The Church Under Attack

My apologies for taking this post offline for a few hours. There were some link problems and other issues that had to be fixed. I think it's all OK now - DGM
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One doesn't have to look very far to find signs of the world's attack on the Church. Here are just a few examples from this week's news.

NFL and NFLPA agree that church attendance is apparently not a good thing. I can only assume that the National Football League considers church services, which traditionally take place on Sunday, a form of competition that should be suppressed.

The league, in its new agreement with the NFL Players Association, bans players from attending any church service with an attendance greater then 25% of the church's capacity. In addition to its ban on church attendance, this latest collective bargaining agreement also prohibits players from attending such indoor venues and activities as nightclubs, bars, concerts, professional athletic events, and parties with more than 15 people in attendance. Players who violate the agreement will be fined. The NFL also encourages members of the community to report players they see attending church services...nice touch.

Conspicuously absent from the list of prohibited activities are protests. In fact, the NFL, recently tweeted that, "We, the NFL... encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest...We believe Black Lives Matter." And on its various social media accounts, the league shares photos of its players taking part in protests across the country.

One can only hope that the faithful will turn their collective backs on the NFL this season...assuming there is a season.

Destruction of Catholic Statues. The recent outbreak of statue and monument defacement and destruction seemed to begin with Black Lives Matter "protestors" taking aim at public statues of Confederate generals and politicians. But BLM and its fellow travelers in Antifa have deep Marxist roots. Their attacks on statues and symbols have, therefore, expanded to include anything or anyone who supported what we might loosely call "Western Civilization."

We're observing a new form of atheistic iconoclasm directed at Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church in particular. Indeed, the Catholic Church is the perfect "target of opportunity" for these iconoclasts because of its universal presence and because it uses many different forms of artistic expression to honor our God and His saints. Among these expressions are statues displayed on the grounds of many of its churches. In recent weeks many Catholic churches across the country have had statues defaced, damaged, or destroyed.

Public statues have also been attacked. Several statues of St. Junipero Serra, the early missionary to California who so deeply loved, defended, and protected the native people to whom he ministered, have been destroyed. As a protective measure many others have been moved to safe locations. After a statue of Father Serra in Golden Gate Park was destroyed, Archbishop Cordieone of San Francisco led the faithful in a Rosary, then prayed Pope Leo XIII's Exorcism Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel in Latin and sprinkled the site with holy water. Thank you, Archbishop. California Catholics have also taken part in vigils at the sites of many religious statues to protect them from vandals.

In Missouri, when vandals threatened to destroy the statue of St. Louis, local Catholics announced a public Rosary and counter-demonstration. Predictably, they were labeled as "white nationalists" by those bent on destruction. But the protective vigils continue despite physical attacks by BLM and Islamists.

I've provided a link (below) to a site worth visiting. It includes several videos (click on the Twitter links) showing the attacks on peaceful, prayerful Catholics protecting the statue of this saintly king:

Violent BLM Activists Attack Peaceful Prayer

Bible and Catechism as Hate Speech in Scotland? According to a bill making its way through the Scottish Parliament, Scots could be accused of criminal hate speech if they quoted the Bible or the Catholic Catechism. The bill would criminalize behavior or communication that stirs up hatred against any of the protected groups covered by the bill. These include race, religion. sexual orientation, and transgender identity.

Such legislation simply makes cancel culture legal, and permits the prosecution of anyone who disagrees with the current zeitgeist. Great Britain, once a champion of free speech, might well become the West's most intolerant and anti-religious society. Predictably, the Scottish government has defended the bill:

"Religious beliefs are an integral part of Scottish society and this Bill does not change that in any way...The Bill does not criminalize religious beliefs or practices and possessing a Bible would not constitute an offense...The Bill includes provisions on freedom of expression to provide reassurance that the prohibition on stirring up hatred will not limit people's right to express their faith...No one can commit a stirring up of religious hatred offense unless they act in a threatening and abusive manner or communicate threatening or abusive material that is intended to stip up hatred or likely to stir up hatred."

The problem, of course, is deciding how to define exactly what constitutes "threatening or abusive" behavior or communication. It will be interesting, and perhaps foreshadowing, to watch how this all plays out in Scotland.

Joe's Pro-Abortion VP Choices. If you know me, you can probably guess that I won't be voting for Joe Biden. As I've stated many times, I have never voted for a pro-abortion candidate and never will. How sad that Joe Biden, a Catholic, is so beholden to Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and other anti-life groups, that he rejects the teachings of the Church on a multitude of issues. And sadder still that the Democrat party seems to have made abortion the key criterion for party support. Years ago pro-life Democrats were not uncommon, but not today. And, predictably, not one of Biden's current candidates for the VP job is pro-life. I find that especially troubling since all four of the top candidates are black Americans, a group that has been particularly savaged by abortion. Margaret Sanger, a eugenics supporter, founded Planned Parenthood to limit the "less desirable" races.Today, abortion is the leading cause of black American deaths, taking the lives of thousands of beautiful black infants every year.

Not long ago, Joe Biden said, "We are in a battle for the soul of this nation." I couldn't agree more, Joe.

Failure of China-Vatican Agreement? One wonders when the world will finally accept that the Communist Party of China (i.e., the Chinese government) is simply unable to be truthful or honor agreements. 

