Will the Islamophobia never end?
“One in three Christians across Asian countries, including India, faces persecution: Report,” AFP, January 16, 2019:
PARIS: One in three Christians in Asia faces high levels of persecution after a “shocking increase” of religious-based threats and violence across the world, particularly in China and sub-Saharan Africa, a global advocacy group said Wednesday.
Around half of China’s 100 million Christians encounters persecution, “the worst it’s been in more than a decade”, following “new laws seeking to control religious expression”, the Open Doors watchdog said.
Persecution worldwide increased for the sixth straight year, with a total of 245 million Christians — one out of nine worldwide — facing high levels in 2018, up from 215 million, or one in 12, the previous year.
“Worldwide, our data reveals that 13.9 per cent more Christians are experiencing high levels of persecution than last year. That’s 30 million more people,” Open Doors UK and Ireland CEO Henrietta Blyth said in a statement.
More than 4,300 Christians were killed due to their beliefs worldwide last year, over 3,700 of them in Nigeria, according to the 2019 World Watch List.
The number of deaths in Nigeria almost doubled, with attacks from the jihadist Boko Haram group and ethnic Fulani herders posing a “double threat” for Christians, the NGO said….
North Korea topped the NGO’s “extreme persecution” ranking of 50 countries, as it has since 2002.
Open Doors said there were signs religious repression there was getting worse, but it was difficult to obtain data in the country, where “Christianity is forbidden and is a political crime”.
Following North Korea on the list are Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran, India and Syria.
India entered the top 10 for the first time, Open Doors said, as “Hindu extremists act with impunity and violent attacks on Christians and churches rise”….
Open Doors, a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians, warned that the rate of discrimination and violence was likely worse than it has reported, as it only records deaths proven to be to be motivated by religion.
Walter Sieruk says
With this terrible information of the news of even an increase in Muslim persecution of Christians in the many Muslim countries around the world it’s fitting proper and necessary and important to reiterate two different essays on this subject viewed for different passages of Bible scripture and even from two different Bible translations to cover this awful topic of Muslim persecution more fully are the following.
Those violent and vicious jihad –minded Muslims in their murderous persecution of Christians aren’t really going to get away with their destruction of Christians. As the apostle Paul had written each individual Christian is actually, in the View of God, a temple of God. For to Christians, it is written in the Bible “Don’t you know that that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” First Corinthians 3:16,17. [N.I.V.] As in “A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7.
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There are many Muslims who strongly dislike Christians. Some Muslims even hate Christians so much that they even become violence against them and burn their Bibles. One reason for this is that in the mosques and madrasas the Muslim clerics, as the imams who speak many awful and unproven terrible things against Christians and Christian doctrine. So much so the many Muslims get all worked up against Christians and Christian teachings and some those Muslims commit violent actions against Christians. Such false religious teachers, as those Muslim clerics, who speak to people unfounded and invalid evil things about Christians and Christian doctrines have been described in the Bible. For the Bible informs the reader in Second Peter 2:12. “They speak evil of things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption.” [N.K.J.V.]
It also should be make clear that in this specific above Bible verse, as well as in John 3:16. The word “Perish” does not mean loss of being but loss of well-being. As in going to ruin by ending up in languishing in torment in a terrible place of suffering that the Bible calls hell. Luke 16:19-31.
Gyomza says
Another reason for the hateful persecution is that the spirits behind the persecutions are antichrist demons
fred says
Makes zero sense Gyomza. All of these so-called persecuted devout Christians are living and believing according to the Christian faith, and have been under the spell their whole lives that if they give their life and hearts to Christ and His Father they will prosper and be PROTECTED from evil forces and ‘anti-christ demons’. That is obviously not the case. The God you believe in is horribly impotent or uncaring…. actually doen’t exist in reality anyway. As is he case with all Gods – they are not real, just mere man-made fabrications ad projections. It is all just clear evidence of delusion, childish wish-thinking, and empty attachment to an imaginary friend.
gravenimage says
Humans have free will, to use for good or ill.
Gyomza says
Please read the comment by ‘Somehistory says’ below.
somehistory says
Jesus Christ warned His followers that this would be the case due to the hatred of the world for Him and His Name, even saying that some persecutors would believe they are doing the killing and other evil actions for God.
