Christian priest tells UN: "Israel is the only Mideast country not persecuting Christians"

[Miss Annie]

Christian priest tells UN: "Israel is the only Mideast country not persecuting Christians"

[juleswin]

Someone forget to mention Syria, Iraq, Lebanon. Ofc the gulf Sunni dominated states is a different story.

[Miss Annie]

Someone forget to mention Syria, Iraq, Lebanon. Ofc the gulf Sunni dominated states is a different story.

I think they were talking about the current state of affairs. With the current state of affairs, Bashar has pretty much lost control of a lot of areas. Iraq is the same story as Syria. Iraq is pretty much Christian free in most places right now. ISIS is actually starting to "push" on Lebanon as well. Egypt is feeling it too. A lot of Christians were run out of Egypt under the Morsi regime.

[erowe1]

Oh really?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gle...tml?paging=off

[heavenlyboy34]

Oh really?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gle...tml?paging=off

Indeed. Voices Of Martyrs has documented similar stories and some much more brutal in Israel.

[Danke]

Lol. Ya Israel and their backers here in the states have nothing to do with what has happened in the Middle East over that past few decades.

[enhanced_deficit]

Under "Occupation", Palestinian Christians Face Potential Extinction

A Holy Land Without Christians?

Prior to 1948, Christians accounted for nearly 20 percent of the population of what is now Israel/Palestine. Today that figure is less than 2 percent. Even more dramatic are declines in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. Christian populations are nearly extinct in these locations compared to their respective majorities of 90 and 80 percent prior to 1948.



Vatican blame Israeli ‘occupation’ as big reason for Christian exodus

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx153bakIdQ

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Bishops blame Israeli ‘occupation’ as big reason for Christian exodus

by nicole winfield, the associated press

vatican city | Bishops summoned to the Vatican to discuss the flight of Christians from the Middle East have blamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for spurring much of the exodus and warned that the consequences could be devastating for the birthplace of Christianity.
Some bishops have singled out the emergence of fanatical Islam for the flight. But others have directly or indirectly accused Israel of discriminating against Arab Christians and impeding solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In fact, the working document of the two-week synod accused the Israeli “occupation” of Palestinian territories for creating difficulties in everyday life for Palestinian Christians, including their religious life since their access to holy sites is dependent on Israeli military permission.

Pope Benedict XVI (center) leads mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Oct. 10 opening of a Vatican summit of Middle East bishops. photo/ap/andrew medichini

Pope Benedict XVI called the council to try to encourage Christians in the largely Muslim region, where the Catholic Church has long been a minority and is shrinking as a result of war, conflict, discrimination and economic problems. In Iraq alone, Catholics represented 2.89 percent of the population in 1980; by 2008 they were just .89 percent. In Israel, home to important Christian holy sites, Catholics made up 3.8 percent of the population in 1980; by 2008 they were just 1.82 percent.
Some 185 bishops are taking part in the synod from Latin and Eastern rite Catholic churches across the region and from the diaspora. In addition, a rabbi and two Muslim imams were scheduled to address the synod.
Patriarch Gregory III, archbishop of the Greek-Melkites in Damascus, Syria, said fundamentalist movements such as Hamas or Hezbollah had been borne from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warned Oct. 11 that the resulting flight of Christians would make a “society with only one color: only Muslim.”
He added: “Should this happen, should the East be emptied of its Christians, this would mean that any occasion would be propitious for a new clash of cultures, of civilizations and even of religions, a destructive clash between the Muslim Arab East and the Christian West.”
American Cardinal John Foley, a longtime Vatican official who now raises money to support Christian sites in the Holy Land, also said the conflict had contributed to the growth of Islamic fundamentalism but blamed Israeli policies specifically.
“While many including the Holy See have suggested a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the more time passes, the more difficult such a solution becomes, as the building of Israeli settlements and Israeli-controlled infrastructure in east Jerusalem and in other parts of the West Bank make increasingly difficult the development of a viable and integral Palestinian state,” he told the gathering.

Rabbi David Rosen, head of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, said he expected some degree of blame would be voiced against Israel during the synod. But he said he thought the Vatican had done a responsible job in containing it and trying to ensure that the synod “is not totally politically hijacked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/...istian-exodus/

[PierzStyx]

Guess this guy doesn't know that Palestinian Christians exist and get persecuted as their fellow Palestinian Muslim countrymen by the tyranny of the Israeli state.

[pcosmar]

Proof right there,, that a Priest can be a $#@!ing liar.

[DFF]

Maybe the Israelis aren't persecuting Christians but this doesn't change the fact that most of them rank Jesus right up there with Hitler on the most hated enemies list.

