Speaking of important subjects to discuss there is one particularly relevant subject, namely the growing persecution of Christians in many areas of the world. In the town of Mosul (Northern Iraq) the harassment of Christians has escalated this week, as three relatives of a Syro-Catholic priest were killed in their own home and two others in the street.

Check this address:

HRW: Iraq: Protect Christians from Violence Five Killed in Mosul in One Week :: www.uruknet.info :: informazione dal medio oriente :: information from middle east :: [vs-1] (http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:4M4aicZt-UYJ:www.uruknet.info/index.php%3Fp%3Dm63576%26hd%3D%26size%3D1%26l%3De+ 5+christians+killed+in+mossul&cd=1&hl=es&ct=clnk&gl=es)

It is evident that the considerable amount of fundamentalist propaganda spreading all over the world is paying off quite well.
Right now, it is turning out to be a matter of hatred towards Christians among some Muslims and, certainly, by the Chinese Government.

Christian Churches are outlawed in many if not most Islamic countries. We see Islamic violence in East Timor, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, and the list goes on.

Some 300 million of Christian brothers are living under very precarious safety conditions. But, nobody in our Western “greatly civilized” world seems to be paying much attention to their problems.

We, in the West, are standing up for democracy and free trade, but we DO NOT do the same for freedom of religion.

We constantly use the double standards to measure and guide our behavior with many countries. For instance, western countries are all fighting to get as much share as possible of the Chinese market IRRESPECTIVE of their political system and of the fact it is rather a dictatorial regime where religions are practically forbidden. We have got to see how the Dalai Lama had to leave through the back door of the White House, surrounded by all the trash gathered there.

It is simply amazing how it is front page news in the European and US media if someone says anything even slightly anti-Islamic, but all over the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Red China most Christians are treated like dogs, killed, chased away and forbidden to express their faith. And no one seems to care. Certainly not the Mass Media.

Switzerland’s vote to ban minarets on Swiss mosques raises a Gaddafi’s irate jihad against Swiss products and food.

But we cannot even dream of raising our own particular “jihads” whenever some of these Islamic regimes decide to exert their pressure and unidirectional way thinking against us...

I guess this is one good subject to debate, is not it?

Gromitt82

Is this just another sign of the end of times? I think so.

Is this just another sign of the end of times? I think so.

I do not share your fears. Jesus did warn us that Christians would suffer persecutions but not that they would mean the end of the world.

In Matthew 5:10-12, we can read:

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

And St. Paul, in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians 4:8-9 already points out that:

We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

Persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

This means, I believe, that we have to demand from our Authorities to react and exact freedom of religion in those countries where there is none.

In Spain, unfortunately, as long as we are governed by a socialist/atheist as Zapatero, we cannot demand anything because with his “Alliance of Civilizations” he displays more sympathy towards Islamic countries than towards his own.

But the US is not only the most powerful country in the world today but also a country whose Government is reputedly Christian.

They should use their strength to insist on this criterion, don’t you think?

No, in fact it is against the constitution to madate such a thing. You have to remember that one of the construsts this nation was built on was freedom of religion. So its not up to us to tell other countries you have to do "our" religion. That would be as bad as muslims do in many countries.

No, in fact it is against the constitution to madate such a thing. You have to remember that one of the construsts this nation was built on was freedom of religion. So its not up to us to tell other countries you have to do "our" religion. That would be as bad as muslims do in many countries.

I think you should read my first tread on the subject.
I'm not saying that your country should tell other countries that Cristianism is the religion to follow.
I just said that your country should demand those countries that do not practice the Freedom of religion to adopt that policy which is one of the basic principles of the Human Rights Declaration.

Here is the problem. When faced with demanding freedom of religion by using the powers at hand then you are in fact stepping over the boundary of a country. The U.N. already has statements to what they believe human rights should be and they do not enforce those on other countries. Instead turning a blind eye. We as a country can premote freedom but that is about all as far as a mandate is concerned. And it doesn't always work that way as we have had many deals with the devil. Just look how we played both sides in the Iran Iraq conflict. So I still say no to exporting "our" religion to other countries as a mandate or condition of relief.

U.N. Ref:

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

Here is the problem. When faced with demanding freedom of religion by using the powers at hand then you are infact stepping over the boundry of a country. The U.N. already has statements to what they believe human rights should be and they do not enforce those on other countries. Instead turning a blind eye. We as a country can premote freedom but that is about all as far as a mandate is concerned. And it doesnt always work that way as we have had many deals with the devil. Just look how we played both sides in the Iran Iraq conflict. So I still say no to exporting "our" religion to other countries as a mandate or condition of relief.

U.N. Ref:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml)

a) Tne U.N. are absolutely Imoperative, ineffective and useless. If implementing Human Rights in those countries where there are none or do not respect them unless in those aereas that interest them to project a totally fake image, would depend upon the U.N.only, we would be lost.

I still remember Gaddafi's speech at the U.N. last September, when he was partly responsible of the terrorist attack 22 years ago, on the Pan Am 103 flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers and crew, as well as 11 residents of the town below. This was the worst terrorist attack in British history and the deadliest attack on American civilians before 9/11.

Yet, Western powers welcomed him in NY, and let him speak silly nonsense for I do not know how long. Whyt? Because of his oil, obviously.

b) Western powers should not have recourse to wars to force many countries to implement true democratic governments (not fake ones like in Iraq or Afghanistan) that respect the Human Rights. Nor should we necessarily refer to any religion in particular.

All we should have to do is to refrain from doing business with those countries UNLESS...

But I guess this is just wistful thinking...