Doctor Fired After Government Hears His Sermons

Dr. Eric Walsh

By Douglas Ernst

World Net Daily

A Georgia pastor has filed a federal lawsuit alleging he was fired from the state’s Department of Public Health one day after handing over sermons at the agency’s request.

Dr. Eric Walsh contends that a job offer he accepted by DPH was suddenly terminated after the agency was given sermons he delivered on creationism, marriage, sexuality and other issues. The Seventh Day Adventist lay minister is represented by First Liberty, a prominent law firm specializing in religious liberty.

“No one in this country should be fired from their job for something that was said in a church or from a pulpit during a sermon,” First Liberty attorney Jeremy Dys told Fox News on Friday. “He was fired for something he said in a sermon. If the government is allowed to fire someone over what he said in his sermons, they can come after any of us for our beliefs on anything.”

Walsh’s lawsuit alleges that after he was hired as a district health director on May 7, 2014, investigators scoured the internet for public comments and took notes on his “religious beliefs and viewpoints on social, cultural and other matters of public concern as expressed in the sermons and other public addresses.”

DPH’s job offer was rescinded on May 16, 2014.

“I don’t believe I did anything wrong,” Walsh told the network. “This has been very painful for me. I really am a strong believer in the Constitution, but now I feel like maybe all these ideals and values that I was raised to believe – the ideals this country was founded upon – no longer exist.”

Nancy Nydam, acting director of communications for the Georgia Department of Public Health, emailed the Blaze on Thursday as Walsh’s story spread online.

“Georgia Department of Public Health policy requires the disclosure and written approval of secondary employment held by its employees. Dr. Walsh was extended a conditional offer of employment by DPH, subject to passing a routine background check. During the background check process, DPH learned Dr. Walsh failed to disclose outside employment to his previous public health employer, which also was in violation of California law,” Nydam said. “Due to violation of both California state law and DPH policy, the offer to Dr. Walsh was rescinded. During his interview, Dr. Walsh disclosed his religious beliefs to DPH staff and indicated that he preached at his church in California. Dr. Walsh’s religious beliefs had nothing to do with the decision to withdraw the offer.”

Readers at the Blaze said the uncanny timing of the termination indicated nothing more than a bureaucratic smokescreen.

Article continues: http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/

Muslim Ruler's Daughter Arrested for Christian Faith: Conversion Followed 'Miraculous' Vision

By Leo Hohmann

World Net Daily

The daughter of a Muslim ruler in the Middle East recently had a miraculous encounter with Jesus Christ that has caused her to repudiate her faith in Allah and openly express her faith in Jesus.  As a result, she has been placed under house arrest.

As a member of a prominent family, she was not seeking such an encounter, but it presented itself in a way that she found difficult to ignore.

In fact, those who know her say Najima (her real name and her country are withheld for her safety) was a faithful Muslim. She followed the Five Pillars of Islam, never missed the required five-times-a-day prayers, gave to the poor, fasted and followed all the rules for living as a Muslim woman.

While studying at a Western university, she noticed a small piece of paper stuck in a crease at the table at which she was sitting. It was part of a Bible tract about Jesus Christ.

It read: “For God hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

She thought it was strange and asked herself, “How can Jesus be sin for us?”
She threw the tract in the trash can, thinking that would be the end of it. But the verse kept haunting her. She tried to forget it and went to bed.

No matter how much she tried to forget, the verse continued to project itself before her mind. She could not sleep.

Then came a presence that lit up her room as if the sun was shining through the window at midnight.

Then came a voice: “Daughter, you’re a sinner. There is none righteous, no, not one: All are gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; But I came to take all of your sins. I did ransom for many. Believe me and accept me. I give you eternal life.”

She understood it was the voice from Jesus Christ, and she knelt down and accepted him as her personal savior and Lord.

Read the rest of her miraculous story

Anti-Israel Students Trap California University President to Prove They Aren’t ‘Terrorists’

By Tre' Goins-Phillips   
The Blaze

Following the posting of a controversial flier at San Diego State University that listed names of anti-Israel students, alleging they had connections to terrorist groups, dozens of protesters trapped the college president in a car for about two hours.

The ordeal began on the third floor of the Student Union, where students knew president Elliott Hirshman would be, according to CBS 8. From there, the protesters followed him down the stairs and out the door, when he ended up huddled inside a police car for more than one hour.

The controversial poster was first circulated around SDSU’s campus by conservative writer David Horowitz’s Freedom Center, which is known for posting provocative broadsides at various college campuses.

The frustration with Hirshman began when, after the poster was brought to his attention, he failed to offer a response that satisfied the anti-Israel students who were accused of associating themselves with Palestinian terrorist organizations.

“I had people from my classes that did not know I was part of activism, and they were like, ‘Why is your name up there?’” student Tessa Wiley, whose name was on the poster, said.

In the email the president first published, he said the university supports the rights of all groups to voice their opinions on political issues, but recognizes the problems that could arise from publishing specific individuals’ names, adding that it could discourage other students from taking part in the campus’s political discourse.

Article continues: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/04/28/

Witnesses Tell UN of Genocide of Christians in Middle East

By Rebecca Oas, Ph.D
Center for Family & Human Rights (C-Fam)

NEW YORK, April 29 (C-Fam) Held by terrorist captors, an Iraqi woman named Khalia resisted their demands that she abandon her Christian faith. Her story was told at the UN this week, along with other accounts of atrocities suffered by Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East at the hands of the Islamic State, or ISIS.

According to experts, 80% of acts of religious persecution worldwide are committed against Christians. At an event hosted by the Holy See along with CitizenGO, Mas Libres, and In Defense of Christians (IDC), experts and victims called on the international community to stop the violence, provide humanitarian support for victims, and ensure religious freedom to Christians and other minority religious groups.

