What Exactly Constitutes "PERSECUTION" For Most Christians?

Question

1) Not being popular or liked
2) No interest in your beliefs or in converting
3) Not being praised for being Christian
4) Having questions asked about your faith
5) Having someone object to one of your doctrines or scriptures or interpretation or sect traditions
6) Having someone call your faith- untrue, or silly or unfounded
7) Being made fun of, teased, ridiculed verbally.
8) Being left out of social groups because of your faith
9) Seeing non-Christians get more popular, successful than you
10) Not seeing your religion get preferential treatment every single time in popular culture, education etc.

And why is it persecution when you receive such treatment but if I receive such treatment from a Christian I must consider it, "Loving interest to show me the right way?"
Why are your feelings and faith more deserving than mine of special treatment? Please explain.

No disrespect meant. Honest answers, no rants or cut & pastes please.

Personally I believe all should be treated with respect but we should also have some backbone.

Answer 1

I understand your point. Christians in America do not know what persecution is. Let them go to China, Korea, Saudi Arabia, or these jungle nations in Africa and see what persecution is. In some nations around the world Chrisians are being killed for their belief. Christians in america are simple fussing over nonsense like "why do we have all the denominations?". Those Christians in the African nations that are hiding out in secret, afraid of being killed by the nation, would love the freedom to have different belief styles. American Christians does not know about persecution.

Answer 2

OK I'LL TRY TO ANSWER THIS ONE WITH SOME UP FRONT DISCLOSURE,
I AM A CATHOLIC, I NEVER GO TO CHURCH , I'D MOST LIKELY BE BOOTED UNDER MAN MADE REASONS.
BUT I CONSIDER MYSELF A CAUTIOUS BELIVER IN JESUS (MUCH MAN MADE INFLUENCE ON ORIGINAL MSG OVER 2000 TEARS :)
THREFORE I'M CHRISTIAN
I DO NOT STOMACHE EVANGELICALS WELL EITHER
BUT THEY ARE NOT ALL CHRISTIANS OR EVEN MOST AT LAST COUNT
BUT I DO NOT JUDGE THEM AS A GROUP AND I WOULD LAY DOWN AT THE FEET OF THEM OR ANY JEW, MUSLIM, BUDDIST, ATHIEST OR ANYONE WHO WAS BEING PERSECUTED BASED ON BELIEFS
I'M HAPPY TO SAY THATS THE AMERICAN IN ME.
YOU ASK SO MUCH I ANSWERED IT LINE BY LINE.
1) Not being popular or liked
Yes If not like just because of being A CHRISTIAN.
2) No interest in your beliefs or in converting
no
3) Not being praised for being Christian
no
4) Having questions asked about your faith
no
5) Having someone object to one of your doctrines or scriptures or interpretation or sect traditions
no
6) Having someone call your faith- untrue, or silly or unfounded
no
7) Being made fun of, teased, ridiculed verbally.
Yes if just because being A C.
8) Being left out of social groups because of your faith
YES
9) Seeing non-Christians get more popular, successful than you
yes if only because of being A C.

10) Not seeing your religion get preferential treatment every single time in popular culture, education etc.

MY VIEW IS no preferential treatment NO EXCUSES

And why is it persecution when you receive such treatment
MY VIEW IS no preferential treatment NO EXCUSES


but if I receive such treatment from a Christian I must consider it, "Loving interest to show me the right way?"
MOST OF THEM REALLY THING ITS THIER JOB TO GUIDE YOU? I HATE THAT TOO.
Why are your feelings and faith more deserving than mine of special treatment?
MY VIEW IS no preferential treatment NO EXCUSES

Please explain.
I TRIED HOPE IT WAS HELPFUL.


No disrespect meant.
NONE TAKEN :)
Honest answers
ALWAYS :)
I LEAVE YOU WITH THIS FROM A FAVORITE 20TH CENTURY PROFIT

FATHERS OF THE FUTURE PLEASE TELL YOUR CHILDREN BEFORE ITS TOO LATE,
TO FIGHT EACH OTHER THERE IS NO WINNING
WE MUST FIGHT ALL THE HATE
OZZY OSBOURNE
:)

Answer 3

Persecution to Jehovah's Witnesses means being imprisioned, beatings, banned from practicing, death.

