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Special Report
The Real Meaning of Religious Persecution
It exists in the world, but not in America. Shame on those who don’t know better.
“The persecution of Christianity in America has begun,” complains Rick Scarborough of Vision America. He points to criticism of Christian supporters of California’s Proposition 8, banning gay marriage, and cites an email to him “so vile that I cannot reprint the letter.” He asks for contributions “to assist us as we confront the growing threat of domestic terror being perpetrated by homosexual activists.”
The protests against Prop 8 backers, particularly the Mormon Church and individual Mormons, took an ugly turn. There may even be “growing hostility against religion in America and particularly against Christians,” as Scarborough asserts, at least in the cultural realm. But this hostility does not amount to persecution. After all, America’s outgoing president is an avowed evangelical, the Republican Party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee was an outspoken evangelical, and the new president is a self-identified Christian. The last chose a high-profile evangelical minister to pray at the inaugural. Some Christians may be treated badly, but Christians are not being persecuted.
In America, that is.
Elsewhere in the world there is persecution of Christians and other religious believers. Real persecution. The faithful are arrested and imprisoned. Their homes and churches are invaded and confiscated. And hundreds or thousands every year are martyred — sometimes by mobs and other times by governments.
Many think of ancient Rome when they think of persecution. But persecution continues in many guises. The Hudson Institute recently released Religious Freedom in the World, edited by Paul Marshall (published by Rowman & Littlefield). The book rates 101 countries, with 95 percent of the world’s population. Twenty of these nations are not free. Another 40 are only partly free.
In general, Christian and Western countries are likely to be free. Muslim societies and Communist or former Communist systems are likely to be unfree or only partly free. There are exceptions but, writes Marshall: “Of the 20 ‘unfree’ countries and territories surveyed, 12 are Muslim majority. Of the seven countries receiving the lowest possible score, four are Muslim majority.”
There are the good, the bad, and the ugly. Among the last are the totalitarian hell holes of North Korea and Saudi Arabia, the military dictatorship of Burma, the Islamic war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Communist autocracies of China and Cuba, the remnant Communist regimes with Islamic majorities in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the Shia theocracy of Iran. Other countries that make one worst list or another are Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Pakistan, and Yemen (Islamic), Laos (Communist), Eritrea (mixed faith), India (Hindu), and Bhutan (Buddhist). Residents of these nations really are persecuted.
Hudson’s conclusions track those of other analysts, including the State Department’s annual Report on International Religious Freedom and the work of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Of the worst ten persecutors listed by Open Doors, six are majority Muslim countries and three are Communist states. Five of the ten nations in the International Christian Concern’s “Hall of Shame” are largely Islamic and (the same) three others are Communist.
In many of these countries everyone is oppressed. But religious believers often are singled out for particularly harsh treatment. For instance, Religious Freedom in the World describes North Korea: “Defectors report that Christians are given the heaviest work, the least amount of food, and the worst conditions in prison. Those caught praying in prison are beaten and tortured. A recent defector reports that she saw some Christians working in a foundry put to death with hot irons. In addition, defectors report that children and grandchildren of Christians also face life imprisonment for the religious beliefs and activities of their forebears.”
China actually looks good but only in contrast. Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs complained that persecution was on the upswing before the Olympics: “There are more raids, foreign Christians are not having their visas renewed and are being forced to leave the country. There are numerous circumstances where the churches are under attack by the government.” Similarly, Bob Fu, who founded the China Aid Association, explained: “From all measures we can find in terms of religious freedom, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, it all shows it’s becoming much worse.” But it wasn’t just in 2008, he added: “In the past two years, we found more than 3,000 underground pastors were arrested, detained, some sentenced.”
Despite the drop of violence in Iraq, Christians and other minorities remain under fierce attack. The Commission recently warned “about severe violations of religious freedom there. The situation is dire for Iraq’s smallest religious minorities, including ChaldoAssyrian Christians, other Christians, Sabean Mandaeans, and Yazidis, who face a threat to their very existence in the country.”
IT SHOULD SURPRISE NO ONE that non-Muslims face pervasive
mistreatment in Iran. Yet because they are people “of the book,”
Christians and Jews sometimes face less brutality than other
faiths. Reported the State Department last year: “respect for
religious freedom in the country continued to deteriorate.