Two years after the 2019 signing of the agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese government -- an agreement, by the way, that remains secret -- Chinese Catholics in the underground Church state that "parish places of prayer have been closed, the public celebration of Sunday Mass is no longer allowed, priests can do nothing but celebrate Mass privately in the house of some faithful, without communicating too many faithful for participation. Despite this, even private Masses are often stopped by local officials, not to mention catechesis courses." 

And this is the underground Church, the Church in China that has always been in union with Rome. But, not surprisingly, this persecution isn't restricted to the underground Church. Members of the "official" Church are experiencing identical restrictions. 

The 2019 agreement was, of course, intended to eliminate such persecution. Sounds like a terrific agreement if the goal is to destroy what was once a growing and vibrant Catholic Church in China. And then, to add salt to the wound, the Chinese have recently hacked into the Vatican's computer systems in advance of September's planned talks regarding the renewal of the 2019 agreement.

And Chinese Catholics aren't alone. The communists have applied the same level of persecution to other religions as well. Indeed, the persecution of the Uighurs (a Muslim sect) is horrendous and includes concentration camps and forced sterilization.  

Perhaps it's time for the Vatican to accept that it was a serious mistake to enter into this agreement since no accord with a communist government has ever led to greater religious freedom. Far better for the Vatican to support Chinese Catholics both openly and clandestinely, to encourage governments to apply pressure on China to honor the religious freedom of its citizens, and to call on the faithful to pray for the conversion of communist China.

Note: To learn more about the persecution of the Catholic Church in China, read Joseph Cardinal Zen's enlightening book: For Love of My People: I Will Not Remain Silent.

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There's so much more in this week's news, but I'm too tired and it's time for dinner.

Stuff That Bothers Me

I really shouldn't be bothered by so much "little" stuff that, in the overall scheme of things (i.e., God's plan for salvation), means little, if anything. But I just can't help it. It's all so interesting, sometimes amusing, but too often just sad and discouraging. And, yes, I will get political once again. Here are a few examples:

Today's NYSE Dive. What I have to say here will no doubt upset a few folks, but I really don't care. During my 75 years I've known quite a few Wall Street types and at the risk of gross generalization I have found most to be little more than hand-wringing wimps who rarely think past the next day's impending crisis. As my dad used to say, for many of these folks, long-range planning is no more than "What do we do after lunch?" Toss a scare at them and watch them panic. 

Today is a beautiful example. The Dow plummeted more than 1,000 points this morning, although I expect it will rise somewhat before the day's end. And it's all because of the virus out of a China, or so they tell us. Personally, I think they're also panicked about commie Bernie's surge in the polls. Many of these wimps are the same never-Trumpers who for three years have done everything in their power to make things difficult for the President. Now they might well have to choose between Bernie and Trump, which even for these cowards is really no choice. And so, two nasty little bugs have apparently got them all running scared. 

Interestingly, the companies most affected are those who decided long ago that they didn't mind dealing with a nation run by totalitarian murderers. I can recall several CEOs telling me that by "doing business" with the Chinese, American firms would show the communists the benefits of a democratic, free-market economy. I thought they were fools then, and I still think so today. One would assume that a CEO, who likely has at least a passing affinity for power, would realize that for totalitarians power is the only thing that matters. The communist leaders of China aren't "in business" to create a wonderful life for their people; far from it. Indeed their early and continued mismanagement of the virus as a public health crisis typifies their love for the people of the People's Republic." 

China's communist leaders realized that a planned economy couldn't compete outside it borders, so they allowed "private" companies to form and compete in the global marketplace. This and the theft of technology are the primary means the communists have used to finance their expanding military and their growing international influence. But every single Chinese company is under the communist thumb; make no mistake about it. China has actually evolved from the communism of Mao to what is really just another form of fascism in which the government "manages" the nation's private industry for its own purposes.

The Iowa Democrat Caucuses. How unfortunate for the Democrat Party. The party's national and state leadership used an app designed and managed by folks who are politically connected with the Clintons, Obamas, and other Democrats. This, of course, is exactly what corrupt governments do. Corrupt governments don't spend taxpayer money on the most competent, cost-effective providers of products and services. Instead, they give business to those who are "connected", those who funnel money and other goodies into their political campaigns. The result? Too often, incompetence and sheer chaos. It reminds me of Vice President Biden and the millions his son reaped from the Ukraine and China for expertise Hunter Biden completely lacked. And have you forgotten the famous Obama healthcare app, the one that cost billions to develop? It turned out to be littered with bugs and plagued by access problems, despite being the most expensive app in history. Should the Democrats win in November, this is just the sort of incompetence and corruption we can expect.

CNN and Diversity. Did you notice how upset a CNN anchor was because the team the president put together to address the coronavirus problem did not meet his standards of diversity? This, of course, is just another example of the Iowa Caucus syndrome. Instead of examining the competencies of those assigned to the task force, CNN looks only at their sex and race.

