Catholicism Growing in Heart of Muslim World

The Boston Globe ^ | 3/10/14 | John L. Allen Jr

[marshmallow]

From the “not what you might expect” files, here’s a fact about Catholicism in the early 21st century that flies in the face of conventional wisdom: It’s growing by leaps and bounds in the heart of the Muslim world.

Many Americans have heard or read reports about an exodus of Christians out of the Middle East, and in terms of the indigenous Arab Christian population that’s all too real. Christians now make up only 5 percent of the region’s population, down from 20 percent a century ago. In places like Iraq, whole Christian communities are on the brink of extinction.

Yet the Arabian Peninsula today is also, improbably, seeing one of the most dramatic Catholic growth rates anywhere in the world.The expansion is being driven not by Arab converts, but by foreign ex-pats whom the region increasingly relies on for manual labor and domestic service.

Filipinos, Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Koreans, and members of other nationalities are becoming the new working poor in some of the world’s wealthiest societies.

[2banana]

In deference to Islamic sensitivities, he said, the new cathedral won’t have a cross at the top or any other outward sign of its Christian identity.

all infidels must be sensitive....

[Salvation]

When people are persecuted and/or killed, that group will grow.

[hinckley buzzard]

That's not deference to sensitivity, that's self-preservation.

[Slyfox]

Sometimes, it takes tremendous strength just to keep your head down and not attract unwanted attention. Worked for Shakespeare.

[LadyDoc]

IT’S THE Filipino Overseas foreign workers...also those from Kerala India, from Africa, from Korea, and from Lebanon...all good catholics or christians.

Some protestant churches are teaching their members to try to convert those they live with: probably they’ll only try the catholics among their collegues, but we hope some of them will try to convert the Muslim Indonesian, Pakistani and Hindu or Muslim Indians in their midst.

Trying to convert a local, however, could get him or you killed.

[Oratam]

Have you seen Michael Wood’s “In Search of Shakespeare”? If not, I think you’d enjoy it.

[Biggirl]

.....Confirms what the very old saying goes, “the blood of the Christian martyrs is the seed for new Christians.”

[Slyfox]

Yep. I have the book the DVD. The “mystery” surrounding Shakespeare was the fact that he had to hide his true opinions because Bloody Bess ran a regime that was truly terroristic in nature. He was probably the only playwright during that time who was never jailed for what he wrote. He was very clever. The wedding scene in “Romeo and Juliet” was a fictionalized version of his own marriage clandestinely contracted with a Catholic priest. Later, after Ann was pregnant they had a wedding ceremony in an Anglican church. So, today people will believe that they were pregnant “out of wedlock” when they got married.

[Oratam]

Which reminds me of a book titled The Tudor Police State. What a terrible time to be alive. We have a ways to go . . . but we're getting there!

I will have to get that DVD.

[Slyfox]

“The Tudor Police State” - I checked both Amazon and Worldcat and couldn’t find it. Does it have another title or do you know the author?

[Oratam]

I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I remember seeing this book in a book store and the title stopped me dead in my tracks. I didn’t buy because I was occupied with other lines of inquiry and Tudor England was more than I could chew. I regret that now.

[Slyfox]

This is the guy who headed Bloody Bess’s terror regime spy network:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Walsingham

She also had her very own torture master, Richard Topcliffe, who answered only to her.

[Oratam]

That’s truly chilling. Strangely, I find comfort in telling myself that only our sick century produced this. I’m very much mistaken.

[Slyfox]

In England the terror began with Henry VIII dismantling the monasteries. He took everything that was considered Catholic - hospitals, schools, chapels, etc. He even took trusts that had been set up to educate poor boys. The people closest to him feared for their lives, because he had the "right" to their lives and really could do anything he wanted. He had a compliant administration.

There was a little known event that took place one year after Thomas More was executed. It was called the Pilgrimage of Grace and it was unlike any other demonstration or uprising. Everyone had to take an oath promising that they would do no harm to others. The grassroots leaders from the north began to gather others and they marched towards London. It did end badly for the prime leaders.

George Washington is a direct descendent of the real leader, Robert Aske.

[Oratam]

Thanks for the additional info. It's a fascinating period of history I need to devote some time to.

Was GW aware of his ancestor's role and if so, did he remark on it?

[Slyfox]

I don’t think he was aware of his connection. His family’s original name was Wessington. Most of the history of England during the 16th and 17th centuries was side-lined by the Reformation. It is neat to know that he came from such a heroic figure. They both stood up to an overbearing king through threat of death.