Read "Defending Christians" written by Gavin Hewitt of BBC, at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/gavinhewitt/2011/01/defending_christians.html/
He is encouraging, [ along with French President Sarkozy,] the EU countries to
defend religious liberty. His blog shows a scene of armed Police
at the entrance to a christian church to help protect the people who enter.
I have often wondered if that time is coming to America, as decade after decade
has seen the liberties of Christians defined/restricted to four walls of church,
[see footnote] and christians harassed in public schools.
I read Mr Hewitt's blog and I remember some of the churches I visited in Europe
when I was there. And I remember a young woman there in Germany at the time,
who was watching me photograph the art in churches, asking me incredulously if
I REALLY believed in GOD" And when I answered 'yes, don't you" she said
'no one in Europe believes in GOD,churches are only museums now".
I was speechless at that remark. I have considered it as the number one problem
in Europe if what she said was true. And now I wonder does persecution
harm a faith or make those who believe, define where their 'do not cross over
this line" point is when dealing with atheists and barbarians at the gate.
In other words, the persecution ramps up the faith generally speaking, and
does not tamp it down. {which is precisely why it never achieves the intended
result.]
I also remember a time when a man I was married to at the time [but divorced from
since Oct 2007] who had persecuted me for two years because of unshakeable faith and
was making threats to kill me in a run-up to a string of catastrophic events for me
caused by him. In the particular event, when he was so menacing and terrorizing to me
and said he'd kill me, I said words I never thought I'd ever hear myself saying. Those
words were: " are you prepared to also die, because I will fight back to the death of
you if need be, to survive?" And there was an absolute determination in me at that
split second of time to do exactly that, and somehow that came across and he backed
down. And I nearly buckled with relief. But he did not give up, and tried other
tactics later that were more subtle, not head-on full foce and frontal assault;
and therefore more dangerous, treacherous, disguised. In a total assault
when you KNOW if you do not fight back,or if GOD blinks, you're a goner,and you do not give in to
the fear, and pray silently asking for GOD's help, there is a
force of righteousness that seems to overcome evil. I am living testimony of that.
And you learn that GOD is never late with HIS intervention and that HE has all power to save you.
____
* footnote: In the US, since the sixties when the Ten Commandments were removed
by force/edict of unauthorized Supreme Court [no authority to enforce secular humanism],
and then christians had to ask for permits to enter public events, like when the
Mayor of Denver a few years ago prevented Christians from having CHRISTIAN content
in the CHRIST-mas parade; and then the schools began teaching/enforcing the religion
of atheism, and then, Universities began to put barriers to true born again believers
being accepted unless they did not tell anyone they were Christian or display any
christian symbols or content; and then shootings in schools became regular events,
and liquor stores became the protector of the currency, or pharmaceutical companies did
that sell mind-altering drugs; and then the wicked elected Obama and that is the state of
the union of America or the disunion of America between majority Christians and
minority atheists. But thank GOD the good people voted in the republicans who are taking on evil Obama
and his secular humanism plans for America.
Gloria Poole; 12:55pm;7/Jan/2011;@ home
