Faith based institutions are becoming more and more concerned about the overt, violence and hostility towards Faith based organizations world wide. The hostility towards smaller minority religions such as Judaism is also concerning. The Pew Research Center's data showed that as early as 2012 Christian persecution reached a 6 year high globally and concentrated in countries and territories that are under caliphate controll such as The Levant meaning 'east' the direction in which the sun rises, Eastern Mediteranean territories, east of Italy, Middle East, North Africa as well as South East Asia, and the People's Republic of China.
In each of these regions there are two categories and sources that generate Christian persecution causing a double impact.
1. Social Hostilities - This category is most prominent in the Middle East and North Africa easily identified by political uprisings seen on television. These are hostilities engaged by individuals, groups and organizations displayed by mobs with targeted violence.
2. Government Restrictions - This category is also prominent in the Middle East, North Africa but also in Europe where government restrictions is growing faster than in other territories as of 2012. These are restrictions by government ban with regards to particular faiths such as Christianity or Judaism, censorship of conversations, banning of proselytizing, preaching and cutting incentives to minority religious groups.
Religious persecution due to government restrictions and social hostilities is prominent because most of the countries and territories that engage social hostilities and government restrictions have the highest populations and aggregately comprise roughly 5.3 billion people about 76% of the planet's >8 billion population count.
According to the Pew Research Center Christians were harassed in 151 countries, the largest number of countries world-wide and the most harassed group in the world especially between 2006 and 2012. Jews who comprise only <0.21% of the worlds population experienced harassment in about 95 countries. Jews are the most persecuted religious minority and there is no logical reason why such a relatively small group should be disproportionately persecuted in so many countries.
Christians are 2 billion strong they are easy to bump into, a threat to the competition and due to the admonition of Christianity to proselytize become easy targets. The Christian belief system apologetically has no holes in its argument and when presented using evidence is very convincing and will convert adherents of competing belief systems.
The methods of persecution used by governments and societies are harassment and intimidation especially to Christians because they comprise >2 billion adherents globally with >1.2 billion Catholics alone. Some groups within societies who engage persecution against Christians are extremely violent and chilling in their methods leading to death, serious injuries and displacement.
Pew Research also indicates that adherents to Islam are also harassed in 135 countries partly because they are the second largest religious group at 1.56 billion adherents and because of social hostilities among Islamic sects.
Jews also experienced social harassment from individuals even though as a group they are tiny in number 16 million of matrilineal descent core Jews, up to 25 million counting extended Jews of patrilineal descent world-wide and experienced persecution that was highest in 6 years. Hindus were harassed in 33 countries and Buddhists in 28 countries.
Love is the central message of Christianity, the associated commandments and expected behaviors posture Christians world-wide to be persecuted. The structure of Christianity can be perceived as a recipe for persecution. Christians are admonished to live sacrificially, have the right motives, invest in eternal treasure, love others, love their enemies, pray for their enemies, turn the other cheek when smitten, give away that which is stolen from you or borrowed, accept that vengeance belongs only to God, confess Jesus Christ as Lord despite the circumstances even upon the threat of death and to treat others better than you treat yourself.
The premise to these Christian commitments is trusting, depending, relying that a risen Savior is literally with us actively protecting, supervising and participating in every aspect of life. These expectations are a recipe for the persecution of Christians. One caveat also given to Christians for their protection is to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves..be excellent, be smart, be aware and most importantly we are commanded to have faith in God.
We depend on God's infinite ability above our own finite abilities and meditate on precedents attributed to God where He delivered, prospered, vindicated, provided, rewarded, made prominent all verified by history. We also focus on God's efficacy confident in His impartial ability and character. We all face difficult times as a part of life but Christians have the advantage of having a Savior who helps by carrying the load, who heals the human spirit and mind providing comfort, wisdom and favor. We have peace knowing we are not alone and that there is someone who is always for us and who is ultra-capable.
Outside the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia and China Christians are also feeling they are being persecuted. Social hostilities in the form of sarcasm, boycotts, protesting, condescending rhetoric, lawsuits and lobbying efforts are still mild compared with social hostilities engaged in caliphate societies but seem to be ramping up nevertheless. Government restrictions in the form of enforcement, legislation, judicial and institutionalized restrictions also seem to be ramping up, is concerning and Christians are worried global persecution is already out of hand.
