Charlie Van Zalen Van Zalen 1
Mrs. Roskamp
L.A., 8B
24 February 2017
Christian Persecution
Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, each month 322 Christian are killed 212 churches or Christian properties are destroyed and 722 forms of violence are committed against Christians. It is very sad to see people be persecuted for their beliefs and we need to take action against Christian persecution. Christian persecution is more of a problem than people think, Christians are persecuted in countries all over the world such as Indonesia and I feel strongly we should take a stand against Christian persecution.
Christians were persecuted for many reasons and don’t deserve to face consequences for their beliefs. The first incidents of Christian persecution happened when Nero was a Roman ruler in 64 A.D, he blamed Christians for when Rome burned down in a giant fire. People were so mad at Christians they started to be persecuted everywhere. The people that persecute Christians are doing it because they think what they believe in is 100% right and everybody should believe in that and also they get wrong interpretations of their religion and think that it will worship their God to kill Christians. Persecution does not mean to be murdered it means to treat someone without respect. That could mean murder or discrimination Christian persecution happens in many ways. In the early church Christians were persecuted in horrible ways for their beliefs they were crucified and sacrificed and tortured. Now in present day persecution other religions persecute Christians by trying to prevent it because it is a vast spreading religion. Churches are being shut down by islamic extremists, people are being thrown in jail and fined,
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people are even being murdered in horrible ways by groups like isis that as I said earlier have a wrong interpretation of their religion and do wrong things. One of the reasons that Christians were persecuted was because the Romans were intolerant of Christianity. The Romans believed that Christians did illegal things such as cannibalism because of the metaphor for eating the body and blood of Christ. Christians in the early church were persecuted for mistaken thoughts about them, Christians did not deserve to be persecuted and it is really sad to see that Christians were blamed for things that they didn’t even do.
Right now Christian persecution in Indonesia is only getting worse. In Indonesia they have recently assigned a new President that is not anti-christianity but will not support it or stand up for Christians. The new president also won by a landslide which could mean people in Indonesia agree with his decisions. Indonesia is a very diverse country with many religions so you wouldn’t expect a lot of terrorist groups like Isis and islamic extremists in Indonesia doing things like murder and torturing. The hopes for Indonesia being a safe country for Christians was shattered when in 2016 an islamic extremist group attacked a cafe and killed 7 people. Islamic extremists pose a huge treat to many christians all over the world and are the biggest factor in Christian persecution in Indonesia. In a poll in May, 2016 it showed that the people of indonesia did not care or take part in anything related to trying to stop Christians. Instead the people of Indonesia decided that is a waste of time and we should focus more on our economy and constructing a better country. In July, 2016 in east Indonesia an islamic extremist leader was killed by the government because they are against them and think what they are doing is wrong. The president of Indonesia is still not on the Christian’s side but still opposes Islamic extremists. In my opinion Indonesia could be headed in a good direction as of now in decreasing the amount
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of Christian persecution but that would require a President/leader that is open minded and helps everyone.
There are many ways that we can help Christians that are being persecuted for their faith all around the world. Christian persecution is a big problem and if we want it to get better we need to take action and I have a few ways that you could do so. There are many people that travel around the world and preach to people in countries that are against Christianity those people also can teach how to preach and how to start a church etc… Those people do this with their own money and time so something we could do is help them financially, donating could help them have a stronger system of how many people will go and could make it a lot safer. Another way people help persecuted Christians is to pray and send cards, it could really mean a lot to them to know there are people rooting for them and want to see them have strong faith and be disciples of all nations. And finally just know about what is happening in the world stay up to date with the stories of Christians being persecuted but also encourage those that are preaching in other countries and doing the right thing.
Christian persecution is more of a problem than people think, Christians are persecuted in countries all over the world such as Indonesia and I feel we should take a stand against Christian persecution. You can help these people no matter how old or wealthy you are. Anybody can pray and have faith that God will help these people through these hard times and if you can donate that is amazing but prayer is as strong as anything. You should stand up for Christians and encourage them we need to take our stand to end Christian persecution.
Sources
“Anti-Christian Policies in the Roman Empire.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
Carey, Jesse. “Christian Persecution Has Never Been Worse.” RELEVANT Magazine. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
“Christian Persecution in Indonesia.” Open Doors USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
“Christian Persecution.” Open Doors USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
Ferguson, Everett. “Persecution in the Early Church: Did You Know?” Christian History | Learn the History of Christianity & the Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
Neffinger, Veronica. “5 Ways You Can Help Persecuted Christians.” ChristianHeadlines.com. Salem Web Network, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.