Burnings

I noticed a one-paragraph story in this morning’s paper, one of those world news blurbs from the A.P. presumably used by an editor to fill up the page with interesting tidbits. The tiny story had a big headline: “After Quran Burnings, U.N. Calls for Countries to Fight Religious Hate.” The single paragraph that follows doesn’t tell us much, only that “The U.N.’s top human rights body overwhelmingly approved a measure calling on countries to do more to prevent religious hatred in the wake of Quran burnings in Europe.” It seems the “overwhelming” vote was 28 to 12 in favor of the measure, although we’re told very little about the actual content of the measure or who voted yea or nay. The only other piece of information shared with us is that the measure passed “despite objections from Western countries who fear tougher steps by governments could trample freedom of expression.” That’s it.

Anyway, the story piqued my curiosity, so I did a little online research. According to the U.N.’s website, the measure brought about an urgent debate to “discuss the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by recurrent desecration of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries.” These desecrations of the Quran were apparently the catalyst that led the U.N. Human Rights Council to address the issue of religious hatred. It would seem, then, for those 28 countries who voted “Yes”, Quran burning is the ultimate act of religious hatred. 

This led me to ask, “Who voted Yea and who voted Nay?” And I found the answer quickly thanks to Al Jazeera, the Islamic news agency that never misses a chance to attack the West. Their coverage included a complete breakdown of the vote. Once again, keep in mind these nations are the members of the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, what the A.P. called it’s “top human rights body”. We should, then assume they are all in favor of human rights…right? Here’s the vote:

Glancing through the list of Yes votes, it’s hard not to notice that many of them are totalitarian, or authoritarian, or theocratic, or just plain old dictatorships. Since the measure was precipitated by the most recent Quran burning in Sweden, we can rightly assume the Islamic nations voted for the measure. Of course, their concept of human rights is somewhat restrained, and generally relates only to what they consider Islamophobia. Sadly, within their own nations, most deprive the Kafir (the non-Muslim) of basic human rights, particularly religious rights. And the extremists among them, the Jihadists, simply kill non-Muslims which they believe to be a religious duty. We recall the many executions based solely on religion, like the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by ISIS in 2015 (see below):

I will gladly admit, I am strongly against Quran burning, or Bible burning, although I don’t believe it should be criminalized. But such actions, although obvious examples of religious hatred, do not compare to the far more vile crimes being committed against the world's most persecuted religion, Christianity.

Speaking of burning, in Egypt hundreds of Christian churches have been destroyed, often burned, by Muslims. And, perhaps surprisingly to most people, the same has been happening in parts of India (another Yes voter) but perpetrated by radical Hindus who want to eliminate all Christian communities. In both nations (and many others) the seeming indifference of local and national police agencies is telling. I find it interesting that such persecution of Christian minorities is taking place in India, often described as “the world's largest democracy”. This is another reason why unchecked democracy, which leads to the dictatorship of the majority, is really no different from any other form of totalitarianism. We should thank God every day for the wisdom of our Founding Fathers who, because they recognized the perils and historic evils of pure democracy, left us a lasting (we hope) legacy of a constitutional republic.

One parting comment: Because the United Nations has staffed its Human Rights Council with so many nations who openly despise human rights, I see no reason to pay much attention to anything that flows out of that building into the East River.

Pray for those who persecute us.

Strange, Unexpected and Tragic Things

(Late Note: my apologies for the bad links in the earlier post. They have now been fixed.)

Every once in a while I can't help myself and I get "political". Here are Just a few interesting and strange things I encountered in the news today...

John Kerry. It seems our Secretary of State, a man by the way, who shopped for combat decorations and told some whoppers about his service on swift boats in Vietnam, apparently doesn't realize that North Korea already has nuclear weapons. In an interview with Martha Raddatz of ABC News, Secretary Kerry said, "To have a nuclear weapon, potentially, in the hands of somebody like Kim Jong In - Jun just becomes even more unacceptable." Potentially? Uh, Mr. secretary, the North Koreans have tested nuclear weapons at least three times. Kim Jong Un already has these weapons. Ain't nothin' potential 'bout that. Read the transcript here.