Defining the situation as genocide is an important step in determining an appropriate response. Last month, the United States formally declared the actions of the Islamic State to be genocide, joining Pope Francis and the European Parliament. This finding by the U.S. was credited in part to a report submitted by the Knights of Columbus and IDC. Khalia’s account is one of many contained in its almost 300 pages.

continue reading at https://c-fam.org

After Pastor's Wife Buried Alive, Chinese Church Wins Land Battle

Ding's son stands next to where
her body is being stored.

By Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
Christianity Today Gleanings

Nearly two weeks after a Chinese pastor and his wife were buried alive defending their church from destruction, local authorities have ruled in favor of the Protestant house church’s claim to its land.

After a local business wanted to take over the property that Beitou Church in Zhumadian sat on, a government-backed demolition crew was sent to destroy the church. And when the pastor, Li Jiangong, and his wife, Ding Cuimei, stepped in front of a bulldozer, it didn’t stop.

“Bury them alive for me,” a member of the demolition team said, according to China Aid which reported both the tragic incident and the ensuing legal victory. “I will be responsible for their lives.”

The couple were shoved into a pit and covered with dirt, according to China Aid.

Li manage to free himself. But before he could dig his wife out, Ding suffocated.

The demolition crew is being detained while their actions are being investigated, the local police station told China Aid.

While criminal charges are still pending, a government investigation has concluded that the land belongs to the church.

“This is a definite legal victory for the church,” stated China Aid. “The task force concluded the investigation [by] stating … that pastor Li Jiangong's church has the sole authority for the usage of the land as a religious site and should belong to the church for use. It rules no individual or other organization should claim the land from the church.”

Read more: http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/

Persecution Unveiled has established this cause to educate people about the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the US & worldwide. We have been called by God to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to speak up and act on behalf of those who have no voice.  Email: persecutionunveiled@gmail.com 

Five Judges Decide: Does Marine Have Religious Freedom?

Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling

By Greg Corombos

World Net Daily

Five military judges heard oral arguments Wednesday in the appeal of a U.S. Marine punished through a court-martial for refusing to remove Bible verses from her workstation, and a retired general says the case could determine whether there really is religious freedom in the U.S. military.

Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling lost her original court case, as the court ruled the Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not apply to the the type of religious expression she was displaying and did not protect her from punishment for refusing to remove the verses.

A decision is expected this summer.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin was in the United State Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces for Wednesday’s oral arguments before the five-judge panel. Boykin told WND and Radio America it’s likely to be a 3-2 decision.

“Two of them were supporting the actions of the Marine Corps,” Boykin said. “Two of them were supporting the defendant, Monifa Sterling. The chief judge held his cards very close to his chest. We came out thinking the decisive vote will be the chief judge.”

However the court rules, Boykin said the decision will reverberate throughout the military.

“If they uphold her appeal and she is exonerated on this, it’s a strong, strong message to all of the military that you must protect the religious rights of service members,” Boykin explained. “On the other hand, if it is upheld and her special court-martial stands, I think it portends the situation in the military with regard to religious freedom is going to decline.”

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/

Threatened with Throat-slitting and Slaughter: Christian Persecution in Swedish Asylum Centers

In 2015, Sweden welcomed more than 160,000 asylum seekers,
majority of whom were from Syria and other war zones.

By Carey Lodge
Christianity Today

Christians and other religious minorities are being persecuted in Swedish asylum centres, and provisions must be made for their safety, campaigners say.

According to the Swedish Evangelical Alliance, one Christian refugee in Kalmar, south-eastern Sweden, was threatened with "slaughter", and having his throat cut by a man who claimed to have fought with jihadist groups in Syria. A Pakistani Christian couple moved into a church when the husband's name was sprayed on a wall near their room calling for his death. A separate group of asylum seekers in Kalmar were forced to leave their accommodation when their harassment escalated.

"No one wants a society where people are divided up on the basis of religious beliefs, sexuality, ethnicity, or nationality, but this is an urgent situation that must be resolved," said Jacob Rudolfsson, deputy secretary-general of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance."Basic protection should be provided by the state, but when the state fails to protect Christian asylum seekers, Christian organizations must take action."

In a letter dated March 14, Patriarch Ignatuis Aphrem II, Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, urged Swedish authorities to intervene.
He said he was "dismayed" by reports of Christians being harassed while in asylum accommodation. "This situation does not reflect the culture of the peaceful and loving Swedish people," he wrote.

"Christians do not live in refugee camps in the Middle East, because, there too, they are persecuted by Muslim extremists. Because of that, most of the time, they are not entitled to aid from the UN. 

We, the Churches and community-based organizations, are doing our best to help them."To witness that they are once more being persecuted at Swedish asylum accommodations make[s] us very sad. 

Story continues: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/

Professor Defies Catholic University's Order to Apologize

Suspended for saying students have right

 to defend man-and-woman marriage

World Net Daily

Professor John McAdams of Marquette University is responding defiantly to the nominally Catholic university’s threat to fire him if he does not make an apology for saying students have the right to defend traditional marriage.

In an interview with Stephen Bannon on Sirius XM, McAdams had observed he didn’t even really defend traditional marriage itself, just the right of others to do so without being “bullied and demeaned.”

McAdams said he has been suspended without pay for the rest of the year and can only return in January if he is willing to “abase myself” and apologize.

That, the professor says, is not going to happen.

“I’m not going to sign any ‘loyalty oath’ to Marquette’s mission – since I’m, in fact, probably a stronger proponent of Marquette’s claimed mission than the people running the university,” he told Bannon. “But I’m against loyalty oaths.”

