "Amhara Highlanders'' , Shewa and they need to be liberated from that colonization. This is a typical example of post-colonial theory.

Edward W. Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Homi K. Bhabha haven't researched or came up with anything different from the above.

I would love to agree with the Moroccan scholar Bin 'Abd al-'Ali who argues that what is seen in contemporary Middle Eastern studies of postcolonial theories is 'a pathological obsession with ... identity'. Ethiopia suffers from identity politics and that is why change has been so slow. Our ''current leaders'' are well informed of postcolonial theories and are applying them well in their divisive rule. Our opinion leaders as well who make their life in the interperetaion and analysis of post colonial theories have affected the minds of the new generation.Postcolonial theories might work in the case of Orientalist Vs the West or the colonising West Vs the colonised rest in broad senses. But the deeper and particularistic postcolonail theories of Africa that have been questioning the centuries old peaceful coexistence of indigenous people as in the case of Ethiopia, Rwanda and Sudan,Bosnia and many other similar nations , have only brought us what you see,,,

Silent Opposition

By Anko Zuta, Blogger of De Birhan's Blogspot

10-7-2011

Title: We Cannot Remain Silent: Opposition to the Brazilian Military Dictatorship in the United States (Zim Anelem)

Author: Green, James,

Year : 2010

Description:

In 1964, Brazil’s democratically elected, left-wing government was ousted in a coup and replaced by a military junta. The Johnson administration quickly recognized the new government. The U.S. press and members of Congress were nearly unanimous in their support of the “revolution” and the coup leaders’ anticommunist agenda. Few Americans were aware of the human rights abuses perpetrated by Brazil’s new regime. By 1969, a small group of academics, clergy, Brazilian exiles, and political activists had begun to educate the American public about the violent repression in Brazil and mobilize opposition to the dictatorship. By 1974, most informed political activists in the United States associated the Brazilian government with its torture chambers. In We Cannot Remain Silent, James N. Green analyzes the U.S. grassroots activities against torture in Brazil, and the ways those efforts helped to create a new discourse about human-rights violations in Latin America. He explains how the campaign against Brazil’s dictatorship laid the groundwork for subsequent U.S. movements against human rights abuses in Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, and Central America.

Green interviewed many of the activists who educated journalists, government officials, and the public about the abuses taking place under the Brazilian dictatorship. Drawing on those interviews and archival research from Brazil and the United States, he describes the creation of a network of activists with international connections, the documentation of systematic torture and repression, and the cultivation of Congressional allies and the press. Those efforts helped to expose the terror of the dictatorship and undermine U.S. support for the regime. Against the background of the political and social changes of the 1960s and 1970s, Green tells the story of a decentralized, international grassroots movement that effectively challenged U.S. foreign policy.

....

Ethiopia and countries of the Horn of Africa(Djibouti, Eritrea,Somalia,Sudan) are in a silent opposition.Conditions are grave.The regions is the only place that is in extreme hunger,conflict,war and dictatorship. It needs an immediate solution. The best solution being uprooting the old school dictators and brining a new generation of democratic,freedom and just thinkers. The region needs a durable solution and stability not just a ''controlling'' and ''façade'' stability and peace .

I took the above book's review deliberately. Those of you who know the politics of these countries finds exact similarity in what is going on these Region and the Brazil of then.

- All the Dictators in the Horn of Africa, Meles,Issayas, Guelleh, and Bashir have come overthrowing their communist predecessors and still sell themselves as anti communist s while in a double standard doing their affair in bed with China.

- It didn't take these dictators long enough to win the approval and support of the West especially the West.Ethiopia's Meles is a particular case , as he was smart enough to aggrandise himself as the promoter of Western ideals and protector of the peace and security of the region. At the expense of the suffering of the people in this region, the West supports and arms dictators like him.It may take time but these dictators will fall by the truthful and honest predisposition of the poor mass.

