ADF - Alliance Defense Fund

My family and I live in the United States.  What I mainly post on this blog is news of persecution and martyrdom -- most of these "news" stories are from countries outside the United States.  For many of us Americans, we just think "oh, it'll never happen to us."  Well, my friends and family, brothers and sisters, if it is happening to "other" countries, it IS still happening to us.  WE are all human.  WE are all one.  WE need to be informed of things going on in all countries.  WE need to help our brothers and sisters.

As for my fellow Americans... if you needed it to come to the United States in order to get your attention, please read the following post.  Don't just stop at the excerpt.  Visit the Alliance Defense Fund website and read what they have to share.  Then read what they are trying to do about it.  I urge you to just take a look.

Excerpt from the website of Alliance Defense Fund:

Throughout our history, America has been a land defined by religious faith and freedom. Religious freedom is our first and most fundamental, God-given right deemed so precious that our Founding Fathers enshrined it in the U.S. Constitution.

So why is religious freedom under attack in America today?

For decades, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other radical anti-Christian groups have been on a mission to eliminate public expression of our nation's faith and heritage. By influencing the government, filing lawsuits, and spreading the myth of the so-called "separation of church and state," the opposition has been successful at forcing its leftist agenda on Americans.  READ MORE

Please be sure to visit the Alliance Defense Fund and maybe sign up to receive their newsletters in your inbox.  God Bless, and thank you for your time today.  

Voice of the Martyrs : House Church Leader Kidnapped

An excerpt from a Crosswalk.com eNewsletter:

IRAQ — House Church Leader Kidnapped

In Dehouk, Iraq, tears streamed down a young girl's face as she explained to VOM worker how a Muslim group broke into her home and took her father. The active house church planter Jamal works among the Shabak people, who have Jewish roots and speak Arabic and Kurdish. The VOM worker said Jamal was a very dedicated gospel worker. VOM sources believe a fundamentalist Muslim group, possibly Al Qaeda, kidnapped Jamal because he has led many Muslims to Christ. The home of one of Jamal's recent converts was sprayed with machine gun...  READ MORE

I realize it's hard to believe persecution and martyrdom still runs rampant in the world today.  That's why I have this blog.  Even if I only post occasionally, I want everyone to realize what's really going on... especially in the "world" of religion.  Take care and God Bless.

Under Persecution : PrisonerAlert.com

Read MORE Here from PrisonerAlert.com

Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old pastor from Rasht, about 750 miles northwest of Tehran, was arrested in October 2009 after he protested a government policy that required children, including his 8- and 9-year-old sons, to study the Quran in school. Youcef told school officials that the Iranian constitution allows for freedom of religious practice. As a result of his protest, secret police called him before a political tribunal and arrested him for protesting. The charges were later amended to apostasy and evangelism of Muslims. Youcef was tried on Sept. 21–22, 2010 by the 1st Court of the Revolutionary Tribunal and sentenced to death on Nov. 13 for apostasy.

The pastor is imprisoned in Lakan prison, where authorities have used various methods, including medication, to convert him back to Islam...

Please Read MORE Here from PrisonerAlert.com
and sign up for their alerts.

God Bless....

Fwd: [Persecution Alert] Nigerian Christians Killed in Seven Christmas Eve Bombings

Christian Aid Mission sent this recent Mission Insiders Report:

Nigerian Christians Killed in Seven Christmas Eve Bombings

JOS, Nigeria (December 29, 2010) - While the city of Jos is still in flames and under a 24-hour military curfew, the first eye-witness reports have begun to come in from indigenous missionaries trapped by the continuing violence. Over 80 people were killed in seven bombings and assaults on Christmas Eve and the death toll is mounting as street fighting continues.

According to a trusted indigenous leader, thousands of internally displaced refugees are on the move. He confirmed that pastors and Christian leaders were targeted and killed in the attacks.

Christian Aid Mission Africa Director Rae Burnett said that the missionary, who is executive director of the one of the mission agencies Christian Aid assists in Jos, is asking Christians around the world to urgently pray for Christians in Nigeria, especially those in the city of Jos. "We are in regular contact with indigenous missions' leaders there and are already collecting aid for the survivors - helping them to bury the dead, rebuild homes and churches and heal broken lives."

Wire service reports say authorities first believed the attacks were orchestrated by a militant Islamic group that has killed dozens of Christians since September in the region. However a new and different terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the Christmas Eve assassinations in Jos and church burnings in Borno State as well.

Rae Burnett released parts of an email report from Gabriel Barau, the executive director of Missionary Crusaders Ministries, who was in Jos for a Christmas field visit when the attacks began.

"Right now, my family and I are still trapped on the outskirts of Jos where Muslim fanatics have set the city on fire once again," he wrote yesterday. "I will send more reports and updates on this as I get more information tonight and tomorrow."

Gabriel confirmed reports that the violence began on Christmas Eve when he says seven terrorist bombs were planted in two churches and a market area within Jos City, Plateau State. All exploded successfully, killing many victims.


"Because of the tense situation, I am not able to take any pictures as the city has been taken over by military personnel. The governor has ordered the military to shoot-on-sight anyone caught fomenting trouble.

"Meanwhile the city is locked up. Conditions are tense and many people are still looking for their lost ones. I understand that the many refugees in the city already number over 300,000 - people who have fled their homes because of attacks.