Government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere
for nearly all non-Shi’a religious groups, most notably for
Baha’is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, and
members of the Jewish community. Reports of government
imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based
on religious beliefs continued during the reporting period.
Baha’i religious groups reported arbitrary arrests, expulsions
from universities, and confiscation of property.
Government-controlled broadcast and print media intensified
negative campaigns against religious minorities, particularly the
Baha’is.”
Tragic, isolated Turkmenistan is another religious abuser. The Commission points to “the 2003 law on religion, particularly those articles that violate international norms pertaining to freedom of religion or belief; the state-imposed ideology, particularly that of the personality cult, that infringes upon or severely diminishes the practice of freedom of religion or belief and related freedoms of association, movement, expression, and the press; intrusive and onerous registration procedures that hinder the registration of peaceful religious communities; administrative fines on and imprisonment of leaders or members of peaceful unregistered religious communities whose activities are deemed ‘illegal’; obstacles to the purchase or rental of land or buildings to be used as houses of worship or for meeting purposes; onerous impediments to the use of private homes and public halls in residential areas for worship services; and a legal ban on the importation and printing of religious and other material.”
India is a democracy, but violence is endemic and religious minorities are vulnerable to discrimination, abuse, and murder. Last year, reported the State Department, “there were organized communal attacks against minority religious groups, particularly in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Orissa, governed by a coalition government that includes the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Hindu extremists attacked Christian villagers and churches in the Kandhamal district over the Christmas holidays. Approximately 100 churches and Christian institutions were damaged, 700 Christian homes were destroyed causing villagers to flee to nearby forests, and 22 Christian-owned businesses were affected.”
The Burmese military junta deploys brutal force against democracy activists and rebellious ethnic groups with equal avidity. Millions of people have been displaced within its borders or forced into Thailand. “Christians are favorite targets of persecution because their religion is seen as being of the West,” notes James Jacobson, head of Christian Freedom International. The regime even has conducted what the Hudson Institute calls “a campaign of ‘Burmanization,’” which includes promoting Buddhism “under control by the government.”
About the Author
Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is the author and editor of several books, including The Politics of Plunder: Misgovernment in Washington (Transaction).
Letter to the Editor View all comments (64) | Leave a comment
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Stuart Koehl| 2.2.09 @ 7:35AM
Mr. Bandow is correct in noting that there is no serious religious persecution in the United States--but there are disturbing trends which should set off alarm bells, lest the situation deteriorate beyond redemption. The most serious are those instances where state and local governments employ civil rights regulations to override freedom of conscience in the operation of faith-based institutions such as schools and hospitals. The most egregious was Massachusetts insistence that Catholic hospitals facilitate adoptions by gay couples. Rather than comply, the Catholic Church decided to close its adoption services, thereby eliminating a valuable service both to orphans and to married couples seeking affordable adoptions.
The Freedom of Choice Act, if enacted in its current form, would eliminate freedom of conscience for all health care providers opposed to abortion, contraception or, indeed, a whole range of sexual practices. Unlike state laws, this one would have national impact, and would represent a serious erosion of religious liberty--because freedom of worship is meaningless unless inextricably linked to the freedom to live out one's faith in the public square.
Less serious, but still annoying, are the attempts of local jurisdictions to ghettoize churches through the use of restrictive zoning laws, noise and traffic regulations, as well as building codes. I have had some personal experience of this when my church wished to build a new building on land it had purchased years before with that express purpose in mind. The basic approach is the death of a thousand cuts, as various and sundry niggling objections to building plans are brought forth seriatum, each intended to delay construction and increase cost. Many of the requirements border on the absurd, such as the demand that a handicapped-accessible restroom be included in the sanctuary, despite the fact that no handicapped person would ever have need to go there; or the demand that the height of the church be lowered by six inches, so it would not be the highest structure in the neighborhood.
There was a time when churches were welcomed into neighborhoods as stabilizing influences that provided a range of family and community friendly activities and services (and, indeed our church provides day care, outreach to the poor, and can provide shelter and feeding capacity in the event of natural or man-made emergency). But, today, churches are seen as nuisances that do not pay property taxes, which disturb the peace on Sunday mornings, and create traffic problems for people who are actually sleeping in late.
