Christians: honest answers please?

Question

Do you feel you have ever been persecuted for your beliefs? How do you define persecution?

This is inspired by someone who defined being called "delusional" by atheists as persecution. As a Christian who considers herself rather intelligent, I don't really like being insulted like that but I hardly consider it "persecution."

Fireside: you didn't answer my question. If you feel you've been persecuted, please provide examples. Thanks.

Answer 1

I have never been persecuted for my faith. My brother ribs me about it, needles me about whether I've read the latest anti-religion polemic from Dawkins or Hitchens, but that is not persecution.

There is real persecution in this world - from the way the people in the Sudan are treated to the brutal treatment used against those Korean visitors to Afghanistan.

We in our comfortable world know nothing of this. And we certainly cheapen the word trying to use it to characterize any minor discomfort we experience.

Answer 2

The only time I have ever come close to being "persecuted" was by Christians on this site. It was a verbal attack for not holding the exact same beliefs as they did. Of course this is not true persecution, but I find irony in it none the less.

Answer 3

Persecution definition?
Well prohibition of meeting for worship, carry a Bible, preach the gospel, pass a tract, arrest, physical violence, execution fall clearly in the definition. These things are not ussually seem at occidental countries; but are still happenning through the world in islamic countries, and some other places like in Africa, Asia, among others.
Some people will include discrimination as a form of persecution.
Being rejected or insulted due to our faith be classified as persecution? Well if we separate persecution by levels, that would be just level one.

Answer 4

I don't believe I've ever been "persecuted" no. I'd have to say that Mormons as a whole get a pretty bad wrap in the R&S section, but probably no worse than anyone else. It would be nice if people actually took the time to learn what I and the other LDS people on Answers actually believed, but that's their perogative.

Besides, if I let everyone who said something negative about what I believe get to me, then I shouldn't be hanging out here.

Answer 5

Yes, I actually have been. I pretty much discuss my faith at church, here on R&S or when asked about it during a discussion where somehow religion becomes a topic - and I generally am never the one to bring that topic up in a conversation.

Last year, sometime in the fall, a friend of mine was arrested for a felony assault. I had his back, contacted his family so that they could get to him and help him, I picked him up from the bus station after jail, gave him a safe place to stay after jail until he could get back to his own place, I even made contact with the guy (who we all presumed to be dangerous) he fought with in person as a go between since legally he could not have that contact and it was necessary. I gave this friend all of the moral support I could muster and all that/more than many people would.

A few months later, this friend was still bemoaning the fact that the police treated him like a criminal when they arrested him. I'm quite certain that experience was not fun, and I'm also sure the police didn't treat him like he was on his way to the prom. But when I pointed out that the police were only doing their job to the best of their ability based on the information at hand, dealing with two drunken individuals who were both involved in a fight (both hurt, one appeared more bloody), and a difficult situation to say the least... I was told I was a self-righteous, judgemental, fundamentalist Christian who was pushing my beliefs on him - and that until such a time arose when I "came back" from being a Christian, he could no longer be my friend and the friendship was over.

The most I had spoken of my beliefs to this person is like if we had a phone conversation on a Sunday and he asked "So what were you up to this morning" and I would answer "We went to church and out to lunch".

To me, that is blatant persecution because of my beliefs - to say the sole reason you want to terminate a friendship or relationship of any kind is based on a person's faith.

In the end, it was a huge relief to have the friendship terminate. I get no more calls in the middle of the night from cops wanting to know if I can come to the assistance of a friend who is being arrested!

But someone throwing sticks and stones online? That's hardly a form of persecution. I get mad about it when it's en masse - but I get glad real quick too.

