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Aceh: three “illegal” churches torn down, more to come
INDONESIA Aceh: three “illegal” churches torn down, more to come - Asia News
INDONESIA Aceh: three “illegal” churches torn down, more to come - Asia News
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Church demolitions follow arson attack in Aceh, Indonesia
Church demolitions follow arson attack in Aceh, Indonesia ucanews.com
Church demolitions follow arson attack in Aceh, Indonesia ucanews.com
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Victim of Church Bombing in Pakistan Encourages Suffering Brothers and Sisters in Christ
https://www.facebook.com/persecuted/videos/10153922570892454/
https://www.facebook.com/persecuted/videos/10153922570892454/
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Father Jack Murad: Christian Captives Did Not Abandon Their Faith
Father Jack Murad: Christian Captives Did Not Abandon Their Faith « Persecution News
Father Jack Murad: Christian Captives Did Not Abandon Their Faith « Persecution News
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ISIS Closing in on Strategic Christian Town in Syria-CBN News
https://www.facebook.com/persecuted/videos/10153937929282454/
https://www.facebook.com/persecuted/videos/10153937929282454/
My wife and I recently hosted the Bishop of Pakistan in our home for 3 days. He's not Catholic as the title implies as it is a title given to him by the government of Pakistan as the top recognized Christian in the state. This amazing man has spent his whole life establishing and leading churches in Pakistan and has survived 7 separate assassination attempts. He actually goes into mosques and preaches about Jesus. This wonderful servant of God has been leading thousands of Muslims to Jesus, has been casting out demons (which he says is a huge problem there) and healing the sick. The power of his faith and his walk with God is an inspiration I will never forget.
His life is in constant danger. Right now he is in the US but will return after Christmas. Please keep him also in your prayers along with all our brothers and sisters in Christ in Asia and the Middle East.
His life is in constant danger. Right now he is in the US but will return after Christmas. Please keep him also in your prayers along with all our brothers and sisters in Christ in Asia and the Middle East.
All false religions will be thrown down. But before that happens, radical Islam will slaughter nearly every Christian in the countries they control. But Christ will have the final victory as we are told in Rev 18.
The Fall of Babylon the Great (ISLAM)
18 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. (THIS IS CHRIST!) [SUP]2 [/SUP]And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great (ISLAM) is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons (DEMONS ARE INFLUENCING RADICAL ISLAMIC JIHADISTS TO MURDER ANYONE WHO WON'T CONVERT), a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! [SUP]3 [/SUP]For all the nations have drunk of the wine (DOCTRINE) of the wrath of her (ISLAM) fornication (WORSHIP OF FALSE GOD), the (MUSLIM) kings of the earth have committed fornication (SERVED) with her (ISLAM), and the merchants of the earth (THOSE WHO SELL TO ARAB and MUSLIM KINGS) have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
As we see below, our fellow Christians are to COME OUT of these places before judgment is passed on Babylon (ISLAM).
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. [SUP]5 [/SUP]For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. [SUP]6 [/SUP]Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. [SUP]7 [/SUP]In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow (THE TRUE BRIDE IS THE CHURCH, not ISLAM), and will not see sorrow.’ [SUP]8 [/SUP]Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
The Fall of Babylon the Great (ISLAM)
18 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. (THIS IS CHRIST!) [SUP]2 [/SUP]And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great (ISLAM) is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons (DEMONS ARE INFLUENCING RADICAL ISLAMIC JIHADISTS TO MURDER ANYONE WHO WON'T CONVERT), a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! [SUP]3 [/SUP]For all the nations have drunk of the wine (DOCTRINE) of the wrath of her (ISLAM) fornication (WORSHIP OF FALSE GOD), the (MUSLIM) kings of the earth have committed fornication (SERVED) with her (ISLAM), and the merchants of the earth (THOSE WHO SELL TO ARAB and MUSLIM KINGS) have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
As we see below, our fellow Christians are to COME OUT of these places before judgment is passed on Babylon (ISLAM).
