Religion

Christians suffered an increase in persecution last year with 245 MILLION facing violence or oppression around the world – 30 million more than a year ago

Christians around the world suffered a huge increase in persecution last year – with around 30 million more people being targeted than in the previous year. A report by Open Doors, a Dutch charity that supports persecuted Christians showed that in total, 245 million faced violence or oppression in 2018, with 73 countries listed as danger zones for Christians. China has been named among the most dangerous places to be a Christian after new laws governing religious expression led to raids and the demolition of scores of churches. At least 50 million people expected to experience some form of repression this year as the government tightens its controls over religious worship While India has also seen a spate of against ultra-nationalists against non-Hindu minorites – the report claimed. ‘Rising nationalism is leading to similar persecution in other countries such as Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal where national identity is tied to religion,’ the charity said. Open Doors said in its 2019 World Watch List, which ranks 50 countries, that one in three Christians face high levels of persecution in Asia – as India entered the top 10 for the first time. It comes just three weeks after British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered an independent review into the persecution of Christians worldwide.

Muslims Hold Massive Rally at Vikings USBank Stadium — Chanting “Allahu Akbar” (VIDEO)

Over 50,000 Muslims are planning a massive rally today at USBank Studium in Minnesota for the Eid Al Adha. The crowd was chanting “Allahu Akbar” as they entered the building.

Wow..  This is one of those things you have to see.  Just click on the text above for pics and videos..  This isn’t something you’ll see on MSNBC or CNN.  Just sayin’…

The Bible remains a ‘powerful, transformative tool’ in American culture

The Bible remains a fixture in American culture and lifestyle according to the “State of the Bible” report, an annual poll conducted by the Barna Group, a California-based research organization, and the American Bible Society. “The results show that, despite shifting cultural trends, Americans still read the Word, and it remains a powerful, transformative tool in their life. These and other snapshots are included in our list of top seven findings from this year’s State of the Bible report,” the survey said. Overall, half of Americans are “Bible users” — they read it, pray with it or consider biblical content through online or recorded forms. The survey found that Bible use has remained relatively consistent since 2011. “Two-thirds of Americans express at least some curiosity to know more about what the Bible says. A similar number of adults (63 percent) are interested in knowing more about who Jesus Christ is,” the survey said. “Just over half of adults who used the Bible in the past week (53 percent) say they give a lot of thought to how it might apply to their lives.” Similar numbers say that reading the Bible boosts their own spiritual growth, as well as their inclination to “show more loving behaviors to others.’ Overall, six in 10 U.S. adults (58 percent) believe that the message of the Bible has “transformed their life,” with majorities of Bible users saying their time with the holy texts increases their sense of connection with God and their curiosity about God. City dwellers (53 percent) and small town or rural (49 percent) residents report higher use of the Bible than suburbanites. In the South, 55 percent report regular use; the numbers are 42 percent in the Northeast and 44 percent in the West. Baby Boomers (51 percent) are most likely to consult the Bible, followed by senior citizens (48 percent) and Millennials (47 percent). The traditional printed word of the Bible remains the favorite, the survey found. “The appeal of a print version of the Bible remains high at almost nine in 10 who prefer it (89 percent). Little has changed in the preference for a physical copy of the scriptures in the last eight years since tracking began,” the research said. Technology is a factor, however. “More than half of users now search for Bible content on the internet (57 percent) or a smartphone , and another 42 percent use a Bible app on their phones. More than one-third listen via podcast or audio version of the Bible,” the survey said. The Barna/American Bible Society poll of 2,040 U.S. adults was conducted Jan. 4-18, and released Wednesday.

Vermont Church Slams America, Desecrates “God Bless The USA”

There is outrage from the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee after a Methodist church in Vermont rewrote the lyrics to Lee Greenwood’s beloved song, “God Bless the USA,” and turned it into a “bash America” anthem. “I look around this America but not everybody’s free. And I won’t forget all those who died beneath our fear and greed,” a singer crooned during Sunday “worship” at the First United Methodist Church in Burlington. “God forgive the USA.” The singer went on to ask forgiveness for ripping families apart at the border and taking land from the Native Americans and the way we treat LGBT citizens. “For the native tribes we conquered – Sioux, Lakota, Cherokee – for the slaves we beat and tortured for the interned Japanese,” the singer warbled. “For the women and the children for the lesbian, gay.” The confession of America’s alleged sins went on and on and on and on. “Mr. Greenwood’s song is emblematic of pride in and prayer for blessing of our country,” Pastor Mark Demers told me. “Changing the words to make it also a prayer for forgiveness and healing served to expand the meaning, thus reflecting with the anthem the theme of our worship service.” He did not seem at all bothered that the church had desecrated a beloved patriotic anthem. “Confession is a central part of Christian worship, as is prayer for healing. The lectionary text and sermon for the day told of two healings requested of Jesus – one a person of power in the community and the other a person impoverished by her illness,” the pastor told me. “The text lends itself to the idea that all, of every station in life, individuals and communities alike – including churches – stand in need of forgiveness and healing.” I reached out to Mr. Greenwood’s publicist who told me the church did not seek permission to alter the copyrighted song. Nor did the church let Mr. Greenwood know in advance they would be taking great liberties with the lyrics. “It’s illegal to do that,” Greenwood told One America News. However, the United Methodist Church pastor defended the atrocities they committed against Mr. Greenwood’s song. “A change of lyrics such as was done does not violate copyright law, falling under the category of parody,” he said.