-''Few Americans were aware of the human rights abuses perpetrated by Brazil’s new regime. '' Same is the case regarding the awareness of some Westerners about the human rights abuses in this Region of Africa. Although the few ''concerned'' are aware of the abuses, they have always given a deaf ear to it won by their own ''unmeetable and endless interests''.

-Most informed Ethiopian political activists, most in the Diaspora and the rest in Ethiopia are now working hard to let the world/West know about the abuses taking place in Ethiopia and beyond.Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT TV), Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia (SMNE),Ethiopian Youth National Movement and Ginbot 7 Movement in Ethiopia;

Democratic Youth Movement in Sudan,Abdourahman Boreh's movements in Djibouti, and the Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) in Eritrea are some of them.All are frighting against well armed military dictators.The only support they have is of their own people's. But that is more than enough if used well. The support of the West to these dictators elongates the misery and victory of freedom fighters and campaigners.

They all are educating journalists, government officials and the public about the abuses taking place in dictatorial Ethiopia and the Horn.

- Although foreign policy changes have been uttered since the coming of Obama, nothing new has been updated.The current administration's in the West who have all the ''power'' of supporting and not supporting these regimes shouldn't wait until they turn against them.

-I am gonna start reading the book. Those of you who are pro freedom,democracy and human rights should also read it and see what needs to be added learning from the Brazilian experience or has to be deducted. The struggle in Ethiopia as was in Brazil should lay a groundwork for subsequent movements in Eritrea, Somalia,Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya as was in Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Central America.

INTERNATIONAL MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS

De Birhan Editor's Note : Just found this article while skimming through newspapers based in Ethiopia. The Reporter, the Addis Abeba based English Newspaper has this feature by Miheret Aschalew. I took the piece as it is a fundamentally shareable topic for most of us. I particularly, had a one sided view of international/interracial marriages since I was only aware of the cases I knew here not in Ethiopia. The challenges sound similar. My point;My Boint is that I am being liberal to international/racial marriages: so long as there is love, nothing forbids.

The article follows,

SATURDAY, 09 JULY 2011 08:50

BY MIHRET ASCHALEW

The agony of gooey eyes and discourteous comments on couples in Addis

Cultural and racial differences often put pressure on interracial marriages. In addition to understanding each other, couples in such marriages should also deal with the differences in culture, psychological makeup and value systems. With such a marriage understanding and handling challenges which are external is not going to be easy.

Genet Ashebir of Ethiopian runs her own promotion company that organizes TV and radio programs and has a master’s degree on gender studies. She has been married to a Norwegian citizen for three years and argues that the Ethiopian society finds it hard to accept interracial marriages.

“For me love is an international language. We are together because we understand each other; our values and interests are compatible. But it seems that our society has given itself a license to interfere in the personal life of individuals, she explains with frustration. “When they see a woman with a foreigner they think she is with him for the sake of money. They do not think for a second and see what she might have and who she might be.”

Genet is not the only one who is frustrated about the judgmental nature of society. Ermias Tekeste, 30, agrees with her. Working in a local NGO, he has plenty of friends who have dated foreigners for a long time. “It can be in a taxi, a shopping mall or in a restaurant. When people see an Ethiopian with a foreigner they can’t think that they are just couples in love with each other. Whether the Ethiopian is a man or a woman, they think they are with the foreigner to get money or to travel with them abroad. They can have so many opinions. They don’t want to see it as a common marriage or relationship. Instead they often feel obliged to analyze your relationship.”

Whenever he sees an Ethiopian dating or married to a foreigner, the first thing that comes to his mind is that those people are together because they love each other. Since he knows the pressure that the society puts on interracial couples, whenever he meets a couple in an interracial marriage or relationships, he tries to give them comfort.

“One day, we were in a taxi coming back from shopping, and I was the one who paid. And the guy beside me, who looked gentle and well-dressed, said, ‘is it the money that will be deducted from your payment later?” said Genet, giving an example of the everyday harassment she faces just for being in an interracial marriage.