Jesus also promised that the days of persecution “will be cut short,” because, “Unless the days are cut short, no flesh would be saved.”
The “end” will come and there will be those true followers of His surviving this horrendous persecution. Those killed are promised a resurrection. For now, faith and prayer are necessary.
b.a. freeman says
+1
Steve says
And Pope Karl the 1st, yawned.
Lydia Church says
Yes.
We are in the end times and this will increase exponentially and spread.
The book of Revelation says this, as does the Bible otherwise, so I’m not the
‘prophet of doom and gloom,’ I’m just saying this is prophecy being fulfilled.
And more is on the way. But Christians are victorious at the end, at the
return of Christ.
gravenimage says
30 million more Christians facing severe persecution this year, Muslim countries 8 of 10 worst for Christians
…………………..
Yes–horrifying.
Krishna says
India is safe for Christians this is false survey there are hundreds of missionaries running successfully in India
Rueben_Singh says
It’s just christian fanatics claiming victim hood. They want special priviledges, nothing more. The catholic, child molesting church are the second largest landowners in India. Why does a church need to own so much land??
Non Indians are not allowed to own land. The catholic church in India is the same as the catholic church in the Vatican. They have no right to own that land, it should be taken back from the child molesting vatican.
gravenimage says
Persecution need not be government persecution:
https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/india/
There are many places worse than India, but persecution does occur there.
Fred says
Of course this persecution is a terrible thing but the elephant in the room again screams out to be acknowledged…. why do millions, if not billions, of daily disparate, fervent, tearful, heartfelt Christian prayers to Jesus and His Father go unanswered and ignored? Either HE is impotent, uncaring, or a non-existent imaginary sky-daddy friend. This is the same imaginary cosmic Father that does nothing to prevent church shootings, or the millions of incidents of child rape and torture by the ‘pious’ clergy over the past 2000 years. Think long and hard about this.
Spiro says
It’s called free will
It’s your choice how you live
Your not a robot and you will be judged
fred says
Makes zero sense Spiro. All of these so-called persecuted devout Christians are living and believing according to the Christian faith, and have been under the spell their whole lives that if they give their life and hearts to Christ and His Father they will prosper and be protected from evil forces. That is obviously not the case. It is clear evidence of delusion and childish wish-thinking and empty attachment to an imaginary friend.
gravenimage says
True, Spiro. Both Christians and those who hate and persecute them have free will.
Rueben_Singh says
christianity & islam are the two most oppressive religions ever. Both bathed in blood. Both have & do persecute those who do not follow them. I notice that Vietnam is on the list of countries persecuting christians, along with Burma & India, North Korea & China. Religious persecution has never really been part of Dharmic belief. The map also shows South Korea as safe for christians.
Well let’s just look a little more closely at history shall we.
Vietnam.
During the French colonial period, the French rulers along with the vatican, converted some Vietnamese to Catholicism, these people were made the elite. Received the best education, priviledge, wealth etc. What did this small christian elite do to the overwhelming non christian populace??? That’s right they persecuted them. You would not be promoted unless you were a christian. The military, civil service, education etc. not christian = no promotion.
Who did the USA back in the Vietnam war?? Diem a catholic fanatic who persecuted Buddhists & others.
Its only wikipedia, but you can do your own research.
Note: Put your Catholic officers in sensitive places. They can be trusted.”
“The distribution of firearms to village self-defense militias intended to repel Việt Cộng guerrillas saw weapons only given to Catholics.”
“Some Catholic priests ran their own private armies,[49] and in some areas forced conversions, looting, shelling and demolition of pagodas occurred.[50] Some villages converted en masse in order to receive aid or avoid being forcibly resettled by Diệm’s regime[51] The Catholic Church was the largest landowner in the country, and its holdings were exempt from reform and given extra property acquisition rights, while restrictions against Buddhism remained in force.[52][53] Catholics were also de facto exempt from the corvée labor that the government obliged all citizens to perform; U.S. aid was disproportionately distributed to Catholic majority villages. In 1959, Diem dedicated his country to the Virgin Mary.”
