New churches in northern Italy will need to have large parking sites and a “minimum distance” to other places of worship. Evangelicals fear “damage to freedom of religion” and denounce new rules might be “unconstitutional.”

It seems that our politicians slowly realise that the question really is what we believe about diversity and the role of the state in religious affairs. Are our governments elected to ensure uniformity among citizens? Should it be that intolerance and discrimination targeting Christians is somehow less serious because they represent power?

The resolution “Tackling intolerance in Europe with a special focus on Christians”, which was promoted by Moldovan MP Valeriu Ghiletchi was approved with 67 votes in favour, 2 against and 15 abstentions.

“Many Christians and pastors denounce the use of violence employed against freedom of expression but do not align themselves with the blasphemous stance of ‘Charlie Hebdo’”, the French evangelical representative Thierry Le Gall told Evangelical Focus.

We must engage in rigorous, complex and thoughtful processes as we contemplate our response both to the wickedness of violence in the name of religion and the publication of offensive cartoons; be they satirical or otherwise.

All the power of the Islamic fanaticism, or the blindness and deafness of the Western Christian world, cannot be compared with the power of Christ.

The CNEF (National Council of French Evangelicals) says evangelicals are "more determined than ever to defend freedom of conscience and its corollary, freedom of expression for all".

The problem is particularly felt in Lombardy, due to a regional planning law, of 2005, commissioned by the Lega Nord, which prevents the use for purposes of worship of buildings that are not born with the intended use. There are already over a dozen places of worship forced to close. 

Goldstein ("1984") is not simply Snowball/Trotsky. The “doublethink” in his text, prohibited in Oceania, “Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism”, is a type of mental discipline, both desirable for and required of all members of the party, enabling people to believe two contradictory truths simultaneously. And that, of course, is nothing new. We all do it.

And at a time when there are actually almost no taboos left in the media and intimate matters are reported on shamelessly, the commonly held understanding - that religion is a private matter - does seem rather out of kilter. Does personal religious faith have to be completely private, or would it be better if we talked about it much more?

Three terrosists fired against the offices of the French satirical magazine on wednesday. They allegedly shouted: “We have avenged the prophet!”