According to her, this is the result of the society’s application of double standards. Since they are part of the society, most women also believe that if an Ethiopian woman is with a foreigner, she is with him for some form of benefit. She, however, said that women do not tend to give their abrupt opinion on the spot. Such harassment makes Genet argue that Ethiopian women in interracial marriages face far greater harassment than the men.

Similarly, Ermias thinks the men are the ones who make rude comments and opinions right on the spot. Yet he disagrees with Genet in some way. “For most people, success is only money and going abroad. So whenever people see an Ethiopian with a foreigner, whether a man or a woman, they think they are there for money and ‘success’. Be it a man or a woman, the one thing that they need to do is to prove that they are with their partner because of love. They are even expected to explain it to their close friends and family members and this is the hardest thing to do” he said.

A 28-year-old Ethiopian and her British boyfriend, who have a child together, are another couple that told The Reporter of the daily hassles. Yet, this young Ethiopian has requested anonymity to share her experience. Although she is living with her boyfriend, the 28-year-old and her foreign boyfriend are not legally married. She says that since interracial marriages is not common in Ethiopian society, people cannot accept it without questioning each and everything. Oftentimes, the couple will also suffer from judgmental views and prejudice with regard to the question of marriage.

“My closest friends say that I am lucky. But they say that not because I found a loving and supportive partner but because I am with a foreigner,” the young woman explains. “When someone is with a foreigner, there will be too much involvement of friends and family. Actually, maybe because they know what I value most in life, I have not experienced such an impression from my family,” she added.

Recently she submitted a resignation letter to her office because she was planning to leave the country and live with her partner. And people at the office, specially her close friends who know her baby boy’s father is a foreigner, expressed their impression clearly by saying “What is left for you in this country? You have achieved what is needed in life”

“I am leaving town to live with him, and I believe it is better to live together for our child and for us. But I don’t know what challenges I might face there. I have to find a job, I have to continue studying, I have to do a lot of things and I don’t expect life to be easy. But those friends don not see such challenges.”

She says she has faced a lot of prejudice from the society and much involvement from people around. She states that the prejudice came from those who believe they have had exposure and a better understanding of life. “I have a friend whose sister has given birth to a baby by a foreigner partner. He lives in Egypt and she is raising their child here alone. But he visits them and he is the one who supports them financially since she had stopped working. And my friends always insist that I have to advice her sister to start working and I thought she wanted me to give her advice on how to handle a long distance relationship and how to face the challenges of raising a child alone. But when she kept on insisting, I asked her what she really wants me to tell her sister, and I found out she wanted her sister to ask her partner to buy her some property. She explains her reason by saying he will leave her sooner or later so it is better to have something before he does so.

She repeatedly faces questions like why she doesn’t buy a car or a condominium house. Since most of the time those questions are raised by close friends who know her job and earnings well, she thinks it is a silly question to answer. “I know what they are actually saying is, why don’t you ask him to buy you a car and a house. I have got their point and I found it embarrassing to even discuss it.”

Genet also faces similar challenges. Her close friend, who views her as a role model, warned her that her husband might leave her after sometime and that she better be prepared. She found another close friend who knows she was an independent woman who strongly believes in self-reliance even before she was married, but still questions her success and doubts if she only managed to achieve all of that because she was in an interracial marriage.

Because of the society’s opinion and intervention, Genet and her husband have limited their exposure. Luckily, because of their difference on shopping, they did not find shopping alone very difficult. “The challenges of interracial marriage are universal. I saw an intervention from a Norwegian woman who was living here. She couldn’t see our relationship as a natural phenomenon. She always asks me personal questions. Once, I think it was before we got married, I had applied for a visa to go to Norway and I couldn’t get it and when she heard about it, she sarcastically laughed and told me that I’ll get it due time,” she said.

