Not too sure if the word "phobia" is suitable in this instance, as no one fears cheek-turning Christians -- at least not the way bomb-laden or sword-waving Muslims tend to instill fear. "Anti-Christianism" or perhaps even "Misochristianism" may better capture the feeling here. "Vatican warns of growing 'Christianophobia,'" by Philip Pullella for Reuters, August 29:
ROME (Reuters) - "Christianophobia" is a growing problem around the world and it must be fought with the same determination as anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, the Vatican said on Friday.[...]From who and why, pray tell?Mamberti said 21 Catholic missionaries were killed in the world in 2007 and lamented that the Christian population of Iraq was now down to about 500,000 from about one million before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Last month, Pope Benedict told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that minority Christians in Iraq needed more protection.
The Archbishop of Mosul of Iraq's largest Christian denomination, the Chaldean Catholics, was kidnapped in February and found dead two weeks later.The Vatican has often expressed concern that conflicts in the Middle East are greatly diminishing the Christian population in the areas of the religion's birth.
The Near East, which was pivotal to the development of Christianity (many of the "giants" of Christian theology hailed from Alexandria, Antioch, not to mention Constantinople, i.e., Istanbul) has, since the 7th century and nearly 1,400 years of jihadi terror and dhimmitude, been steadily "expunged" of any trace of its Christian heritage. Suppose that's what the Vatican means by "conflicts in the Middle East"? Anyway, if Muslims and jihad are not behind the disappearance of Middle Eastern Christianity, who or what is? Secular, dictatorial governments? Obviously not: Iraq's Christian population disappeared by half after -- not during -- the reign of Saddam; they disappeared by half after Iraq's various Muslim groups were given "democracy," that is, after the will of the (Muslim) majority both officially and unofficially became supreme.
It is kuffarphobia.
The Vatican ignored SIOE's request to sign its anti-kuffarphobia petition intended to be presented at the Durban II conference.
Mind you, so did every member of the Knesset.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080827/od_nm/italy_veil_odd_dc
Viva l'Italia!
However ugly the word, the Vatican is right about this. Christians have left the middle east because they wanted to, they have been mistreated. It is high time that the West starts paying attention and acting.
There is really at least three types of Christianophobia. There is that from Western secularists who ridicule and demean Christianity because they think it is familiar and unthreatening fair game, but who are intimidated by doing the same to Islam; there is the Christianophobia of China and India, that doesn't extend past their borders and is closer to nativism; and then, most noticeably, the violent, worldwide, legally and theologically-based homicidal Christophobia found in the Islamic world. http://www.bravenewsworld.com
Exactly,
I so hate it when I hear from the usual right wing talk show mushmouths that we are so great cause we "freed" all those wonderful iraqis. Freed them for what, to be the islamofascist turds that Saddam was preventing them from becoming?
Honestly, I would rather win there than lose. But would any war supporter tell me that freeing Iraqis was a concern at all to you? Did you really care about a bunch of crazy Muslims?
Church-leaders in the Catholic church better make their minds up.
Until now, they are amongst the worst facilitators of Mussulmanic invasion into Europe.
This belated 'Christianophobia' cry is ridiculous.
sheik yer'mami,
You are correct that liberal Catholics like the former Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini were idiots in the face of the Muslim onslaught. Fortunately, Benedict forced Martini into retirement.
So, when it comes to the majority of Church leaders, your accusation could not be more wrong. Especially in regard to traditional Catholics like Pope Benedict or the former Archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi.
Back in 2000, Cardinal Biffi stated that the Italian government should favour Catholic immigrants to offset the number of Muslim immigrants and protect Italy's "national identity".
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2007/02/biffi-its-whats-for-preaching.html
Also in 2000, Biffi told a Bologna conference that it was possible that the Antichrist was now alive, pointing to "a prominent philanthropist promoting the ideas of ecumenism, vegetarianism, and pacifism." Although he declined to name the individual, it was clear that he meant someone like George Soros.
Last year, while giving a retreat for the pope, Biffi repeated this warning and quoted quoted the Russian philosopher and mystic Vladimir Solovyov (1853-1900), as predicting that the Antichrist “will convoke an ecumenical council and seek the consensus of all the Christian confessions”. The “masses” would follow the Antichrist, “with the exception of small groups of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants” who would fight to prevent the watering down and ultimate destruction of the faith.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1459003.ece
Clearly, under Pope Benedict, the leadership of Catholic Church is more in tune with Biffi than with Martini.