Presidential Polls. As of today polling shows that a sizable majority of Americans believe the president lied when he repeatedly told the nation that under the so-called Affordable Care Act -- aka Obamacare -- we could keep our health care plans and doctors, period! The 2014 election cycle should be really interesting, especially for the Democrat House and Senate members who supported Obamacare and are up for reelection. Oh, yeah, as I recall every single Democrat in the Senate and the vast majority of Democrat House members voted for the act...without ever reading it.

Duck Dynasty. Interesting stuff. Phil Robertson, the Duck Dynasty patriarch, has been placed on indefinite hiatus (i.e., fired) by the A&E Network for his blunt comments about sin and the homosexual lifestyle in a GQ magazine interview. Since then, the vast majority of TV's talking heads have labeled the interview a big mistake by Robertson, who they believe didn't consider what his "inflammatory" words might lead to. One wag, Howard Bragman, of reputation.com stated, "There's too much money at stake. Although he plays kind of a hick on TV, I don't think he's dumb. I think he gets what's at stake here. And I hope people on his team, the network and his producers get the message that what he did was wrong." Dana Perino, a regular on the Fox News show, The Five, just couldn't stop wringing her little hands over the fact that gays and many others were so very offended that Robertson called homosexual activity sinful and lumped it together with greed, bestiality, adultery, terrorism, and other sins. Well, Dana, duh! Orthodox Christianity -- and here I'll include Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and most Evangelicals, etc. -- all believe and teach this. These things are sinful, but like Phil Robertson, we hate the sin but love the sinner. And like Phil, too, we know we're all sinners.

I suspect most of these inside-the-beltway folks have never watched the show or they'd realize what is truly important to the Robertsons. What all these upwardly mobile, dollar-driven, and PR-obsessed media flacks don't realize is that for Phil Robertson and his family, the money, the show's success, and the "bad" PR resulting from his comments are all secondary concerns. This family is a Christian family that accepts Christian moral teaching. Living and professing their faith is more important to them than a TV show and they will gladly walk away from their lucrative A&E gig rather than compromise their beliefs. Phil Robertson may have been overly graphic in his choice of words, but he spoke only what he and many Christians believe. Personally, I consider him a courageous man. May his tribe increase!

And for those homosexuals who see Phil Robertson and other believing Christians as threats, I suggest they look east and see what's happening to homosexuals in Islamic nations. Indeed, even in India Muslim clerics are issuing fatwas against homosexuals, calling for the execution of gays and unmarried couples who have live-in relationships:  "A person may be burnt alive, pushed from a high wall or be beaten publically with stones if he indulges into either of the two behaviours." I predict the gay activists who have been so vocal about the Robertson clan will say nothing about these atrocities since they're not committed by Christians. The photo below shows two young homosexuals, Mahmoud Asgari, 16, and Ayaz Marhoni, 18, about to be hanged in Iran. Read more here.

Lying is OK. That's right, according to some in the mainstream media it's okay to lie if by doing so you support the progressive agenda. Several media types have recently stated openly that it's perfectly acceptable to lie for politically correct reasons. During a panel discussion, MSNBC host, Toure Neblett, stated, “If a lie is being told to a corporation, it’s not really a lie" -- an interesting comment coming from an employee of Comcast, a major corporation. Panel member Josh Barro agreed, saying in effect that corporations lie in their advertising so we can lie to them. And then there was Matt Yglesias, the liberal blogger at JournoList who confidently included this missive on Twitter: “Fighting dishonesty with dishonesty is sometimes the right thing for advocates to do..."  It's all reminiscent of an interview with Dan Rather back in 2001 when, speaking of Bill Clinton and honesty, he said, “I think at core he’s an honest person...but I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things.”