He observed liberals once opposed loyalty oaths designed to weed out communists. Now, however, liberals have become the people who demand loyalty oaths in order to eliminate ideological dissidents.

Carl Gallups, pastor of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in Milton, Florida, and author of “Be Thou Prepared: Equipping the Church for Persecution and Times of Trouble,” said the case is simply another example in a pattern of anti-Christian persecution.

“We predicted the Supreme Court ‘gay marriage’ ruling would increase the targeting of Christians who insisted on holding to the traditional and biblical model of marriage,” Gallups told WND. “Unfortunately, we are constantly being confirmed as correct. Here is just one more, but blatant, example of what we saw coming. And unless the godless and rebellious ‘gay marriage’ course is reversed, the targeting will only grow more intense.”

Gallups argues the persecution of Christians isn’t some inadvertent side effect of the campaign for same-sex marriage, but was the objective all along for homosexual rights campaigners.

“This kind of targeting and marginalizing of the ‘intolerant’ was the plan of the radical gay agenda all along. The issue of so-called gay marriage was never only about ‘being with the one you love.’ No, the agenda of the radical gays was ultimately to use the ruling as a judicial weapon against what most of the radicals hate most – the Word of God and the people of God. These two things have long thwarted the efforts of the godless, leftist, and radical agenda.”

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/

Three Teens From Paris Suburb Arrested for Attacking Locksmith They Thought Was Jewish

Jewish Telegraph Agency

French police arrested three teenagers who are suspected of ambushing, attacking and seriously wounding a locksmith because they believed he was Jewish.

The suspects, all 15, are said to have ordered the services of a locksmith five months ago from a firm whose owners had a Jewish-sounding name, the Paris-based daily Le Figaro reported Sunday. The teens selected the firm after hearing a radio commercial advertising it, a police source said. The newspaper did not name the locksmith firm in question nor the suspects, who are denying the assault charges against them.

When the locksmith showed up at the address given to him over the phone in the eastern Paris suburb of Bussy-Saint-Georges, the teens allegedly beat him, sprayed tear gas in his face and threatened to kill him while at least one of them brandished a knife. The locksmith was not Jewish, according to the report. He required hospitalization after the assault.

One of the suspects reportedly admitted only to ordering the locksmith. Another reportedly admitted to being at the scene of the crime, while the third teen, the only suspect recognized by the victim, denied having any connection to the crime. Detectives found hate speech against Jews in text messages he wrote on his cellphone, according to the report.

The three minors are under arrest at a facility for juvenile delinquents in Meaux, east of Paris.

A total of 808 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in France last year – a 5 percent decrease over the previous year but still the fifth-highest number of incidents recorded since the 1980s and more than double the total for 2011.

On average, France has seen 606 incidents annually since the year 2000, when attacks against Jews over Israel’s actions against the Palestinians first led to a substantial rise in incidents in France.

Website: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/

Judgment Day for Christian Baker 'Violating Faith'

“The freedom to live and work consistently with one’s faith 

is at the heart of what it means to be an American"

By Bob Unruh

World Net Daily

Four members of the Colorado Supreme Court, including one justice who boasts on a state website of being a homosexual-rights advocate through the Denver mayor’s “GLBT Commission,” have refused to intervene in a case that is forcing a Colorado baker to violate his Christian faith.

The ruling from the court on Monday drew a statement from the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has been fighting for the religious rights of Lakewood, Colorado, baker Jack Phillips.

“We asked the Colorado Supreme Court to take this case to ensure that government understands that its duty is to protect the people’s freedom to follow their beliefs personally and professionally, not force them to violate those beliefs as the price of earning a living,” said Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco.

“Jack, who has happily served people of all backgrounds for years, simply exercised the long-cherished American freedom to decline to use his artistic talents to promote a message and event with which he disagrees, and that freedom shouldn’t be placed in jeopardy for anyone. We are evaluating all legal options to preserve this freedom for Jack.”

The court on Monday issued a terse statement denying a petition for review.

It said that Chief Justice Nancy Rice and Justice Nathan Coats would have reviewed the case because of the important questions it raises. But four other justices, including Monica Marquiz, who boasts of winning the Colorado GLBT Bar Association’s 2009 Outstanding GLBT Attorney Award, joined with a growing social movement that insists homosexual rights trump the religious rights protected by the Constitution.

For Rice and Coats, the issues that need to be reviewed include whether the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) “requires Phillips to create artistic expression that contravenes his religious beliefs about marriage,” whether “applying CADA to force Phillips to create artistic expression that contravenes his religious beliefs about marriage violates his free speech rights under the United States and Colorado Constitutions” and whether “applying CADA to force Phillips to create artistic expression that violates his religious beliefs about marriage infringes his free exercise rights under the United States and Colorado Constitutions.”

WND has reported numerous cases similar to Phillips’ in which Christians have suffered punishment for adhering to religious principles.

Read the whole story of religious discrimination against Jack Phillips

Rutgers University Backs Down: Removes Jesus Dartboard

Outrage erupts over display of 'art' at Rutgers library

By World Net Daily

After an outcry was raised by students, potential students, alumni and the general public, Rutgers University has removed a “provocative and controversial” piece of artwork from the campus library.

The art piece, entitled “Vitruvian Man,” featured Jesus hanging from a dartboard rather than a cross. Instead of nails, red darts were placed in his chest, hands and feet, with blood dripping from the stab wounds.

The report came from Campus Reform, which explains what it found: “An alleged ‘art display’ at Rutgers University featuring a figure of Jesus Christ on a dartboard, with darts inserted where He was wounded on the Cross, is being held up as a contradiction of the school’s professed commitment to diversity,” wrote reporter Peter Fricke.