It is a generally accepted trend that Western lifestyle tends to make people individualistic. Similarly Norwegian lifestyle also shares that individualistic norm too. Yet, despite such tradition, even if children got married, the attachment to their parents and extended family will always be there. When asked whether she has problems in this regard, Genet said, “He came from a society that is too individualistic. In Norway, you might hear the death of someone you know after a long time. But he likes our way of life in Ethiopia even if he has reservations with regard to few things. First he came here for an exchange program and he has learnt a lot of things. For instance, even before I got married, if any member of my family wants to visit me, I urged them to let me know in advance. Otherwise, I would be mad at them. Perhaps this has helped us today since no one comes home to visit us “accidentally.”

Genet said that she and her husband have discussed how to handle challenges expected in a marriage and those inherent in interracial relationships before they got married. They have decided that her husband should work and stay here for the time being. “He was a fresh graduate, so living in Norway to work and get experience. On the other hand, I want to work professionally and establish my own economy. Honestly our decision to stay here makes things easy for me. Even if there are challenges I am facing them in my own way”

Genet believes those discussions contributed a lot to their smooth relationship and their decision to stay here made her advantageous.

Because the two have discussed a lot of things, like most couples in new marriages, their fiancés did not merge as soon as they got married. They cook their own food and when she wants she can prepare for him his own food. They have their own time as well. “I am not a type of person who can smother his freedom. Here also, when a lady in relationship or marriage, she should be able to say I need my freedom. The society often considers such demands as rude gestures. Whenever I think about marriage, the issue of my freedom was the first thing that comes to my mind because in our context, I have seen women compromise their freedom in the name of marriage. In my case, I got married without compromising it.”

South Sudan: Independence is just the beginning

By Ken MacLean, Special to CNN

July 9, 2011 8:29 a.m. EDT

Editor's note: Ken MacLean is the South Sudan country director forMercy Corps, a global humanitarian organization which has worked in Sudan since 1985.

(CNN) -- On Saturday, southern Sudan will become the independent country of South Sudan. This will be an historic event: the culmination of a six-year process that ended a long, brutal civil war that caused the deaths of millions. Although the road to independence has been hard, people look toward the future.

This was a joyful week in the nation-to-be, and thousands of global dignitaries and well-wishers travelled to the capital city of Juba for celebrations. But after July 9 comes the tough work of building a country that already faces significant obstacles.

Here are three challenges that the new nation will wrestle with:

1. Poverty: Sudan ranked 154 out of 169 on the United Nation's 2010 Human Development Index, and South Sudan will be one of the poorest countries in the world, with limited roads, sporadic electricity and a woefully inadequate number of schools and hospitals. The human toll of poverty is painfully clear: more than a quarter of southern Sudan's 8 million people do not have enough food, and more women die in childbirth than almost anywhere else in the world.

2. Conflict: Violence has flared in recent weeks along the border with Sudan. More than 100,000 people fled from the disputed Abyei region, where it is hoped that a tentative peace agreement and Ethiopian troops can halt the fighting. In Southern Kordofan State -- part of the north -- attacks forced more than 70,000 people to leave their homes. The violence is not all about north vs. south. Cattle rustling, heavily armed rogue militias and crime have added to the violent mix that terrorizes civilians.

3. Economic woes: South Sudan will face many economic hurdles. The economy is heavily dependent on oil, a situation that could breed corruption and stifle other industries. The people of the south rely upon trade from the north for food and fuel. With strained north-south relations, trade has ground to a halt, creating severe shortages, price spikes, power outages and long fuel lines. In addition, the government will unveil a new printed currency in the next few months -- without a definitive plan or sufficient cash reserves. All of these factors could create economic instability.

These challenges have led some analysts to call South Sudan "the next failed state." That doesn't have to be this new nation's future, and for the sake of the 8 million people who live there, Mercy Corps and other groups are working to ensure that it's not.

There are compelling reasons to be optimistic about South Sudan's future:

1. People are excited and hopeful. The nation's success will depend on the involvement and leadership of its people, who are energized and eager to start building their new country. Unlike just five years ago, people talk less about the legacy of war and more about hope for the future. As a young teacher named Aguer recently told me, "I feel great and excited about our future ... I am focused on what I should do to serve my people. What should I do to make this nation like other great nations?" South Sudanese such as Aguer know there are challenges, but they are now in charge of their destinies and eager to make their country prosperous. There is a huge opportunity to positively channel this positive energy and excitement.