Killer of Christians Convicted. Two years ago, on Christmas Eve, a bomb exploded in St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, a suburb of the Nigerian capital. The attack killed 37 Catholic parishioners and wounded 57 more. It was carried out by the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, a group that believes Christians must either convert or be killed. This week a Nigerian court sentenced Kabiru Sokoto to life imprisonment for his role in the deadly attack. This was a courageous decision by the court since Boko Haram has not hesitated to target government officials who act against it. Read more here.

The devastation of Nigerian Christian communities is ongoing and over 200 Christians have been murdered by Islamist terrorists in the past six months. Condemning the attacks on Christian communities, Bishop Michael Apochi of the Diocese of Otukpo, stated that “Life has become unbearable for our church members who have survived these attacks, and they are making worship services impossible.” You can read more on the persecution of Nigerian Christians here.

Prince Charles Surprise. The future King, assuming he outlives his mum, is usually very careful not to utter a disparaging word against anything Islamic. But even Charles has apparently been forced to admit that Islamists are systematically killing Christians. For Christians in the Middle East and North Africa, the so-called Arab Spring has resulted only in dramatically increased persecution. At a London reception at Clarence House, the prince informed his guests that "For 20 years I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding...The point though, surely, is that we have now reached a crisis where bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so. This is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution including to the Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time." Read more here.

Inside the Beltway...They Really Hate Us. The Washington Post, the fish-wrapper of record in our nation's capital, has let the cat out of the bag by revealing how the DC types really feel about those who live elsewhere. Because much of America disapproves of how these parasites feed greedily on their money, the Post calls them "haters". (Click here to read the Post piece.)  

Republicans winning big among haters, Post-ABC poll finds

It's been an interesting year. I have a feeling 2014 will be far more interesting. Reading about all the strangeness in the world, I find myself especially comforted knowing that God is in charge...because we sure aren't.

Persecution Update

Every so often I glance around the world and take note of the growing persecution of Christians. It's not a particularly pleasant task, and so I don't do it too often, but I consider it a necessary task. As Christians we must raise our voices in defense of our brothers and sisters who suffer because of their faith; indeed, we should defend anyone who suffers religious persecution, regardless of their beliefs. The persecution of Christians, however, should not surprise us. After all, did not our Lord, Himself, tell us to expect persecution, to consider it a blessing, and to rejoice in it?

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you" [Mt 5:11-12].

The persecution of Christians stems primarily from our doing as Jesus instructed us. So long as we obey the Lord's command to "Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations..." [Mt 28:19], we will be persecuted by those whose vision for the world coincides with that of the prince of the world. St. Paul didn't mince words when he told the Ephesians that our struggle is against Satan:

"Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens" [Eph 6:11-12].

As Jesus reminded us, "...the ruler of the world is coming" [Jn 14:30]. But then He added, "He has no power over me..." And if Satan has no power over Jesus, then he has no power over the Church; for Christ and His Church are one, even in the midst of persecution. Recall how Jesus confronted Saul, the persecutor of Christians, on the road to Damascus: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" [Acts 9:4] Yes, when the Church suffers persecution, so too does our Lord.

Let's see, then, just a few of the examples of how our Lord is suffering in the world lately...

Muslim mob burning Christian homes in Lahore

Lahore, Pakistan. Imran Shahid, a Muslim barber refused to serve a young Christian, Sawan Masih, 28, and then launched into a verbal attack on Christianity. Accompanied by several others, the barber went to the police and accused the young Christian of blasphemy, saying he had insulted the prophet Muhammad. Blasphemy is a crime in Pakistan that can result in a life sentence. Even though the police arrested Sawan, a mob of local Muslims went on a rampage and attacked the local Christian community. They set homes on fire, threw acid and stones, and injured at least 35 people. Over 150 Christian homes, shops and churches were set ablaze. The authorities did nothing until the destruction was complete, and the leader of the Muslim community, the local imam, said that they would kill Sawan when they got their hands on him. Bishop Rufin Anthony, of the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi said "It is very sad to see that minorities in Pakistan are not safe and are targeted for their religion. It is vital that we work for national harmony." Read more here.

