By Judi McLeod
Thursday, January 25, 2007
In another era, Christians were thrown to the lions. In the 21st century, Christians are hunted down in their homes and churches to be beaten and tortured. While the rights of Christians continue to be trampled worldwide, there is very little news of their plight--and even their increasing number of deaths--reported in the mainstream media. Indeed, were it not for The Voice of the Martyrs and its Persecution & Prayer Alert, the situation would be all but totally ignored.
In just one corner of the globe, the New Year started off with the arrest of some 68 Eritrean Christians.
Their captors subjected teenagers found with Bibles to the pain of physical torture.
On January 4, military commanders at the national Sawa Military Center conducted what they called "a random check-up on the activities of Christian extremists" on student conscripts. They searched the conscripts' personal effects, finding 250 Bibles, which they burned, in front of the entire military camp. The commanders then arrested 35 of the teenage students and ordered that they be subjected to severe military punishment--including physical torture.
On the following day, police took eight staff members of government ministries, five men and three women, into custody. The Christians--who are all member of Medhane Alem, an Eritrean Orthodox Church renewal movement--are reportedly being interrogated and pressured by police to identify all leaders and supporters of their movement. Police have informed their families that the arrest order came from higher authorities.
In yet another January 5 incident, police arrested 25 Christians in the southern port city of Assab. All of the prisoners, including seven women, were incarcerated at the Wi'a Military Camp where they were pressured to recant their faith.
In India two Christians were hunted down and driven out of their home in a scenario fraught with unimaginable terror.
Pastor Paul David, 29 and his wife Prasanna Kumari, 25, were beaten and forced from their home in Bangalore, Karnataka on January 15, according to a report from the Global Council of Indian Christians. For the past two years, Pastor David has been conducting church services in his home that are mostly attended by people from the nearby slum.
On January 11, a mob gathered outside the couple's home, they entered and beat Pastor David, forcing him and Prassana to flee from their home. Fearing violence, local Christians did not offer them any assistance and they had to spend the night on a terrace. After finding safe storage for their belongings, the couple returned to Bangalore the next day and found a small room in the slums.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. on January 15, a mob surrounded Paul and Prassana's room. Both of them were robbed and severely beaten. When Pastor David demanded that they be taken to the police station, the mob continued to abuse them for over an hour before finally taking them to the Mico police station. They were falsely accused and questioned for two hours before being released. The couple then hid in a half constructed building in a school compound until the next morning, when they mercifully found shelter in a friend's home.
Two pastors and two female Christians were beaten and arrested during a prayer meeting in the village of Gokul, Karnataka on January 19.
Pastor Raj Shekhar and Pastor Raja Naik were attending the meeting when members of a Hindu militant organization gathered around the house. The militants accused the believers of forcible conversion, beat the four Christians and called the police. After the police forced the worship service to an end, they took the four Christians to the police station. Pastor Naik was later released but Pastor Shekhar and the two women are still being detained.
These incidents are just a few that mirror other incidents of violence against Christians the world over.
The Voice of Martyrs faithfully reports on the persecution of Christians in its weekly news digest on the Persecuted Church.
You may view the digest online at www.persecution.net/pnp.htm. Subscribe to the RSS feed at www.persecution.net/pnp.xml.
The message to the outside world from The Voice of the Martyrs is steadfast: "Pray for the release of all Christians everywhere who are imprisoned because of their loyalty to Christ. Ask God to open doors of opportunity for them in prison so that they can share the gospel for which they suffer (Colossians 4:2-3). Pray that those who are being tortured for their faith will be strengthened and delivered by the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:9-11)."
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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