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CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH

France: Anti-Christian Attacks Rise 245 Percent

February 8, 2017 — Breitbart.com reports: “While racist, anti-Muslim, and anti-Semitic attacks have seen a huge fall since 2008, those on Christian places of worship more than doubled in this period of time, France’s interior ministry reported last week.

Having documented a record number of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim attacks in 2015, the French government spent €100 million on a huge anti-populist campaign to reduce Islamophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism.

Subsequently, racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-Muslim attacks fell sharply in 2016 with the former seeing a decline of 58.5 per cent and the latter a drop of 57.6 per cent. These attacks are defined as being fires, violence, degradation, and threats — comments, inscriptions, insulting letters.

In this year, attacks on Christian places of worship have increased by 17.4 per cent in 2016 compared to 2015. Racist attacks, meanwhile, dropped by 23.7 per cent (608 versus 797)…”  (“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  Remember the word that I have said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your also.  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.  He that hateth me hateth my Father also.  If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my FatherThese things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me” – John 15:18 – 24; 16:1 – 3.  See the next report.)


 

Christian persecution seen in more locations across the globe, new report shows

February 2, 2017 — Fox News reports: “In the past year, the persecution of Christians has not only increased, but it has also spread to more corners of the globe – with incidents occurring on every continent, according to a new report.

The advocacy group Open Doors USA recently released the latest edition of its annual World Watch List, which ranks countries based on the treatment of their Christian populations. The group said the increase in incidents considered persecution was alarming and only getting worse.

‘It is appalling that Open Doors has to report that persecution has increased again in 2016 and we are still at the worst levels of persecution in modern times,’ David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, said to Fox News. ‘The spread of persecution has gotten worse, now hitting nearly every continent in the world. There were 23 Christians killed in Mexico specifically because of their faith.’

The report comes on the heels of another study by the Center for Studies on New Religions that showed nearly 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2016 and that as many as 600 million were prevented from practicing their faith through intimidation, forced conversions, bodily harm or even death…” (Jesus, as was noted in the Scriptures following the first report stated the reason for the persecution of Christians worldwide.  It is because the world hates Him.  Why? “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin… If I had not done among them the works that none other man did, they had not had sin…” – John 15:22, 24.  Before Jesus came to the earth, mankind could look at each other and say “I’m not as bad as that person is, I’ve never murdered, I’ve never stolen, much like the Pharisee did in Luke 18:10 – 14 – “I thank thee that I am not as other men...” Once Jesus came to the earth, those rationalizations were no longer valid.  As a result, the world strikes out against God, and against Christians.  Jesus also stated in Matthew 5:10 – 12: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”)     

 

Preacher Locked Up, Charged with Hate Crime for Quoting Bible to Gay Teen

February 7, 2017 — Breitbart.com reports: “A Christian street preacher was locked up and charged with a hate crime for quoting from the Book of Genesis in response to a gay teenager’s questions on how God views homosexuals.

Gordon Larmour, 42, spent a night in custody and faced a six-month ordeal over the charges before they were finally thrown out in a hearing last month.

The father-of-one, who has been street preaching for seven years following his conversion to Christianity, was handing out leaflets in his home town of Irvine, Ayrshire, last June when a group of young men passed him, The Telegraph has reported.

He told the men: ‘Don’t forget Jesus loves you and He died for your sins.’

One asked Mr. Larmour, ‘What does your God say about homosexuals?’ He responded by referring to the Book of Genesis, stating that God had created Adam and Eve to produce children.

The two men argued and Mr. Larmour claims that he was chased by the young man. However, it was he who was arrested and frogmarched to the police van before being held in police custody overnight, charged with threatening or abusive behaviour aggravated by prejudice relating to sexual orientation…”  (How sad that merely quoting the Bible can be classified as a ‘hate crime’.  It is because it shines the light of God’s perfection on the thoughts and acts of sinful mankind.  Jeremiah 23:29 states: “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”  And Hebrews 4:12 states: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”)