It goes on but you get the jist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Vietnam#Roman_Catholicism_in_South_Vietnam_.281954.E2.80.931975.29
I will come to South Korea later.
christians are persecuted by islam & non christians/moslems are persecuted by both.
Buddhists, Hindu’s, Sikhs, Jains are too tolerant of christianity. The missionaries should be expelled.
somehistory says
Rueben_Singh
True Christians do not persecute anyone. True Christians have never persecuted anyone. However, True Christians have been persecuted by many since the days of the Apostles and other early disciples. The persecution of Christians did not begin with moslims doing the oppressing, torture and killing.
And, for all of your stats…you go to wikipedia. Most people know that the site is not a reliable source of information. Anyone can put “facts” on that site, whether or not they are true and accurate.
Attempting to equate Christianity with islam is pure evil.
Rueben_Singh says
“And, for all of your stats…you go to wikipedia” that’s right that’s why added “Its only wikipedia, but you can do your own research”.
As for “True Christians” are they the same as “True moslems??”
Persecution & martyrdom sure it happened in Roman times, but the fact is the church has exaggerated it.
Enough has been written about it.
https://www.google.com/search?ei=OORAXNXaMJS71fAPvu-nuA0&q=roman+persecution+of+christians+a+myth&oq=roman+persecution+of+christians+a+myth&gs_l=psy-ab.3…994.9093..9990…0.0..0.241.2078.5j11j1….2..0….1..gws-wiz…….0i131i67j0i131j0j0i67j0i131i10j0i22i30.2slMevEzqOA
“Attempting to equate Christianity with islam is pure evil” Don’t tell me, tell it to the natives in North, Central, South America, the Austrailian aboriginals.
All those people killed because of the Christian “Doctrine of Discovery”. To those poor children, sent to church boarding schools, cut off from their language, roots, totally deracinated, sexually abused by priests, who were then protected by the church.
Mind you churches have a “Geographic solution to sexual abuse don’t they?
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/roman-catholicism-geographic-solution/
Tell me “Somehistory” why is South Korea safe for Christians???
Don’t get me wrong, I do like America & Americans, it’s just christianity & islam that I despise.
gravenimage says
What a load of false moral equivalence.
somehistory says
red
It is obvious that you have inaccurate information about Christian belief and the promises made to Christians by Jesus Christ and His Holy Father.
We were never promised that we would be “protected from evil forces.” In fact, we have been warned that we would be hated and persecuted because of our faith in God and His Son.
As for “prospering,” there are many ways of being prosperous and different ways of being rich. Christians understand the riches that are most important.
You don’t have faith and, therefore, cannot understand it. Each person must carry their own load and that includes whether or not to put faith in our Creator.
gravenimage says
Good post, Somehistory.
fred says
Your reply is outright disingenuous and an obfuscation regarding what the overwhelming majority of worldwide Christians were taught, and feel, and think about prayer and its promised outcomes. If you questioned every single Christian about the content of their prayers 99% would list: protection from evil or unwanted experiences for themselves and family, the healing of a disease, the resolution of a problem, greater comfort and/or prosperity, the pleading for a heavenly afterlife, and many more terrestrial and/or heavenly concerns. They are convinced praying to their special deity is effective in gaining favor and protection… to claim anything else is an outright lie. To think Theism is anything but a meaningless game of ‘Santa Claus for adults’ is to be deeply deluded.
somehistory says
fred,
you wrote:
“if you questioned every single Christian about the content of their prayers 99% would list: protection from evil or unwanted experiences for themselves and family, the healing of a disease, the resolution of a problem, greater comfort and/or prosperity, the pleading for a heavenly afterlife, and many more terrestrial and/or heavenly concerns. ”
*************************************
I say…YOU didn’t ask all Christians, …I know because you didn’t ask me or my family members, none of my friends…and since there are millions all over the world, it’s an impossible task….so, therefore, your stats are bogus make believe.
Since you don’t have any faith, you know not anything about what Christians believe or pray for. And to claim knowledge when you are totally ignorant on the subject makes you a liar of the first degree. Much like satan the devil lied about life and death and still lies today; his biggest being that he doesn’t exist.
It’s sad that you are so bitter and without hope of anything better than what you have today. But your attacks on Christians and Christianity is exactly what the article is all about…the persecution of Christians. Glad to have a small share in it?