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. [SUP]5 [/SUP]For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. [SUP]6 [/SUP]Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. [SUP]7 [/SUP]In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow (THE TRUE BRIDE IS THE CHURCH, not ISLAM), and will not see sorrow.’ [SUP]8 [/SUP]Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
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[h=1]On the brink: Christianity facing Middle East purge within decade, says group[/h]
The dwindling Christian population of the Middle East could vanish completely within a decade unless the global community intervenes, say alarmed aid groups who say followers of the Bible are being killed, driven from their land or forced to renounce their faith at an unprecedented pace.
The world has largely stood by as a dangerous tide of intolerance has washed over the region, according to a new study by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. The study includes disturbing data about the plunging numbers of Christians in the part of the world that gave birth to the faith, and makes a dire prediction of what could happen.
“It’s an answer that depends on the response of the world,” Edward Clancy, director of outreach for the United Kingdom-based Aid to the Church in Need, told FoxNews.com. “What response is there going to be toward us if we act?”
The Christian population in Iraq has plummeted from 1.5 million in 2003 to current estimates of 275,000 and could be gone for good within five years, according to the report. The dwindling numbers are due to genocide, refugees fleeing to other countries, those who are internally displaced, and others hiding in plain sight and not allowing their faith to be publicly known. A dozen Christian families flee Iraq each day, according to 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Century Wilberforce Initiative, a Falls Church, Va., nonprofit dedicated to promoting religious freedom in the Middle East.
“Unless the global community gets involved, we will witness the loss of Christian witnesses in a land that is biblically significant,” Elijah Brown, executive vice president for 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Century Wilberforce, told FoxNews.com.
He noted that Iraq's second-largest city, once home to a thriving Christian community as old as the faith itself, has now been overrun by ISIS and purged of Christians.
“Last Christmas was the first time that bells did not ring out in the city of Mosul in 2,000 years," Brown said. “I think that speaks to the reality that hundreds of thousands of Christian families are living on the edge of extinction.”
[h=2]Related Image[/h]
Expand / Contract
Remains of St. Mary's, Syrian Orthodox church in Homs, Syria. (Aid to the Church in Need-US)
In Syria, where Aid to the Church in Need has sent $9 million in aid to help Christians driven from small villages north of Damascus, an estimated 15,000 Christians have left their villages to seek refuge in Homs, Zaidal and Fairouzeh in recent days, according to Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh. He told the charity Christians are terrified that ISIS, in a constant see-saw battle for territory with government forces, will capture their villages and kill all non-Muslims. They are particularly fearful for the key city of Sadad, where Christians lived peacefully with Muslims for centuries.
“We are afraid that ISIS -- which God will hopefully prevent -- will conquer the town. We would lose the center of Christianity in our diocese,” Archbishop Selwanos said, adding that two years ago, jihadists held the town briefly and killed at least 45 Christians, and destroyed churches and homes.
The report names Egypt as the one nation in the Middle East that has reversed the trend under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, following the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist agenda. El-Sisi, himself a Muslim, has vowed to protect Egypt's Coptic Christians, and last Christmas attended church services with them in an unprecedented show of tolerance and solidarity.
"Such a development holds out a potential beacon of hope for Christians and others in the Middle East against a backdrop of growing Islamism," the report stated.
While the situation is most dire in the Middle East, Christianity is under assault in Africa and Asia, too, according to the Aid to the Church in Need study. It cited persecution at the hands of Islamist terror groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and other extremists in Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and other parts of the continent. Asia's Christians have been targeted by nationalist religious movements -- Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist -- in such countries as Pakistan, Hindu and Myanmar. Many of these groups increasingly view Christianity as a foreign, "colonial" import, and believe its practitioners are doing the bidding of the West, said Clancy.
Persecution has been allowed to spread in many of these countries because of the complacency of its citizens and inaction of the international community, said Brown.
[h=2]Related Image[/h]
Expand / Contract
Coptic Christians identify themselves with tattoos of the Coptic cross (Aid to the Church in Need-US) (- - - - -)
“On average, in many of the Muslim majority countries, an average of 73 percent believe that they already have religious freedom,” he said, referring to a Pew research poll. “So we often see a passive public that is resistant to change.
“Unfortunately, there are also many who are hesitating to use the proper label for what is occurring in many of these countries, which is genocide.”
Both 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Century Wilberforce and Aid for The Church in Need agree that preventing further genocide requires an international undertaking.
