Posted on 04/13/2009 9:50:38 AM PDT by Liberty1970
Fourteen Khmu Christian families in Laos are standing strong in their faith, despite the Communist government forcing them to relocate to another village and their homes and church building being destroyed, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts.
In 2003, the families were evicted by the government and relocated to another village where they were moved again. "After these 14 families stayed at this village for a year, the Communist party members of the village found out that the head of the village loved them," VOM contacts said. "[The village leader] even allowed them to build a bamboo church on his land."
The Communist district governor was not happy with the head of the village. "... [The] governor kicked him out from his post and then replaced [him] with another man. The new head of the village started persecuting them from 2006 to 2009," VOM contacts report. The leader refused to allow them to register, making them illegal residents and he stopped them from farming land, the contacts said.
Only after each family paid 50,000 kip (US$6) were the 14 families allowed to stay in the village and farm. Locals in the village have also tried to tear down the bamboo church where the families worship. VOM contacts say village officials continually threaten to destroy the church and its bamboo roof has been repeatedly ripped off. VOM has assisted these families with resources to rebuild their homes and church every time they have been displaced. The ministry has helped with zinc roofs, pigs and cattle, among many other things.
In spite of the hardship endured, and the Communist government treating them like second-class citizens, these families remain strong in their faith. "Although this bamboo church has roof tops ripped off, they are still holding worship three times a week with joyful hearts. They love God and are willing to die for their God any time for any cause," VOM contacts said. We encourage you to pray for these courageous families. Ask God to protect them and encourage them. Praise God for their faithfulness.
They (as all the persecuted Christians) are in my prayers daily.
Ping! If anyone would like to be on this ping-list for reports of Christian persecution, please let me know.
May God bless and keep them. We have it so easy(for now) by comparison to our brethren in nations such as these. I hope God gives me the grace to withstand such persecution when it hits the U.S.
If Xians
> REALLY believed and did what they say they do and believe -> they would be "putting babes to the sword",
> stoning errant wives to death in the streets, and burning
> pillaging and looting - as Scripture and the many
> exhortations of their God command them to so do in the Old
> Testament. (Also, throw in "Thou shalt not suffer a
> witch to live!")Fortunately, I guess, Xians have now
> become mostly hypocrites so they mouth one thing and do
> another...
I pointed out that Christians don't adhere to the Old Testament and that I was not aware of any Christian groups killing 'witches' today. This was all due to response about Christians killing in the name of religion in the past.
I said:
If christianity ever goes back to that type of thing it will only be because they needed to do so to survive. In self defense.
Where's evidence for this as "only" reason?
> Xians DID ALL THIS in history (with bells on!)... for
> entirely different reason(s): no self defense was involved!
> (The Crusades were not an adventure in self-defense: they
> were deliberate military plundering and raiding forays!)
> What makes you think "self defense" would be an
> issue now?
My response is:
I was thinking of places in Africa and Pakistan where christians are still being murdered by non christians because of their faith. Here's a link on christians being persecuted in Laos. http://www.persecution.com/topStory_LaosPersecution.html
Most people will defend themselves and kill if need be, no matter what religion they are, even atheists.
While this may be true, it is not clear how this relates
> (here) to "religion" at all? Just normal
> physiological responses programmed in by Darwinian
> evolution! (From Amoeba on up! LOL!). And what is meant
> ...."even atheists?" Atheists, despite widespread
> fears and lies from the (ignorant) past - are just
> humin' beans, too - only being the very fortunate
> fraction that for whatever reason have escaped the
> prejudice, cant, fantasy, and overwhelming ignorance of
> their "believer" bros! LOL! Atheists put their
> pants on (where appropriate!) just like any other humin
> bean!
What's the best way to respond to the crusades charge and the later?
I would recommend a presuppositionalist approach (search for that term, or read up on Greg Bahnsen, who was excellent at using this approach to counter such attacks).
First, this would involve turning the tables by pointing out that your agnostic friend is using Christian morality to condemn Christians. That is, if there is no God or we don't know anything about Him, there is no basis for saying the Crusades, etc., are wrong. "Right" and "wrong" are mere personal opinions, and cannot be used as an argument against the truth of something, from an agnostic perspective.
Second, you can point out that Christianity teaches that all people are evil, and need God's forgiveness to be reconciled to Him and reach heaven. By pointing to sinful behavior, your friend is agreeing with the Christian position that we are all sinners.
Third, and this really is the least important compared to the first two points, you can point out that his accusations are common one-sided anti-Christian distortions of the historical record that ASSUME the biblical perspective is untrue. For example, it ignores that many cultures killed witches, and it ignores the seriousness of witchcraft if they really are serving Satan. It also conflates the Old Testament, as you mention, with the NT, which does not command Christians to kill witches. (This would be a civil government function, not a role for the Church, in the NT).
Likewise, the Crusades charge blatantly ignores the fact that, yes, they were largely defensive operations. They were trying to recapture land that Muslims had violently seized, and stop the constant push by Muslims over the past centuries to seize more and more land by brutal conquest. That doesn't make the Crusaders saintly, but to ignore Islamic aggression when examining the Crusades is ludicrous. Many Crusaders turned out to be plunderers and impious men, but others were very godly and pious under incredibly difficult circumstances, as the historical record shows.
Without men willing to fight - and die - for Christian conviction, we would all be living under Islamic domination today. Including our soft-headed atheist and agnostic friends, who would not enjoy one whit of the toleration they enjoy within Christendom today. If they think Christians so bad, they should start examining the alternatives realistically. But only after they justify how they can judge Christianity without using the Bible to judge it!
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