2. Successful referendum was a good start. In January, southern Sudan held a peaceful, fair and inclusive referendum in which nearly 99 percent of participants voted for independence. This was a huge achievement, and the people of the south made their voices heard. South Sudan needs to build on this success to form a government that's responsible and responsive, and a citizenry that's engaged and holds government accountable. Special efforts should be made to ensure that women and young people have a stake in their government and communities.

3. Business can help. The private sector can bring South Sudan much-needed goods, services and jobs. With abundant arable land and a favorable climate, agriculture holds particular promise. Farmers -- many of whom use subsistence methods and barely grow enough to get by -- have a steep learning curve, but South Sudan has the potential to be a regional breadbasket. New technologies -- such as mobile networks that provide farmers with technical assistance, financial services and market data -- can give agriculture a boost.

South Sudan is being born into a difficult situation and will have serious growing pains, but with the right mix of peace, private investment and assistance from the international community, it can succeed.

Mercy Corps is among those in the international community collaborating with citizens groups, local governments, farmers and businesspeople to help South Sudan realize its full potential. We know that a stable, prosperous South Sudan will be good for Africa and the world, but especially for the country's own people, who've survived so much with their hope amazingly intact.

Why people stick by scandal-plagued pastors

By John Blake, CNN

May 27, 2011 9:52 a.m. EDT

Parishioners often build a firewall around a pastor hit by scandal, a Christian author says. But when does loyalty turn unhealthy?

On a typical Sunday morning, New Birth Missionary Church in suburban Atlanta would be hopping. But on a recent Sunday, the sprawling church complex looked half-deserted and the mood seemed flat.

(CNN) -- The streets that were once choked with traffic are now bare. The church's sprawling parking lot is half full. Inside the stylish sanctuary, ushers sway to choir music in front of empty seats.Six months after a sex scandal involving New Birth's senior pastor, Bishop Eddie Long, became public, the megachurch no longer packs them in. Yet there are loyalists, like C.D. Dixon, who have not joined the exodus."I come back to the church even more now because the word is more powerful," she said as she stood with a serene smile in the parking lot before a recent service.Last fall, four young men accused Long of using his spiritual authority to pressure them into sexual relationships, charges that Long has vehemently denied. On Thursday, lawyers for the four men released a statement saying only that "the matter has been resolved."

For Dixon, though, the allegations only make Long's sermons more powerful.

Belief Blog: Bishop Eddie Long settles with accusers

"The cry from the bishop's belly is more now. We're not dealing with right or wrong. We're dealing with God's deliverance. I don't know if that makes sense to you.For some, it doesn't. While most church scandals revolve around the conduct of a pastor, there's another question lurking behind the headlines that onlookers often ask: Why do some people stick by their pastor even when everyone else in the church seems to be leaving?

Building a firewall

Some do it because they've placed a "spiritual firewall" around their pastor, and in their own mind, said Sue Thompson, a professional speaker who attended a church that disintegrated after a pastor's extramarital affair was exposed.he said some parishioners cannot leave a pastor because they credit him or her with a life-changing event, such as inspiring them to overcome drug addiction or turning around a disastrous marriage.To accept such a pastor's guilt, she said, would lead them to contemplate another possibility: Is my life-changing event just as fraudulent as the pastor who inspired it?

"There is a suspension of common sense, a refusal to put two and two together," Thompson said. "For a lot of people, this is the man who gave them the keys to a whole new way of living. They can't separate the good they received from the man himself, so they feel it would be a betrayal to turn on him now."When outsiders ratchet up criticism against an embattled pastor, members often go into battle mode, said Thompson, author of "The Prodigal Brother: Making Peace with Your Parents, Your Past, and the Wayward One in Your Family."

"They circle the wagons to protect their guy," Thompson said. "They don't want to see, and they don't want to be made to see what 'the world' sees. They believe the world's view is false, so they form the firewall.