Granted, this is not persecution of the seriousness or order of magnitude found in other countries, but it is a dramatic shift in attitudes towards religion in the United States. We can deal with hostile attitudes in the media and Academe; but against the coercive power of the state there is little we can do except pray and bear witness.
If current trends continue, the United States could end up like much of Western Europe, where secularism is the state religion, and other faiths are tolerated so long as they remain private opinions which never inform public actions, or take a stand on public issues. In other words, religion would be relegated to the status of one quaint superstition among many, one that respectable people do not display in public lest they be considered unenlightened or bizarre.
I remember well one conversation I had with a well-educated British civil servant concerning U.S.-UK relations, in which he told me, with a straight face, "You know, the reason that Bush and Blair get on so well is they are both fundamentalists". When milksop Methodists and wishy Anglicans are suddenly considered "fundamentalist", you know that toleration for religion has effectively evaporated, and the Public Square has been stripped naked.
Pingback| 2.2.09 @ 8:32AM
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Rick Josey | 2.2.09 @ 10:01AM
The original Bible word for "persecute" means "to pursue." To chase after. And in that sense, Christian believers in the U.S. are being persecuted. Our values and beliefs are being assaulted all across this nation. Issues such as prayer, nativity scenes and the teaching of divine origins make national headlines on a regular basis.
The real issue is whether or not our constitutionally guaranteed, and biblically-based, freedoms are being eroded in the public arena. And they are. America is "slouching towards socialism," as one commentator stated. And a socialistic government is an oppressive one. Christians, and all other Americans who believe in liberty, need to stand up and speak out. Like Christ, who "silenced the Sadducees" (Matthew 22:34), we must re-sell our fellow citizens on the consequences of our choices.
Christians in America are not being martyred...yet. But we are definitely being "pursued." The liberals are after us, putting us down and pushing their own destructive agenda.
It's time to silence them. Chime in with Patrick Henry, "GIVE ME LIBERTY..."
www.PatriotHangout.com
Alan Brooks| 2.2.09 @ 11:21AM
just you wait until the world becomes a cold, biotech brave new world, these people will come around to religion, any religion; theyll say
"please give us something to have faith in that's not antiseptic, dead, empty, anything. why, we'll even accept christianity"
NO ONE appreciates what they have until it is gone.
Thomas| 2.2.09 @ 11:24AM
As far as he goes, Mr. Bandow is correct. Christians in America are not being persecuted. The Christian faith is being villianized, however.
Society, in the United States, has become one of victimization. Groups of people, as well as individuals, are continually being held up as victims who must be empowered. This gives them a higher moral standing and engenders compassion for their alleged discrimination. Unfortunately, villains can not be victims. Victims are caused by the oppression of villains. So there has to be a villain to cause the victimization.
In the case of alleged racial discrimination in the U.S., racial and cultural minorities are always "victimized" by the numerically dominant white Anglo European citizens of this country. Whites are the villains and minorities are the victims of the villainy perpetrated by the majority. In religious matters, the victims are both minority religions and the religion of atheism. It stands to reason that the villains then, must be the oppressive adherents of the dominant religion in America, Christianity.
Now there are two ways to "empower" groups and individuals. One way is to treat them all equally. Another is to actively discriminate against the dominant group. The power structure in this country, the government and the media, has decided upon the latter course. Now, Christians are being actively denied, under color of law, religious rights and benefits routinely allowed to other faiths and philosophical systems.
The situation faced by Christians in America, as in the rest of the world, is not about religious faith. It is about secular power. But it is no less dangerous for that.
Pingback| 2.2.09 @ 11:47AM
The Real Meaning of Religious Persecution « Jim Blazsik links to this page.
J David| 2.2.09 @ 2:42PM
Bandow needs to get David Limbaugh's book and read it...
David Govett| 2.2.09 @ 3:22PM
Shame, a concept as alien to today's American culture as the powdered wig.
Jeremiah| 2.2.09 @ 4:25PM
Excellent piece. Religious persecution is a crime against humanity. Christians endure it around the world, but so, of course, do many other religious groups.
Muslims persecute one another on religious grounds more than they persecute Christians, but there have been some terrible reports in the past few years from places like Afghanistan.
