Amongst the many supporting evidences for the verisimilitude of Christian faith is the repeated persecution of Christians. This phenomenon has been repeated throughout the AD aeon. It has been universal. This is all the more singular insofar as Christian doctrine proclaims a Gospel of peace and goodwill towards all men. The historical praxis of Christians has been largely consistent with this doctrine.
Tacitus records that in 64-5AD, Nero persecuted thousands of Christians, putting them to death under the worst forms of public torture, on the grounds that they were "haters of the human race", which, of course, justified the rest of the human race hating Christians in turn. But things moved on. The correspondence between Pliny the Younger and Emperor Trajan fifty odd years later in 109AD about how to deal with Christians focused upon their implicit sedition because they would not honour the Roman state gods. Different reasons, same outcome.
It is reported that 80 percent of religious persecution in the world today is focused upon Christians.
The persecutors are predominantly Islamic, but not exclusively. Hindus, Buddhists, Communists (China, Cuba) and totalitarian states (North Korea) have all joined in. In the West, the persecution is thus far largely "soft", restricting Christian human rights and freedoms and attempting to remove any semblance of the Christian faith from public places. The signs of increasing intolerance towards Christians and their beliefs are more evident every year in the secularist West.
The universal nature of Christian persecution confirms fundamental Christian doctrine. Jesus said, "in the world you shall have persecution. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) It highlights and illustrates the fundamental truth that the world is divided into two types of people--those who belong to Jesus Christ and are His disciples, and those who are remain under the thrall of the Satan. Universal persecution of Christians and the Christian Church provides evidence of the binary nature of humankind: we are either of God or of God's adversary, the father of lies. Unbelief, regardless of its manifold manifestations, has one thing generally in common: animus towards Christ, and His people. It is the one thing Buddhists, Hindus, Communists, Muslims and secular humanists all agree upon.
One person described the systemic disdain of the Christian faith in our modern secular state as follows:
Overall, we are not a religious society and, truth be told, it is difficult to remain an observant Christian in our present age. Changing times have eroded the faith's once privileged position in our social order. The informal pressures that kept them in place have been washed away. People no longer feel duty-bound to go along with the extraordinary claims of Christianity and its often-demanding moral injunctions. Instead, the wider culture is now hostile to orthodox Christianity, which is held to a much higher standard of scrutiny than other religions and cultures.He goes on to the sentiments and attitudes of one electoral candidate of a major New Zealand political party:
Those who are quite happy to casually sneer at Christians around the office coffee machine seldom have the courage to do the same when other minority identities are concerned. Where media commentators are purposely respectful of other faiths, they are seldom afraid to propound ignorantly about Christian doctrine or issue bone-headed advice to Christian leaders.
Last month one of Labour's candidates at the election took to a popular Left-wing blog to publish a tirade against Christians in the party. The Bible was repeatedly denounced as "snake-oil" and the Christian God was described as "a mean Mutha" who "nailed up his only son as a lesson to other wrongdoers".The sentiments expressed by the Labour Party candidate, and the double standards which allow their promulgation without recrimination, confirm the truth of Christian doctrine and of Jesus Christ Himself. There are kindred spirits of that particular Labour Party candidate in every place and every age since Nero. This universal hostility confirms authority and truthfulness of the Son of God as well as the existence and influence of one, universal, malevolent Evil Spirit.
It's a free country and those kinds of screeds should not be censored. But just picture the outcry that would have followed a major party candidate writing anything as remotely incendiary about Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism. Can you imagine the high-dudgeon and editorial hand-wringing such an outburst would occasion?
As for us, and our households, we will merrily serve the Lord, having been rescued from the domain of the Satan--the accuser and enemy of all men.
1 comment:
Yep, the other religious options are all non threatening rubbish and the soul knows it hence the hatred of Christianity and the fascination with meditation etc... by those who are supposedly enlightened.
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