In France, priests openly insited crowds to beat up women and tear up literature, burn homes and kingdom halls.

African countries both government and rebel leaders alike persecute JWs by beatings, imprisonment and death for not taking part in their political rivalries. For just not having a political card.

Torture is always part of imprisonment. Conditions that American prisoners would riot about are standard. Brain washing is also a favorite among the more patient torturers. Except it usually does not work with JWs because our faith is based in our whole hearts, our lives, not just what is done on one day of the week.

Also in America, during WWII, it meant imprisonment for holding to Bible principals and not joining in the politics. Some were held for years. Interestingly, the Nazis did the same thing. In the death camps, all they would have had to do was a "heil Hitler" and they would have gone free. None did.

My grandparents were arrested off the street leaving three young children on the street where they were walking for being witnesses. This was in North Carolina, USA during WWII.

Answer 4

Former Christian turned Taoist.

I remember my pastor telling me things like "One day someone will shoot eveyone that's a Christian" Well considering that 85% of the pop. in America is Christian, i find that hard to believe. Christians won't rest until all of America is a "Christian Nation" with the Govt ran by more and more "Christian Values" and teaching Christian Beliefs in the public school system. Also they would prob want all the media to revolve around Christians also. Then they will say "everyone who isn't Chrstian can leave!"

Answer 5

Some in this country think that someone persecuted them by putting a shopping cart behind their car.

What does that say to you?

Most seem to have enough of a clue to remember that whole "Thrown to the lions" era of the religion and realize that christianity has it pretty nice here in the US.

It's just the ones you actually hear about which buy into those.

Answer 6

because their religion may be rather odd like the mormon faith. they believe their founding leader saw god and jesus above his head. and then the angel moroni told joseph smith where the golden plates were to the history of an ancient american tribe, not indians, and that the tribe saw jesus in the clouds over america. now to a lot of christians that's pretty strange. so odd religous groups are persecuted for such beliefs.

Answer 7

We aren't looking for self-praise or praise from other men, we are trying to gain favor with God. Its not a popularity contest. We welcome reasonable questions about having faith. Scripture speaks for itself; you question it, you question God. Ridicule is futile and petty, not worth entertaining. We have fellowship open to any non-believers, and aren't cliques or exclusive to believers. Again, living for God is not a popularity contest. What we care about is getting God's attention, not seeking special treatment from other men.

We only try to spread truth, weeding out the distorted perceptions and lies about the Word of God. We often get accused of doing stuff that was intended to spread love, but the perception gets distorted into a crime. Jesus was accused of blasphemy by the people, and Barabbas was released because committing murder was less criminal than blasphemy. Jesus was persecuted for proclaiming something the people thought he was not. Jesus did not have a criminal record. But Barabbas had a laundry list.

So, after the longwinded explanation, to me as a Christ follower, persecutions are accusations by non-believers who think that Christians who love God are more threatening than the known felon next door. There's nothing farther from the truth.

Answer 8

Your list omits the reality of Christians in other countries.
What you list is not persecution, it is mere human rudeness in the "civilized" West.
Christians are still persecuted with death threats (Arab Countries), people hunting them down (Tanzania), singled out for starvation (as in the southern Sudan & Darfur), being restricted in their ability to congregate, worship together and being arrested and beaten for promoting the Gospel (China, India, and most Islamic ruled nations. Even in Jerusalem, one cannot open their Bible while visiting and walking on the Temple Mount.
Just because you do not see it in your neighborhood, does not mean severe and lethal persecution is not going on in other places. Christians are still dying for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Answer 9

I don't think very many Americans (or American Christians in particular) have any idea what persecution is. Discrimination, maybe, but not persecution. In a lot of countries, you can be killed because of your religious beliefs, but I think that that is relatively rare here.
If any of the above happens to me, I just move on. Life's too short (and too good) to let stuff like that bother me.

Answer 10

I don't consider 1-10 to be actual persecution,because those are to be expected. Real persecution would be if someone would actually physically harm me in any way because of my beliefs. Since that hasn't happened,I don't consider myself to be a persecuted Christian.
I have to say that minority groups(homosexuals,atheists,etc.) are persecuted daily. I may not condone homosexuality,and I may not agree on the atheist stance,but I can in no way condone the abominable way they are treated in our society,either by religious or non-religious groups,most especially if they are attacked physically.