Victim of attack

Karnataka, India. A mob of Hindu nationalists raided the home of the pastor of a community of Pentecostal Christians, World of Victory Ministries, as the community gathered for a prayer vigil. Eight of the Christians, two women and six men, including one of the community's pastors, Fr. Ramesh Poojari, were hospitalized. Fortunately, in this instance the police arrived quickly and arrested 16 of the attackers. Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, stated that this was the sixth attack on the Christians of Karnataka in 2013. He went on to say:

"Hostility and religious intolerance continue to grow and are a cause of serious concern for the vulnerable Christian minority. These believers had gathered for a night vigil, an absolutely legal act. Freedom of religion is a constitutional right, but these extremists have political protection in Karnataka's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, ultra-nationalist Hindu party) and are encouraged to persecute the Christian community, particularly the Pentecostals."

Read more here and here.

Copt protests persecution in Egypt

Egypt. For Egypt's Christian community, which represents about 10% of the country's population, the so-called "Arab Spring" has led to nothing but more persecution. During just the past two months too many Christians have been killed or injured, or had their property and churches destroyed. Many of these attacks have been instigated or encouraged by local Muslim clerics. In Alexandria, for example, a group of Salafists killed five Christians they suspected of building a church. (Salafists are among the most radical of Islamic fundamentalists and believe violent jihad against non-Muslims is a legitimate expression of Islam.) And just this week dozens of Muslims threw firebombs as they stormed a Christian church looking for a woman they believed had converted to Christianity. Several dozen policemen and Christians were injured in the attack. The woman was later located. She had not converted but had disappeared for family and social reasons. Many Christians have also been arrested for allegedly desecrating the Qur'an or converting Muslims. 

Egyptian Copt weeps over Christian killed in confrontation with police

Persecution.org, a website reporting on worldwide religious persecution, recently reported the following on the persecution of Christians in Egypt:

A new Islamic militant group, which calls itself Jihad al-Kufr, meaning jihad (holy war) against non-believers or non-Muslims, is threatening Christians in Egypt, Fox News reports. According to an Arabic news site, several Coptic Christians were told to convert to Islam or die. Under Sharia law, leaving Islam is punishable by death, and Sharia is cited as a source of law in Egypt’s new constitution that was approved in December. Under Egypt’s new Islamist government, radicals have gained unprecedented freedoms to implement their interpretation of Sharia on Egypt’s streets, as attacks against Christians and their places of worship have increased while offenders roam free without fear of punishment. “This incident caught the attention of the news agencies, but there are worse things happening to the Christians every day in Egypt,” said Adel Guindy, president of Coptic Solidarity and a member of Egypt’s Coptic community.

The growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist groups in President Mohammed Morsi's administration makes it unlikely the persecution of Egypt's Christians will do anything but increase. Read more here.

I have no time to continue but, as Jesus predicted, the persecution of Christians will continue unabated. Pray for the Church and for those who suffer today for their faith.

Quick Trip Around the World

Pakistani Women Celebrating Their Freedom

Pakistan: Death to Dancers. The next time you attend a wedding reception and join the other guests as they "Ooh" and "Aah" when the bride and groom take to the dance floor, just be thankful you don't live in Pakistan. In that country, our on-again-off-again ally in the war on terror, an Islamic court recently sentenced six people (four men and two women) to death for the crime of dancing at a wedding. I trust this will be an eye-opener for those of you who think the imposition of sharia law is really no big thing. It seems the four men managed to escape and are now in hiding, while the fate of the two women is unknown. According to the court, "Dancing is against Islam." I suppose they've never heard of their mystic Sufi co-religionists, the Whirling Dervishes.

Holy Family Church

India: Fear Among Catholics in Kashmir. Holy Family Church in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir was set afire a few weeks ago by unknown perpetrators. Jammu and Kashmir is the only Indian state with a Muslim majority population and the local authorities seem uninterested in finding and arresting those responsible. Indeed, one local man, a Hindu convert to Catholicism, stated that this attitude on the part of the authorities shows how Christians have been abandoned by the state. "Catholics feel less secure," he added, and "in Kashmir, they have been reduced to zero." 

