The War on Christianity

Currently, over 200 million Christians worldwide are living under the threat of persecution.

Topping the list of countries which have mounted a campaign against Christians are China and Sudan followed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Burma, Greece, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. (Washington Watch, May 1998). Increasing persecution is also found in Cuba, Laos, and North Korea.

War on Christianity Source:

Many Islamic-dominated nations have adopted a fanatical, militant doctrine of persecution against all “infidels.”

The militant Islamic Government of Sudan, for example, is waging a self-described religious war against Christian, non-Muslim, and moderate Muslim persons by using torture, starvation, enslavement, and murder. In Pakistan, the government has declared those that who “insult” Mohammed will be put to death. In Communist Laos more than 250 pastors and Christian workers have been arrested; more than 60 churches and Christian institutions have been shut down; and the government has forced many thousands of believers to sign documents to “renounce” their faith and belief in Christianity.

In Saudi Arabia there is no religious freedom. Apostasy is punishable by death. There are no public worship services for non-Muslims. Anyone who does mission work or converts Muslims faces expulsion, jail, or execution.

In countries near and far, people are being persecuted simply because of their faith. Hundreds of men and women are in prison serving sentences that range from a few months to life. They are not criminals who have robbed or murdered other citizens but Christians who were put on trial for their faith in Christ and found guilty. Christians are beaten, tortured, imprisoned, and murdered by those who are hostile to their faith in Jesus Christ.

Never before in American history have Christians experienced being hated for following Jesus Christ as they are today.

Here in America the persecution of Christians has not yet reached the feverish pitch as in other parts of the world. There is still a Constitution that protects them and allows them to freely practice their faith. But, broiling beneath the surface, the same hatred of God that exists in other parts of the world is festering in all our institutions. Slowly, methodically, and incrementally the anti-God forces are working to remove that Constitutional barrier and replace it with the 10 Planks of Communism .

It is important to recognize that those who are working for the dissolution of our society and breakdown of the family have a spiritual agenda. They are not merely attempting to dismantle the historic cultural values of this nation and move us toward a new world order . They also want to destroy Christianity and Bible-based religion. It is a clear part of their agenda, and they have already moved a long way in that direction.

In America it is called ‘secularism’ and is becoming visible in all walks of life and in all our institutions. Numerous legislative and legal battles which I’ll discuss below attest to the fact that religious warfare is taking place.

The Media

Our entertainment industry and the news media sneer at anyone who defends Jesus Christ in public and have been leading a propaganda war of stereotyping Christians into a subordinate class. Their distortions reflect a genuine misunderstanding of who Christians are and what they believe.

Americas’ TV news broadcasts ignore conservative and Christian news events, except when coverage makes religious leaders look “cold, intolerant and oppressive,” says Washington, D.C.’s Media Research Center.

Though most Americans believe in God and regularly attend religious services, “religion and religious issues are hardly ever mentioned, much less covered, on network television morning, evening and magazine shows,” said the center’s chairman Brent Bozell. He said that the center has surveyed more than 18,000 nightly news shows broadcast by ABC, CBS, NBC, the Cable News Network and the Public Broadcasting Service, but found only 212 stories that focused on religion. That amounts to 1 percent of coverage although 52 percent of Americans say they attend church and more than 90 percent say that they pray regularly.

Network coverage of abortion and homosexuality “are never done from the religious viewpoint,” Bozell said. Instead, “religious figures are regularly portrayed as reactionary roadblocks while their positive influences are rarely covered.” Except at Christmastime, when the networks traditionally broadcast “heartwarming” segments in their broadcasts, the news shows usually portray religious groups and their leaders “as cold, intolerant and oppressive,” Bozell said. [“TV news broadcasters unfair to Christians, says research center,” Christian Crusade, April 1994]

Government

The federal government abridges the free exercise of religion in America by:

	Regulating churches and other religious organizations through its tax laws.
	Limiting religious liberty in the area of public and private education.
	Forbidding non-denominational prayer in public schools and at educational ceremonies.
	Excluding the Bible from school classrooms and from other school property.
	Refusing to permit the religious displays on public property, such as Christmas and Chanukah.

Schools

Possibly the most sinister battlefield in the war on Christianity takes place in the classroom . The Ten Commandments have been prohibited on school bulletin boards and most forms of prayer have been declared unconstitutional in the nation’s schools, even that which is student initiated.

Atheists and others who hate God despises Christians who help others come to a saving knowledge of Christ. They are determined to battle those who would help immature Christians — particularly Christian children — grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Increasingly, our children are discriminated against for trying to present their Christian convictions in school.

In 1997 U.S. District Court Judge Ira DeMent struck down a law that required schools to allow voluntary student-initiated prayers at school events, saying it created excessive state entanglement in religion. He ordered the end to school-sponsored religious activities, such as prayers during morning announcements and at school events even though it isn’t forced on students.

A high school student in Florida was suspended for handing out religious literature before and after – but not during – school hours. Two high school students in Texas were told by their principal they could not wear rosaries. The Principal claimed that they were symbols of gang activity, even though the boys were not involved in any gang.

In 2002, music teachers in Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia didn’t allow students to perform traditional carols like “Silent Night” and “The First Noel” during Chrismas. A New Jersey public school banned the Charles Dickens play, “A Christmas Carol” because of its spiritual overtones and message of redemption.

The Courts

Jjudge Roy Moore in Gadsden, Alabama, was ordered to stop conducting prayers in his courtroom and displaying the Ten Commandments. That led Alabama Gov. Fob James, a supporter of prayer in public schools, to vow to use state troopers, if necessary, to allow Moore to continue the prayers.

Confessed child rapist James Arnett’s sentence was overturned by an Ohio appeals court. The reason: the judge in his case quoted from Matthew 18:5-6 during sentencing.

The Public Square

The trend in the public forum is to replace the word “Christmas” with “Season’s Gretings” or “Happy Holidays.”

In March 1998, The ACLU put pressure on the small town of Republic, Missouri to remove a fish symbol from its official logo, calling it a “secret sign of Christianity.”

In April 1998, Rev. Patrick Mahoney was arrested for praying on the steps of the Supreme Court.

Tourists visiting Washington D.C. in 1997 were ordered by the police to stop praying in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

In 2003, the National Park Service removed 30 year-old plaques inscribed with Bible verses at Grand Canyon following complaints from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Workplace

The anti-Christian bias is a reality in many companies today — as you will discover if you refuse to work on Sundays, if you question “shading the truth” in presentations, or if you stubbornly hold to your Christian standards.

A Christian employee of Hewlet Packard was fired for posting Bible verses condemning homosexual behavior on his desk in response to posters displayed during a company campaign to promote a diverse work force. ( WorldNetDaily)

Businesses

Even though Krispy Kreme promises to give students a free doughnut for each “A” on their report cards, a store in Schereville, Indiana refused to reward the Kamp children for A’s received in Bible classes. [“Chain Won’t Give a Doughnut for an ‘A’ in Bible”, Wendy Cloyd, Assistant Editor, CitizenLink]