Endangered Christians | Ain't Complicated

Tips: Back Seat Driving

How to be the good kind of back seat driver

Ever pressed that imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side? Do you often feel your blood pressure rising as you sit powerless at the mercy of an inferior driver? How come, when you point out an obvious error, drivers always repay you with annoyance?

Believe it or not, no matter how frustrated you feel, your driver feels equally frustrated, if not more. Here are some ways to become a better backseat driver.

[…]

There’s nothing wrong with vigilance as a passenger. In fact, keeping an eye on the road makes the road a safer place. “Back seat driver” is a generally negative label these days, but you can turn those negatives into positives by offering constructive advice at proper times, in a way that also conveys some appreciation.

The author makes some good points. Be sure to check out the full article.

Dead in Eritrea

Compass Direct News is reporting that Christian deaths are mounting in Eritrean prisons.

Three Christians incarcerated in military prisons for their faith have died in the past four months in Eritrea, including the death on Friday (Jan. 16) of a 42-year-old man in solitary confinement, according to a Christian support organization.

Sources told Open Doors that Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom died at the Mitire Military Confinement center from torture and complications from diabetes. Asgedom was a member of the Church of the Living God in Mendefera. His death followed the revelation this month of another death in the same prison.

Mogos Hagos Kiflom, 37, was said to have died as a result of torture he endured for refusing to recant his faith, according to Open Doors, but the exact date of his death was unknown.

Another Orissa Update

I know I’m blogging here only once a week now!

But it seems urgent I remind us of Orissa.

Orissa: insecurity and hatred await Christians forced out of refugee camps

There is no sign that the long journey of suffering by Orissa’s Christian community is anywhere near its end. The government has decided to shut down refugee camps and force Christians to leave but no one is providing them with any guarantee as to their security against further violence once back home; instead, they are still the object of hatred and rejection.

[…]

“Christians in Kandhamal are treated like animals. They live in fear and cannot find shelter, anywhere. They cannot live in dignity. The money they got [from the government] is not enough to buy food; their fields lie abandoned, burnt; their homes all but destroyed.”

Egypt: Martha Samuel

Children starved to coerce mom to renounce Christ

Authorities in Egypt are starving two children, ages 2 and 4, to force their mother to abandon Christianity and return to Islam, according to reports from several ministry organizations.

The Egypt for Christ Ministry is reporting the woman, who converted to Christianity about five years ago and was arrested as she tried to leave her home country just days ago, also has been sexually assaulted by police officers.

The woman, identified by the ministry as Martha Samuel, also has been beaten and tortured in effort to force her to return to Islam, with police promises for her release if she accepts, according to the reports.

The Assyrian International News Agency said Samuel was arrested last week as she, her husband and two sons were trying to leave Cairo for Russia after her name was placed on a list of people barred from leaving Egypt.

A Gift

For first time, Christmas official holiday in Iraq

Iraq’s Christians, a scant minority in this overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.

But security worries overshadowed the day for many, particularly in the north where thousands of Christians have fled to escape religious attacks.

Overall security in Iraq has improved markedly in the past year, but a fatal car bombing in Baghdad on Christmas morning was a gruesome reminder that serious problems remain.

[…]

A senior Shiite cleric, Ammar al-Hakim, attended the Mass flanked by bodyguards in a gesture of cooperation with Christians.

[…]

Iraq’s Christians, estimated to number only a few hundred thousand of the country’s 26 million people, have often been the target of attacks by Islamic extremists in Iraq. Tens of thousands have fled; many of those who stayed were isolated in neighborhoods protected by barricades and checkpoints.

And joyous Christmas to you as well!

“This is my future.”

I learned about this astounding child from Steve Schippert. Here’s a little bit of what The Anchoress has to say:

Namrata Nayak knows who she is. At 10 years of age, she understands the world in ways many of us never will, no matter how long we tread the stony paths.

[…]

But I will let her speak for herself, because Namrata Nayak does not need anyone to speak for her. Observe her astonishing and heroic witness.

“The world has seen my face destroyed by the fire, now it must come to know my smile full of love and peace…I want to dedicate my life to spreading the Gospel.”

“[W]e forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes…They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus. For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us. This is my future.”

And here:
“Christmas is a time to thank the baby Jesus who saved me from the fire and saved my face which was disfigured and wounded…There is so much pain and suffering, and I don’t know how long the special forces will protect us,” she told Asia News. “But Christmas is a time of gratitude. I am afraid that my people will still be attacked, but this is our life. If God has saved me, he can save other Christians too.”

God bless you and keep you and use you even more, Namrata.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6).

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Luke 18:17).

She Wants Attention

That’s what crossed my mind as I read her article.

OK, so I’ll call some her way. 🙄

Giving Up on God

As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.

Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.

I’m bathing in holy water as I type.

To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn’t soon cometh.

Ma’am, God is a great big problem. You got a problem with that?

She continues:

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party.

Armband religion — that’s the problem, not God!

What everyone needs is a heart-strings, shoe-strings, purse-strings religion — sincere, genuine, committed, liveable.

And there’s more from KP:

So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners.

I say the world needs more preachers “doing” the Gospel on wooden crates on street corners rather than “doing” politics on plush platforms in religiousy buildings.

Then, enveloped in smoke while blindfolded, she adds:

Which is to say, the GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows.

Oh my! 😯 What makes them “lowest brows”? (Please note: The question does not imply disagreement with the statement.)

And what do you make of this assertion?

And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party — and conservatism with it — eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one’s heart where it belongs.

It belongs there, yes.

But not to stay there!

And if that’s true of religion, it’s far more true of Jesus Christ.

He belongs in the privacy of your heart. And from there He will live out His life through yours.

Now, one more comment from Kathleen Parker:

Meanwhile, it isn’t necessary to evict the Creator from the public square, surrender Judeo-Christian values or diminish the value of faith in America.

Oh?

Breaking ~~News~~ Thought: Does this mean she supports nativity scenes in the public square?

Now for the funniest part of the article:

I think somebody at the Washington Post better fix that!

HT: Harris, commenting over at WorldMagBlog.