Vivian Salameh

Jordan: Creeping Islamization. Jordan, a majority Muslim nation which in the past has been very tolerant and respectful of its Christian population, is changing...and it's not for the better. For example, a Christian woman was just fired by her employer, the Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank, for not complying with its new rules requiring women to cover their heads while at work. Vivian Salameh has worked for the bank for 25 years, and has, therefore, filed a complaint against the bank. The director of the Catholic Media Center in Jordan, Fr. Rif'at Bader, is particularly concerned about Ms. Salameh's case. In his words, "Gulf States are using Islamic banking to introduce Sharia precepts in the population. No one was ever been discriminated for being Christian. The government should not allow such practices in our country. Our constitution protects freedom of worship."

United Kingdom: Pro-life Literature Is Offensive. Margaret Forrester received a pink slip from the UK's National Health Service because she engaged in "gross professional misconduct." It seems the mental health worker committed the horrible "sin" of giving a colleague (not a client) a booklet that discussed the problems, both physical and psychological, that some women experience after undergoing an abortion. Her supervisors at the NHS were particularly upset because, horror of horrors, the booklet was "religious in tone." She is challenging her dismissal in court.

USA: President Obama Losing the Religious Vote. The president, who did fairly well among Catholics and evangelicals in the 2008 elections, is apparently losing much ground among these constituencies. It seems the president's campaign staff and the DNC have taken the moderate religious vote for granted and are focusing their efforts elsewhere. Click here to read an excellent article on the subject: Obama Losing Religious Vote.


And yet, despite all the strangeness in our world, God remains in charge. Thank Him for that.

Another Indian Catholic Murdered

I have several Hindu acquaintances, and all are good people who try to live lives that we Christians would probably say are reflective of Gospel values. They are kind and charitable and honest. Of course, they all live here in the United States, in a largely secular society where they are a distinct minority. I suspect being a Hindu in India is a vastly different experience. And so it's hard for me to understand that in India Hindu extremists -- or as they are sometimes labeled, radical Hindu fundamentalists -- have been waging a kind of religious war against Christians who make up only a tiny minority of India's huge population. This persecution, which has been going on for years now, seems to be directed particularly at Indian Catholics and has been especially harsh in the Indian state of Orissa, a poor state located on the Bay of Bengal, south of Calcutta.

Orissa Christian Refugees

Interestingly, while attention has occasionally been focused on persecution of Christians in Muslim countries, there seems to be little media interest in what has been taking place in the nation often called, "the world's largest democracy." Just to give you an idea of the harshness of the persecution, in one six-month period in 2008 six Orissa Catholics were killed, 5,000 were left homeless, and 70 churches, 600 homes, six convents, and three seminaries were destroyed. In other parts of India nuns have been attacked by mobs accusing them of forcing conversions and hundreds of other acts of aggression and anti-Christian persecution have been aimed at Christians. The parliament of the state of Rajasthan passed an anti-conversion law that calls for a five-year prison term and a 50,000 rupee fine (over $1,000) for anyone who converts others "by force, coercion, or fraud." Like similar laws in six other states, it is, of course, aimed at Christians.

This persecution by Hindus has continued virtually unchecked by local governments that too often look the other way or fail to investigate thoroughly. The latest instance involves the disappearance and suspected murder of Angad Digal, a Catholic in Orissa who local authorities say was murdered on March 10th when traveling in the company of two Hindu acquaintances. His family and others have been searching for his body without success. Although one of the two men suspected in Digal's death has been arrested, a local Catholic priest has accused the police of dragging their feet.

It's all very sad and says a lot about the true state of Indian democracy. It should also awaken the majority of Hindus who respect the religious rights of others and their freedom to worship. When are they going to call on their government to put a stop to this often savage persecution?

Pray for our brothers and sisters in faith who continue to respond courageously and charitably while living under such persecution.

