By Michael Hernandez
Turkey seizes Hagia Sophia with plans to convert it into a mosque:
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered a 1,500-year-old Christian church to be seized and turned into a mosque on Friday, July 10. The Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom Church) was built in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) by Emperor Constantine approximately 330 AD less than 300 years after Christ. It was rebuilt (under orders of Byzantine Emperor Justinian) two centuries later by 10,000 workers after a devastating fire. It became the largest religious structure in the world when it was built and would remain so for a 1,000 years or until St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome was built during the 16th century.
Hagia Sophia would remain under Orthodox Church control until 1453, when then Ottomans/Turks seized control and made it a mosque. Though controlled by Muslims for the past 600 years, it has been used as a museum since 1934 by order of Turkish President Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey.
Currently, Hagia Sophia is designated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage site. The idea of creating an international movement for protecting heritage emerged after World War I and the Convention was signed in November, 1972. The Turkish president’s actions have been condemned by the United Nations, the United States of America and all 27 foreign ministers of the European Union.
The Turkish president’s decree reclaims the holy site for Islam and states that Muslim services will be held in the Hagia Sophia beginning July 24th. His presidential decree followed a Turkish court announcement that it had revoked Hagia Sophia’s status as a museum. Now at risk, are the paintings of Christ and the Holy Family. President Erdogan defending his decision by counting the number of churches and synagogues in Turkey (435) and stated that “Turkey boasts five times more places of worship for different faiths than the West.”
To see an AP story on decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque go to: https://apnews.com/3017394f54b5ecc13fc13384a7cfb110
To see a link explaining the World History Convention go to: https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/
California bans singing; then bans indoor religious gatherings; San Gabriel Mission burned; multiple attacks of nation’s churches:
Governor Gavin Newsom banned singing and chanting in religious gatherings in California with a July 1 Executive Order which was then written up July 6th by the California Department of Public Health in a 14-page document (to see go to:
https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-places-of-worship.pdf.)
The California Governor was facing a lawsuit that was set to be filed Tuesday on behalf of multiple plaintiffs (religious leaders) by the American Center for Law and Justice, Advocates for Faith and Freedom and by Liberty Counsel.
Today, Governor Newsom upped the ante by requiring to “close all indoor operations for places of worship” in 30 counties including Ventura County. Now, California faces a battle between Governor Newsom and President Donald J. Trump who on May 22 labeled churches and other houses of worship as “essential” with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releasing new guidelines for communities of faith on how to safely reopen. “Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential” but not churches, President Trump said. “It’s not right. So, I am correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential. These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united.”
To see a Citizens Journal story on Governor Gavin Newsom’s ban on singing go to:
To see an Epoch Times story posted today in Citizens Journal about Governor Gavin Newsom’s closing of all indoor religious gatherings go to:
To join 222,000 individuals signing an American Center for Law and Justice petition on “Don’t ban Singing”: https://aclj.org/religious-liberty/dont-ban-singing-in-church
To see a Fox news story on multiple attacks on churches in America go to:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/church-fire-florida-california-statue-burned-police-investigation.
To see a CNN news story on the San Gabriel Mission fire go to: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/12/us/san-gabriel-mission-fire-trnd/index.html
Ventura City Council to decide the fate of Junipero Serra statue Wednesday:
People of all faiths need to rise up and defend their Catholic brethren’s heritage in this debate about the Junipero Serra statue. People of other faiths you are next. The handwriting is on the wall and was written when activist Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter supporter demanded on a June 22 Twitter post “Tear them down” referring to images of Jesus and the Holy Family.
The Black Lives Matter narrative is an anti-family, anti-God narrative based on Marxist and communist ideology. See link to Pastor John MacArthur’s five-minute video condemning Black Lives Matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYskKxGlefE.
Former Thousand Oaks Mayor Rob McCoy warns that “we are watching anarchists tearing down statues that pertain to our history…We put up these statues to remember these noble moments in history…This is a wakeup call for America…to defend them (statues) and engage in the public square…It is a reflection that we have abandoned a true understanding of history and why we are here.”
Insanity Alert: Fight Back! Christianity is under attack in Turkey, California and Ventura.
To sign a petition to keep the Junipero Serra statue standing go to:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-removal-of-statues-and-our-history-by-pc-fanatics
To see a Citizens Journal story on the Junipero Serra statue go to:
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal
Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service; editor of the History Makers Report and founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. He worked 25 years as a middle school teacher in Monrovia and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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Christianity is under attack in Turkey because Political Islam is resurgent in Turkey to where the country is now the main driver of Islamic Hijra (strategic Civilization Jihad via mass migration/Sharia Law insurgency) against Europe.
Christianity is under attack in California because cultural Marxism and collectivist welfare statism are to California what Political Islam is to Turkey – resulting in California’s economy now operating to the LEFT of the Scandinavian countries’ economies.
Christianity is under attack in Ventura because the city is in California generally, and Coastal California specifically.
The church hides pedos stop acting like its pure!
I pray for those of you who don’t understand that God and Jesus is the answer.
Guys, it’s not about your precious little religion. We’re trying to not die here. If you’re that hell-bent on it, just off yourself workout taking the rest of us with you.
What’s next Q-Anon? This site has leaped over the edge. Adios!!
Thank you for reporting on stories truthfully, that weigh on ALL of our freedoms.
wow what garbage ideology
Just sing outside? The virus travels in exhaled droplets. No-one is attacking your precious religion. Move to outdoor services with less people, social distancing and masks where possible. We are trying to stop the spread of a virus. Quit playing the victim and do your part for humanity – or do you not love your neighbor?
I feel a little dumber every time one of these articles is pushed to me.
I guess I’m going to stop coming to this site.