Religious Hatred @ MindSay 
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44).
Currently in this country and around the world the persecution facing Christians is the largest human rights violation issue in the world today. 200 to 300 million Christians in at least 60 countries are persecuted and denied fundamental human rights solely because of their Christian faith. Just on Mindsay, small real estate indeed considering the entire world, Christians are singled out by their blog name, maligned, ridiculed, made fun of, blocked, set apart and systematically inflicted with hatred. Many spend most of their blogging time targeting Christians and doing their very best to circle the Christian wagons and pick them off one at a time. It seems that the pot is always boiling on Mindsay around Christians.
I will agree and have stated that what happens on Mindsay is often provoked by Christians who mean well, but may not take the best approach in sharing their faith and what they believe. It can come off as an attack on those who have no interest in God, Christ, or anything having to do with religion. And often it gets ugly and things are said that good people should not say. This is not a feel sorry for the poor Christians blog although I will get comments to the contrary.
I have one recent modern day story and a few current headlines from around the world to follow.
What is persecution? Persecution: A situation where people are repetitively, persistently and systematically inflicted with grave or serious suffering or harm verbally or physically, and deprived of (or significantly threatened with deprival of) their basic human rights because of a difference (race, religion, nationality, political opinion, membership in a particular social group) that the persecutor will not tolerate.
What is the biblical response to religious persecution? Throughout history, people have been persecuted for what they believe. In the constant struggle for power, it has been common practice for those in power to use force and cruelty to subdue those who oppose them.
Of all religious faiths, none has been persecuted more than the Christian faith. As the handbook of Christianity, what does the Bible say about persecution? If you are a Christian suffering for your faith anywhere in the world today, how can you 1) believe God has allowed this persecution for your ultimate good and 2) respond to those who persecute you in a way that both pleases and honors God?
Could it be that God allows persecution for our ultimate good? That sounds like a radical concept, doesn't it? How could suffering be good?
When Christians suffer today for their faith in Christ, they are sharing in His suffering. Through it, they often become stronger and wiser. Additionally, those who do not yet believe will look at us and see the firmness of our faith. Our patient suffering may even draw them to believe. Know this: When God permits suffering of any kind, including persecution for our faith, it is always for our greater good.
One thing we discover about God right away is that His expressed will is sometimes the exact opposite of what we want to do. Jesus is known for His countercultural teaching. In Matthew chapter 5, He said this about how His disciples are to respond to persecution:
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Imagine that! Just when you and I want revenge, God, in the person of Christ, tells us to love that enemy. How can we do it?
Persecution Today. Modern day Christian persecution is prevalent. People of all ages are being persecuted for their faith. The Bible says that Jesus has called believers out of the world. We don't belong to the world anymore. John 15:19 says: "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
The Bible tells us that before we came to Christ, we were part of the world and were blinded from the truth. In other words, we were inside of a lie, partaking of worldly activities. After we came to Jesus and decided to give our lives to Him, we immediately gained an enemy - the devil. His goal is to take our eyes off of Jesus and he often uses persecution to distract and test us. Jesus knew this was going to happen. In John 15:18, Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." Jesus was even hated by the religious people of those times. In fact, it was the self-righteous people that ultimately wanted to kill Him.
When Jesus sent His disciples into the world, He knew it wouldn't be easy for them. They were going to be attacked and persecuted when they witnessed and shared Jesus with the people. In Mathew 10:16, Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
The beautiful thing is that Jesus didn't leave us as helpless orphans. He sent His Holy Spirit to empower us. We shouldn't be afraid of modern day Christian persecution. Jesus made an astonishing statement that we have to keep in our minds all the time: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).
Persecution because of our belief in God is a consequence of your choice to be on the part of the light. Persecution is a privilege. We impact others when we shine God's light into the world.
To everyone on Mindsay.
I can’t speak for every believer on Mindsay but I will say this based on biblical principles and understanding. We do not wish to inflame situations or malign other beliefs, and references to conversions to Christianity are intended as a testimony to the transforming power of Jesus Christ working in the individual lives and circumstances and not to provoke derision or criticism of other faiths, religious cultures and belief systems.
The abuse and persecution of Christians around the world and here on Mindsay is an escalating trend and may cause shock, dismay or even anger to Christians. While we are called to DEFEND THE GOSPEL, it is never our intention to incite hatred or adverse reaction. The teachings of Jesus Christ are clear and unambiguous, requiring that every individual seeking to practice the Christian faith is called to 'love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you'.