Forgotten Warriors. We've all watched the commercials and many Americans are making monthly contributions to organizations such as Wounded Warriors and Tunnel2Towers. These and similar organizations were established to provide assistance and family aid to military personnel and first responders who have been wounded or have sacrificed their lives in defense of our freedom and our society. I cannot comment on the efficacy of these organizations because I have little first-hand knowledge, other than what I have heard from others and seen in the commercials. But their work, which I can only assume has helped many deserving people, is not my concern here. What bothers me is the very fact that these organizations must exist. Our governments -- federal, state, and local -- send military personnel, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and others into harms way every day. And yet, as a people we abandon them and their families when they suffer horrendous wounds or lose their lives in our defense. Congress established a multi-billion dollar fund to compensate the innocent victims of the 911 terrorist attacks, a fund that paid out an average of $2 million to each affected family. I have no problem whatsoever with that, but just compare it to what the family of a service member can expect if he or she is killed in action:

• $250,000 from Servicemen's Group Life Insurance, premiums paid for by the serviceman, unless declined.
• Death gratuity of $6,000
• Up to $6,900 for burial expenses
• Family rent-free government housing for 180 days
• Payment of member's unused leave (vacation)
• Dependency and indemnity compensation of $948 monthly for the un-remarried spouse, plus $247 for each child
• Other benefits include temporary healthcare coverage and commissary and exchange access. 

Adding it all up, the Department of Defense estimates than an un-remarried surviving spouse (age 30) would receive about $500,000 over the next 50 years of her life, an average of $10,000 annually. As for those wounded in combat, we eventually turn them over to the Veterans Administration, and we're all aware of the quality of healthcare it provides. As a wounded Afghanistan survivor once told me, "The one thing the VA does well is run the national cemeteries." 

That's enough. I have to prepare a homily for a committal service tomorrow, for the widow of a Korean War veteran.

Going Poilitical Again...

Since the 2016 presidential campaign, my opinion of our president has undergone more than a little change. I was no Trump supporter, but neither was I a "never-Trumper." Before and immediately after his election I was leery of the man and his intentions. It was hard to believe he really meant what he said, especially when some of what he said, and how he said it, seemed so outrageous at the time. For example, his campaign comments about John McCain's status as a POW during the Vietnam conflict were particularly offensive to me, a veteran of that war and, like McCain, a naval aviator. I was never a fan of John McCain, the man or the politician, and believe the Republicans couldn't have chosen a worse candidate to compete with Barack Obama. But McCain's military service was honorable and not worthy of ridicule by someone who never served in the military. This, plus other Trumpian campaign statements, caused me concern. And yet, despite my misgivings about the man, I predicted Donald Trump's election fairly early (see my post of July 18, 2016), and did so for a number of reasons:

First, I agreed with candidate Trump that the American people had become increasingly fed up with career politicians, especially Washington politicians, who promise everything and anything during their campaigns. Once established in Congress, however, many, perhaps most, vote against the good and the will of their constituents, and do so without embarrassment. I thought that Donald Trump's clearly stated mission -- Drain the Swamp -- appealed to enough voters to make his election probable.

Bill and Hilary

And second, although Hillary Clinton was perhaps the best candidate the Democrat party could have nominated, she was still a horrible candidate. She seemed to exhibit an attitude of entitlement, as if she and only she deserved to be president. This is the kind of elitist attitude despised by many Americans. It's an attitude we'd expect from socialist elites who believe they are so much smarter than the rest of us that they should have the power to plan every aspect of our lives. Despite her husband's Rhodes Scholarship and his two terms as president, I'm pretty sure she's convinced she's the smarter of the two. She might well be right. I also believe a large number of Americans had come to view her as unethical in the extreme and hoped she and her husband would vanish from the public square. Some voters probably feared a Clinton presidency more than they hoped for a Trump presidency. And others simply didn't believe her or like her. I never really thought Hilary Clinton could be elected president. I could not believe our nation had fallen that low.

Donald Trump won the election, and like most of the nation, I sat back and wondered how this most unusual president would carry out the responsibilities of the office. Since then, however, I have come to appreciate his rather unorthodox approach to things political. Don't get me wrong, though; I am still astonished, and often perplexed, by some of his comments (and his tweets). And yet his use of Twitter and other unorthodox means to communicate directly to the American people and the world, thus bypassing a hostile and increasingly irrelevant media, is a stroke of true genius. Although I don't always agree with the man. I suspect we're probably on the same page more often than not. And most surprisingly I usually know exactly where Donald Trump stands on any given issue. If he changes his stance, he doesn't dance around the issue, but lets us know. He is actually willing to admit a change in belief or policy, and to tell us why. This is more than refreshing; it's unheard of in modern American politics. We have become so accustomed to politicians and their constant lawyerly spin (apologies to my few honest lawyer friends) that we have come to accept their behavior as "normal."

The career politician's approach to his responsibilities eludes me. I've known quite a few over the years, and if I were to name one trait that most of them shared it would be their unfamiliarity with the truth. Instead of accepting the Gospel maxim, "The truth will set you free" [Jn 8:32], they seem to believe that the truth will lose elections. A few weeks ago, a friend asked me to name the members of Congress whom I most respect, and I decided it would be best to ignore the question. Whenever I've spoken well of a politician he or she soon says or does something that causes me to regret my words of praise.