[Acala]

Israelis view Christians as useful dupes, willing to pay to see the "Holy Land" and pressure the US government to give billions in stolen money to the regime. The second that usefulness ends, Christians will find themselves under the bus with everyone else.

[amy31416]

Israelis view Christians as useful dupes, willing to pay to see the "Holy Land" and pressure the US government to give billions in stolen money to the regime. The second that usefulness ends, Christians will find themselves under the bus with everyone else.

This is insanely true. They also donate to "poor" Israeli holocaust victims, that never see a dime of that money and mostly don't exist.

[THX 1138]

http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Mouths-filled-with-hatred

[William Tell]

Oh really?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gle...tml?paging=off

There you have it.

[Muwahid]

Christians really aren't treated well by the Jews in Israel (thought that was common knowledge), especially the ultra orthodox, they hate the Christians. Even Messianic Jews come under attack from them.

When I lived in Jordan, the Christians lived harmoniously with the Muslims, there were gorgeous Churches just a block away from large Mosques, and I saw no fighting, or stereotyping. In fact there are many incidents of Christians standing with Muslims protesting Israeli aggression.

And not to open a $#@!-storm, but Christians were not slain en masse in Iraq or Syria. I saw so many images of dead Children, mass executions, even crucifixion, and all these neocon sites said they were Christians, but upon watching the actual videos, the people for example blamed Shabiha (Allawis) for the dead children, the crucifixion was for militants against IS, mass executions almost always Iraqi or Syrian regime fighters... like I don't get the idea Christians were just slaughtered like crazy, they fled because they didn't like IS, that doesn't mean IS was going to kill them.

[amy31416]

Christians really aren't treated well by the Jews in Israel (thought that was common knowledge), especially the ultra orthodox, they hate the Christians. Even Messianic Jews come under attack from them.

When I lived in Jordan, the Christians lived harmoniously with the Muslims, there were gorgeous Churches just a block away from large Mosques, and I saw no fighting, or stereotyping. In fact there are many incidents of Christians standing with Muslims protesting Israeli aggression.

And not to open a $#@!-storm, but Christians were not slain en masse in Iraq or Syria. I saw so many images of dead Children, mass executions, even crucifixion, and all these neocon sites said they were Christians, but upon watching the actual videos, the people for example blamed Shabiha (Allawis) for the dead children, the crucifixion was for militants against IS, mass executions almost always Iraqi or Syrian regime fighters... like I don't get the idea Christians were just slaughtered like crazy, they fled because they didn't like IS, that doesn't mean IS was going to kill them.

I'm pretty sure you're right, but the main reason I'm commenting is to let you know that I love your signature.

[Leaning Libertarian]

In reviewing some of the posts in this thread, I see that Israel is in fact "persecuting Christians," to deport a Christian for alleged violations of his Visa conditions, that is seemingly only done because of his religion is wrong and "persecution." I guess the Priest would be better spoken had he said: "Israel is the only Mideast country not cutting the heads off Christians." http://www.catholic.org/news/interna...y.php?id=56339

[amy31416]

In reviewing some of the posts in this thread, I see that Israel is in fact "persecuting Christians," to deport a Christian for alleged violations of his Visa conditions, that is seemingly only done because of his religion is wrong and "persecution." I guess the Priest would be better spoken had he said: "Israel is the only Mideast country not cutting the heads off Christians." http://www.catholic.org/news/interna...y.php?id=56339

...yet

[enhanced_deficit]

On an unrelated historic note, anyone knows if Christ was persecuted and crucified for his beliefs on same land where Israel exists today?
It's been long time since saw Mel Gibson's movie Passion of Christ and vaguely recall it was some part of mideast holy land.




Caption: Anti-Israel graffiti on the Israeli security wall in Bethlehem. The wall comes under heavy criticism from those who claim it cuts off Palestinian communities from one another. From March 10-14, the Bethlehem Bible College and Holy Land Trust host the anti-Israel “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference.
Credit: Garry Walsh via Wikimedia Commons.






Pope prayed at this section of Gaza wall. The biggest open-air prison in the world since the fall of the Berlin Wall

[TaftFan]

Anyone remotely familiar with American Christianity knows about the good relations it has with Israel. Of course, many on this site would rather search for obscure links in order to justify their dislike for Israel/Jews.

[presence]

Thats strange... I thought

Ultra-Orthodox young men curse and spit at Christian clergymen in the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City as a matter of routine.

http://warincontext.org/2011/11/05/b...-in-jerusalem/

[Muwahid]

Anyone remotely familiar with American Christianity knows about the good relations it has with Israel. Of course, many on this site would rather search for obscure links in order to justify their dislike for Israel/Jews.

