The Fate of Christians in the Middle East

rocketjsquirell

Posts: 12,197

We have a lovely Coptic Church about 2 miles from my office, a couple of Greek and other Orthodox Churches with various "Turks" and Arab Eastern Orthodox Christians within a few miles of my office. It is relatively easy to find a displaced Christian Arab in my area and from my conversations with some of them (I have not spoken to every Christian Arab withing a 20 mile radius) they are all extremely happy to be here in the USA rather in whatever country they came from.

JAstor

Posts: 3,960

Timely for this topic:

Mideast without Christians

...Today there is only one Middle Eastern country where the number of Christians has grown: Israel. As documented in the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, the Christian community that numbered 34,000 people in 1949 is now 163,000-strong, and will reach 187,000 in 2020....

The silence of the global forums, the flawed conscience of human rights groups, the self-denial of the media and the Vatican’s appeasement is helping facilitate this Islamist campaign. According to a report on religious freedom compiled by the US Department of State, the number of Christians in Turkey declined from two million to 85,000; in Lebanon they have gone from 55% to 35% of the population; in Syria, from half the population they have been reduced to 4%; in Jordan, from 18% to 2%. In Iraq, they will be exterminated....

Should the exodus of Christians from Bethlehem continue in the next two or three decades, there may be no clergy left to conduct religious services in Jesus’ birthplace. In Iran, Christians have become virtually non-existent since 1979, when Khomeini ordered the immediate closure of all Christian schools. In Gaza, the 3,000 who remain are subjected to persecution. In Sudan, Christians in the South are forced into slavery....

The silence of the global forums, the flawed conscience of human rights groups, the self-denial of the media and the Vatican’s appeasement is helping facilitate this Islamist campaign. According to a report on religious freedom compiled by the US Department of State, the number of Christians in Turkey declined from two million to 85,000; in Lebanon they have gone from 55% to 35% of the population; in Syria, from half the population they have been reduced to 4%; in Jordan, from 18% to 2%. In Iraq, they will be exterminated....

In 1948, the Middle East was cleansed of its ancient Jews. Today is the Christians’ turn....

SherriMunnerlyn

Posts: 7,479

JAstor, Numbers of Christians in Israel may be up from 60 years ago, but the percentage they make up of the population has decreased to 2%. And a remnant remains, I see them as beacons of light in a world filled with darkness. And their light shines on, and that light will never be put out. Those of us who cannot physically be there can be there spiritually, we can pray for them, follow their struggles, cry for them, love them.

Kinky.christian

Posts: 262

Apr 20, 2011 -- 10:48PM, SherriMunnerlyn wrote:
Those of us who cannot physically be there.../quote]

LOL

But you can be there with "them".

Kinky.christian

Posts: 262

Apr 20, 2011 -- 10:48PM, SherriMunnerlyn wrote:
JAstor, Numbers of Christians in Israel may be up from 60 years ago, but the percentage they make up of the population has decreased to 2%.

You raise a serious point. This whole phenomenon needs urgent investigation. It's more widespread than you think.

It turns out that Jews as a proportion of the population have declined in the US as have African-Americans and Episcopalians.

Moving to Europe, the proportion of ethnic Germans in Germany is declining as is the proportion of Anglo-Saxons in England.

Just to add to the mystery, in England it has been demonstrated that as the proportion of Anglo-Saxons declines so the proportion of non-Anglo-Saxons grows.

In Australia it turns out that as the proportion of Buddhists increases the proportion of Methodists declines.

What is going on here????

Someone really needs to investigate this weird phenomenon of various population groups forming a declining proportion of the populations of all these countries. It's getting to be a problem of global proportions. I believe that in Lebanon the proportion of Christians and Sunnis is declining.

Those of us who cannot physically be there can be there spiritually, we can pray for them, follow their struggles, cry for them, love them.

But you can be there with "them" physically. Simply purchase an air ticket.

Or you could demonstrate your love in a more practical way by asking your church to sponsor Christians who wish to forego the opportunity of martyrdom for themselves and their loved ones and move to the US. I know of one synagogue in Denver that has done just that for Sudanese Christians who were anxious to escape martyrdom. But then again you would expect these wicked Jews to corrupt good Christian martyr candidates by inducing them to move to the USA.

SherriMunnerlyn

Posts: 7,479

The meek will inherit the land, this is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. I do not think this addresses Christians alone, as Christians did not yet really exist then, it could refer to Jews in Palestine in 1900, Muslim residents of At Tuwani today, Christian residents of Bethlehem today, members of Gaza Baptist Church today, It could include people everywhere who lived in any time who put their faith in God versus placing their trust and faith in military might and the powers of this world. I know of no commands of God for the meek to run away, to flee trials or hardships, at least no Bible verses in the Christian Bible.

SherriMunnerlyn

Posts: 7,479

Kinky.Christian, Who are you to tell Christians to leave their homelands? And who are you to lead and guide or direct them or me? It is not about me or about you, it's all about God and His will, His call, His command, communicated to each person through the Holy Spirit. Please stop substituting your will for His. Sherri

Kinky.christian

Posts: 262

Apr 21, 2011 -- 12:56AM, SherriMunnerlyn wrote:
Kinky.Christian, Who are you to tell Christians to leave their homelands?

But I'm not telling anyone to "leave their homelands." Christians seem to be hightailing out of the Arab Middle-Eastern countries as fast as they can without any input from me.

And who are you to lead and guide or direct them or me?

But I'm not directing "them" or you. It is not within my power to direct anybody. In your case I am simply pointing out some options you have.

It is not about me or about you, it's all about God and His will, His call, His command, communicated to each person through the Holy Spirit. Please stop substituting your will for His. Sherri

LOL

In what way am I "substituting [my] will for His?"

For that matter when did God appoint you his spokesperson with authority to command me?

Are you posts on this thread by any chance some sort of spoof? I'm beginning to suspect they are though I confess you've had me fooled for a while.

CharikIeia

Posts: 8,303

Apr 20, 2011 -- 12:14PM, Mlyons619 wrote:

Why don't you ask those psychos who take out innocents as well as themselves, and the imams who call them "martyrs?" The latter seem to think the Q'ran justify those murder/suicides...

I don't ask them because they don't post here. You were the one insinuating here the Quran would somewhere say "that strapping on a bomb and blowing up a bunch of innocents along with yourself makes you a martyr".

It also has been you who claimed that "Nowhere in MY Bible" such a passage could be found. Well, if I asked abortion doctor killers or their ilk, they may also be able to come up with a more valid stance, right?

All I advocate is a little bit of honesty when comparing own religion to others' religion.

tl;dr

SherriMunnerlyn

Posts: 7,479

Kinky.Christian, I just finished reading an email from Open Doors, an organization that Richard Wurmbrandt was associated with and Brother Andrew is associated with. I read of Iraqis who recently died for their faith, and about a Middle Eastern woman imprisoned for her faith, and I read about the power of prayer, how those who are prayed for feel prayers being lifted up for them. I did not read that they desired to flee their trials, nor did I read of anyone advising them to engage in such acts. Jesus tells me to not be afraid, he tells me that I HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. And I trust in his words. My trust in Jesus, call it a spoof, if it gives you a thrill, I guess. I am really noone, nothing, sometimes I seriously do ask myself, what am I doing, and I just see myself often as a messenger. I do not have power to make anyone do anything, but I do have burdens God lays on my heart, that I simply try to respond to as best I can. Sherri

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