Conditioned by the language of persecution

Some parishioners can't let go because of their reading of the Bible, a religion scholar said.The Bible is full of persecution stories: The Egyptian oppression of the Israelites, the persecution of Jesus. Some pastors who are frequent targets for criticism condition their followers to stick by them no matter what by invoking these stories, said Jonathan Walton, an assistant professor of religion at Harvard Divinity School in Massachusetts.

"Many of these churches are conditioned to be under scrutiny," Walton said. "They view themselves as saints living in exile in the world. Nobody at the end of the day wants to be labeled Judas or, God forbid, Peter, the one who denied the faith at the moment of persecution."

The persecution mentality can take on another dimension when race is added to the mix, said Marla Frederick, author of "Between Sundays: Black Women and Everyday Struggles of Faith."

African-American history is filled with examples of charismatic black religious figures -- the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; Malcolm X; Elijah Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam -- who were targeted by shadowy political forces trying to discredit them, Frederick said.

"At the time, it was seen as a white racist society trying to dismantle a strong black organization," Frederick said. "They didn't like to see black men being successful. People felt like there were larger political forces at work."

'Watching a train wreck every Sunday morning'

Sometimes, people stick by an embattled pastor for voyeuristic reasons -- they like watching "train wrecks," said one sociologist who has studied megachurches.

Shayne Lee, a sociologist and co-author of "Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace," said some parishioners see scandal as a spiritual spectacle. They view themselves as participants in a cosmic struggle.

"When you have a spiritual world view that emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit and you see all these dynamic tensions in church, it's exciting to see the forces of evil and the power of God at work," Lee said. "There's a certain dynamism that's attractive and keeps people coming back."

And then some parishioners won't let preacher scandals drive them away because they say that the message they receive is more important than the vessel that delivers it.

Thomas Kirkpatrick cited that rationale as he walked to New Birth for Sunday service. He shrugged at the allegations surrounding Long.Long publicly denied the sexual coercion claims, and compared himself to David fighting Goliath. The scandal's impact on New Birth, though, may already be apparent. Attendance has dropped, staff is being laid off and Long recently announced that he would take a salary cut.

A New Birth spokesman attributed the changes to a sour economy and said the declining attendance is the result of more people watching the church service online.

None of this appeared to matter to Kirkpatrick. He said Long would have to answer to God, not him."I don't think Bishop Long can do anything worse than what Judas did, and God still loved him," Kirkpatrick said.Kirkpatrick compared pastors to doctors. "There are people who we trust with our lives every day, like doctors, who do all sorts of things, but we don't question them. This is our spiritual medicine. We come here to get what we need and then we leave."

When asked if there was anything that would cause him to stop attending New Birth, Kirkpatrick lowered his head and paused before he finally said:"The church would have to close."

Breaking through the firewall

Shan was a regular attendee at Chapel Hill Harvester Church, an Atlanta megachurch whose pastor was caught in a sex scandal that involved several women. The church was eventually forced to sell its massive cathedral and close.When the media first reported the women's accusations, the church's pastor, Bishop Earl Paulk, denied allegations.He also invoked scripture."He blamed it all on Satan," said Shan, a freelance writer and editor of an online magazine, The Hinterland Gazette.Shan said she didn't initially believe the accusations because she thought the women had ulterior motives. But as more accusations surfaced, she became suspicious. So did many in the congregation. She said the church pews started emptying "faster than someone yelling fire." Those remaining began arguing among themselves. Church leaders vanished from the pulpit without explanation, she said. "People were devastated," Shan said. "There was a feeling of defeat in the atmosphere. We were on the front page for all of the wrong reasons."