Chinese Version
信仰機構越來越關注世界各地針對信仰組織的公開暴力和敵意。對猶太教等較小的少數宗教的敵意也令人擔憂。皮尤研究中心的數據顯示，早在2012年，全球範圍內對基督徒的迫害就達到了6年來的最高水平，並集中在哈里發控制下的國家和地區，例如黎凡特（意思是“東方”，即太陽升起的方向）、東地中海地區、義大利東部、中東、北非以及東南亞和中華人民共和國。 在每個地區，都有兩個類別和來源產生基督徒迫害，造成雙重影響。 1. 社會敵對行動－這個類別在中東和北非最為突出，很容易透過電視上看到的政治起義來識別。這些是個人、團體和組織參與的敵對行動，由暴民實施有針對性的暴力。 2. 政府限制 - 這個類別在中東、北非以及歐洲也很突出，截至 2012 年，這些地區的政府限製成長速度比其他地區更快。猶太教、對話審查、禁止傳教、傳教、削減對少數宗教團體的誘因。 由於政府限制和社會敵對行動而造成的宗教迫害非常突出，因為大多數參與社會敵對行動和政府限制的國家和地區人口最多，總共約有 53 億人，約佔地球超過 80 億人口的 76%。 根據皮尤研究中心的數據，基督徒在151 個國家受到騷擾，這是世界上數量最多的國家，也是世界上受到騷擾最嚴重的群體，尤其是在2006 年至2012 年期間。 0.21% 的猶太人在大約95 個國家。猶太人是受迫害最嚴重的宗教少數群體，這樣一個相對較小的群體在如此多的國家受到不成比例的迫害，這是沒有邏輯原因的。 基督徒人數達 20 億，他們很容易遇到，對競爭構成威脅，並且由於基督教的勸告，傳教成為容易的目標。基督教信仰體系的論點毫無漏洞，當使用證據提出時非常令人信服，並且會改變相互競爭的信仰體系的追隨者。 政府和社會使用的迫害方法尤其是對基督徒來說是騷擾和恐嚇，因為基督徒在全球有超過 20 億信徒，其中僅天主教徒就超過 12 億。 社會上一些迫害基督徒的團體極其暴力和令人毛骨悚然，導致死亡、重傷和流離失所。 皮尤研究中心也指出，135 個國家的伊斯蘭教信徒也受到騷擾，部分原因是他們是第二大宗教團體，擁有 15.6 億信徒，伊斯蘭教派之間存在社會敵對行為。 猶太人也經歷了來自個人的社會騷擾，儘管作為一個群體，他們在母系血統核心猶太人中人數很少，只有1600 萬，而全世界範圍內的父系血統猶太人則高達2500 萬，並且經歷了六年來最嚴重的迫害。 33 個國家的印度教徒和 28 個國家的佛教徒受到騷擾。 愛是基督教的核心訊息，相關的誡命和預期的行為使全世界的基督徒面臨迫害。基督教的結構可以被視為迫害的根源。基督徒被勸誡要犧牲性地生活，有正確的動機，投資永恆的財富，愛別人，愛他們的敵人，為他們的敵人祈禱，被擊打時轉過另一邊臉，放棄從你那裡偷來或借來的東西，接受復仇只屬於上帝，無論情況如何，甚至面臨死亡威脅，都承認耶穌基督為主，並善待他人勝過善待自己。 這些基督教承諾的前提是相信、依賴、依賴一位復活的救主確實與我們同在，積極保護、監督和參與生活的各個方面。這些期望是迫害基督徒的根源。為了保護基督徒，我們也提出了一個警告，那就是要像蛇一樣聰明，像鴿子一樣無害……要優秀，要聰明，要警惕，最重要的是，我們被命令要對上帝有信心。 我們依靠上帝的無限能力，超越我們自己有限的能力，並沉思上帝的先例，在這些先例中，祂拯救、繁榮、證明、提供、獎勵、突出，所有這些都得到了歷史的證實。我們也專注於神的功效，對祂公正的能力和品格充滿信心。我們都面臨困難時期這是生命的一部分，但基督徒的優勢是擁有一位救世主，祂可以幫助承擔重擔，治癒人類的精神和思想，提供安慰、智慧和恩惠。我們很平靜，因為我們知道我們並不孤單，有人永遠支持我們並且能力超群。 在中東以外、北非、東南亞和中國，基督徒也覺得自己受到迫害。與哈里發社會的社會敵對行動相比，諷刺、抵制、抗議、居高臨下的言論、訴訟和遊說活動等形式的社會敵對行動仍然溫和，但似乎仍在加劇。政府以執法、立法、司法和製度化形式進行的限制似乎也在加強，令人擔憂，基督徒擔心全球迫害已經失控。
