Posted on 05/10/2002 12:41:24 PM PDT by marshmallow
ROME, (Zenit.org).- The 20th century may have been the most striking in the annals of Christian martyrdom, and a new book shows it with numbers.
In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million faithful have given their lives for the faith, and of these, 45.5 million -- fully 65% -- were in the last century, according to "The New Persecuted" ("I Nuovi Perseguitati").
Italian journalist Antonio Socci presented his work today during a conference on "Anti-Christian Persecution in the 20th Century" held at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.
"I handed in the draft of the book in January; since then the martyrdom of Christians has had no letup," the author noted. "Suffice it to think of what is happening in Colombia and Indonesia."
In the journalist´s analysis, the term "Christian martyrs" is not understood in the specific sense of the word (with the recognition of the Church´s processes of canonization), but according to the common assessment of scholars who have compiled statistics on religious persecutions.
Socci´s map of the current persecution highlights countries where Christians are dying for their faith.
It includes the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, East Timor, Cuba, the former Soviet republics, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries, Vietnam, China and others.
According to the author, the two currents that fuel the persecution of Christians today are Communism and Muslim fundamentalism.
Socci said that persecution of Christians is currently most severe in Sudan.
This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. I'd say there's a good chance Muslim fundamentalism will be the 21st century's chief persecutor of Christian's. 9-11 got that ball rolling early.
Everywhere on the planet where Christians are being murdered, if you scratch a moslem or a commie you find---United States Government funding, arming, training and oil prospecting. Scratch further and you find American Christians closely perusing their stock options....
Here you go.
mar·tyr Pronunciation Key (märtr) n.As in most cases to renounce the Christian faith would have lead to their lives being spared those who died at the hands of the Communist and Muslim forces should indeed be considered martyrs.1.) One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.
2.) One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.
3.) One who endures great suffering: a martyr to arthritis.
4.) One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy.
tr.v. mar·tyred, mar·tyr·ing, mar·tyrs To make a martyr of, especially to put to death for devotion to religious beliefs.
To inflict great pain on; torment.
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[Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Late Greek martur, from Greek martus, martur-, witness.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
a.cricket
patent
patent
Using my father's ping list....let me know if you want on or off. God bless.
At least, that's what I think is going on. If I'm wrong, please correct me.
Lord, almighty God, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have come to the knowledge of yourself, God of angels, of powers, of all creation, of all the race of saints who live in your sight, I bless you for judging me worthy of this day, this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ, your annointed one, and so rise again to eternal life in soul and body, immortal through the power of the Holy Spirit. May I be received among the martyrs in your presence today as a rich and pleasing sacrifice. God of truth, stranger to falsehood, you have prepared this and revealed it to me and now you have fulfilled your promise. I praise you for all things, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal priest of heaven, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him be glory to you, together with him and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
I wish we'd hear from father_elijah.
Possibly, since the growth was exponential. For example, twice as many people leaved in 2000 as in 1900, 1800, 1700 combined:
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Year | Population | |||
1700 | 600,000,000 | |||
1800 | 900,000,000 | |||
1900 | 1,500,000,000 | |||
2000 | 6,000,000,000 | |||
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Possibly, since the growth was exponential. For example, twice as many people leaved in 2000 as in 1900, 1800, 1700 combined:These figures only give the population at two instants in one century rather than the number of people born, but for rough purposes they are usable. Take the last century, add the start and end together (since at least that many people lived in the century) and you get 7,500,000,000. Take the previous century, do the same, and you get 2,400,000,000. Add the previous, and you get another 1,500,000,000. In total you have at least 11,400,000,000 alive in the last three centuries, of which ~65% were alive in the last one. Obviously as you add in the remaining centuries the figure drops below that. I would guess to slightly above 50%, but of course it is a guess.
This neglects one crucial variable though, where the population grown this century has been. If the population growth has largely been in Christian lands, the 65% figure is possible. However, most of the growth isnt in Christian lands, a fact that our western love of abortion and contraception almost makes intuitive:
World population is now growing by 1.3 per cent, or 77 million people per year. Six countries account for half of this growth: India (with 21 per cent of the total increase), China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Indonesia.In other words, while there is a good argument that about 50% of the worlds population has lived in this last century, so far as I can see there is not a good argument that the same is true for the worlds Christian population.
patent +AMDG
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