The allegations over Paulk's sexual indiscretions made headlines for over a decade. One accuser said Paulk molested her when she was a child. That allegation ended in a civil suit that was settled out of court. During a deposition in another suit filed by a woman, Paulk said under oath that he had slept with only one woman outside of marriage. A court-ordered paternity test then revealed that he had also fathered a child with his brother's wife.Paulk eventually pleaded guilty to lying under oath, and was fined $1,000 and placed on probation for 10 years. He died in 2009 at 81 from cancer.Shan left Paulk's church, but like others who had abandoned churches rocked by scandal, it took time to recover. "I didn't go to church for a year or two," she said. "I've lowered my expectations for pastors." Trying to persuade a parishioner to leave is difficult, though, said Thompson, the professional speaker who left her own embattled church."It cannot be done by simply showing the person who still believes in the charlatan 'the truth' about him," she said. "It can't be done by ridiculing and dismissing the person's faith in the man. It is done by sincere biblical discussions, talking about the red flags that everyone saw but many were ignoring."Thompson said church members must ultimately learn two lessons: The message must be disconnected from the messenger, and "psychopaths and narcissists live in the church world, too."Then again, that still might not be enough, she said."For a lot of people, it will take catching the guy in the act -- he runs off with church money, he goes to jail, he's caught on film with a prostitute," she said. "And even then, some are so fundamentally misinformed about concepts of forgiveness and judgment that they blindly go on supporting him."

Salah of Yemen Changes ''color'' ; a month after attack he speaks,oh dictators

Ethiopian children second most adopted in the world next to Chinese

Fly away -Doc- stealing Ethiopian kids by CWA- Christian World adoption :: Free Islamic Videos :: Muslim Video

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British and French Foreign ministers and S.Korean President in Ethiopia

By ARGAW ASHINE in Addis Ababa

Posted Friday, July 8 2011 at 15:16

africareview.com

Western top officials are making a stopover diplomacy in Addis Ababa, the African Union seat,on their way to South Sudan independence fete. British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Ethiopia late Thursday to discuss Africa's top security concerns in Libya, Sudan and Somalia. Mr Hague was also scheduled to meet self autonomous Somaliland President and Foreign ministers in Addis Ababa.He was expected to discuss with Ethiopian authorities bilateral, humanitarian and regional issues, including Sudan and Somalia.

Independence

Ahead of his arrival in Ethiopia, Mr Hague said in his written statement: "This government recently decided to double aid to Ethiopia, based on the strong developmental progress. This makes Ethiopia the largest recipient of UK aid in the world."

“In addition to development issues, the UK and Ethiopia are working closely together on regional security, and I commend Prime Minister Meles for the positive role he is playing with both North and South Sudan,” he added.Hague will proceed to South Sudan to attend the independence ceremony in Juba Saturday.

According to British Embassy in Addis Ababa, Mr Hague was due to discuss with AU chief Jean Ping and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi how to unlock the Libyan stalemate, despite widening differences between the union and the Western nations.

Similarly

Similarly,South Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Ethiopia on Friday for a three-day visit that includes economic cooperation talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and a series of activities paying tribute to Ethiopia's participation in the Korean War.

Ethiopia is one of the 16 nations that sent combat troops as part of U.N. forces to help South Korea repel invading North Korean troops during the 1950-53 Korean War. A total of 3,520 Ethiopian troops were dispatched, with 121 of them killed and 535 injured.This year marks the 60th anniversary of Ethiopia's participation in the war.Lee, the first South Korean president to visit Ethiopia, plans to lay a wreath at the Korean War Memorial and meet with Korean War veterans on Saturday.

Lee also plans to visit two villages on Saturday and Sunday to do volunteer work there in a symbolic gesture of repaying Ethiopia.Friday will be spent on summit talks with Zenawi, officials said.The two leaders plan to discuss ways to increase cooperation in projects where South Korea can share its development experience, as well as in green growth, agriculture, trade and resources, officials said.Lee's trip also includes a speech at Addis Ababa University, a forum with business leaders of the two nations, visits to hospitals, a meeting with Korean volunteer workers and a workshop on sharing Korea's development experience.Ethiopia is the last leg of Lee's three-nation African tour that earlier took him to South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lee is scheduled to return home on Monday. (Yonhap News)