President Trump Rally

I'm pretty sure President Trump honestly believes he is speaking the truth. And he delivers it in plain, non-political, unrehearsed language. It's the kind of talk most Americans hear around the dinner table or when they share their views at work or with their friends. Like me, you might not always agree with him, but unless you're a denizen of the far left, consumed by hate, you probably find him refreshing.

As I look back on the past few years, I am truly amazed that Donald Trump, who is so despised by the mainstream media and his political enemies on both sides of the congressional aisle, has accomplished so much. But even more amazing, to me at least, is that I am in agreement with so many of these accomplishments.

Perhaps most encouraging is his pro-life record, one surpassing that of all his predecessors. I never expected this of him, largely because other Republican presidents talked pro-life during their campaigns but did little while in office. I just assumed Donald Trump would be no different. How inspiring to encounter a president who took action and courageously took the heat that predictably followed.

Pro-Life Support for Trump

I also agree with President Trump's decision to move our embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is our only real ally in the Middle East, the only nation in the region with a truly representative form of government. Israel isn't perfect, but then neither are we. And every nation, including Israel, should strive to do what is best to further its citizen's interests and defend itself from aggressors. The rest of the region is a sewer, a collection of despotic regimes that truly despise both Israel and the United States. Worse, far too many of them support, bankroll, or harbor the Islamist terrorists that have plagued the world for so long.

Like Trump, I too am not a big fan of the nation-building goals of our protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although I'll admit my views have undergone some change in recent years. But I've always believed that any effort to develop democratic systems in Muslim-majority nations is doomed to failure. Islam is far more than a religion; it is a societal totality that strives to permeate and control every aspect of a people's life. Its governing rule of law -- shariah -- is simply incompatible with democratic, representative forms of government. Any attempt to democratize a fervently Muslim nation will eventually fail. Such attempts will also be overwhelmed by the growing number of Muslims willing to use force (I.e., terror) to achieve their Islamist ends. 

Pope Benedict XVI (2006)

Most informed people now realize Pope Benedict was absolutely correct when he addressed violence and Islam during his Regensburg lecture in 2006. It was the ideological intolerance of both Islamists and Western academics that drove the criticism and violence that followed the pope's well-reasoned remarks.

President Trump has shown he understands the need to destroy the Islamist terrorist organizations whenever and wherever they arise and thrive. This may well be his most difficult international challenge because this aim runs counter to the appeasement efforts of so many of our European allies, and of too many in our own government, including both the state and defense departments. Yes, indeed, it's easy to hide in that murky swamp water.

President Obama made a total mess of the Middle East. Examining his policy in the region, one would think his every decision was driven by what would be best for the Shiites of both Syria and Iran. His do-nothing approach to the atrocities the Syrian government inflicted on its people only strengthened Russian presence in the region and increased Iranian influence. Repairing the long-term damage caused by President Obama's agreement with the Iranians is a case in point. I find myself in full agreement with President Trump's decision to dump the agreement, a non-treaty even the current Congress would never have supported. Russia and China are certainly long-term threats, but Iran, the world's foremost exporter of terror, must be dealt with today.

I also support the president's tax cut, a piece of legislation to which only a socialist would object. Whenever we have slashed taxes, especially taxes on businesses, the economy has boomed. It happened when John Kennedy cut taxes, just as it happened when Ronald Reagan did the same. And yet not a single House or Senate Democrat voted for this tax cut. Democrats have certainly changed since Kennedy's time. Indeed, their rejection of the legislation tells us much about the current core beliefs of the Democrat party, a party that has moved increasingly to the far and irrational left.

What the Democrat Party Once Believed

President Kennedy, when promoting his plan to cut taxes, said, "It is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low -- and the soundest way to raise revenues in the long run is to cut taxes now." He was right and his tax cuts led to a period of remarkable economic growth. Like Kennedy and Reagan, Trump also ignored the deficit hawks of his own party, believing that the tax cut will, in the long run, lead to a significant increase in revenues. Ironically, many Democrats, and more than a few Republicans, who have never uttered a word against increased deficits were suddenly all aflutter, expressing fears about the legislation's potential impact on the deficit. Go figure.

When it comes to immigration I find myself wondering why we don't focus on the root cause of illegal immigration. Most immigrants flock to our borders because they want to leave the failing economies and corrupt governments of their native lands. How often have individual bishops, much less the USCCB, challenged the corrupt governments of Latin America and elsewhere? They seem far more interested in attacking our nation for trying to control immigration and protect our borders. And how often do our politicians do anything to encourage our corrupt neighbors to change their ways? If these nations actually developed free economies and truly representative governments perhaps they, too, would become lands of opportunity. As for those screaming for "no borders," I think we can safely ignore them for the ideologues (or "useful idiots") they truly are. The only aim of those pulling their strings is to destroy this nation. Every nation has the obligation and the right to control its borders -- how much control is something its citizens must decide. This is a question that Congress has danced around for some time, but time is running out. I suspect the President and the voters will force the issue sooner rather than later.

As for North Korea, President Trump's efforts to overcome the horrendous mistakes of previous administrations should be interesting to watch. For the first time since 1953 this vicious, totalitarian regime seems to realize they are dealing with someone who won't allow them to break agreements. I expect these negotiations will take some time, quite likely several years, before they bear real fruit. We'll see what happens.