For more information, click here: Christian Persecution in India and Catholic Online

Persecution Update

It's getting downright dangerous to be a Christian in certain parts of the world these days. Here are just some incidents of  overt anti-Christian persecution that have occurred in the past few days:

• In Muslim Uzbekistan, groups of Baptists had their homes raided by police, and were then beaten and fined. Their crime? Unauthorized praying. It seems that in this wonderful country to gather together for religious purposes is illegal, unless of course you're a Muslim. Oh, yes, in addition to the beatings and fines, the police also confiscated all those dangerous Bibles and hymnals used by the Baptist criminals. The courts have predictably sided with the police. By the way, the Uzbek constitution supposedly guarantees "freedom of thought, speech and convictions." It would seem that Uzbek judges have been taking lessons in constitutional law from some of our judges. (Read more here.)

• In India persecution of Christians by Hindus, often sanctioned or tolerated by local authorities, is increasing. The latest example took place in Karnataka and involves the vice principal of a local Catholic school, who also happens to be a brother and Missionary of the Holy Cross. Brother Philip was dragged out of the school by a huge mob of 300+ people and beaten. Even a local police inspector tool part in the attack. It seems that the leaders of the mob want to seize the school's property for use by a newly-built Hindu temple. To facilitate this they accused the brother of sexual abuse of students. The Provincial Superior of the order issued a statement in which he stated, "There was a serious violation of human rights against brother Phillip...all the accusations are unfounded infamy”. It seems the parents of the two students who were allegedly abused have repeatedly threatened Brother Philip because of his involvement in the dispute with the Hindus over the school's property. Oh, yes, and the accusations of abuse didn't surface until after the beating by the mob. (Read more here.)

•  In southern Malawi, where the population is 75% Muslim, copies of the New Testament used by students in a Catholic school were destroyed. Who destroyed them? Muslim students who attend the school. The students called the use of the New Testaments an "insult to Islam" and claimed that they were forced to accept copies. They went on  a bit of a rampage, tearing up the books, screaming at their teachers, and throwing pages into the street. The school disputes the students' claims, stating that no Muslim students were ever given the New Testament, and indeed no student was obliged to take a copy. When local Muslim leaders went to the school demanding an apology, they were set straight by a Muslim teacher who confirmed the school's statement. As a result, the Muslim leaders attacked the teacher. This incident -- and it's worth reading the full story here -- shows how Muslim youth are being radicalized throughout the world. It's not something we should ignore.

 Yes, it's become an increasingly hostile world for Christians, but we are still commanded to "make disciples of all nations." And so, like our courageous missionaries throughout the globe, we must continue to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to all, confident that He is with us "always, until the end of the age."

Missionary Forced to Leave Kashmir

Father Jim Borst, a Dutch Catholic missionary who has been in Kashmir since 1963, is being forced to leave the Indian province because the two schools he runs are simply too good. This fact is apparently embarrassing to the local Islamic supremacists who cannot stand the fact that these two Christian schools outperform the local madrasas or Islamic religious schools that focus largely on indoctrination rather than education. It also bothers them that some small element of Kashmir society is not controlled by Islam. Kashmir is almost entirely Muslim (97% of the population) and many prominent Muslims have sent their children to the two schools because of the quality of education received. The schools have never had the goal of proselytizing among the Muslim population. This, however, is the charge leveled against Fr. Borst, that he was trying to convert children to Christianity. Read more in the story published on AsiaNews.it. Additional details are also available on this website devoted to the persecution of Christians in India.

Religious Persecution on the Rise in Asia

As some of you may know, I like to keep an eye on the persecution of the Church in our world, and on occasion I try to bring some of these events to your attention. I don't do this out of any sense of outrage. After all, Jesus told us expect persecution and, to some extent, to welcome it. That being said, I don't highlight these incidents in an effort to convince you to seek martyrdom...not at all. No, I do this for two reasons. First, I simply want to keep you informed about what's happening to your Church elsewhere in the world, because the mainstream media certainly won't. If you're unaware of these assaults on the Body of Christ, it's unlikely that you will take any steps, including prayer, to alleviate them. Second, I believe you and I are strengthened in our own faith when we are exposed to the example of those who are persecuted today for their love of Jesus Christ. And we just may need to call on that strength sooner rather than later. Only God knows.