Peter told us this would be the case.
“There will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires, and saying, “Where is this promised presence of His?”
fred says
so enlighten us… what exactly do you and your friends pray for when ‘telepathically’ communicating with your invisible, imaginary friend? what are your hopes and wishes and good fortunes expected when sitting there with eyes closed experiencing a flow of intentional and emotionally-charged thoughts that you label as ‘sacred prayer’? And why is this any different or more spiritually sophisticated then a 5 year old child really believing in, and anthropomorphizing about his/her imaginary invisible friend or stuffed animal. Your child’s imaginary invisible friend and your alleged connection with an unseen Bronze-Age Sky Daddy (or his incarnated ‘Son’ who also supposedly floats now in some celestial realm), or those millions that once were convinced of, and confidently believed in Zeus, Apollo,Thor, or any mythical God – ALL have the exact amount of real evidence for their existence…. zero. Last thing… if you or any of your devout born-again Christian peeps were born, educated (indoctrinated) and raised in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, etc.. to devout Muslim parents… guess what? You would be ranting and raving right now with such immense certitude that Islam is the ONE and ONLY true faith and Mohammad was God’s messenger and the Bible and Jesus are much lower on the spiritual totem pole or outright illegitimate. Ponder that deeply my friend… you know what i stated here to be true. And it may cause you to experience painful cognitive dissonance but if you allow for the logic to penetrate you it may lead you to a liberated world of FREETHINKING which is a great blessing.
somehistory says
fred
You don’t want to be “enlightened” and I don’t cast pearls before swine…I was told not to do that, so I don’t.
Stay in your darkened state where you feel uncomfortable…that is why you sneer at those who believe in an Almighty God and His Son.
And, one last thing….there are Christians in those countries you listed. God is a Reader of hearts and Knows who are His children.
However….If you had been born into a moslim family, I’ve no doubt that you would be the ravening creep intent on killing the rest of us. Because your hatred already is evident.
I’m dusting, and going.
Gyomza says
As Rick Joiner wrote, ‘ When truth spoken in love is rejected, death has been chosen over life’
fred says
you stated…. “And, one last thing….there are Christians in those countries you listed. God is a Reader of hearts and Knows who are His children.” Well then…. why doesn’t your ‘almighty’ omnipotent, omniscient God who they love, and worship, and put their undying trust in, HELP them in their misery, persecution, horrible suffering? Of course this fantasy sky-Being can’t do that.. cause HE does not exist! And of course the Christian apologist like yourself will always retort.. “the ways of the Lord are mysterious… this is all God’s plan so you must not question it.” If you believe that then why pray for them? Why moan and cry over their horrible plight and persecution in these wretched Muslim countries? Your God wants this to happen!! It is HIS DIVINE PLAN!! I understand we will never receive a rational answer to these questions because there is none. That is the dark side of blind, UNexamined ‘faith’ that you hold so dear and sacred. Faith is never a pathway to real truth and knowledge. It should never be respected as such. Also, for some reason you think i’m a Muslim? LOL!! That faith-based 7th century nonsense is even more abhorrent to me then Christianity. As bad as Christianity was in the Dark Ages that is Islam today. Islam is a retrograde mentality mixed with 21st century weapons and technology so is especially terrifying. Again, this is what ‘faith’ brings to humanity.
gravenimage says
fred, your claim that Christians believe that if they pray they will never have to face danger is completely mistaken.
fred says
gravenraven… you either didn’t read my comments carefully or are being purposely intellectually dishonest by distorting my views. I never said or implied that Christians who pray, or not, will ‘avoid facing’ danger. It is more about their arrogant misconception that by beseeching through pray or ceremony or tithing that the inevitable ‘danger’ or problem they face in life will be mitigated in some way specifically because the cosmic deity they think actually ‘hears’ their prayers has their back. In any case they explain everything that happens or doesn’t happen conveniently by proclaiming… “you see the Lord answered my prayer” or “our Lord did not answer my prayer, but we know HE works in mysterious ways so must trust in HIS plan.” So, in their mind the Christian and their imaginary sky-daddy friend can therefore never be falsified through logic and reasoned argument, or solid critical thinking. This is where ‘faith’ becomes a dangerous barrier to discovering truth or real knowledge because it only comes through an emotional governing sentimentality and cultural/family/church attachments that represses free, non-dogmatic thinking and reasoning.