Then there's China, the world's most populous, communist, totalitarian state. It is a nation ruled by those who murder and enslave, a pack of liars and thieves who will do anything, absolutely anything, to maintain their power. Like Mafia dons, they dress up in their shiny suits and smile at the cameras while they plan the destruction of all that is good. They cleverly instituted some elements of a free economy because they realized their socialist policies had failed and they needed to bankroll their ever expanding base of power. But make no mistake, every Chinese firm is under the thumb of the ruling Communist Party leadership. 

The Communist Dons

Unlike his predecessors Trump seems to recognize the truth about China and his negotiations with the communist leadership will surely break the mold. When he hammered the Chinese with tariffs and other barriers, the talking heads and Wall Street hand-wringers screamed and assured us the president would drive us into economic ruin. Many said the same thing when Trump was elected in November 2016, but our economy instead experienced continued record-setting growth. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly in the long term, despite the efforts of the Senate Democrats to block confirmation votes on the president's judicial and executive appointments, most of these appointments, particularly those of federal judges, have been wonderful. Once again a president is appointing men and women who actually read and understand the Constitution and reject ideological activism. If President Trump serves another four years the federal judiciary will likely experience historic change.

Our president, like all men, is far from perfect, but he's certainly far better than the collection of wannabes the Democrat Party offers us. Every single one of them supports the great atrocity of our age, the deliberate, pre-meditated murder of the most innocent among us. I fear God's judgment, not for me, for I'm too near the end of my life. No, I fear for my children and grandchildren, and for all who may well face a faith-testing decision to choose between a culture of life and a culture of death. 

Here's something I trust all the faithful can agree on: Pray for our nation and our president.

The Legacy of Tiananmen Square

23 years ago, on June 4, 1989, China's communist government conducted a deadly crackdown on the freedom demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. One of the more interesting results of the horrendous events of that day is the number of those dissidents that have since converted to Christianity. According to Professor Fenggang Yang of Purdue University, a scholar who followed those events closely, the dissidents recognized the moral bankruptcy of communism and saw in Christianity the only real alternative that offered the kind of life and social institutions they sought. Such conversions have been particularly common among the intellectual dissidents. To read more click here: Tiananmen and Christian Conversion.

Another interesting tidbit. Do you remember the iconic photograph of the unidentified young dissident standing courageously in front of the Chinese Army tank? He looked so innocently brave standing there holding what appears to be a couple of shopping bags. Some say he died later in the crackdown that took so many lives, but nobody knows for certain. From the below video it's apparent he didn't die at the scene since he seems to have been hustled off to safety by others.

Just the other day, on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protest, I came across a wide angle photo of the famous scene. I've included the more familiar photo first, followed by the less known wide angle photo. The latter is truly amazing, showing this one, small, seemingly insignificant but determined young man facing down not just a few tanks (in itself a very scary thing), but what appears to be a whole division of Chinese Army tanks. He stands there, before those tanks and the entire world, while the communist authorities blink, displaying their barbarism and their true weakness for all to see -- a remarkable photo.

In totalitarian China one may still not discuss openly the events at Tiananmen Square on that June day. Perhaps some day we'll know the real and complete story of what happened.

Pray for the conversion of China.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Persecution Update

The most persecuted religious group in the world is...drum roll...Christians! That's right, Christians are persecuted in a grand total of 131 countries. And here's the real surprise: the most barbarous and severe persecution of Christians is state sponsored or state permitted and occurs in Muslim-majority nations and communist nations. And did you know that upwards of 100,000 Christians are murdered every year simply because of their faith? Can you believe it? I know, I know, such statistics are grossly politically incorrect, but they're also true. If you want to read the specifics, check out the results of the study conducted last year by the Pew Forum.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Now this would seem to be a newsworthy story, don't you think? That's what I find most interesting. 200 million Christians live in those 131 countries in which they are persecuted, but you rarely read about it in the mainstream media. Okay, Newsweek recently ran a cover story on global Christian persecution, but that was an anomaly. In fact, I really can't figure out why Newsweek, a magazine run by a hand-wringing, left-leaning editorial staff, actually published that story...but it did, and God bless them for it. The story, "The War of Christians", was actually written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a remarkable woman who is not only a former member of the Dutch parliament and a best-selling author (Infidel), but also a human rights advocate, a survivor of Islamist death threats, and an escapee from a forced marriage in Somalia. Her article, which describes the widespread persecution of Christians particularly in Muslim countries, should be read by all Americans. Let me share just a few of her comments:

"But a fair-minded assessment of recent events and trends leads to the conclusion that the scale and severity of Islamophobia pales in comparison with the bloody Christophobia currently coursing through Muslim-majority nations from one end of the globe to the other."

Speaking of the willingness of many governments to ignore the persecution taking place she wrote,

"This is especially so in countries with growing radical Islamist (Salafist) movements. In those nations, vigilantes often feel they can act with impunity — and government inaction often proves them right. The old idea of the Ottoman Turks — that non-Muslims in Muslim societies deserve protection (albeit as second-class citizens) — has all but vanished from wide swaths of the Islamic world, and increasingly the result is bloodshed and oppression."

