Fiji Bans Massive Methodist Hymn-Sing | Music

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Fiji Bans Massive Methodist Hymn-Sing

Church leaders say government officials fear singing would lead to political instability.

Kim Cain, Religion News Service | posted 7/31/2009

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Fiji's military government has banned a massive annual hymn-singing contest and church conference out of fears that the crowd of some 10,000 singing Methodists could destabilize the strife-torn nation.

The government of interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama has said the island nation's Methodist Church will not be allowed to hold its annual conference, which is preceded by a massive choral contest.

A Fiji court on July 23 silenced two top Methodist Church ministers and tribal chief Ro Teimumu Kepa. They were charged with defying the Public Emergency Regulation over the church's planned conference in August.

Ro Teimumu, along with the church's president and its secretary general, were granted bail after being held in custody for two days. The three were ordered to appear in court in three weeks and forced to surrender their travel documents. The three are banned from having any meetings for three weeks, and are not allowed to be seen in public or to conduct anything that might be construed to be a meeting.

It is believed to be the first time a Fijian government has clashed so openly with the Methodist church; about one third of Fiji's almost 1 million people are Methodists.

The annual conference is usually preceded by up to 10,000 singing Fijians who gather for the yearly choir hymn-singing contest. Church officials said the government fears the conference and singing contest will lead to further political instability.

Yet sources told Ecumenical News International that between 20,000 and 50, 000 Fijian Methodists are planning to descend on the area around the national capital, Suva, to ensure the hymn singing—and the church conference—goes ahead.

"The tension is growing and there is a great deal of anger," an Australian church leader who has had regular contacts within Fiji, told ENI.

People are concerned that it will just take a clash between a couple of angry young people and the military for violence to erupt, he said.

Related Elsewhere:

Ecumenical News International also covered the unrest in Fiji.

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jesus 1 goal andrw

August 05, 2009 7:37pm

Thank you good Christianity Today!! God wants to raise people that stand up for righetousness. Today, I want to have friends and create a church. Cause of different beleifs.It seems that a group may want to call me a jerk or hoodlum christian. So they target girls and friends to stop supporters. MARK 6!! It is a simple idea to go support prophets and great helpers. Like go to Jesus in mountai or hills(be careful)MO and help out work or financially. Wait for anointed plan.Psyhicly!!! But a group outthere would probably try to stop it. Racist, drug cartel, anti christ amry,occult, political armys,. Maybe over 3,000. Honestly. Common ded music stars Gospel gansters,LA symphony,zion, Tribe of Judah, Dedicated 100% christian and eight other tribes!!!!! Lets rally and prevent anti christian armys plans. I. Mark 6 In the MO,IL area which i beleive is anointed land!!!!! psa99.9,col3:11. do not care about trials. Smuggle information. Gal 3:3. Wo to you censors! Wo to you crooked officials

Methodist youth of Fiji

August 01, 2009 8:03am

I am a Methodist and all I want is for the political activists through the Methodist Church of Fiji to stop. Leave my church alone and stop ruining everything. I want my church back the way it was before SDL politics sabotaged my Methodist calendar to meet up with others who are members of my church to fundraise for our schools, our priests, our clinics and our church admin. Now what? They say a lot of things around the place and they can't pay for the Methodist expenses. I think that the spirit of confusion and scatter is coming through them. I can not ignore this. They attack like thugs and not people of God. They swear one second then they throw a Bible verse the next second. I am not surprised. All these people choose to hide and bury the wrong that forced the military to take over when the government led by Qarase refused to bring the people who have been hiding behind the scenes from 1987 - 2000 coups. Good idea. We sing and video it and we all judge.

Vani. H

August 01, 2009 5:34am

What you forgot to say is that all these people who are talking are either recent Methodists or are pretending to be, but aren't. The for show. I don not see why they cannot have their singing online. They continued to bother the government and expected no retaliation? Who were they thinking they were kidding? Even a child knows that to commit 'bad deeds' no matter their intentions will warrant punishment. They are just getting grounded. Many Fijians are breathing a sigh of relief because the banning has allowed them to provide for their families better. They are not giving money away onlky to have their kids starve the week after the conference. A known fact the Methodist Church ignores.

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