Women in Orissa, an Indian state, protest anti-Christian riots

As perhaps a sign of more widespread persecutions to come, the nations of Asia are becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity. Some formerly tolerant nations are turning a blind eye to anti-Christian violence perpetrated by religious fundamentalists. Others have or plan to enact laws prohibiting conversion. And in some -- particularly in communist nations like Vietnam, China and North Korea -- the government itself acts as the persecutor. Throughout Asia religious freedom seems to be suffering as governments cave in to the wishes of extremists or as ideology drives them to accept or actively participate in the persecution of religious groups, particularly Christian religious groups. Some examples of what's happening in Asia these days:

Hindu mob destroys a car outside a Christian church in India

Just a year ago in India, Hindu fundamentalists carried out a violent persecution of Christians that killed hundreds and created 100,000 or more refugees. And this happened in a nation that once took pride in its commitment to religious freedom. Unfortunately these persecutions have continued. Just recently a Catholic priest was murdered while on his way to celebrate Mass.

Christian couple in front of their home in Gojra (Pakistan) destroyed in anti-Christian violence on 8/2/09 (8 dead, 20 injured, scores homeless)

In Pakistan, just recently, an angry mob of over 3,000 Muslims went on a rampage through the Christian sector of a village where they burned eight Christians alive. Among those killed were four women and a young child. Over twenty others were seriously injured, fifty Christian homes were destroyed, and thousands were forced to flee for the lives to avoid being summarily executed by these extremists. The mob was incited by mullahs who wanted to rid the area of Christians. In other parts of Pakistan, the imposition of sharia law has led Christians and others to leave some provinces for fear of being arrested simply for practicing their faith.

In Egypt, Muslim police beat Christian

All of the Islamic nations of Asia make it difficult for those who would convert to Christianity and some have made conversion illegal, punishable in some instances by death. Two largely Hindu nations, India and Sri Lanka, are considering passing laws aimed at preventing conversions. Virtually all the countries of central Asia limit religious freedom to some extent.

Christian children pray at the destroyed church of St. Rum’s in Baghdad’s Karrada neighborhood; five churches were attacked in one day in pre-dawn bombings

As one might expect, in the communist nations of Asia religious persecution is government policy and is exercised in varying degrees of severity. The persecution of Christians over the past 60 years in communist China is well documented and, despite the nation's seeming acceptance of some free-market principles, it remains ideologically rigid when it comes to religion. In Vietnam, where many of the people still retain their Catholic faith, the Communist government has been exercising its muscle through recent persecutions that have included mass arrests, beatings, and destruction of Church property.

Vietnamese Catholics protest police beating of a priest

One of the sad elements of this trend toward increased religious persecution in Asia is the near silence with which it has been greeted by most Western nations. In their efforts to appear multicultural and politically correct Western governments seem to have forgotten that tolerance is a two-way street.

Unfortunately, we and our Western European relations no longer consider ourselves Christian nations, and certainly not Judeo-Christian nations. And so there is no real impetus to defend Christianity when it suffers persecution. Why defend what you don't believe in? What our politicians fail to realize is that those who would destroy Christianity aren't content to accomplish just that. They want to destroy both Christianity and the civilization that arose out of it...and that includes these same politicians. Foolish men!

President Obama bows to Saudi King Abdullah

President Bush with good buddy, King Abdullah

In his response to the rise of anti-Christian persecution, Pope Benedict pleads with Christians everywhere to pray, to pray not only for the persecuted, but for those who persecute. It is only through Christianity, through Christ's presence in the world, Christ's presence in us, that our world will be reconciled to the truth, that divisions among peoples and nations will be healed, and that the world will be transformed in Jesus Christ. Fortunately for the world, God is in control, even when it might seem He has left us to our own meager devices. And so we will pray; we will pray for the conversion of the world.

Come, Lord Jesus!!