Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Persecution in America and Allies

For some time, I didn't know what to begin making of this. I don't think I will create a label, but I will begin a regular (monthly?) series of articles on the Persecution of Christians in North America, and in some of the (formerly) christian countries of Europe.

It should not surprise us that this is happening. Jesus said that if we follow him, we should expect persecution. In fact, we can draw a conclusion from some of the things He said, that if we are not experiencing persecution, we might only be fooling ourselves about our salvation. Most christians are not experiencing persecution, because they are practicing Christianity Lite, and will be surprised when meeting Jesus in the afterlife, at what He really expected of them. And that they are surprised should not be any surprise. How can they follow Jesus, if they have no idea what the Bible says about following Jesus? (Thus, my quest, to get Christians to study the Bible.)

I think the first story, and currently the most visible to come to mind is Brit Hume's comment about Tiger Woods needing Jesus Christ. This set off a firestorm among the secularist, socialist, and even some of "Christianity Lite" circles.

The first to speak out against Brit Hume were "journalists" of the drive by media. But this can be expected of them, as the world, and especially the Secular Humanist (Socialist) religion of the drive by media is offended and threatened by hearing The Truth and The Gospel. They are not offended by hearing about Buddhism (or Hinduism, or Atheism, or Islam) because it is NOT The Truth, and does not convict them.

Example Links:
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann twice claimed that FNC contributor and former anchor Brit Hume’s public recommendation that Tiger Woods convert to Christianity to help solve his personal problems amounted to trying to "threaten" Woods

Olbermann also plugged the segment before a commercial break: "Brit Hume has tried to force Tiger Woods into becoming a Christian again. - That in a moment."

Brit Hume: 'Jesus Christ' the 'Most Controversial Two Words You Can Ever Utter in the Public Square'

(CNSNews.com) – Brit Hume said he was “not surprised” by the media backlash over his remarks to Tiger Woods on “Fox News Sunday” this week. There is a “double-standard” when it comes to speaking publicly about Christianity versus other religions, he said.

Hume, a Fox News analyst, told CNSNews.com: “There is a double standard. If I had said, for example, that what Tiger Woods needed to do was become more deeply engaged in his Buddhist faith or to adopt the ideas of Hinduism, which I think would be of great spiritual value to him, I doubt anybody would have said anything.”

And an example of that double standard,
even from some Christian Lite sources:
Religion on Fox: News or evangelism?
(Washington Post quotes a "Baptist" columnist)
The picture on the television screen and the audio of reporter Brit Hume's words struck me as contradictory. Just below the image of the reporter's face, the insignia "Fox News" appeared in three different places.


Among our "allies," persecution has begun in earnest. While they are not yet being dragged out into the streets or thrown into jail in England, their jobs are at risk:
Olive Jones, a former teacher who gave at-home math lessons to children too weak or ill to attend school, was told after she offered to pray for the child that the family were nonbelievers. The student's mother complained to the Oak Hill Short Stay School and Tuition Service in Nailsea, North Somerset. Jones' proposition was regarded as "bullying," and she ultimately lost her job.


I wrote about this subject last spring,
and mentioned about Canada the year before.
.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your article contains many inaccuracies

1) Olive Jones was not sacked. Following a complaint from a pupil's parent, she was suspended. She, and her advisers at the Christian Legal Centre saw fit to go the press with the story that she had been sacked. Why did they spread this untruth?

2) Olive Jones and the Christian Legal Centre went to the press before Olive Jones had spoken to her employers about the situation. Why did they feel the need to make the situation public before they had the chance to talk to Olive Jones's employers?

3) At what point did Olive Jones take the feelings of the child and family into account? They had already asked her to desist from raising these issues with their very sick child.


If you look at the full facts of the case, freely available in British newspapers (not the Daily Mail) then you will see that this is much more to this than the story put about by Olive Jones and the Christian Legal Centre. In fact, many British Christians are angry that their faith is being harmed by "Christians" such as Olive Jones and the CLC who seem to want to sow division and dissent where there is none. Christians are not persecuted in the United Kingdom. In claiming that they are Olive Jones and the CLC risk making Christians look ridiculous.

And bloggers on the other side of the Atlantic would do well to check their facts before posting.

TRex said...

Well, Well, Well. Mr Anonymous (and I do wish you guys would put your name at the bottom of your comments):
You seem to be, at least mostly, right in your assertions. But the evidence wasn't really as plain as you make it out to be. Also, in fact, the Daily Mail contained some of that evidence. I checked them, the Telegraph, the Guardian, and a couple of blogs before I got to the bottom of this. Even one Atheist seemed to backhandedly cooberate her story.

It wasn't until I ran across an article on a post-modernist, leftist (ugg) website that I got linked to the evidence that you were right.

But there is no real evidence that
they had "already asked her to desist from raising these issues" (other than their own self serving propaganda), nor did I find any Christians "angry that their faith is being harmed."

And even better news is she seems to be getting her job back. I hope to revisit this on a future blog entry (which will make this correction more visible).

TRex
(see, a signature, not so hard)

Anonymous said...

I am a Christian. I come from Nailsea, where these events took place, and I am angry at how CLC have misused them to make a political point that the facts don't bear out. And I am not alone, check out the Christian Think Tank Ekklesia.

And if I want to remain anonymous, then that is my right.

TRex said...

It is most certainly your right to remain anonymous. That is why I allow anonymous comments. It doesn't lend much to your credibility though.

Interesting you chose www ekklesia co uk, as that is one of my sources. I will reserve further discussion for another day.

But then, that is why I like a signature (no one said it had to be your name), so that if you post here again, or somewhere else, I will recognize you and know where you stand, or if I can trust what you say.

I sometimes correspond for years with people that I only know by a pseudonym.

TRex
(a pseudonym, my mom didn't name me after a dinosaur :)