The Jihadists do what they do primarily because of FAITH. The moronic Scientologists devoutly believe what they believe by FAITH. The Hindus believe in hundreds of weird Deities and Gods through FAITH alone. The entire FAITH edifice n any religion merely a deck-of-cards foundation which can be toppled any moment by reason, evidence, and the pressures of modernity. Wish Galileo was still alive… you could ask him about it. Last thing… name one thing that has been proven by science that religion has dis-proven. Not one. But we can name hundreds of things religion has proclaimed as truth that science has proven false. This the direction of human evolution – thankfully.
gravenimage says
fred wrote:
gravenraven… you either didn’t read my comments carefully or are being purposely intellectually dishonest by distorting my views. I never said or implied that Christians who pray, or not, will ‘avoid facing’ danger. It is more about their arrogant misconception that by beseeching through pray or ceremony or tithing that the inevitable ‘danger’ or problem they face in life will be mitigated in some way specifically because the cosmic deity they think actually ‘hears’ their prayers has their back.
…………………………….
Very few Christians believe that if they pray that they will automatically be taken out of danger. Anyone who knows the slightest thing about Christianity and its history will know that this claim is silly.
And surely fred must know that most Christians do not reject science–in fact, many scientists have been devout Jews and Christians.
fred says
You are dead wrong about what most Christians and what they pray for. Of course their prayers may contain words of gratitude and love but never dismiss that they also contain great hopes for safety, for security, for prosperity, for a heavenly afterlife, for protection against Satan, for victory of a specific politician or sports team… c’mon get real. As far as ‘religious scientists’ go… ha!! Can’t believe your dragging out that absurd and intellectual empty argument. Indeed their are many bona-fide scientists in our world that believe in many vacuous and unsupported supernatural ideas. That just proves the human mind has learned to compartmentalize and partition especially when it comes to matters of emotions, sentimentality, cultural/family pressures, and wish-thinking. So during the day a scientist may think like a rigorous critical/scientific thinker at their job, or research project, looking for real evidence in an UNbiased manner but on matters of religion and faith-claims totally FAIL to do the same. Why? Not because scientific evidence proves their religious beliefs but only because they so desperately WANT to believe it’s true. And that my friend is NOT the scientific method and how we come to facts and knowledge about existence. That that sink deep and don’t be afraid to challenge your own beliefs and how / why you have become identified with them. I would suggest the very first thing to do is explore what many UNbiased Biblical scholars have uncovered regarding the veracity of the scriptures you hold to be so infallible, divine, and absolute. This Bible you think is 100% true in every way is anything but that. Look into how, why, and who actually wrote it. You will see no original manuscript exists, it is merely a result of many mis-translations and illegitimate copies with many deletions and additions down through the ages to please certain controlling church authorities and their brand of theology at the time. There are also many compelling reasons to think that Jesus himself was not a real historical figure but an embellished myth based on other similar previous mythical messianic characters in other preceding tribal traditions. Dig deeper… http://www.jesusneverexisted.com
somehistory says
Rueben_Singh,
Jesus said that the “world will hate” His followers because it hates Him.
I don’t believe any country on earth is “Safe” for True Christians. Not South K, and not even the U.S. Some in this country, like the guy in Colorado, are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.
I have been spit upon by a guy chewing/dipping tobacco; have been cursed and worse. And some of those doing those things to me, claimed to be “Christian.”
A True Christian is different from those who claim to be, but who belie that claim by their actions. Such as “priests” who rape and molest the children they are supposed to love and help.
I am an American, of French, Irish, German and Scottish ancestry as well as some Native American Indian. The last means, of course, that some of my ancestors were taken away by those who came and “conquered” this land.
But, first of all, I endeavor to follow the example left by Christ. No one can do that perfectly, but some try harder, have more faith and understanding, than do others.
So, if you “like Americans” but “despise Christians,” then despise me all you like. Because being a Christian, or at least, doing my best to be, is more important to me than in what country I just happened to be born.
somehistory says
Thank you, G.