The sooner we learn that the honking and braying about things like a "war against Christmas" in the U.S. or any other kind of false victimization claims are just tactics to get ratings for Sean Hannity and Bill Oreilley, the better we'll be able to face this very important issue.
Jeremiah| 2.2.09 @ 4:31PM
There is nothing so ignoble, nothing so weak, lame, and contemptible, than hearing an American Christian claim he's being "persecuted."
It's absolutely absurd and possible only among people who really have no clue what the rest of the human race endures everyday.
In this country we are blessed by unprecedented liberty. You want Dr. Dobson? Go listen to Dobson. You are Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Baptist? Go, there are your places of worship. If anyone tried to stop you, it would be a national news story.
It is simply wrong to use the word "persecute" to describe the fact that sometimes, in a free democratic society, conservative Christian interest groups don't always get there way.
Lord, people. Did you watch the inauguration a couple of weeks ago? At least half of the ceremony was given over to prayer and speeches by clergymen. Which is fine by me. But please. Christians -- or Muslims or Jews -- are not persecuted in this country.
Jeremiah| 2.2.09 @ 4:41PM
Correction: in my choler, I wrote that people who felt Christians were being persecuted in the US didn't know how the rest of the "human race lived everyday."
This was not happily put. Rather, I'd say that they don't seem aware of the violent and merciless reprisals taken against people of minority faiths in many parts of the world, and especially in Africa, parts of the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia -- to say nothing of India and China.
So someone makes fun of you on Saturday Night Live. So every referendum your mega-church leader supports doesn't get approved. Grow up, folks. Thank God for the great liberty we have in this country.
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S.L. Toddard| 2.2.09 @ 7:54PM
Jeremiah, grow up dude! Where did you read that Muslims were not persecuted in this country? Since 9-11 it has become next to impossible for a Muslim to pray in public, to dress according to his tradition, to travel without being stopped by nasty cops, searched, molested and sexually harassed. Read my posts on Salon addressing this problem and do something about it instead of embrassing reactionary points of views!
S.L. Toddard| 2.2.09 @ 7:57PM
And one last thing, dude: don't call me names like you did on that Israel-Iran topic! If you can't stand the heat, take a shower.
Quartermaster| 2.2.09 @ 8:07PM
Bandow really needs to get a firm grip on reality. What he described in this country is stage 1 persecution. No, it doesn't result in loss of life (most of the time) but that's on the agenda.
I know few Christians that are whining about being victimized in this country. Many of us, however, are warning where it will lead. You can look to the other countries to see our tomorrow, if the trend continues.
Like it or not the "War on Christmas" is newsworthy because it is so out of character with this country. It is not out of character for the left, which pushes its hateful agenda every chance it gets.
Jim| 2.2.09 @ 9:20PM
Sorry Toddard but muslims in the US are catered and kowtowed to even when it has been revealed that their goal is to destory America and remold it into an islam s**thole.
Muslims in the US are the first to whine and snivel
about imaginary persucution in order to achieve their goal. Islam is a cult and you are either a feloow traveler or a uselful idiot.
Jeremiah| 2.2.09 @ 10:08PM
Toddard --
On the whole, Muslims seem to be doing pretty well in the United States -- especially if their experience were to be compared to -- say -- the experience of Jewish people or even Catholics in the early part of the 20th century.
Compare how Muslims are treated here to how they're doing in France or Germany.
I'm not saying Muslims are always treated well by everybody. I'm sure there is prejudice and I'm sure they have their problems. But overall, especially given the situation in the world, Muslims enjoy more religious liberty in this country than many other religious groups in other countries.
In fact, I really don't think there's any comparison.
Would you rather be a Jew in Iran or a Muslim in Chicago?
Ch.Azhar Abbas| 2.3.09 @ 1:07AM
Good
ruth| 2.3.09 @ 1:46AM
Another LSD trip down Toddard Lane-- Muslims are persecuted in the US. Liar.
ruth| 2.3.09 @ 1:49AM
Jeremiah, a Muslim in Chicago? I think Obama did pretty well, don't you?
Nick| 2.3.09 @ 2:58AM
Jeremiah,
Christians might not be suffering oppression, yet, but they certainly are being harrassed.
