Prepare for Persecution

[RGR]

Bump!

[mrs]

He is right, Christianity is exclusive. Christianity has absolute truth, and the world hates that.

[Leonard]

I was speaking to the Arizona State chapter of the National Association of Evangelicals several years back, and told them that in our society "We (Christians and Christianity) are already marginalized. We are the only group it is acceptable to insult, berate, and engage in hate speach toward, on the public airways. Our ideas are not even considered, not because they have been investigated and found wrong, for they are NOT investigated; they are rejected out of hand, rather, BECAUSE THEY COME FROM US! We are in about the same position German Jews were in 1926......"

And the clock is ticking................

[forrestkc]

Not allowing a group to persecute others is not persecution. We are a Christian controlled nation. Virtually everyone holding any political power in this country is a Christian. I have said this before and I will say it again, it is a slap in the face to Christians in this world that actually do face real persecution for Christians in America to pull the persecution card.

Not being able to use taxpayer property to put up a nativity scene is not persecution.

Getting your home bulldozed because you have an illegal house church, thats persecution.

Getting imprisoned because of your religious beliefs, thats persecution.

Having your village burned and your kids raped simply because your a christian community, thats persecution.

[Emily~Anne]

How about being allowed to bring any book to work, except the bible?

[Zadok Rox]

Not allowing a group to persecute others is not persecution. We are a Christian controlled nation. Virtually everyone holding any political power in this country is a Christian. I have said this before and I will say it again, it is a slap in the face to Christians in this world that actually do face real persecution for Christians in America to pull the persecution card.

Not being able to use taxpayer property to put up a nativity scene is not persecution.

Getting your home bulldozed because you have an illegal house church, thats persecution.

Getting imprisoned because of your religious beliefs, thats persecution.

Having your village burned and your kids raped simply because your a christian community, thats persecution.

While I believe the idea about virtually everyone in office being a Christian is dubious, forrestkc is right on the money about how we in America don't have the foggiest idea what true persecution is. We're highly blessed if the only thing we have to worry about is people cussing us out or labeling us as a bunch of bigoted brainless idiots. Many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world would be happy live 1,000 of our worst days for one of their best days.

However, I do believe that the day is coming when America will persecute Christians here the same way as our brethern in nations hostile to the Gospel are persecuted. Even if we raised our voices and proclaim that our constitutional rights are being violated, they will fall upon deaf ears.

[forrestkc]

You want to show me some stats on that? And I have said before, and will say it again, just because someone says they are a Christian does not mean that they accept Jesus as their Savior and live according to guidelines laid out in scripture. Go into a crowd and ask 10 people what a Christian is and you will get 10 different answers. In the 21st century, "Christian" is a watered-down term that means whatever anyone wants it to mean. It does not mean someone is nesseccarily a follower of Christ. If that many people holding "political power" in this country are Christians, they are not very good ones.

As no one has a window into the hearts of others, compiling a statistic of which politicians are true Christians is impossible.

Persecution comes in many more forms than just having property destroyed or suffering personal injury. When you can bring the Quran to school and have nothing said to you but be forbidden to bring in a Bible, that is persecution. When you can display anything else you want on taxpayer property, except anything that smacks of Christianity, that is persecution. They are just less violent types of persecution that will slowly but surely grow into larger and larger forms.

You can bring a Bible to school. Kids do so all the time. If your district prevents you from doing so, go down to your local ACLU office and sue them, you will win. As to the rest of your post, the courts have ruled that you cannot use public offices or institutions to promote or endorse specific religious beliefs. That goes for any religious belief, not just Christianity.

[Smalcald]

Well there is true persecution and there is being made fun of and mocked.

We would fall more into the second camp, but that is what Christ said would happen. I do think we should prepare ourselves for future trails though. The more we seek to be part of the secular world, the more we will be disappointed when that world turns on us. The biggest danger in my mind to Christians in the US though is not currently overt persecution, but becoming subsumed into the culture that surrounds us. Although most of us are not Jews, and none of us are ancient Jews, God's handling of His people in those times is instructive. He told them to be a separate people with separate ways. Thus Jew's do exist today, while all of those who surrounded the Jews in Ancient Judea are no longer a people, they are all extinct as a people and a culture.

It may be time to begin to separate ourselves from this hedonistic culture. Ironically the more we attempt to separate ourselves the more true persecution we will probably face.

[forrestkc]

How about being allowed to bring any book to work, except the bible?

You can bring a Bible to work with you. People do so all the time. Now, can you proselytize to others at work? No of course not, your not being paid to do that. Thats not persecution though.

[forrestkc]

Well there is true persecution and there is being made fun of and mocked.

We would fall more into the second camp, but that is what Christ said would happen. I do think we should prepare ourselves for future trails though. The more we seek to be part of the secular world, the more we will be disappointed when that world turns on us. The biggest danger in my mind to Christians in the US though is not currently overt persecution, but becoming subsumed into the culture that surrounds us. Although most of us are not Jews, and none of us are ancient Jews, God's handling of His people in those times is instructive. He told them to be a separate people with separate ways. Thus Jew's do exist today, while all of those who surrounded the Jews in Ancient Judea are no longer a people, they are all extinct as a people and a culture.

It may be time to begin to separate ourselves from this hedonistic culture. Ironically the more we attempt to separate ourselves the more true persecution we will probably face.

There is another side to this. Anyone can simply take a quick glance at this board and see where Christians mock and make fun of non-believers, those of other faiths, and groups like scientists all the time. Its a two way street.