This would seem as good a time as any to remember Our Lord's command to 'bless those that curse you'. I would draw the attention of all Christians present and reading here at this time (end-August 2008) to the '30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World' project.
http://www.30-days.net/
This involves spending the thirty days of Ramadan in earnest prayer and intercession, asking YHWH to bring about the liberation of Muslims from Islam.
No matter whether you are Orthodox, Catholic, or any kind of Protestant - pray!! Take it right down to tin tacks - pray by name for any Muslim person you may know or have as a neighbour; find out the names of the mosques and Islamic centres and Islamic schools in your city or town or district and pray for the people who meet there.
Although I have spoken often here of the need for resolute and indeed aggressive measures to be taken by kafir governments to resist Political Islam, to defend all non-Muslim peoples and polities against the horror of Jihad warfare and the misery of the forcible imposition of sharia, as a Christian I really do long to see millions of Muslims set free to be the happy, free human beings that they are created to be. I am overjoyed every time I hear of the courageous 'Muslim background believers' - Yemeni, Saudi, Persian...
I pray every Friday for the Defeat of the Jihad and the Conversion of Muslims to Christ; I also pray for all who are persecuted within the Islamosphere - Christians, of course, and Jews (the remnant dhimmified Jews of Yemen and Persia, and the state of Israel under continual jihad assault), but also Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, animists and Zoroastrians; and for all who are currently Muslims but who might be described as 'seekers', people who are questioning, looking beyond Islam, and getting into trouble because of that.
But taking part in the '30 days' project allows me to join with thousands, perhaps millions of Christians together worldwide, unleashing a veritable tsunami of prayer.
We know that during this time many mosques will be hurling curses our way. Well, somehow I think our blessings and intercessions will prevail over the curses.
I love the word Christianophobia. After all, why should you be afraid of christians? Because they love you? Now that would be sick.
dumbledoresarmy,
I have always enjoyed your erudite posts, and admired your strong faith and belief in the power of prayer.
What I want for muslims cannot be asked for in prayer, even if I did pray. It wouldn't be sporting to entreat a higher power to utterly destroy islam, and muslims with it.
The 30 days of prayer thing is the polar opposite of the approach Christians should be taking. They should flex their political muscles on the issue as much as possible. Christian are our bet hope in defending the world against Islam. Christians (the 'Sunday people') will never be safe wherever Islam thrives unless everyone is unsafe as they were under Sadam Hussein.
That said, I love Pope Benedict. Oriana Fallaci said that he was the only person she felt like she could talk to about religion, an she was a 'Christian atheist.' I would recommend 'Without Roots' to everyone. You'll love him too.
1) I agree that the posts of dumbledoresarmy are very enjoyable to read.
2) I am agnostic and I pray nonetheless. Why, I don't know. I believe it is meaningless and pointless. But I pray. No one gets hurt. And who knows.
3) It is not a mere quibble or pedantry to be dismayed at the use of this ugly nonsense, "Christianophobia." I do not refer to the fact that "fear of" has stupidly transformed into "hatred of" or "wariness of" depending on one's perspective.
This monstrosity is cant.
Cant is our enemy.
Western society has become so juvenilized, so puerile, we are ceasing to speak like grown ups.
If anyone doubts that how we express ourselves is both a reflection of, and an influence on, our thought processes, look at the dismal state of American political rhetoric and policy.
We have become a colored ribbon civilization. One of those colored ribbons is the use of codewords: LOOK AT ME! (The obverse is the avoidance of speaking - - pronouncing - - certain words).
Cant contributes to the necessary psychology for the acceptance of totalitarianism.
Cant is a hindrance to each person's daily struggle to be thoughtful.
The war against mohammed-worship requires more thoughtfulness.
What is "The Vatican" going to do next? Get a tatoo and pierce it's nostrils with sterling silver rings? Or will a gaudy diamond in the ear lobe do?
"Christianophobia" is a growing problem around the world and it must be fought with the same determination as anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, the Vatican said on Friday.[...] --the Vatican
Oh, please. Since when did the Vatican start standing up for pagan moon worshippers? Disgusting.