The report said the image was posted by a former Rutgers student on a Facebook page for the Class of 2016. She said it was in the school’s art library. The posting received nearly 150 comments, with some defending the display as an expression of free speech.

See what American education has become, in “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children.”

“An art library is a location specifically designated for art and art can (and most of the time is) be profoundly offensive,” said Parth Mehrotra. “The purpose of art is to incite an emotion and make a statement. Some good, some bad. I mean, people used to be executed for making art contradictory to their nations propaganda.”

“You’re going to go through life seeing lots of things that disrespect you. The world does not revolve around one person. Live and learn!,” Erica Steeber wrote.

Others vehemently disagreed. “Disgusting, disturbing, and offensive,” said Odalys Jimenez-Castano. “It’s a public university. You’re right. That is why I deserve to feel safe in my own school that I pay thousands of dollars to attend just as much as anyone else in this school. Being tolerant of others means respecting everyone in your community. Plain and simple.”

“It is surprising that a state university would allow this,” wrote Rutgers graduate Natalie Caruso. “I asked them to take it down because I found it disrespectful and they refused. How is this acceptable!?”

“Honestly, if this were Muhammad or some other religious figure there would have been more of an outcry,” said Matthew Andrews, “not to mention wouldn’t have been done in the first place.”

Article continues: http://www.wnd.com/2016/04

Descendant of Muhammad: Islamic Radicals Want Me Dead for My Faith in Christ

Ali Hasnain

By Samuel Smith
Christian Post

Part 1 of this two-part series can be read by clicking here.

After declaring that Jesus saved his life when he was stabbed and left to bleed to death by a Wahabi radical, it didn't take long for a teenage Ali Hasnain, a Sayed (descendant of Muhammad) and author of The Cost: My Life On a Terrorist Hit List, to realize that he was a wanted man in Pakistan.

Although all Ali did was encourage his classmates to pray to Jesus, that is all it took for Ali to become the target of radical Muslims, who eventually issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) calling for his death.

After word spread in Lahore that Ali was beaten and stabbed for telling his classmates that the right way to seek forgiveness is to pray to Jesus Christ, his own family was upset and surprised. They encouraged Ali to come forward and announce to the public that he was only joking in hopes that it would prevent radical Muslims from trying to kill Ali or another member of his family.

However, Ali could not renounce Jesus like his family suggested.

"I couldn't do it because I knew what was happening. I knew that Jesus Christ saved me and I just couldn't deny it," Ali told The Christian Post in an interview. "I explained to my mom, 'Look, the doctor said I was dead but Jesus Christ, he saved me. I had a dream of him and he gave me this life.'"

Refusing to renounce his faith, it didn't take long for Sunni Wahabi extremists in the town to go after Ali and his family.

Ali remembers the last night he stayed with his family in their home in Lahore. He recalls a mob of radicals marching down to his house in the middle of the night and demanding that his family turn him over.

As the mob was outside demanding Ali, his stepfather grabbed him, led him out the backdoor and drove him to a friend's house in Multan. After driving about five hours to Multan, the friend graciously let Ali stay at his house for a few weeks, not really knowing that Ali was on the run from Wahhabi extremists in Lahore.

Read the rest of Ali's story

Idaho Governor Vetoes Bill Permitting Bible as Reference in Public Schools

Idaho Governor Butch Otter

By Heather Clark
Christian News

BOISE, Idaho — The Republican governor of Idaho has vetoed a bill that would permit the Bible to be used a for reference purposes in public school classrooms out of concern that it could result in a lawsuit.

“I have deep respect and appreciation for the Bible as religious doctrine as well as a piece of historic literature,” Gov. Butch Otter wrote in a letter accompanying the veto. “However, allowing S1342 to become law is a direct contravention to the Idaho Constitution and it could result for the loss of funding and costly litigation for Idaho public schools.”

As previously reported, S.B. 1342 was introduced earlier this year by the Senate Education Committee at the urging of Sen. Cheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, who also works as a high school teacher.

“The Bible is expressly permitted to be used in Idaho public schools for reference purposes to further the study of literature, comparative religion, English and foreign languages, United States and world history, comparative government, law, philosophy, ethics, astronomy, biology, geology, world geography, archaeology, music, sociology, and other topics of study where an understanding of the Bible may be useful or relevant,” the bill read as introduced.

Read full story:http://christiannews.net/2016/04/12/

North Korea: Where Christians are Persecuted but Strong in Faith

Carey Lodge

Christian Today Journalist     

North Korea is widely hailed as the worst country in which to be a Christian. The arrest and detention of missionaries such as Kenneth Bae and John Short, along with reports of gross human rights violations against citizens deemed to be conspiring against the state, has resulted in growing international concern for the small nation led by dictator Kim Jong-Un.

Around a third of North Korea's 100,000-strong Christian population are thought to be labouring in concentration camps, while tens of thousands of citizens, including many who are Christians, have defected to countries such as neighbouring South Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia.

However, Rev Eric Foley, co-founder of Seoul USA, a ministry dedicated to supporting defected and underground Christians in North Korea, says that despite intense persecution, North Korean Christians are remaining steadfast in their faith, and even sharing it with others.

"North Korea is a unique nation in the whole of human history in that it's the only nation ever to be founded on a distortion of the Christian faith," he tells Christian Today.

"100 per cent of citizens attend mandatory self-criticism services, which are similar to Christian worship services - there are 600 hymnals dedicated to Kim Il-sung, they hear from his writings and about the 10 principles which are an adaptation of the 10 Commandments. These gatherings look so much like our worship services that when we encounter North Koreans and share the Gospel, often their reaction is to say 'Why are you imitating us?'"