Aside from this one story, however, about the only place you'll read of the persecution of Christians is in the religious media and the blogosphere. Indeed, the silence of the secular media is exceeded only by that of the Obama administration. Unbelievably, the State Department's recent International Religious Freedom report does not even mention two of the worst offenders — Egypt and Pakistan — who regularly violate the rights of their Christian citizens in the worst way. Of course this report comes from the same administration that considered returning veterans, pro-lifers, states rights supporters, etc. as potential terrorists more dangerous than the Islamists who attacked us on September 11, 2001.

Of course, many members of the Western media, perhaps a majority, are atheists or, at best, agnostics. Not only don't they believe but they don't understand those who do. The idea of a "culture war" being waged between religious and secular cultures, between a culture of life and a culture of death, is a concept incomprehensible to them. This ignorance of things religious also leads them to discount the importance of religious teaching and values as a root cause of terrorism by Islamist extremists. Despite the evidence to the contrary they continue to believe terrorism is caused by economic disparity and a desire to right perceived historical wrongs. They just can't see religion as much of a motivator. To them religion is an aberration that will ultimately fade away under the bright light of progressive thought.

Burning a Christian Church in Egypt

Although much ignored by the media and Western governments, the global persecution of Christian is still a major story. It's also a growing story, one that will be increasingly difficult to ignore as such persecution expands in both frequency and severity. Some media outlets will no doubt mention it, but always "balanced" with stories about alleged Islamophobia by nasty, right-wing Christians -- you know, all those church ladies in Pittsburgh who regularly gun down and behead Muslim gas station attendants. Okay, maybe I exaggerate a wee bit, but you get the picture.

We have come to expect religious persecution from communist and other totalitarian states. These governments, run by ideologues or egomaniacal dictators, rightly consider organized religion, and in particular the Catholic Church, as the greatest obstacle to their complete domination of the human spirit. Communists believe Christians are the enemy and have been persecuting us for nearly 100 years. And yet despite the millions of Christian martyrs they have created, the Church still stands strong in their midst. In some places it might be forced into an underground, clandestine existence as it is in China and even more so in North Korea, but it will never be eradicated, for the Spirit will not be denied. But does our government openly chastise or sanction such nations as China or Vietnam for their state-sponsored persecution? Not if it will jeopardize commercial or banking relationships. 

Amazingly -- and  few Western Christians seem to be aware of this -- there are upwards of 100 million Christians in communist China. Most of these Christians — a majority are Roman Catholic — worship in secret house churches and their numbers are growing. This, of course, is a huge embarrassment to a regime that has propagandized and persecuted believers for over 60 years.

But one doesn't have to be a communist to hate and persecute the Church. Even current and budding dictators, like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe or Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, find themselves driven to attack the Church because it will not remain silent in the face of corruption and murder and their accompanying lies. And guess who these dictators hang out with. Why who else but the Chinese and the Iranians, among others? Despite their vastly different ideologies, they willingly join forces against the common enemy. 

I suppose I'm safe in saying we cannot rely on our government, regardless of the political party in power, to make religious persecution a key element of our nation's foreign policy. It will always take a back seat to the realpolitik of worldly concerns. Just consider the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its horrendous record of religious persecution, and then picture George Bush walking hand in hand with King Abdullah. Or reflect on Barack Obama bowing deeply to the same king in humble obeisance. It makes you understand why we've heard barely a world of criticism from either man.

Okay, before I get too political, let me offer some details on the persecution of Christians throughout the world. And I only scratch the surface...

Saudi Arabia. Let's begin with Saudi Arabia where the latest incident involved the arrest and strip-search of 29 Christian women and an assault on six Christian men for holding a prayer meeting in a private home. This, of course, is nothing new in a nation where women are treated as chattel. Just imagine their attitude toward Christian women. Read more here.

Sudan and South Sudan. Over the past ten years the Islamic government of Sudan has killed between 300,000 and a million Christians and animists in South Sudan and Darfur. Nobody knows the exact number, but the total is staggering. What more can one say as this Islamic government piles atrocity upon atrocity? Any effort to protect the victims was apparently not in our national interest and so we and our allies did nothing. Even after the creation of the nation of South Sudan, the northern government infiltrates armed groups into the south to engage in a proxy war against the new government.

The persecution of Christians continues in Sudan itself. As the Orwellian titled Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowment recently stated, “We will take legal procedures against pastors who are involved in preaching or evangelistic activities...We have all legal rights to take them to court.” In case you had any doubts, this warning was aimed specifically at Christians who must also obey the sharia law of the land. Read more here.

Today I took a peek at the Sudanese government's website, and noticed that the nation's 1st Vice President, one Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, directed the nation, in honor of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, to take on "an attitude of making the celebrations of the Prophet this year full of love, mercifulness, cooperation and solidarity..." I'm sure the people of South Sudan appreciate this sentiment.

Egypt. Mob attacks on Copts continue in Egypt in the aftermath of the nationwide voting in which the radical Islamists won a clear majority. When one considers that Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population, it's apparent that the extremists have the support of the vast majority of Muslims. The latest incident involved an attack by more than 3,000 Muslims who looted Coptic homes and businesses and then set them on fire. The army, located a little over a mile away, took well over an hour to respond. No one was arrested. Such attacks are becoming increasingly common and causing many Christians to leave the country. Read more here.