What would you call it when a someone can't mention Christ at a high school graduation ceremony? Or when a Catholic pharmacist is forced to provide contraceptives? Or a Catholic hospital is forced to have "access" to birth control or abortions?
All violations of the "free speech" & "free exercise" clauses of the 1st amendment and individual conscience.
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Don L| 2.3.09 @ 9:11AM
No oppression?
The real threat to Catholics is the coming forced abortion in the Catholic hospitals requiring practitioners to either, leave their faith, or their jobs, on the alter of anti-christian liberalism.
When a court rules against the public practice of faith (voluntary prayer in schools) - it is not only opression, but clear violation of the first amendment -idiotic case law be damned.
When the highest court approves from whole cloth the prevention of a father from having a say in the murder of his unborn child, it is religious oppression.
JordanJordanJordan | 2.3.09 @ 4:08PM
God is not religious. God is God. God walked the earth as a man among men, saying and doing things the like of which have not EVER before or since been said or done. The most irreligious, revolutionary person in the history of humanity is Jesus of Nazareth. Not one iota of man-made "religion" is necessary to grasp that fact. "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD of hosts." (zech4) By His Spirit, Jesus of Nazareth initiates the end of man-made religion in the Soul of His People. God is not religious. God is God.
Sister to the Persecuted| 2.3.09 @ 4:52PM
Thank you for writing this article. Mr. Bandow. While some people feel we must see persecution as a spectrum- and they may be right- I feel so much more satisfied to hear that WE are the free Christians and our brothers and sisters in oppressive lands are the presecuted. Seeing us all as the persecuted church makes discussing serious oppressions a little more complicated. Someday we (or only a few among us) may have the chance to join them physically- to earn the crown of life. But until then, we must strive to serve with them all our resources. Those who fight to maintain our privileges are doing a good thing. (After all, the church here may still need some time to be ready for the fight.) But I often look forward to that chance- seeing greater trials AND GREATER SUSTENANCE!
deb| 2.3.09 @ 6:57PM
I just love you, Ruth, you are my favorite poster here! Such great snappy comebacks - always things I wish I had thought of. You go girl!
ruth| 2.3.09 @ 8:08PM
Thanks, Deb. I'm to the point now, when I read liberal lies, I just smirk. I hope my writing communicates the smirk on my face.
Jeremiah| 2.3.09 @ 9:21PM
Hi Lady Ruth. Deb would be welcome on a certain forum, wouldn't she?
ruth| 2.3.09 @ 11:55PM
Yes she would.
Frosty| 2.4.09 @ 12:00AM
I usually like Murchison--but I think he's full of it this time. Think Canary in the Coal Mine, people. He should be ashamed of himself for not seeing signs of persecution against Christians in the U.S. There's so much hatred in the left--I'd put nothing past them. I don't give a fig what he thinks, I will be vigilant.
Jeremiah| 2.4.09 @ 7:48AM
S.L. Coward, spare us your obscene defense of muslim crybabies! Here's the real deal:
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11598866/
(Lady Ruth, you got mail.)
Robert Pinkerton| 2.4.09 @ 11:20AM
As one who is not, nor ever have I been, communicant of any Abrahamic (Jewish, Christian, or Muslim) Faith, I see the issue as one of Christian anxiety over manifest erosion of their cultural hegemony. What this means to those of us who try to keep Faith with the Old Gods, is less opportunity for Christians to compel us, against reason, to accept their religious law stuffed down our throats by the sword's point of State power; although that tendency is less particular to you Christians per se, than it is general to clerical hegemony across the spectrum of different Faiths.
Even after you Christians lose your majority status in this country, your internally-contentious "community" of sects will remain the largest aggregate self-reported religion - through sheer social inertia - for generations to come.
BusinessGuy| 2.4.09 @ 1:08PM
If you are an employee at my pharmacy and refuse to sell certain of my products, thereby costing me money, I have every right to replace you. That is a business decision. I'm not firing you because of your religion, I'm firing you because you are refusing to follow direction, cutting into my profit margin, and angering my customers. As conservatives, you should know that no one has a "right" to a job. If your conscience compels you to refuse to do certain aspects of your job then you should consider a career change.
Kat| 2.4.09 @ 3:20PM
You are right, BusinessGuy, no one has the right to get between you and the almighty dollar. It's all about money, all of the time. That's our country's real religion.