Foley explains that Christianity is "a direct challenge to Juche ideology" and if it were to spread, "it would become clear that Juche is a pale imitation of the Christian faith".

Anyone found to be practising the religion is therefore thrown into hard labour camps for the rest of their life, or even killed, and recent cases such as that of American citizen Kenneth Bae, indicate an increasing intolerance towards Christian activity even from outsiders. It is no wonder that North Korea has topped Open Doors' World Watch List for Christian persecution 12 years in a row.

In spite of this, however, Foley insists that Christians, whom he describes as "the most battle-hardened, tested and proven true of any we meet," do not "simply hide out in hopes of a regime change".

"There has always been an underground presence in North Korea...they continue to evangelise and disciple in ways that are distinctive and unique," he says.

"Even in the concentration camps, which are often thought to be places of hopelessness, Christians have for more than a generation been engaging in discipleship and evangelism. They regard it as part of their mission field.

Read more: http://www.christiantoday.com/

China: Pastor of Official Church Sentenced

By Joseph DeCaro
Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The pastor of an official church in Zhejiang Province was sentenced after he dared to criticize Communist authorities about China’s ongoing demolition of church crosses.

According to Morning Star News, Pastor Bao Guohua of the Holy Love Christian Church in Jinhua received a prison sentence of 14 years while his wife was sentenced to 12 after both were convicted of “corruption, financial crimes and gathering people to disturb social order.” The court reportedly ordered 600,000 renminbi (US$92,000) confiscated from each along with separate fines of about $15,000 (US).

Nine other members of Holy Love’s staff were also convicted, but they received lesser sentences.

Bao is one of eight detained pastors belonging to China’s official Three-Self Patriotic Movement. The Communist government also brought formal charges against 20 human rights lawyers who had worked to stop China’s cross removal campaign in Zhejiang.

Web address: http://www.christianpersecution.info/

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY BILL INCHES FORWARD IN HOUSE

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho

By Phillip Wegmann
The Daily Signal

After more than 300 days, a bill to safeguard religious liberty in the marriage debate appears to be gaining momentum in committee.

The legislation has attracted 164 co-sponsors since it was referred in June to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Now, with “the majority of the majority’s support,” Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, says circumstances “bode much better” for the bill.

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, the original sponsor, sounded more bullish. Labrador told The Daily Signal that he expects “we’re going to see a bill [advance] here pretty soon.”

Called the First Amendment Defense Act, the bill would prohibit the government from discriminating against individuals or organizations based on their belief that marriage is exclusively a union between a man and a woman.

Labrador introduced the legislation 10 months ago as a stopgap measure to protect conscience rights after the Supreme Court’s decision last summer legalizing same-sex marriage.

The issue has gained attention at the state level. On April 5, Mississippi passed a religious liberty bill into law, while Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, vetoed similar legislation.

Read more: http://dailysignal.com/2016/04/21/

SITTING IN THE SUFFERING

By Caitlyn Shows, Intern
Open Doors

As Christians there are many common threads that bind us all together.

There is one thread in particular that truly allows us to dig deeper into being “one” with the body of Christ. This specific thread is suffering. 

1 Corinthians 12:26 says, "If one member suffers, all suffer together...” not just suffering in sin but also suffering in truth.

My first week at Open Doors I was immersed into a culture where persecution and suffering for Christ is the norm and sometimes even rejoiced in. This context baffled me. Who would be thankful for suffering in persecution?

On my third day in the office, I sat and read many stories about those that suffer in persecution as Christians. I was taken by a specific story about a man in Bangladesh who stepped out of his home into his community to share about his faith, knowing, that if he’d been caught he would be tortured, thrown in jail or murdered. That afternoon he was brutally murdered on his way home. 

Sitting there in my comfortably safe office space, I couldn’t help but weep in confusion. I haven’t even met him and yet I felt so much pain. I went back to 1 Corinthians 12:26 and read it again, "If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored all rejoice together.” How? I have never experienced nor comprehended this type of suffering . So, how do I honor it and then eventually rejoice in the suffering that he and many others have and are experiencing?

That afternoon I sat in the suffering of those that I read about that day. I remembered Romans 12 and I sat in silence and wept for those who gave their lives as a humble act in serving Christ. I honored them by grieving and praying for their families. I also rejoiced in the truth that he told to many before he died and prayed that all who heard would help grow the Kingdom of God. 

As a new volunteer, I have come to the conclusion that this concept of “sitting in the suffering” of others is a foreign concept in our society. It is uncomfortable to us because we might not have the time or commitment that it takes. I hope that we as Christians can soon grasp this concept and join the body as they suffer for the truth.

Website: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

Trevi Fountain Waters to be Dyed Red, Calling Attention to Persecution of Christians

from Catholic News Agency

Rome, Italy, Apr 20, 2016 / 03:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On April 29, the Trevi Fountain, one of the most popular and emblematic tourist spots in Rome, will be dyed red in recognition of all Christians who even today give their life for the faith.

The event is being organized by Aid to the Church in Need and seeks to “call attention to the drama of anti-Christian persecution.”

In a statement posted on their website, the aid group said they hope this initiative will be “the start of a long lasting, concrete reaction everywhere so that the persecuted people of the 21st century can as soon as possible return to fully enjoying their natural right to religious freedom.”

article continues at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com

Persecution Unveiled has established this cause to educate people about the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the US & worldwide. Mission Raising awareness to the growing tide of bigotry and hatred toward Christians around the world has become a burden on those trying to wake up those who cherish religious freedom as a God given right. Persecution Unveiled has been called by God to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to speak up and act on behalf of those who have no voice. You can also follow us on Pinterest and Facebook.