Another form of persecution in Egypt and elsewhere in the Islamic world involves the kidnapping of young Christian girls and their subsequent forcible conversion and marriage to Muslims. The Egyptian courts recently decided in favor of the kidnappers of a 16-year-old Coptic girl and ordered her held in a state-run home until she is 18 when she can legally convert to Islam. Her family is understandably distraught, and the Christian community is worried that such decisions will lead only to more kidnappings. Read more here.

Palestinians. Wherever the Palestinians run things, whether in the West Bank (bad) or in Gaza (horrendous), Christians are treated horribly. I find this especially interesting since this persecution comes from a people that loves to depict itself, erroneously, as the object of decades of persecution by the Jews. In reality, the Palestinians have become the "useful idiots" of those neighboring Islamic nations intent on the destruction of Israel. These same nations could have solved the Palestinian "problem" years ago but it benefits their agenda to keep these people in refugee camps and the squalor of Gaza. As a result, the Christian population is quickly disappearing. In 1948 Christians made up 10% of the Palestinian territories; today they make up 1%. Read more here.

Interestingly, the only growing Christian population in the entire Middle East is in the one country in which Islam does not prevail, Israel. This tells us a lot about the fate of Christianity in that part of the world. The only Middle Eastern country where religious freedom, tolerance and democratic values exist is the Jewish state.

St. Theresa Catholic Church destroyed in Nigeria

Nigeria. Here we have a Muslim-majority nation with a large (40%) Christian population. For years the two religions have coexisted side by side. But peace with Christians is unacceptable to the Islamist extremists who demand the imposition of sharia law and are willing to kill anyone, Christian or Muslim, who resists them. The primary terrorist group, Boko Haram, is apparently receiving aid from al-Qaida and has been responsible for the murder of hundreds of Christians and the destruction of dozens of churches in just the past few months. Read more here.

Yousef Nadarkhani

Apostasy. In most Islamic nations converts to Christianity are considered apostates. Sharia law is explicit about the punishment for apostasy: death. Iranian Christian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani remains in prison because he refuses to acknowledged publicly that prophet Muhammad is a messenger sent by God. To do so would be a rejection of his Christian beliefs and so he continues to resist bravely even though facing potential execution. And although several of the most prominent cases are in Iran, the imprisonment and execution of Christian converts from Islam occurs throughout the Muslim world. Converts living  in Kenya have even been tracked from their countries of origin — e.g., Ethiopia and Uganda — by those intent on killing them. In Kuwait a royal prince who converted to Christianity has stated that as an apostate he will likely be targeted. And recently two converts to Christianity who believed they would be safe after moving to Norway were recently stabbed on the street by masked men shouting "Infidels!" Read more here.

Indonesia. In this nation, often praised as the most open and tolerant of Muslim nations, attacks on Christians and their churches have more than doubled in the past year. Christians are not only being attacked in their churches by mobs of Muslim extremists, but these same mobs are seeking out and disrupting prayer meetings held in the homes of Christians. Read more here.

Just last month at the Vatican, Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See's press office stated:

“Among the most serious concerns, the increase in Islamic extremism merits special attention. Persons and organizations dedicated to extremist Islamic ideology perpetrate terrible acts of violence in many places throughout the world: the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria is but one example. Then there is the climate of insecurity that unfortunately in some countries accompanies the so-called “Arab spring”--a climate that drives many Christians to flee and even to emigrate...Such sufferings are a part of the Christian journey. Nor ought we be amazed. Jesus said so in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,’ is the last of the Beatitudes; its promise is reward in heaven.” 

Father Lombardi is right: we will be persecuted. As Christians we should know that we can't count on our governments to help us. Our only source of help is the Lord, and our best weapon is prayer. 

Late Night Questions

As I have aged, my sleeping habits have become less...well, habitual. Some nights I find myself waking at odd hours, unable to get back to sleep. I usually get up, tiptoe out of the bedroom, plop down in my nice comfortable easy chair, and read until I once again get sleepy. Tonight, however, my mind turned from the book I was reading and began asking itself a series of presumably rhetorical questions. And so I reached for the iPad and began to tap them into its memory, which is far more reliable than my own memory.

One would think that the true welfare of children is not a very high priority among pro-abortion politicians. Abortion, after all, has an obvious, fatal impact on the unborn child. Why, then, do so many pro-abortion politicians inevitably claim that the economic and social programs and policies they champion are all done "for the children"?

Why do so many seemingly intelligent people turn to socialism when it has been an abject failure whenever and wherever it has been tried? And why do an even greater number of people assume that the government will be the best provider of needed services when all evidence tells us otherwise?

In both business and engineering, I found that problems inevitably recurred unless their root causes were addressed and eliminated. Most people would agree that illegal immigrants don't flock to this country because life is better where they came from. Why, then, is all the attention focused on this side of the border when the root causes of the problem are the corrupt governments, dysfunctional economies, and oppression on the other side?

Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, was declared a national holiday over 140 years ago by both houses of congress and the president. The Supreme Court has not ruled this declaration unconstitutional. Why, then, do so many governmental entities, at all levels, attempt to prohibit employees and citizens from using the word "Christmas" in any public venue?