Answer 6

Ok to answer your questions: 1. While the wording in that commandment can mean kill the better translation is murder. Hebrew for H7523 רצח 1) to murder, slay, kill We are sure it mainly means murder because in every instance it is used when the taking of innocent life occurs. So in the example you give that would not violate that commandment because the person is not innocent. 2. and 4 God is a Just and Holy God and he will not judge someone for something they did not know of. In the case of people who have died never hearing the word of God they will be judged based on the knowledge of God that he has given them and how they responded to that knowledge. In the case of children below the age at which they know the difference between right and wrong or age of accountability. They go to heaven, and this applies to those who do not have the mental capacity to know the difference such as those with Downs Syndrome no matter their age. Once they know the difference then they become accountable for their actions. 3. Being born homosexual is not possible at all, even PFLAG admits this and since it can't happen there is no reason to answer a hypothetical on it. God has declared Homosexuality an abomination and he would never make a person one and then judge them for it. 5. Who gets to define what is good? What level of good is good enough to get into heaven? God has said no man is good enough to get into heaven no matter what they do. We are all equal when we stand before God and the price for our sin is death. The only thing that will save us is what God has done for us. Email me if you have any questions, you can contact me through Yahoo.

Answer 7

Persecuted would be too strong to describe the price I have paid for being a Christian. It has cost me a lot of money and opportunities in my business life because of the Christian ethics by which I live.

Answer 8

You are right: it certainly isn't "persecution".
If people want to see a sample of persecution in all its horror, they should see what happens when you are found to have a Bible in your possession - IN NORTH KOREA. Or several other places as well.

The people in this Nation are really something. These are the same ones who insist "I'm starving to death!", because its been at least 3 hours since that bacon and egg breakfast at Dennys.

Or one day go and check out the line to
get emergency food stamps sometime. That will really give you a chuckle: they have to wait sometimes over an hour, so ya know what they do to pass the time? THEY TALK TO RELATIVES ON THEIR CELL PHONE.
Its absolutely unbelievable. They go to welfare offices pushing baby strollers that cost $200-300 dollars, wearing dangling gold earrings that I could not ever afford, and Brand-name sneakers, while I am wearing the wal-mart ones that cost $3.00.
And then they just cry and whine and tell of the absolute horror of being "them".

As far as being Christian goes, there is coming a time when its not gonna be so peachy to be Christian; I mean that its not gonna be enough to sit in a church pew each week - According to Scripture, when
Antichrist comes on the scene, he's not coming with red longjohns and a pitchfork, killing and torturing people - no, just the exact opposite: he's coming disguised and pretending to be the loving Jesus Christ himself. The mass majority of even Church-going Christians will believe its Jesus, too.
They will fall all over each other to worship and serve the fake. When the true believers refuse to worship the fake, we will even have the Christians and the whole Churches against us. We will be called "jesus haters".
This will separate those of Gods true Church from those who just like to "play church". Its written that we will even be arrested and delivered up before the fake.
We will provide a witness against him, and serve as a testimony for the true Christ.

Thats when you will see the true Church of Christ; This will be during what is called
"the great deception of the end times".
And even then I won't consider it persecution; hell, Christ was nailed to a damn tree - any Christian who whines and complains everytime someone calls them a name should be ashamed of themselves.
Did Christ whine and complain when they
plunged nails into his wrists? When they
beat him and then made him to drag pieces of His cross, did he yell "but I feel insulted and persecuted"?
In this generation, people whine and complain and even voice their complaints, when they are made to wait in an emergency room because an ambulance just pulled in with a child from a car accident.
Its dispicable, really. God forbid they have to wait with their little eye infection, so that maybe a child can live - I've seen them threaten medical personnel because they
might have to wait a few extra minutes.

This entire subject makes me so peeved off; sorry ranted.

Answer 9

I agree. Although it may be insulting it is not persecution. Persecution for me is when your life is at risk or your way of life has to be hidden. Now keep in mind this is a real concern that is valid in other countries.

Answer 10

Good morning Rachel! I guess I'm going to be in the minority on this one. Yes, I do believe Christians are persecuted today in this country. No, I haven't heard of anyone being stoned, but that isn't the only kind of persecution that exists.

Persecution:
1-to treat badly; do harm to again and again; oppress.

2-to treat badly because of one's principles or beliefs.

3-to annoy or harass.

Christians are not the only one's being persecuted for our beliefs, of course, but Christianity itself--even if not every individual Christian--is most certainly under persecution in America, and around the world.