In keeping with the teachings of Jesus Christ, we might honor those who today live in challenging environments but choose the path of obedience, faith and trust, regardless of the consequences. We are instructed by the teachings of Jesus Christ to love our neighbor be they Buddhist, Hindu, Jew, Muslim or those of any other faith or belief system and witness to them by our example, and out of genuine concern for them.
If you are reading this blog and you belong to another religion or no religion, we/I want you to know that our prayer for you is that you may one day know the peace and joy in your life that comes through salvation in Jesus Christ. That prayer for you does not make us bad or warrant your persecution of us. It is hard to not go where we are not wanted because we would have no place to go most of the time. Again, Jesus suffered the very same 2000 years ago.
Consider this first-hand story of religious harassment, as told by a teenager:
It was a warm November morning in Southern California. Just two months earlier, my family had moved to the area so my parents could begin serving as pastor of a church. Up to now, school was going ok, but on this particular morning, I was being threatened intensely. I had never experienced it this way before.
Everyone knew I was a Christian and that I was a "pastor's kid" so they teased me about it. Sometimes I would get hit from behind, knocked in the head, or tripped in the hallway, but on this day, people were getting in my face.
Our P.E. class was waiting to get in the gym and there were no monitors or teachers to be seen. There were about five boys trying out different moves with knives (real knives), when one of them came up to me and asked me to fight. I turned him down and he called me a wuss and returned to his group.
Then he came at me again and hit me and said, "Come on you pansy." And again, I turned him down. He started back to his group, but turned back around. The next thing I remember was being picked up in a wheel chair by my P.E. teacher. I was covered in blood. Later, I learned from my classmates that I got knocked out and two of the boys went crazy and kept beating me! They kicked me so hard that it lifted my body off the ground. They took my head and lifted it off the ground and kicked it into the pavement. It was only by the grace of God that I even survived.
After the attack, I was very angry. I wanted revenge, but I hid it all inside. By the time I returned to school a week later, I was swamped with cards, phone calls, and e-mails from people I didn't even know. They praised me for being a great Christian example and succeeding in fending off Satan's attack. They said they were praying for me. How was I supposed to take revenge after that?
When I went to school, I was showered with friendship. Teachers cried as they told me how proud they were of me and how "such a good kid like me" didn't deserve what I received. I followed their cue and became the "good kid" at school. I joined the tennis team and received all-league player for my talent and my attitude. I had a great year. God was good!
A year later, I was a senior and my little brother was a freshman. School was going good for both of us. In November, as we were walking to our car, a huge kid knocked me in my jaw and said, "remember me?" With my younger brother watching, I calmly back up and headed for the school office. He turned around and slashed my car's tires.
Six days later, I was walking to our church around 7:00 and two gang members initiated me into their gang at knifepoint. After these incidences, our family prayed together and decided the Lord wanted us to leave the area.
It is now a year later and God has totally blessed our family. I am now attending Bible college. My dad is pastor of a small church in a different community and my younger brother is doing great in his small school. Prayer works!
I don't think these guys really even knew why they persecuted me. They just wanted me dead. What these guys and whatever evil spirits that were involved meant for evil, God used for good. My testimony for Jesus multiplied over and over again after the attack.
For the record: All the attacks were unrelated. The two boys in the initial attack were sentenced to two months in the Juvenile Hall. Following their release, they went back in for other violations. Their freedom lasted less than a month.
A few Headlines just from the last two days of Christian persecution around the world:
• Christians from Muslim Background Charged With Apostasy in Iran
Two Christians from Muslim backgrounds were officially charged with apostasy last week at the Public and Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, Iran, raising fears for their continued well-being.
Added: Sep 9th, 2008 2:43 AM
• Degar Montagnard Christian Receives House Arrest In Vietnam
An active Degar Montagnard Christian remained under house arrest in Vietnam's Central Highlands Monday, September 8, after he was already forced to sign a statement renouncing Christianity and pledging to stop attending a local church, his friends said.
Added: Sep 9th, 2008 2:42 AM
• Vietnamese Authorities Invade Church Service
Ten Vietnamese officers of the local police authority some of them in uniform, others in plain clothes and others in disguise, last Sunday, (August 31), rushed into the Church With A Mission house church interrupting the service and creating great anxiety among new converts.
