Christians persecuted, hated around world

by: Rev. Alan F. Collier

Matthew 24:9, “Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.”

I hope this column, over the last few weeks, has helped to open your eyes to the hatred and persecution of Christians around the world. I also pray that it has opened your eyes to it right here in the United States. As I have said, it is nowhere near as bad as in other countries, but if we will look past the end of noses, we can see that it is coming fast.
The next few weeks I want to share with you information about some of the countries that our tax dollars are going to support in different ways. These countries’ governments hate Christ and most certainly hate Christians. In several of these countries the brave men and women of our Armed Services are risking, and in some cases giving, their lives for our freedom and safety.
As a veteran I experienced some of this persecution. The job I had while I was serving in the United States Air Force took me all over the world. Many of the countries that I was sent to were those which hated Christians.
Part of my job was planning the missions that we were assigned to work. Some were very short notice, only having a few hours to prepare before the planes would arrive to take us where the action was.
Just before we were to get on the buses to take us to our plane, I would give a mission briefing. In that briefing I would give some information on what we were going to do and where we were going. Many times I would be required to tell those who were going that they could not take anything which represented Christianity such as crosses or Bibles.
The countries where we have military personnel working so hard to wipe out terrorists have laws against Christians and Christianity. I want to give you a brief rundown on these countries, their major religion, and how they are governed. This week I will look at Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Afghanistan: Afghanistan is plagued by crime and the unstable government’s inability to control all of the country. One big challenge is stopping the ever-increasing growing of illegal opium.
The population of Afghanistan is 97 percent Muslim, 0.02 percent Christian. The ideology of the nation and its government is Islamic. Anyone who acknowledges faith in Christ Jesus experiences intense persecution, including death. Persecution normally comes from family members and neighbors while police and government officials turn a blind eye.
Some reports of persecution to Christians are: A young man became a Christian and was banned from his family house. Radical Muslims beat another man severely when they found he was sharing Christ with others. An evangelist who was formerly Muslim was attacked by al Qaeda assassins, but they were unable to kill him. One believer led several friends to Jesus only to see two of them killed shortly after because they had converted.
Pakistan: Pakistan suffers from suicide bombings and killings associated with terrorism. The conflicts are mainly between fundamentalist Islamic groups and the secular government. Though religious freedom is guaranteed in the country’s constitution, Christians increasingly suffer under Shariah law. The population of Pakistan is 96 percent Muslim and 2 percent Christian. The ideology of the nation is Islamic.
Some reports of persecution: Things are particularly bad for Pakistani Christians in northern areas of the country. Christians there live under constant threat from fundamentalist Muslims. On Feb. 22 of last year, the Taliban attacked six Christian churches, burned several homes of professing Christians, burned Bibles and injured children in Karachi. Eyewitnesses reported the Taliban shouting, “Accept Islam, accept Islam.” A 26-year-old woman is imprisoned for allegedly violating section 295-B of the legal code, the “blasphemy” law. She is falsely accused of ripping pages from the Quran. One Pakistani preacher said, “I was afraid and had fear, but when I attended a prayer meeting and heard that people were praying for me, I was encouraged … I decided to go back and preach in the same area. My fear is gone.”
I truly hope that Christ is pricking your heart to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters all over the world. I also pray that you will take the time to see what our government is trying to do to stop the spread of Christianity in America.
My dear brethren, it is the desire of my heart to see the Christians of our area uniting under the banner of the Cross of Christ to boldly proclaim the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Not just inside the walls of the church, but outside the walls, because it is there where you find the lost groping in the darkness and in desperate n