“It’s going to have to be a multi-tiered effort,” Clancy said. “We can definitely start with restrictions on the borders of some of these countries. There are definitely weapons flowing into the region. These channels need to be squeezed.
“We need to start putting on the pressure and if and when there is some sort of peace, we need to ensure that minority religious groups are represented in newly forming governments.”
Perry Chiaramonte is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @perrych
The dwindling Christian population of the Middle East could vanish completely within a decade unless the global community intervenes, say alarmed aid groups who say followers of the Bible are being killed, driven from their land or forced to renounce their faith at an unprecedented pace.
The world has largely stood by as a dangerous tide of intolerance has washed over the region, according to a new study by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. The study includes disturbing data about the plunging numbers of Christians in the part of the world that gave birth to the faith, and makes a dire prediction of what could happen.
“It’s an answer that depends on the response of the world,” Edward Clancy, director of outreach for the United Kingdom-based Aid to the Church in Need, told FoxNews.com. “What response is there going to be toward us if we act?”
“Last Christmas was the first time that bells did not ring out in the city of Mosul in 2000 years. I think that speaks to the reality that hundreds of thousands of Christian families are living on the edge of extinction.”
- Elijah Brown, 21st Century Wilberforce
While Christians are under siege from Islamic State radicals in war-torn Syria and Iraq, the report notes that the religion is being targeted throughout the region. Christians who have managed to escape ISIS have fled to places like Europe and Lebanon, while members of the faith also are under increasing pressure in Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations.- Elijah Brown, 21st Century Wilberforce
The Christian population in Iraq has plummeted from 1.5 million in 2003 to current estimates of 275,000 and could be gone for good within five years, according to the report. The dwindling numbers are due to genocide, refugees fleeing to other countries, those who are internally displaced, and others hiding in plain sight and not allowing their faith to be publicly known. A dozen Christian families flee Iraq each day, according to 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Century Wilberforce Initiative, a Falls Church, Va., nonprofit dedicated to promoting religious freedom in the Middle East.
“Unless the global community gets involved, we will witness the loss of Christian witnesses in a land that is biblically significant,” Elijah Brown, executive vice president for 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Century Wilberforce, told FoxNews.com.
He noted that Iraq's second-largest city, once home to a thriving Christian community as old as the faith itself, has now been overrun by ISIS and purged of Christians.
“Last Christmas was the first time that bells did not ring out in the city of Mosul in 2,000 years," Brown said. “I think that speaks to the reality that hundreds of thousands of Christian families are living on the edge of extinction.”
[h=2]Related Image[/h]
Remains of St. Mary's, Syrian Orthodox church in Homs, Syria. (Aid to the Church in Need-US)
In Syria, where Aid to the Church in Need has sent $9 million in aid to help Christians driven from small villages north of Damascus, an estimated 15,000 Christians have left their villages to seek refuge in Homs, Zaidal and Fairouzeh in recent days, according to Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh. He told the charity Christians are terrified that ISIS, in a constant see-saw battle for territory with government forces, will capture their villages and kill all non-Muslims. They are particularly fearful for the key city of Sadad, where Christians lived peacefully with Muslims for centuries.
“We are afraid that ISIS -- which God will hopefully prevent -- will conquer the town. We would lose the center of Christianity in our diocese,” Archbishop Selwanos said, adding that two years ago, jihadists held the town briefly and killed at least 45 Christians, and destroyed churches and homes.
The report names Egypt as the one nation in the Middle East that has reversed the trend under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, following the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist agenda. El-Sisi, himself a Muslim, has vowed to protect Egypt's Coptic Christians, and last Christmas attended church services with them in an unprecedented show of tolerance and solidarity.
"Such a development holds out a potential beacon of hope for Christians and others in the Middle East against a backdrop of growing Islamism," the report stated.
While the situation is most dire in the Middle East, Christianity is under assault in Africa and Asia, too, according to the Aid to the Church in Need study. It cited persecution at the hands of Islamist terror groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and other extremists in Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and other parts of the continent. Asia's Christians have been targeted by nationalist religious movements -- Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist -- in such countries as Pakistan, Hindu and Myanmar. Many of these groups increasingly view Christianity as a foreign, "colonial" import, and believe its practitioners are doing the bidding of the West, said Clancy.
