Posted on 05/09/2004 2:34:31 PM PDT by Destro
The Passion Of The Christ And Passionless Christians
James Bowden, 04/26/04
The suffering of Yeshua, our Jesus, of Nazareth is seen explicitly in the movie “The Passion of the Christ”. Some people who believe that passion had a purpose – and thus live as Christians – suffer a similar passion of persecution today.
But, the passionless Christians of the West ignore it. You see, the people who suffer the same painful torture and death simply for their beliefs are black Africans and, of course, they are Christians. So they don’t count. The bloody deaths of black African Christians doesn’t raise the one drop of sweat on a preacher’s forehead. Especially, because the persecutors come from the ‘Religion of Peace’ – Islam.
Yet, this is the news about religious bigotry.
A Muslim woman was assaulted when someone tugged at her head scarf in Florida and the AP carried the story. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says “anti-Muslim attacks will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Where is the news attention and the CAIR condemnation of these stories?
· February 24th, 2004. Yelwa, Nigeria. 48 Christians axed to death in Nigerian church by Muslims, many during a church meeting. Armed Muslims invaded the service, ordered the congregation to lie face down and proceeded 'to machete and axe them to death in their house of worship' according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The victims included women and children. The Yelwa incident was preceded by an attack on Tunka in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) during which 18 people were killed, including four mobile policemen who were murdered in an ambush. A local source told CSW the attacks were being carried out by as many as 400 heavily armed Muslims who shouted 'Allah u Akhbar' (God is great), wore red and black uniforms and moved with military precision. (CSW)
· March 28th, 2004. Nigerian state of Nasarawa. 15 Christians killed by Muslims. (Obed Minchakpu, Compass Direct)
· April 5th, 2004. Nigerian state of Plateau. Eight Christian pastors (Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Church of Christ, Evangelical Church of West Africa, and Roman Catholic) and 1,500 believers were killed by Muslims. 173 churches were destroyed. (Obed Minchakpu, Compass Direct)
Where are pictures and sound clips from survivors? Why aren’t they on the Web? Why aren’t Christians inundating the news services with demands to get to the bottom of these stories?
Either there is too little passion or too much prejudice.
Passion for Christians in America is discussing, in dulcet tones, whether or not the pastors of Protestant churches should commit buggery and marry others that do - like they’re really man and wife. Or, when tyrants, amusingly called judges, order the culturally cleansing of historically correct symbols – like the Ten Commandments – from public places, Christians cluck. But they cluck carefully to not be too offensive to the black-robed priest kings of Pagan Secularism. In fact, most Christians sniff at the people who defy illegal orders, like the good Judge Roy Moore, as zealots threatening the Rule of Law. Too many Christians don’t see Judge Roy Moore as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or as Martin Luther because they are genuflecting to the illegal, immoral Rule of Judges. Furthermore, few Christians dare say, “Merry CHRISTmas” in public lest they offend super-sensitive minorities. The same timid Christians applaud teaching minority and foreign religion and symbols in public schools in the name of diversity while Christian symbols – be it a Nativity Scene or a t-shirt – are suppressed.
Such is the passionless state of Christian Americans. There a few, the Evangelicals, who see themselves as American Christians. They live with a personal relationship with the living Jesus and are reviled, mocked for doing so. When Evangelicals speak publicly as citizens they are hated. When they fight for the traditional American Judeo-Christian worldview in the Second American Civil War (ACW II), they are feared. Maybe these Christians have a passion that would lead to action on behalf of their murdered brothers and sisters in Christ. If only they knew.
Maybe prejudice against Black Africans makes their lives less newsworthy. Or, is the prejudice that hides genocide less about race and more about ideas? If the Muslims waved the Confederate Battle Flag when they murdered Christians the news would be 24/7. Pity they hate the Cross of St. Andrew as much as all other crosses.
So, only certain ideas are considered dangerous enough to report every crime of association. Christianity tops the list of evil ideas over all things Conservative, Southern Culture, or Republican. That explains why Muslims murdering White Christians isn’t important either.
· April 9th, 2004. Kosovo. 117 Christian churches have been burned in recent months. One monastery was also burned to the ground, and 500 Christians have been killed or wounded and had their homes and businesses destroyed by rioting Muslims.(Agape Press)
And, of course, when Communists kill Asian Christians, who cares?
This Easter, as I survey the wondrous cross, I wonder what I can do to share in the passion of the Christ-like Christians being persecuted by Muslims and Communists. The silent partner for the Barbarian totalitarians and secular totalitarians is the Liberal-Secular-Pagan media. The Christian media reports to a small audience. It’s up to Christians to get national conservatives and independents talking about the real, terrible passion of Christian brothers and sisters today. Today, the old Black spiritual applies, “Where we you when they crucified my Savior?” in Africa and Asia. It makes me tremble.
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James Atticus Bowden has worked as a Defense Department consultant specializing in inter-disciplinary long range 'futures' studies for over a decade. He retired from the United States Army after 20 years of service as an Infantry Officer. He is a 1972 graduate of the United States Military Academy and earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. He resides in Virginia. He can be reached at jatticus@aol.com.
The author presumes the liberal press is going to respond to Christians. A little naive.
The world is evil, and always will be until Christ comes.
News Services are the kingdoms of this world. The Kingdom of God is within us.
Any suggestions?
There is no reason for the CAIR to condemn the killing of infidels. Cold hard fact.
Most of the news media are liberals and therefore exempt from thinking this religious war won't come to their front door and if it does, little do they realize that the pleads of being an atheist doesn't cut the mustard for a Islamics fascist:
Atheist and Christians are the same: Infidels, worthy of death
Or people think that it's just more violence from a violent place, just more of the tragedy of Africa.
Or, they believe that it is what Christians need to endure and there is no help for it.
Or it's so far away it doesn't seem real.
Outrage never leads to clear thinking.
Unfortunately, I see political liberalism, a distinct avoidance of the great moral issues of the day, and an overemphasis on ethnicity rather than on morality (at least in the GOC). I do not know if it is any different in the Russian church but my guess is that it is the same.
I will never forget the Paatriarch being welcomed by the tyrant Castro in Cuba earlier this year. I cannot forgive the GOA honoring senators like Sarbanes who voted against banning partial birth abortion!
It pains me to see this political correctness infecting the church because the Orthodox Church has suffered so much in the last 2000 years - from pagans, Aryans, Muslims, communists, etc.
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