Tony Blair Promotes Ecumenism in Effort to Eradicate Malaria

Article by ‘Lee’.

Thanks to Roger Oakland from Understand The Times, author of the book Faith Undone, for sending me this link on this newsworthy item:

http://www.understandthetimes.org/inthenews/13_owlyt.shtml

Here’s the video/audio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksnMx6l4T64

After Tony Blair’s recent conversion from the Anglican Church to Catholicism he went one step further into blatant ecumenism with his Faith Foundation. Now, with his new Faiths Act which he rolled out on June 10, he goes it one more.

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation was initiated in May 2008 with one of its goals to work toward increased understanding between the major faiths of the world. His new Faiths Act outlines a plan to eradicate malaria promoting an interfaith effort toward this cause. A complete transcript of the audio from the above video follows this article.

My first question regarding this is: Why the need for an interfaith effort to help in the fight against malaria when Blair could just as well promote his cause without using religion as a vehicle? Why not send aid to local governmental officials directly who could then disburse it? Surely, governmental approval would be necessary before such an interfaith outreach as proposed by Blair could be enacted anyway.

“Faiths Act will mobilize global faith communities to come together and achieve multi-faith action on issues of crucial importance in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals. Our first goal is to end deaths caused by malaria. Put simply, between one and three million people die of malaria each year most of them children under five and pregnant mothers living in sub-Saharan Africa. Their deaths are preventable. In Africa 40% of the victims are Muslim. But across much of Asia malaria continues to strike and combating it is a huge opportunity for people across the faiths to act in unison: Hindus, Sikh, Buddhists as well as the Abrahamic faiths. We call, therefore, on the four billion people of faith in the world to help do more to end the scourge of malaria.”

Please note that these “Millennium Development Goals” were outlined by the United Nations which has shown itself to be anti-Semitic and not exactly friendly towards Christianity [excepting Roman Catholicism] as well. In fact, the UN has become increasingly pro-Islam. With this in mind, it is curious that Blair would make reference to Judaism, Christianity and Islam as “the Abrahamic faiths” as if there is much in common between the three. Why didn’t he refer to Hindus, Sikh and Buddhists as simply ‘the eastern faiths?’

“…Churches, mosques, other places of worship are ideally placed to be centers for distribution networks and community-based health education initiatives.”

Blair’s plan sounds remarkably similar to Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E plan with respect to Warren’s fight against AIDS/HIV. This is not surprising as Warren, a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and Oxford Anayltica, is on the Advisory Council of Blair’s Faith Foundation. Could this be a step toward the redistribution of wealth and one world religion as outlined by the channeled writings of Theosophist Alice Bailey among others and as prophesied in the Bible?

16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. [Revelation 13:16-17 NIV]

Time will tell. What do you think? Is this yet another push for a one world religion/government under the guise of philanthropy?

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Following is the complete transcript:

“Welcome to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation Faiths Act Campaign. Faiths Act will mobilize global faith communities to come together and achieve multi-faith action on issues of crucial importance in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals. Our first goal is to end deaths caused by malaria. Put simply, between one and three million people die of malaria each year most of them children under five and pregnant mothers living in sub-Saharan Africa. Their deaths are preventable. In Africa 40% of the victims are Muslim. But across much of Asia malaria continues to strike and combating it is a huge opportunity for people across the faiths to act in unison: Hindus, Sikh, Buddhists as well as the Abrahamic faiths. We call, therefore, on the four billion people of faith in the world to help do more to end the scourge of malaria.

“We can prevent such catastrophic losses with just a few simple steps. One ten dollar [US $10.00] or five pound [GBP £5.00] insecticide treated bed net can protect an entire household. Medications that treat malaria and prevent it from causing death are well established and could be made readily available to even the most remote infected communities. Churches, mosques, other places of worship are ideally placed to be centers for distribution networks and community-based health education initiatives.

“So, the foundation is working to bring people of all faiths – and none – together to respond the UN Security General’s urgent call for universal bed net coverage by 2010. And, our media campaign is a drive to raise one million bed nets by September the 25th, 2008, the date of the next UN General Assembly and the midway point to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

“It’s been one month since the Faiths Act campaign was launched and in that short time we’ve received thousands of emails from people from all over the world including the UK, US, Spain, Pakistan, Kenya, Turkey, Uganda, India, Tanzania and Chile – all people who support this cause and want to know how they can help.

“On our website you will find toolkits and resources that explain how you can get involved with our efforts. Please download them and share them with your friends and family and your own in other faith communities. Create multi-faith events and raise awareness for malaria prevention. Become an activist for the good that faith can do in the world.

“To those of you who have already begun to work, I would like to say, ‘Thank you.’ It’s only with your help that we can accomplish the tasks that are set out before us. But, secondly, I would like to ask you to send us examples of what you’re doing within your own faith communities and those of others to help end deaths caused by malaria so that then we can share them here on the website and let others around the world be inspired by your activism.

“I’ve been so impressed by many of the emails we have received detailing your individual efforts. It’s my hope, therefore, that in sharing your ideas and stories here on the website we can motivate others as well. Malaria doesn’t discriminate between religions and so we have to come together across faith lines to fight it. So, please, join us to fund a million bed nets by September the 25th. Go to http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org to find out more. Thank you.”