Pope Benedict doesn't impress me at all. First, he aplogized for quoting the Byzantine emperor who said Islam was "spread by the sword" - which it was, hello, that's a no-brainer - and now he's including Islam in with Judaism and Christianity, as though it's equal.
He's an appeaser. Is he afraid the Barbarians might bomb the Vatican if he speaks the truth about Islam?
But would any war supporter tell me that freeing Iraqis was a concern at all to you? Did you really care about a bunch of crazy Muslims?
Posted by: Dumbo at August 29, 2008 10:19 PM
When Saddam was captured and his 2 evil sons killed, I was, like many, elated. That was a few years ago.
Now, with Muslims worldwide carrying out their stealth jihad and demographic jihad and global jihad, I'm not so sure we should have gone to Iraq at all.
The Pope is almost a lone voice in Europe, he has no support from the secular elites that run it or from the secular masses that compose most of Europe's population today.
As such he had to back down from his comments. He knows this isn't pre-WWII Europe.
dumbledoresarmy,
Your post was excellent as usual. Our non-Christian friends above often forget that we must wage this battle on two fronts.
On the political and social front, whatever remains of Christendom must be forceful in resisting the Muslim onslaught, fighting to defeat them completely.
However, on the spiritual front we must ALWAYS pray for Muslims as individuals, that the Holy Spirit will work on thier hearts and lead them out of the darkness of Islam into the light of Christ. Muslims are in the image of God like everybody else and thus deserving of our love through prayer.
In fact, while the first front is extremely important, it can never completely defeat Islam. Ultimately, real victory will only come on the spiritual front. Only on this front is our victory guaranteed. As the scripture promises: "Every knee shall bow and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is Lord."
Isa Akbar!
"The Vatican has often expressed concern that conflicts in the Middle East are greatly diminishing the Christian population in the areas of the religion's birth."
It's genocide. Just look at the statistics. Where Islamism grows, Christians must either die or leave. The biggest genocidal movement in the world right now is Islam and its directed towards Christians. That's a fact folks! Not that we are alone, since it happens to any religion which tries to live with Islam. Consider Northern India, Thailand, Phillipines.
Islam is toxic for humanity.
Max Publius posted: There is really at least three types of Christianophobia. There is that from Western secularists who ridicule and demean Christianity...
You put it very clearly.
"Christianophobia" is definitely the wrong choice of word to describe what is happening. There is no rational or irrational fear of Christians. Yet there is a very real fear of Islam and Muslims, and this is not irrational, and so it is not a phobia. Theo Van Gogh didnt die due to a phobia.
"Isa Akbar!" Provoslavni, I would argue that Jesus (Yeshua) was actually more of a badass than Esau, which is what 'Isa' means. Yeah, the Koran really is so ridiculous that it says that Esau (fraudulently, no less, despite the fact that this is the single most verifiable fact from ancient history) died on the cross and was the son of Miriam, whom they confused with Mary.
From who and why, pray tell?
Uh, maybe from the terrorists who are also targeting Iraqi Muslims? Or are the Muslim victims not really Muslims according to you?
I guess then the Muslims who asked the American military to protect the Iraqi Christians weren't truly Muslims, either. And I guess things under Saddam's regime were just so good for Chaldean Christians that they bemoaned his capture.
jdamn,
I used the Islamic version of Jesus'name as a slap at Muslims since that's the version they'd recognize. You are right that it actually is the name of Esau.
The correct form of Jesus' name in Arabic is "Yasu" which is the same as Joshua/Yehoshua. To an Arabic-speaking Christian the correct form of the battle-cry would actually be "al-Masih Akhbar" which mean "Christ is Greatest".
I rarely agree with 'Il Papa,' but he is at least partially correct on this. 'Christianophobia' does need to be combatted.
However, to place it on the same par as 'Islamophobia' is incorrect. 'Islamophobia' is a fear based upon reason and fact, since Islam commands and justifies the murder and/or extortion of non-believers in its 'holy scripture' (whereas Judaism and Christianity do not).
'Islamophobia' is actually a misnomer. The term '-phobia' means 'an irrational fear of Islam.' To fear that which threatens you with death for no reason other than your existence is not irrational. (On the contrary, it is necessary for survival.)