Wife of Chinese Church Leader Reportedly Buried Alive and Killed After Protesting Church’s Demolition

By Carly Hollman
The Blaze

Two members of a church demolition team in China’s central Henan province buried a house church leader and his wife alive Thursday when the pair tried to prevent the destruction of their church, according to local news sources. Though the church leader managed to escape, his wife suffocated to death before she could be freed.

The couple had petitioned the destruction of their church, China Aid reported Monday.

On April 14, a government-sponsored company sent workers to bulldoze Beitou Church in Zhumadian. The order came after a local developer expressed interest in the church’s valuable land.

When the demolition crew showed up, Li Jiangong, the church leader, and his wife, Ding Cuimei, stepped in front of the bulldozers to protest the demolition.

“Bury them alive for me,” one of the workers said, according to China Aid. “I will be responsible for their lives.” The couple was reportedly pushed into a pit with a bulldozer, which proceeded to cover their bodies with soil, suffocating Ding and nearly killing Li.

Police told China Aid in an interview Sunday that two suspects are being detained in connection with the crime while a officials from the public security bureau investigate their case. Specific charges were not disclosed.

China Aid President Bob Fu described Ding Cuimei as “a peaceful and devout Christian woman” and called the grisly burial “a cruel, murderous act.” According to China Aid, Li said police took an “uncommonly long time” to arrive at the demolition site after his wife was reported to have been murdered.

The outlet also reported that local Christian witnesses said the various government departments responsible for managing the area did not show up to oversee the demolition.

Story continues: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/04/19/

Christian Women Worldwide Are The Most Religious … and the Most Persecuted

Marcham Conference on Women and Persecution, March 2016

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

Christianity Today

This Sunday, many American churches will observe “Stand with the Persecuted,” a day of activism sponsored by the Family Research Council, Open Doors, the Institute on Religion and Democracy, Voice of the Martyrs, In Defense of Christians, Christian Solidarity Worldwide–USA, International Christian Concern, and the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative.

A survey of 192 countries has demonstrated scientifically what many have long known anecdotally to be true: Christian women are more religious than Christian men.

The lesser known fact: those women bear the brunt of persecution in the 50 countries where it is hardest to be a Christian.

“Increasing numbers of women face a double blow today—violent attacks against them because of their Christian faith, and because they are women,” said Kate Ward, an organizer of an international conference that met last month to seek answers to the growing problem. 

The conference was sponsored by Release International, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the International Institute for Religious Freedom, and the Religious Liberty Partnership.

“While steps must be taken to stop future atrocities from occurring, provide aid to those whose lives have been upended, and to plan for their future, we must also recognize and nurture the solidarity that we as American Christians share with our brothers and sisters overseas,” wrote Ken Blackwell, former US ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission, and Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Liberty Project at Georgetown University, in a joint op-ed.

“To advocate for them we must love them. And to love them we must know them,” wrote Blackwell and Farr. “Without this enriched relationship being developed over the long term, advocacy will languish. Just as importantly, we will miss the opportunity for spiritual participation in their suffering as members of the Body of Christ, and the joyful solidarity that results.”

Read more: http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/

Contact your pastor and ask him to participate in "Stand with the Persecuted" 
this Sunday, April 24, 2016.

School Goes Ballistic Over 'Jesus Lunch' in Park

By Douglas Ernst
World Net Daily

School officials in Wisconsin were caught on video trying to intimidate parents into closing down a weekly “Jesus Lunch” for hungry kids in a local park, and now the police are involved.

Mothers in Middleton have been hosting a Jesus Lunch 16 times per year since 2014 in Fireman’s Park. Students from Middleton High School, who may eat at local dining establishments, often choose a free lunch provided by the mothers. The religious message shared with meals was the catalyst for targeting the gathering, which has grown from a small handful of students to hundreds.

“We are asking you to allow our legal counsels to consider this together because this is certainly a question you contend is a First Amendment right,” Donald Johnson, the superintendent of the Middleton-Cross Plains district, recently said to the mothers after blocking the park entrance with hazard cones. “We contend that this is really an issue of our ability to exercise our lease for the city. We think that cooperation is really the way to go.”

Johnson was then presented with a letter from the group’s lawyer, another from the City of Middleton, and a lease agreement to use the park, the education watchdog EAGnews.org reported last Friday.

“[Officials] coned up the parking lot, waited there and confronted my clients and told them to leave,” Phillip Stamman, an attorney representing the moms, told the website. “[The parents] responded how I recommended. They walked right past them. The superintendent repeatedly tried to confront them. He was the first one. But they just moved on.”

The video also shows the Johnson simultaneously lamenting the parents’ lawyers while saying his desired resolution would entail their removal from the park.

“Fireman’s Park – a public park owned by the city of Middleton – remains accessible to everyone in the public for the purposes of assembly and free speech,” lunch organizer Beth Williams said in a statement. “By law, the lease agreement between the city and the school district of Middleton does not privatize the park.”

Article continues: http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/

YOU CHRISTIAN? YOU'RE TARGETED

By Paul Bremmer
World Net Daily

You’re a Christian in America? You’re targeted.

That’s the message from Fox News host Todd Starnes, who has explored the persecution of the faithful in his new book, “God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values.”

“Through my coverage and through my investigative reporting, I’ve discovered that it’s not just a war on religious liberty, but this is in fact a war that is specifically targeting people of the Christian faith,” Starnes said.

In “God Less America,” Starnes reveals numerous examples of the intolerance toward Christians that has pervaded the Obama years. He tells of a group of schoolchildren who went to a VA hospital to sing Christmas carols. Upon arrival, they were met by a government officer who told them they were not permitted to sing any songs about Jesus. The officer then handed them a list of government-approved Christmas songs.

