This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes the story of a homeschool family with a strong online presence that was harassed and threatened by officials without cause after being harassed by an online group. Also, Rwandan officials have closed well over five thousand churches for violating regulations. And, in India over two dozen Christians were arrested after local Hindu activists invaded a meeting and claimed the Christians were trying to convert them.
Homeschool family harassed by officials claiming abuse
J.D. and Britney Lott are homeschool parents, and their family travels the country and posts content on their Instagram page, “AmericanFamilyRoadTrip.”
According to AmericanFaith.com, their fame has its price. Their children were very close to being taken out of their home due to an anti-Christian group's efforts to manipulate human resources officials. Their Instagram page shows that the couple has seven children, with an eighth on the way.
The article says:
The Lotts told Reason they were leaving a Florida campground on their way to Georgia when they received a text message from the DCF reading, “Please respond we need to follow up and verify the children are safe. If we cannot complete this we will have to see an Order To Take Into Custody which is enforceable nationwide. Please work with us so we do not have to do that. Thank you.”
The message came in response to claims by an anti-Christian Reddit group, FundieSnarkUncensored. The group claimed the Lotts’ children were abused, with the youngest child, a baby, suffering from a “severe sunburn” and jaundice.
An employee of the Department of Children and Families had contacted the family regarding having a meeting. The article says:
The family then contacted the Family Freedom Project (FFP), a group that aids families wrongly accused of child abuse. The organization advised the parents to have their children evaluated by a doctor to prove they were unharmed.
After the medical evaluation, the Lotts were informed their children would not be taken away.
This incident has garnered attention from the Governor's office in Florida; the article notes:
Bryan Griffin, communications director for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ (R) office, told The Daily Wire that the family’s harassment will be investigated by the state.
“Utilizing government entities to make false reports or harass others is unacceptable and will be referred to law enforcement for investigation and ultimately prosecution, Griffin said.
This was posted on the family's Instagram page:
We’re exploring options to introduce accountability for all parties involved. The threat of having our children taken from us still has reverberating effects in our lives. We, and our children, are still traumatized, but we’ve made it through this together and it’s made us stronger as a family.
We are grateful to God for protecting us throughout this situation, and connecting us with people at the Family Freedom Project who have a sincere desire to protect families. We’re excited that our situation is bringing awareness to this issue that so regularly affects innocent families, in hopes that changes can be made to add protections from the threat of false reporters.
Rwandan officials close thousands of churches after inspections
Over the past few years, authorities in the African nation of Rwanda have been attempting to, as a piece published at The Christian Post puts it, "regulate" religious organizations. That website notes:
Rwanda has progressively been implementing a law it passed in 2018 to regulate religious organizations. Seven-hundred churches were closed then for operating illegally. The law requires religious leaders to have theological training before operating a church and mandates the RGB to inspect the physical safety of the buildings housing the churches. It also requires that the structures be sound proof as one way of limiting noise pollution.
The RGB is the Rwanda Governance Board, which has the task of enforcing these "regulations." And, it closed down thousands last month alone. The Christian Post article, originally published at Christian Daily International, reports that the number was 5,600 churches that were shut down, out of 13,000 religious organizations that were inspected. The article says:
RGB Chief Executive Dr. Usta Kaitesi, told Kigali-based news site IGIHE — which reported an even higher number of over 7,700 churches closed — that the board, in collaboration with local authorities, carried out the inspection over two weeks in July. She revealed that a large number of the churches affected did not have the requisite permits to operate places of worship while others could not provide the qualifications of the leaders.
The archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda noted that churches were informed about the regulations, but hinted they may not have taken them seriously. Meanwhile, another church leader, a pastor, believes that the regulations should be reviewed because they unfairly punish rural churches who may not have neighborhoods nearby that are affected by noise.
Christians in India arrested for attempting to convert people to Christianity
Twenty-eight Christians in India were taken into custody recently and charged with "illegal conversion," according to a piece at Higher Ground Times, initially provided by Global Christian Relief. The article states:
More than two dozen Christians attending a weekly prayer meeting in India were assaulted by members of a Hindu nationalist organization accusing them of “indulging in conversions.”
The group known as Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or World Hindu Council, called the authorities after attacking the Christian gathering in Rajasthan state on July 5, 2024.
The article goes on to say:
A local news outlet reported that the mob inflicted grievous injuries on the attendees, including women.The organization United Christian Forum had described how groups of Hindu extremists invade Christian gatherings in a report from December 2023:
“A complaint was received that people had gathered at a house…for religious conversion, following which some people have been detained for interrogation,” said Sunil Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The police did not mention the assault on Christians, but a viral video of the attack on Twitter/X showed several Christians bleeding.
“In almost all incidents, vigilante mobs comprising religious extremists have been seen to either barge into a prayer gathering or round up individuals that they believe are involved in forcible religious conversions,” the report said. “With impunity, such mobs criminally threaten and/or physically assault people in prayer, before handing them over to the police on allegations of forcible conversions. Often communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations, where the police stand as mute spectators.
In the Rajasthan incident, it was reported that a VHP leader brought 50 people into the house where the Christians were gathered. Another publication put the number at one hundred.
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