Perhaps..   Perhaps not.  Mr. Greenwood should seek the advice of counsel, and if they think a copyright law was infringed upon, then he should sue this UMC in court.  Either way, what this idiot pastor did was at best hugely offensive.  Shame on him.  Thanks to veteran culture warrior Todd Starnes for sharing this head-shaking story with us.

Louisiana televangelist seeks donations for $54M private jet: report

A Louisiana-based televangelist is asking his followers to donate money for a $54 million jet that can “go anywhere in the world in one stop,” The Times-Picayune reported. Jesse Duplantis, 68, a Christian minister based in Destrehan, about 25 miles east of New Orleans, says his ministry has paid cash for three private jets. “You know I’ve owned three different jets in my life and used them and used them and just burning them up for the Lord,” Duplantis says in a video posted to his ministries’ website. Duplantis is now reportedly seeking the funds for a Dassault Falcon 7X, worth $54 million. The problem with the previous jets, he says, is that they require multiple stops to refuel. But flying the Falcon 7X, Duplantis says, will allow him to save money and not pay “those exorbitant prices with jet fuel all over the world.” “I really believe that if Jesus was physically on the earth today, he wouldn’t be riding a donkey,” Duplantis says in the video, “He’d be in an airplane preaching the gospel all over the world.” Duplantis’ video comes after another televangelist, Kenneth Copeland in Texas, purchased the Gulfstream V jet for $36 million. Both televangelists defended their use of private jets during a joint appearance on Copeland’s program, saying that commercial airlines are filled with “a bunch of demons” that get in the way of their busy schedules.

Yeah…lowly “demon” peasants like you and me who can’t afford a personal jet and have to actually travel commercial.  He Jesse..  Here’s a thought..  If Jesus were alive today, he’d probably whip your self-righteous, arrogant, entitlement-minded, elitist butt like he did the “money changers”…and tell you to go were the “sinners” are in coach on a commercial airline.  What a tool..  The idiots who actually follow guys like this, and worse..who give him money for his gluttony, deserve to be conned.

University event aims to combat ‘Christian Privilege’

Just four days after Easter, George Washington University will host a training session for students and faculty that teaches that Christians — especially white ones — “receive unmerited perks from institutions and systems all across our country.” The April 5 diversity workshop is titled “Christian Privilege: But Our Founding Fathers Were All Christian, Right?!” Hosted by the university’s Multicultural Student Services Center, the event will teach that Christians enjoy a privileged, easier life than their non-Christian counterparts, and that Christians possess “built-in advantages” today, according to its online description. The workshop will also discuss how Christians receive “unmerited perks from institutions and systems all across our country.” The “Christian Privilege” workshop is one of 15 “free training opportunities” offered through the center to “equip students and staff with the necessary skills to promote diversity and inclusion in the different environments,” according to its website. Other workshops offered through the center focus on “heteroesexual privilege,” “cisgender privilege,” “abled-bodied privilege,” “socio-economic privilege,” “unconscious bias,” and more. Efforts by The College Fix to reach a campus spokesperson, the multicultural center and the host of the Christian privilege workshop were to no avail Monday afternoon. The Christian privilege event aims to make people aware of the privileges that Christians have and “what is meant by privilege overall and white privilege specifically,” the event description states. Furthermore, the event will try to educate those of the “role of denial when it comes to white privilege” and the difference between “equality and equity.” By the end of the training, the organizers want participants to be able to name “at least three examples of Christian privilege” and “at least three ways to be an ally with a non-Christian person,” the website states. Organizers also want the participants to be able to describe words like: “privilege, Christian privilege, denial, quality, equity, Christianity, bias, unconscious bias, micro-aggression, ally,” the website states. The workshop will last 90 minutes and will feature a PowerPoint presentation and Q&A. It will be hosted by Timothy Kane, the interim associate director for inclusion initiatives at George Washington University, according to his biography page. As interim associate director, Kane works to expand the diversity and inclusion efforts at GWU, specifically the LGBT community. He did not respond Monday to a request for comment. Kane, who has a master’s degree in divinity and theology, is “dedicated to ensuring that all types of diversity at GW are celebrated and meant to feel included in campus culture and student life.” Being a “proud gay member of the LGBT community” at the university, he hopes to “promote this kind of solidarity amongst the LGBT community, and work towards celebrating the richness of diversity here at GW,” his online bio states. Kane also hosts the “heterosexual privilege,” “cisgender privilege,” “abled-body privilege,” and “socioeconomic privilege” workshops. White privilege is a specific focus in each of these training sessions, according to the multicultural center’s website.

Wow..  You really can’t make this stuff up, folks..  Be afraid.  This is the kind of crap that is taking over our so-called institutions of higher learning….and is the kind of politically correct psychobabble that is destroying the soul of our country.  I’m embarrassed to admit that I have a niece who barks out phrases like “microaggression” at me and others when she hears things that don’t comport to this liberal indoctrination she’s been fed.

6 Christian Communities that Can’t Practice Their Religion Freely This Easter

As Christians around the world prepare to observe the holy weekend of Easter, many will be asked at their services to pray for the persecuted around the world. After years of advocacy groups raising awareness, the plight of the Christians of the Middle East, particularly in the former Islamic State territories, has become common knowledge among American Christians. Yet they are far from the only group that will celebrate Easter this year in defiance of state persecution, mob violence, and repressive cultural norms imposed by groups threatened by the spread of the Christian faith. Click here for a list of six countries where Christians struggle to practice their faith freely against systematic institutional and cultural pressure.

And this is nowhere near the full list.  It doesn’t even mention N. Korea, where the practice of Christianity is punishable by death.