Posted on 12/22/2014 6:29:20 PM PST by Steelfish
As Christmas Approaches, Baghdad Christians Lament Empty Pews Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google Plus Share via Email
Iraqi security officers stand guard outside of the Virgin Mary Chaldean church in the Karrada neighborhood of the capital Baghdad on Dec 21, 2014. By Loveday Morris December 22 BAGHDAD — A choir dressed in crimson robes sang ancient hymns below a Christmas star strung with fairy lights at a recent service in the Iraqi capital, the heavy scent of incense hanging in the air. But the season here has a somber edge, and the priest has a serious message for his congregation: Stay.
Just a year ago an Advent service in St. George’s Chaldean Catholic Church would have drawn 300 to 400 worshipers, says the Rev. Miyassir al-Mokhlasee. But now only around 75 people are scattered across its pews.
Ringed by concrete blast walls and police checkpoints, St. George’s has seen its congregation shrink for the past decade. The instability and violence following the U.S. invasion in 2003 have driven many Christians out of the country. The nation’s Christian population has plummeted from more than a million to what community leaders estimate as less than 400,000 today.
Now the conquests by extremists from the Islamic State, known for their cutthroat brutality and intolerance for other religions, have delivered another blow to Christians in their historic heartland.
For the first time in well more than a millennium the plains of Nineveh and its provincial capital of Mosul have been virtually emptied of Christians. Islamic State fighters, who control the northern region, had ordered Christian residents to either convert, pay a tax for keeping their faith or face execution.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
So this really is the legacy of 'nation building',
The fact that the Washington COMpost is even MENTIONING this should be reason for celebration!
Oh, Come! Let us adore Him! :)
Worldwide Christians: 2.18 Billion
Worldwide Muslims: 1.57 Billion
These Iraqi Christians are most blessed for they're bravery and devotion to Jesus Christ.
They’re dead Jim.
Diana, thanks for the great statistics. I really like knowing that.
God Bless the Christians of Iraq and the Middle East!
Made me feel a BIT better, too. It feels as if the lunatics are running the asylum! :)
BUMP!
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