Jeremiah| 2.4.09 @ 5:54PM
BusinessGuy, you would sell cyanide, anthrax and crack in your pharmacy if you could get away with it. That doesn't make it morally right.
Jeremiah| 2.4.09 @ 5:56PM
ain't it cute? Look at the ad on this page before they switch to something else:
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BRENDA W.| 2.4.09 @ 6:06PM
What about these MEGA churches . It is all about the almighty dollar. Trying to keep these huge structures going. You are harassed about paying your tithes and donating extra money. how about when your church wants to do your taxes so that they can get their portion of it.
Nick| 2.4.09 @ 7:07PM
BusinessGuy,
Quit throwing up straw men. Employers can't force anyone to do anything. You can always quit.
States are forcing pharmacists to provide contraceptives when they don't want to. Whether they chose not to for religious reasons, or business, like Wal-Mart.
An owner has the right to sell what they want, right Business Guy?
polisfantomet| 2.5.09 @ 1:34PM
hey i just wantet to say hello from norway and ask how is it going with a new president and all that
ruth| 2.5.09 @ 2:44PM
Just ducky.
Prop8-lds.4t.com | 2.5.09 @ 6:20PM
For a range of articles from the mainstream media regarding California's Proposition 8 and the Mormon (LDS) Church, see www. prop8-lds.4t.com
Jeremiah| 2.5.09 @ 8:35PM
Hej hej, Polisfantomet. It's not a new president, she was already there 10 years ago and she's back with the stooges that didn't commit suicide or rot in jail.
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Doug Bandow » Blog Archive » The Real Meaning of Religious Persecution links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
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FYI - The person posting with my name in this thread is NOT me. It's the same troll who does this with other people's usernames. I haven't posted at this site since late January.
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The L| 1.20.10 @ 12:45AM
I can't help but laugh at the image of pharmacists being "forced" to sell contraceptives. Becoming a pharmacist is a free choice. In this country, part of being a pharmacist is to sell over-the-counter remedies and prophylactics to the American people--even if you think they're immoral to use.
I'm also baffled by how anyone can be mistaken about persecution in America. I've read news stories about religious ceremonies being interrupted by police and people falsely accused of following dangerous cults on the basis of their beliefs. I've personally encountered books demonizing a faith that promotes personal responsibility and caring for others. The religion in question? Wicca. Christians aren't being persecuted, but there are some people among them who like to persecute others--in direct contradiction to what Jesus actually said his followers ought to do.
All people have the right to worship as they see fit, without harrassment by other groups or the government. No one has the right to decide that some belief systems are "good" and others are "bad." No one has the right to create laws based entirely on the beliefs of a single religion. And no one has the right to take the fact that their faith is currently in the majority and rub it in everyone else's faces, as though religion were some sort of competition. How would Jesus behave?
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I’ll have a Poptropica full written walkthrough very soon, but in the meantime, here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Mythology Island. Having trouble? Post a question in the comments and I’ll try to answer it!
Getting Hercules to Help You
Hercules won’t help you until you have all five items from Zeus’ quest.Poptropica Once you have the five items, bring them to Athena. Zeus will appear and steal them. The big jerk! Once this happens, talk to Athena and she will tell you that Hercules will help you. You’ll need to have the magic mirror from Aphrodite because Hercules doesn’t want to have to walk. He’s so lazy!
Getting the Hydra Scale
You can see how to do this in the videos, but basically you need to jump up when the Hydra is about to strike. Poptropica He will rear one of his heads back to attack and his eyes will bulge out. When this happens, jump up in the air and then try to land on top of his head. That head will get knocked out. When all five heads get knocked out, the Hydra will be asleep and you can click on him to get one of the scales. Poptropica I’ll have a full written walkthrough very soon, but in the meantime, here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Mythology Island. Having trouble? Post a question in the comments and I’ll try to answer it!
Getting Hercules to Help Yo
Peter | 5.26.10 @ 6:56PM
One might be excused for thinking that despite misconceptions of Christianity being "western" and despite the real sins of the church and generally oppressive regimes, Christians around the world are hated first and foremost because the world hates Jesus. Or at least that is what Jesus said would occur.
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