"While the Jos violence is still going on," Barau said, "another six people including two pastors were killed and a church burnt down in Maiduguri, Borno State. We need prayers for the believers and the work we are doing among these people as radical Muslims are becoming very hostile to Christians in Nigeria. Our mission board, MCM, has a missionary already surveying Maiduguri to help reach the Kanuri people there who are 100% Muslims.

"Pray for our people and missionaries among the Muslims. We will not relent in our efforts to reach them as the Lord is raising up a people for his name among them. Pray for us."

Click here to donate online for this persecuted ministry and others in Nigeria.

Or call 1-800-977-5650 to donate. Please use gift code: 550MCM.
Christian Aid Mission

**  If YOU would like to receive Christian Aid Mission's Insider Report, click right here and learn more about it!


God Bless... :)

Bhutanese Man Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Christian Film

Please follow the link below to learn about this man's story:

http://www.persecution.org/2010/10/29/bhutanese-man-sentenced-to-three-years-in-prison-for-christian-film/

NEPAL — Pastor and Church Members Beaten by Maoists

This excerpt is taken from a story brought to you by Crosswalk.com and Voice of the Martyrs:

"... Before the attack, the pastor had asked the Maoists to leave and return the next day to talk with him, but the rebels instead began to beat him with sticks. When church members, including the pastor's father and women in the church, tried to defend the pastor, the Maoists attacked them, too. The rebels also burned Bibles and hymnals during the attack. 

The following day, local villagers accused the Christians of not paying the "temple tax" and of "converting the local people to Christianity." Each family was ordered to pay the exorbitant tax, and Christians have been warned that they will be expelled from the village if they do not pay. Some believers have voluntarily left the village, and those remaining risk losing their homes..."

Please click here to read the rest of the story - and others like it.

God Bless and Take care!

Christian Persecution coming to the West?

I know you don’t want to hear this, but sadly, I fear it is coming upon us.  I also realize many folks out there won’t think twice about it - won’t think about the devastation of persecution or martyrdom.  But these things are real.  These things are real and not just for the “old world“ of the Bible.  Think about it.

Remember when slavery was supposedly abolished?  Do you realize slavery still goes on today.  Yes, even here in the USA.  Heard of Human Trafficking?

Well, not only does slavery still exist, but so does old-fashioned Christian Martyrdom and Persecution.

Please visit the following link and sign up for the upcoming newsletter:

http://persecution.org/comingpersecution/
courtesy of ICC - International Christian Concern.

There’s a book by dc Talk called Jesus Freaks.  See if your local library carries it.  Borrow it from someone.  Very good read.

Moroccan Christian Serving 15 Years for Faith

The following story is derived from ICC (International Christian Concern) http://www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.
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Moroccan Christian Serving 15 Years for Faith

Case to be included in congressional hearing

 

Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2010) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Jamaa Ait Bakrim is currently imprisoned for “proselytizing,” a charge punishable under Moroccan law.

 

Jamaa Ait Bakrim, prisoner number 26574, is currently in Prison Centrale, located in Kenitra, Morocco. He has been there since 2005 when he was sentenced to 15 years for “proselytism” and “destruction of goods of others.” “This second charge is a common legal tactic of creating a separate infraction to lengthen the sentence and shift attention from the actual issue of religion,” said a Moroccan Christian whose name is withheld for security reasons.

 

The charge of proselytization is derived from Article 220 of Moroccan Criminal Law which makes it illegal to “shake the faith of a Muslim.” “The charge of ‘proselytization’ is a specific concern because the wide range of applications that are used to suppress other religions,” stated the Moroccan source. This is the same official charge that has led to the deportation of many foreigners from Morocco in the past three months.

 

In 1993 Jamaa returned to his Moroccan village after a trip to Europe where he converted to Christianity. In 1994 he spent seven months in the mental hospital of Inezgane for proselytizing. In 1996 he was condemned to one year, this time in jail, for putting up a Christian cross in public. In 2001 he was prosecuted again, leading to the current sentence he has been serving since 2005.

 

A congressional hearing convened by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) will take place today on the issue of Moroccan religious freedom and the recent deportation of foreigners.

 

ICC’s Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated, “This wrongful imprisonment exposes the Moroccan government’s duplicity when it comes to religious freedom. They talk one way to the West, but their own people experience a very different reality. Morocco must be brought to account—to date a country that we give $650 million a year in aid money is has been able to hide their religious persecution. I look forward to today’s hearing to bring this issue to light.”

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Take care and God Bless!

PrisonerAlert.com reaches out to our persecuted brothers and sisters....

From the Prisoner Alert website:

"By becoming an ‘advocate’ you are entering into the vital and important ministry of intercession and solidarity with those who suffer for their faith in Christ. As an advocate for our brothers and sisters in chains you will be encouraging them when you write to them in prison and supporting them when you write to officials on their behalf.  

Your involvement testifies of the love and unity found among followers of Jesus Christ throughout the world. It is a witness to both your imprisoned family and to the authorities you write to or who may censor letters intended for the prisoner....."  Read More

http://www.PrisonerAlert.com

*A Ministry of the Voice of the Martyrs*

Be an Advocate * Write to Prisoners

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Please take a moment to learn more about
 the plight of Gao Zhisheng imprisoned in China. 

Thank you for your support for our persecuted prisoners...    God Bless!!