Persecution has been allowed to spread in many of these countries because of the complacency of its citizens and inaction of the international community, said Brown.
[h=2]Related Image[/h]
Coptic Christians identify themselves with tattoos of the Coptic cross (Aid to the Church in Need-US) (- - - - -)
“On average, in many of the Muslim majority countries, an average of 73 percent believe that they already have religious freedom,” he said, referring to a Pew research poll. “So we often see a passive public that is resistant to change.
“Unfortunately, there are also many who are hesitating to use the proper label for what is occurring in many of these countries, which is genocide.”
Both 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Century Wilberforce and Aid for The Church in Need agree that preventing further genocide requires an international undertaking.
“It’s going to have to be a multi-tiered effort,” Clancy said. “We can definitely start with restrictions on the borders of some of these countries. There are definitely weapons flowing into the region. These channels need to be squeezed.
“We need to start putting on the pressure and if and when there is some sort of peace, we need to ensure that minority religious groups are represented in newly forming governments.”
Perry Chiaramonte is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @perrych
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Persecution Blog: SYRIA: Christians Forced to Pay Tax
Although the headline (and part of the news) misunderstood the jizya tax, please pray for our brothers and sisters in Qaryatayn, Syria. Jizya is a penalty sanctioned by the quran (Sura 9 Aya 29) to be paid by the Jews and Christians to be spared from his/her life.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of 9:29, bold by me:
Fight those who believe not in God (actually Allah) nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God (actually Allah) and His Apostle (Muhammad), nor acknowledge the religion of Truth (supposedly Islam), (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
Although the headline (and part of the news) misunderstood the jizya tax, please pray for our brothers and sisters in Qaryatayn, Syria. Jizya is a penalty sanctioned by the quran (Sura 9 Aya 29) to be paid by the Jews and Christians to be spared from his/her life.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of 9:29, bold by me:
Fight those who believe not in God (actually Allah) nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God (actually Allah) and His Apostle (Muhammad), nor acknowledge the religion of Truth (supposedly Islam), (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
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My piece of hope: After knife attack, persecuted Egyptian Christian finds comfort in prayer
My piece of hope: After knife attack, persecuted Egyptian Christian finds comfort in prayer | Culture | DW.COM | 03.11.2015
My piece of hope: After knife attack, persecuted Egyptian Christian finds comfort in prayer | Culture | DW.COM | 03.11.2015
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Gunmen on motorcycle attack Christian church in Egypt, report claims
Gunmen on motorcycle attack Christian church in Egypt, report claims | Fox News
Gunmen on motorcycle attack Christian church in Egypt, report claims | Fox News
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Pastor Saeed Abedini's Wife Cites Stress in Suspending Public Efforts for Husband's Freedom
Pastor Abedini’s Wife Cites Stress in Suspending Public Efforts for Husband’s Freedom
Pastor Abedini’s Wife Cites Stress in Suspending Public Efforts for Husband’s Freedom
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Pastor Saeed Abedini's Wife: I shall continue to seek the freedom of my husband
The Wife of the imprisoned pastor: I shall continue to seek the freedom of my husband!
The Wife of the imprisoned pastor: I shall continue to seek the freedom of my husband!
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1,000 Schools Destroyed by Boko Haram, many Christian Institutions
1,000 Schools Destroyed by Boko Haram, many Christian Institutions « Persecution News
1,000 Schools Destroyed by Boko Haram, many Christian Institutions « Persecution News
Remember that not a hair on our heads will be harmed. Sometimes when I try to fall as sleep on my back something seems to always wake me up by trying to scare me. Do I really get scare? Not at all because of what Jesus tells us that not one hair on our head will be harmed. Sometimes I think that if I am ever delivered up my spirit might not ever realize it and continue what I was doing because of Christ's promise that not one hair on my head will be harmed. Rip to my fellow Christians who have been martyred. The truth is that if we are not willing to lose our life for Christ, we will lose our lives for sure.
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Attackers stab interfaith group leader in Bangladesh
Attackers stab interfaith group leader in Bangladesh ucanews.com
Attackers stab interfaith group leader in Bangladesh ucanews.com