The First Amendment to our Constitution begins with the words, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Why have the courts expanded the "establishment clause" to include almost any mention of religion, while at the same time they have completely disregarded the second clause about prohibiting the free exercise of religion?

As dear Diane and I trimmed our tree and decorated our home in preparation for Christmas, I couldn't help but notice that almost every item -- ornaments, the large creche set, and most of the other decorations -- were made in China, a communist country with an official policy of atheism. What do the Chinese workers think when they design and make a ceramic Madonna or a Baby Jesus, or a rosary or crucifix? Does it cause them to question why so many people buy such things? I suspect so. Human beings are, after all, naturally religious and atheism is a rather modern aberration. I've, therefore, decided to pray for the conversion of all these workers, that the Holy Spirit will use these objects, these as yet unblessed sacramentals, to enlighten all those involved in their manufacture and lead them to the Way, the Truth and the Life.

At this point I've tired myself out once again...off to bed.

Religious Belief in China

A 2007 study investigating the religious beliefs of Chinese, conducted under the auspices of the Association of Religious Data Archives and funded by the Templeton Foundation, led to some remarkable findings.

For sixty years the Peoples Republic of China has used all the power available to a totalitarian government in an attempt to eradicate religion and all forms of religious belief among its people. Based of the results of this study, it would seem these attempts have been futile. Among the population of the PRC, a nation which advertises itself as an atheist state, no more than 15% are true atheists. The rest of the population (85%) actually practices some form of religion or, at a minimum, holds religious beliefs. More embarrassing to the communist regime is the fact that even among those who hold positions that require one to be an atheist, most of these have engaged in religious practices during the past year.

Chinese police arresting "underground" Catholics

It would seem that the Chinese communists have yet to learn that religious belief is something innately human, that human beings are in a sense hard-wired to search for God. Seeming to confirm this are indications that Christianity and Buddhism are both undergoing substantial growth among Chinese. Estimates of the number of Chinese Christians vary from 60 million to well over 100 million, and the true number may be even higher because an open admission of religious practice or belief can have grave consequences. Close to 200 million Chinese identify themselves as Buddhists, while the vast majority of the population, practice some form of ancestor worship.

According to Purdue Professor Fenggang Yang, one of the lead researchers on the project, many Chinese officials have come to accept the fact that religion cannot be eradicated. Despite the constant atheistic drumbeat that sounds in all Chinese schools and organizations, and in virtually every other Communist Party-run element of society, the Chinese people are becoming more religious and will continue to do so.

To read more click here: China's Religious Revolution and, somewhat surprisingly, an article in the Huffington Post.

Pray for the Chinese people who have suffered so much for so long...

"Free-market" China Still Totalitarian

Because the Chinese economy has undergone such remarkable growth in recent decades, largely due to governmental support of a quasi free-market economy, it's easy to forget that the Communist leadership still exerts near total control over every other aspect of Chinese life. The following AsiaNews story is a perfect example of the brutality that typifies life under totalitarian rule...

Young Chinese mother kidnapped and sterilized to enforce one-child law. Hong Kong (AsiaNews / CHRD) - A young mother of 23 was kidnapped and forcibly sterilized by the members of the population control office in Anhui. The news was reported today by the CHRD (Chinese Human Rights Defenders).

Li Hongmei, 23, from Changfeng County, gave birth to her first child last June 21. On 15 July, the office for family planning kidnapped her along with her child. When her family reported her disappearance, Li’s mother, Yang Yonglian, was arrested by local police and detained for 10 days on charges of "hindering the course of official duties."

Later the family learned that Li, a mother for less than a month, had been brought to the hospital in Shuangfeng, where members of the population control forced her to sign consent for her sterilization.

CHRD said that after the forced sterilization Li became ill and is suffering from dizziness and chest pains. At present she is still in hospital.

To ensure the economic development programs, and hold down the population growth, since the late 70's China has adopted a one-child law which allows a couple to have only one child. In every province, city, village an annual quota of new births is set. In order to meet this quota representatives of the Office for population control resort to forced abortions (even in the ninth month), sterilization of women and men, huge fines of up to one or two years of annual wages for those who have a second child.

Sociologists and economists have long warned about the dangers of a quickly aging population. Moreover, the preference for male children among farmers has led to a widespread practice of selective abortions, female foeticide and has also created a serious imbalance in the ratio between males and females. Because of this, different personalities are demanding that the state change the one child law, allowing at least two children per couple. Each year, however, the government reaffirms the "common good" of the On Child Act.  

A Falun Gong peaceful protester in the "workers' paradise"

It's always for the "common good", isn't it? And while the economists and sociologists might criticize the one child law for its unintended societal consequences, the more obvious, and much more damaging, consequences are ignored. Not only has this law resulted in millions of innocent Chinese unborn babies and newly born infants being callously murdered and thrown in the garbage, but the cumulative effect on the moral sense of the Chinese people must be devastating. When the most innocent are destroyed without a second thought, respect for all human life suffers dramatically.

God bless the China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD). I suspect their work is not without its dangers. I was unable to access their website and assume it has been taken down.

Pray for them and for the Chinese people.