Added: Sep 8th, 2008 2:52 AM
• Ailing House Church Leader Remains Detained In China
An ailing house church leader and owner of a Christian book store remained detained Friday, September 5, despite mounting pressure on China to release him because of health concerns, friends said.
Added: Sep 8th, 2008 2:51 AM
• House Churches Growing in Iran Despite Persecution
A major crackdown against house church Christians is proceeding in Iran.
Added: Sep 5th, 2008 3:16 AM
• Two More Killed In New Clashes In India State
Christians were facing an ultimatum in India's troubled state of Orissa to turn to Hinduism or face expulsion from their villages or even death following weekend violence in which at least two people were killed, missionaries said.
As I have said, many times we as Christians are to blame for being judgemental and for picking up the stick and taking a few swings back.
How can we all move forward?
Chaplain Hutch
An interesting replacement for the nigger and kike – the gay male. Not the gay female. Because the issue is based on scripture, and scripture has no prohibitions which – either implicitly, or explicitly – can be interpreted to refer to female sexual behavior with another female, lesbian conduct is acceptable to the deity represented by the scripture.
Since there is no broad prohibition, we must look at what is narrowly prohibited:
Leviticus 20:13. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. ” American Bible Society – KJV
Leviticus 20:13. “And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed an abomination; ... “ Jewish Publication Society 5717 (1956)
Men do not have a virginal opening – a fact which Fundamentalist, and Nationalist, Christians are apparently too stupid to grasp. It is a reality which speaks volumes of their ignorance of all things real and natural.
Since it is physiologically impossible for a man to have virginal intercourse with another man, on that level, the simile in Leviticus makes no sense. Thus it must be stating something else. Men are to have anal and oral sex with women.
This law could be read as dictating it is a woman’s duty to allow, and submit to, anal intercourse – or provide oral. In that context, and based on the specific wording as being on the man, it is an absolute duty of the man to provide oral to his mate.
There is yet another reading – that what you do with a woman cannot be done with a man as well. That it is either or. Either you engage in the activity with a woman, or with a man, but not with both. This would be perfectly logical and consistent with the absence of any prohibition against lesbian conduct – it would allow homosexual conduct; but mandate that there be no bisexual conduct.
If we think in real world terms – in the terms that are presented in scripture to govern all aspects of sexual conduct – it becomes logical to restrict the actions of a gay male with a straight female. As we see in the KJV the usage of “also” denotes bi-sexuality is the problem, not homosexuality – again, a reality consistent with the lack of prohibition against similar conduct between two women. The factor is one of Procreation: the act of reproduction, the act of bringing more homosexuals into the world by passing on the genetic trait carried by the male on his X chromosome.
The possibility of a gay woman having children can be minimalist – she has no motivation to have relations with a male so as to accidently conceive. Moreover, a lesbian was likely to abort any conceived child; and even if it wasn’t aborted, the probability of it getting the gene was lower. Homosexuality travels on the X chromosome – the man supplies one the woman has two, only one of which is transmitted and then there is better than a 50 percent probability that the child would be male. So the odds favor dead-ending the genetic trait in a male – and that brings us back to the prohibition.
As we learn more about the genetics of homosexuality, it becomes demonstratively clear that it is not a learned trait. Homosexuals are born, and are the product of a damaged gene associated with a female chromosome. Unless the mother carries the trait, a homosexual male cannot produce a homosexual son; but will definitely pass the trait to a daughter, who might then pass it to a daughter, or have it manifest in a son.
If we force the homosexual to “pass”, we are, in effect, increasing the prevalence of homosexuality in our gene pool – a fact which can be seen by the distorted presence of homosexuality in the current American population. It should be 2 percent or less, it has been estimated at 15 percent – clear evidence of what repression and “in the closet” policies will cause.
If homosexuals are allowed normal lives, and the right of free open association in family units, within three to five generations their numbers will diminish to insignificance. If they are suppressed, and prohibited from forming pair-bonds, their numbers will increase. It is simply a matter of breeding; and those who study the bible know that many of its laws pertain to breeding – the marriage of the most educated to the more educated and the production of a superior, highly educated, Rabbinate gene pool. Whereas, the Christian right is in the job of producing idiots.