Other attacks on Christianity routinely are reported: The condemnation of prayer in public meetings, the removal of Ten Commandments images from public places, the banishment of Nativity scenes, and memorial crosses. Schools that remove Christian references from music or art programs. Bans on Christians meeting in homes. And more.

Starnes said some of the most egregious attacks on Christianity have come from the U.S. military under the Obama administration. In the book, he tells the story of a “diversity training session” in which U.S. soldiers were told Roman Catholics and evangelical Christians were “religious extremists,” on par with Hamas and al-Qaida.

He also writes about how officers have been told to hide evidence of their faith by removing religious icons from their desks. He tells tales of chapels in Afghanistan that have been cleansed of all Christian markings, including crosses and images of Jesus.

Article continues: http://www.wnd.com/2014/08/

Attacks on Christians in U.S. Doubles in Three Years

2016 list reveals 'hostility to religion rising like floodwaters'

By Bob Unruh
World Net Daily

Hostility toward religion in America has expanded dramatically in recent years, with florists targeted, bakers punished, nuns coerced and even retail companies facing discrimination for their faith, according to a new report from First Liberty Institute.

The new report, titled “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America,” reveals a list that admittedly is not exhaustive but still totals 1,285 cases at the start of this year.

“These cases … show a clear expansion during this past year,” the report said. “Quantitatively and qualitatively, the hostility is undeniable. And it is dangerous.”

Kelly Shackelford, the chief counsel for First Liberty, explained that “hostility to religion in America is rising like floodwaters.”

“This flood is engulfing ordinary citizens who simply try to live normal lives according to their faith and conscience. It is eroding the bedrock on which stand vital American institutions such as government, education, the military, business, houses of worship, and charity. It has the potential to wash away the ground that supports our other rights, including freedom of speech, press, assembly, and government by consent of the people.”

As 2012 closed, at the end of Barack Obama’s first term, the organization documented 600 cases.

The list now is more than twice as long as candidates fight this year to replace Obama.

The tabulation divides the attacks into four categories: attacks in the public arena, attacks in the schoolhouse, attacks against churches and ministries and attacks in the military.

In one case, in the last category, “Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk, a 19-year Air Force veteran at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, returned from deployment and found that he had a new commander who was an open lesbian,” the report explained.

“Sergeant Monk’s commander asked Sergeant Monk what he thought about same-sex ‘marriage.’ Sergeant Monk initially refused to answer, stating that his views on same-sex ‘marrage’ were irrelevant to his job. When Sergeant Monk’s commander insisted that he tell her … Monk affirmed that he believed in the biblical view of marriage.”

She then relieved him of his duties and had him reassigned, the report said, and he later was charged by officials with making false official statements.

“The attacks … are sweeping away small businesses, careers and ministries. Behind the legalities are tears, anguish and the denial of basic human tolerance, compassion and common decency,” Shackelford wrote.

“It’s time for a national rejection of politically correct cruelty based on discrimination against traditional American forms of faith.”

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/02/

Disney's ABC Sitcom The Real O'Neals is Likely the Most Anti-Catholic Thing You'll See Today

By Christine Rousselle
Townhall

An upcoming show on ABC is raising some eyebrows for its rather bigoted portrayal of Catholicism.*

The trailer for the Real O’Neals, which is apparently based on LGBT activist Dan Savage’s early life, opens up by describing the O’Neals as your “typical Irish-Catholic family.”

It turns out, according to this show, that a “typical” Irish-Catholic family includes a closeted gay son with a girlfriend who is clueless about how contraception works (despite, you know, being a high-school age student living in a major city in today’s world), a kleptomaniac sister, a jock older brother with an eating disorder, and parents who are going through a secret divorce. Also, the priest is portrayed as a hypocrite with a vow of poverty—and a Lexus.

Sounds like your normal everyday family, yes?

If this is actually how Dan Savage was raised, then yes, I feel for him. I’ll give the trailer points for some of its funnier moments, but it seems a bit cheap to rag on a religion that’s a relatively low-hanging fruit. (Call me crazy, but I just can't imagine ABC working with Ayaan Hirsi Ali to make a show based off of her life with a less-than-favorable portrayal of Islam.) Also, using an eating disorder as the laugh line of a joke seems especially distasteful.

*Note to Reader: The article was published on May 14, 2015. This sitcom is still being aired on ABC every Tuesday at 8:30 PM. 

Read more: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/

Please join with others. Voice your opinion to ABC: http://abc.go.com/feedback 

Persecuted Pastor Olaf Latzel of Germany, a Modern Day Paul

By GERI UNGUREAN

Months ago, a German reader of my articles wrote to me about Pastor Latzel of Germany. He told me that the pastor was preaching boldly the Word of God, and was getting into much trouble because of it. He was even in trouble with a council of pastors. They said that he was preaching hate speech!

Why, you ask? Pastor Latzel preaches that the God of the Bible is NOT the god of Islam – Allah. He preaches against Chrislam and says that it is a deception from the devil. He will not budge from the Word of God. He knows that he may wind up in jail, or worse; but preaching the Truth from God’s Word is most important to this brother in Christ.

Pope Francis is telling the world that God and Allah are the same. This does not surprise me in the least. Catholicism is a cult, and I truly believe that this Jesuit Pope may very well be the False Prophet spoken of in God’s Word.

Germany is days away from an onslaught of approximately one million migrant Muslims coming into their country. The Germans are watching in horror as they see the chaos, the rapes and the riots in other countries by these so-called “refugees.” My question is this: If these are truly refugees, then where are the women and children? All the world is seeing are able bodied young Muslim men.

