The following is a reminder of the ever increasing hostility toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. Two things are driving much of this. First is the secularization of the west. Second is the expansion of Islam. Although strange “bedfellows” who actually seek to ultimately eliminate the other, they both increase persecution of Christians.
The following are excerpts from an article titled ‘Religious intolerance on the rise worldwide, says US report‘ was written by Peter Beaumont, for guardian.co.uk on Thursday 20th September 2012.
Three-quarters of the world’s human population of seven billion live under strong government curbs on religion, or among serious “social hostilities” involving faith issues, find researchers. So says the Pew Research Centre, http://www.pewforum.org/Government/Rising-Tide-of-Restrictions-on-Religion.aspx
The researchers say that there is a “worrying rise in religious discrimination” even in the US and the UK.
The analysis, of 197 countries and territories, identifies a sharp rise in religious limits globally and a 6% increase in restrictions in the four years until 2010.
The project notes an acceleration in intolerance, reporting a 63% rise from mid-2009 to mid-2010 in numbers of countries that increased government restrictions, in comparison with Pew’s last survey that had noted a 56% rise.
Remarking on the trend, the report says: “The number of countries where harassment or intimidation of specific religious groups took place rose from 147 as of mid-2009, to 160 as of mid-2010.”
“Christians,” the survey reports, “were harassed by government officials or organisations in 95 countries in the year ending in mid-2010 and by social groups or individuals in 77 countries.”