What on earth is "American" Christianity as opposed to Christianity.

[erowe1]

Anyone remotely familiar with American Christianity knows about the good relations it has with Israel.

When American Christians go to Israel to proselytize Jews there, they get persecuted.

[William Tell]

Anyone remotely familiar with American Christianity knows about the good relations it has with Israel. Of course, many on this site would rather search for obscure links in order to justify their dislike for Israel/Jews.

As an American Christian, i am just as in favor of Jews hearing of Christ as I am of any other group. It is a fact that there is some persecution of Christians in Israel. The "American Christians" who are on good relations with Israel, are largely the ones who feel that everyone needs to accept Christ, except the Jews. I happen to feel the truth of Christ is important to everyone in the world, including Jews and Muslims equally.

Ted Cruz basically spat on the true Christians in the Middle east who understand the reality. And he was applauded by sheeple Christians who think Jews don't need Jesus, and Muslims need bombs. I am sick of the double standard. It seems like everyone feels the need to pick a side between the Jews and the Muslims, or the Israelis and the Arabs. Why can't Christians just agree that everybody needs the message of Jesus, and it can only be delivered by peace, not by bombs or foreign aid?

[TaftFan]

When American Christians go to Israel to proselytize Jews there, they get persecuted.

By the government? No. Mainly by Muslims living within Israel and a few radical Jews.

There is never going to be perfect religious freedom anywhere.

[erowe1]

By the government? No. Mainly by Muslims living within Israel and a few radical Jews.

There is never going to be perfect religious freedom anywhere.

Yes, by the government.

What's your source for saying it's mainly by Muslims?

[TaftFan]

As an American Christian, i am just as in favor of Jews hearing of Christ as I am of any other group. It is a fact that there is some persecution of Christians in Israel. The "American Christians" who are on good relations with Israel, are largely the ones who feel that everyone needs to accept Christ, Jews. I happen to feel the truth of Christ is important to everyone in the world, including Jews and Muslims equally.

Ted Cruz basically spat on the true Christians in the Middle east who understand the reality. And he was applauded by sheeple Christians who think Jews don't need Jesus, and Muslims need bombs. I am sick of the double standard. It seems like everyone feels the need to pick a side between the Jews and the Muslims, or the Israelis and the Arabs. Why can't Christians just agree that everybody needs the message of Jesus, and it can only be delivered by peace, not by bombs or foreign aid?

That double standard is mainly just a false perception. Christians who supported wars in the Middle East (wrongly, in my view) didn't do so because they wanted Muslims to die, but they wanted the tyranny of Islam to be removed.

[TaftFan]

Yes, by the government.

What's your source for saying it's mainly by Muslims?

That's simply a fantasy. Thousands of churches go to spread their message each year with no obstruction. Even the article you posted stated that missionary work is legal in Israel. Individual cases of corruption do not equal policy.

From the source heavenlyboy cited earlier:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/ch...profit-113877/

[William Tell]

Shas seeks harsher punishment for missionaries

Led by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, party proposes bill to completely forbid proselytism in Israel, sentence violators to one year in prison
Neta Sela

Published: 03.14.07, 00:21 / Israel News

A war on missionaries was declared Tuesday when Shas faction head MK Yakov Margi proposed a bill stating that Israel's laws against proselytism should be aggravated

Backed by six other faction members and in concordance with Shas' spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's instructions, Margi proposed the sentence for preaching conversion should be one year imprisonment.

"Every time he (Rabbi Ovadia Yosef) hears of a case where someone falls into missionary hands, he feels great sadness and asks us to try and save at least one soul in Israel," said Margi.
"Whether it's Christians coming from abroad or Jewish converts working in Israel, they all have the same agenda – to destroy every trace and memory of the people of Israel, and they plan to do this by converting Jews. These bodies are operating mainly among the Jewish population which is under physical, social and spiritual distress," said the proposal.

Currently, Israeli law deals with conversion on two levels. Firstly, anyone offering money or material products in exchange for conversion faces five years in prison or a monetary fine. The person on the accepting end of the offer also faces a certain punishment.

On the second level, regarding minors, anyone acting in favor of or conducting a conversion ceremony on a minor, faces six month in jail.

Full article here: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...376215,00.html

[TaftFan]

^The Shas hold 11 out of 120 Knesset seats and as the article mentioned, a total of seven support the bill. Proposing a bill doesn't mean it will be passed. And even this bill pales in comparison to many surrounding countries, where not only is it illegal to convert someone, but it illegal to convert on your own accord.