It seems that this story about Pastor Latzel has gone all around the world. CBN interviewed the pastor.  Pastor Latzel believes that up to 85% of the pastors in Germany are not born again. In the interview, he asked for American Christians to be praying for Germany. He is asking God for revival to come to his country.

Please take a few moments to watch the video below or use this link to view it on Youtube. 




Continue reading:  https://grandmageri422.me/2015/10/24/

Persecution Unveiled has established this cause to educate people about the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the US & worldwide. Mission Raising awareness to the growing tide of bigotry and hatred toward Christians around the world has become a burden on those trying to wake up those who cherish religious freedom as a God given right. Persecution Unveiled has been called by God to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to speak up and act on behalf of those who have no voice. You can also follow us on Pinterest and Facebook

Worldwide Rallies Support Kids Confiscated Over Faith

By Bob Unruh
World Net Daily

Thousands of activists plan to hold more than 50 rallies worldwide Saturday to draw attention to the Norwegian government’s seizure of five children from their loving parents because of their Christian faith.

WND reported in December the social media campaign in defense of Marius and Ruth Bodnariu, whose two daughters, two sons and subsequently their baby, Ezekiel, were taken by Norway’s child welfare services, the Barnevernet.

Social services agents and police removed the two oldest children from their school without their parents’ knowledge and hid them in an undisclosed location. Then, according to the British advocacy group Christian Institute, the agents and officers went to the family’s home, “where, apparently without any documentation, they seized their two sons and arrested Ruth – who they took to the police station along with baby Ezekiel. Marius was arrested while he was at work and also taken into custody.”

The parents were interrogated but later allowed to return home with their baby but no other children. The next day the baby also was seized, the report said.

World Magazine reported the governmental investigation of the family began when the principal of the daughters school notified the government she “had concerns about how the girls were disciplined at home because the parents were ‘very Christian.'”

“She said the family had ‘a strong faith that God punishes sin’ that ‘creates disability in children.’ The principal noted although the girls were creative, intelligent, and showed no signs of physical abuse, she believed the parents needed ‘help and guidance’ in raising their children,” the Christian Institute said.

The Home School Legal Defense Association on Tuesday announced more than 50 rallies around the globe will take place Saturday in support of the family.

“HSLDA is asking our members and friends to contact the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to express their concern about this situation. Norway has a great desire to maintain a good image, especially with the United States. Your efforts can help Norway realize that this kind of behavior can cause that image to be tarnished,” the announcement said. “You can email Norway’s Ambassador to the U.S., Ambassador Kåre R. Aas, at emb.washington@mfa.no.”

HSLDA provided links to information about the rallies, including for those in the United States and Canada, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.

Read More About This Family's Plight

The Bible Joins List of Top 10 Most Challenged Library Books for the First Time

By Tre' Goins-Phillips
The Blaze

The American Library Association (ALA) fielded 275 formal challenges to materials in school libraries in 2015, and, for the first time ever, the Bible landed on the top 10 list.

Why was the holy book challenged? According to the ALA, “religious viewpoint” was the only reason cited. But that isn’t necessarily the only issue some people have with the Bible sitting on school library shelves.

“You have people who feel that if a school library buys a copy of the Bible, it’s a violation of church and state,” ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) Director James LaRue told the Associated Press. “And sometimes there’s a retaliatory action, where a religious group has objected to a book and a parent might respond by objecting to the Bible.”

This development coincides with the belief shared by the majority of Americans that religious liberty is in decline. However, along with that belief is the feeling that American Christians complain too often about the way they are treated.

Though this is the first time the religious book has made it to the top 10 list, 2015 did mark a downward trend in the number of complaints fielded. The ALA registered 311 complaints in 2014 and 307 in 2013. The average number of complaints lodged generally falls between 300 and 600 per year.

The AFA compiles the top 10 list by collecting “anecdotal data derived from media stories and voluntary reports sent to OIF about book challenges in communities across the United States,” according to the association’s website.

Article continues: See the Top Ten List of Books

Pope Francis’ Warning About What Happens to Those Who Refuse to ‘Go Against God the Creator’: ‘A Persecution of Which Not Much Is Being Said’

By Billy Hallowell
The Blaze

Pope Francis warned on Tuesday that he believes there’s an assault going on against Christians who hold to traditional, biblical values, with the pontiff embracing the concept of conscientious objection.

“There’s a persecution of which not much is being said,” Pope Francis said during a Mass at Santa Marta in Vatican City, adding that he believes this form of persecution is ”cross-dressed as culture, cross-dressed as modernity, cross-dressed as progress,” according to Crux.

The faith leader did differentiate between the horrific “bloody persecutions” like those unfolding at the hands of violent terrorists and “velvet-gloved” assaults that are “cloaked in politeness.” He said that these latter instances can lead a person to lose his or her job or face other push-back if an individual refuses to adopt laws that “go against God the creator.”

“We see every day that the powerful countries create laws that force us to go through this path … a nation that doesn’t follow these modern laws, these cultures, or that at least doesn’t want to have them in its laws, is accused, is politely persecuted,” Pope Francis continued. “It’s a persecution that robs man of his freedom, even from conscientious objection!”

As TheBlaze previously reported, the pontiff has discussed these issues in the past, notably making comments in the wake of the debate over defiant Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis’ refusal to offer gay wedding licenses that led some to ponder whether he agreed with her stance on the matter.

When asked aboard the papal plane last year whether he supports individuals who refuse to violate religious conscience as in the cases of those who decline to grant gay marriage licenses, the pontiff held little back, NBC News reported.

“I can’t have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection … but yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right,” he said in remarks that were translated by pool reporters. “And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right.”

Article continues: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/04/13/