Christianity at core of Western culture

Bob @earthlink.net>foxletters;Fri 3/25/2016 9:59 PMDear Editor,The joy of the holy Easter season is tempered by an increase in religious persecution of Christians worldwide. Both the popular press and researchers are documenting the fact that Christians are the most persecuted religious minority in the world. Of the top 20 nations engaged in religious persecution, 14 of them are controlled or influenced by extremist Islam (e.g., Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia), while the other 6 are authoritarian regimes (e.g., China, North Korea, and Myanmar). Persecution ranges from kidnapping and sexual slavery of Christians to destruction of property and murder, including via barbaric practices such as beheadings.While Christians in Western Europe and North America are not overtly persecuted, there is rising pressure on Christians by atheists and secularists. The space for Christians to express their views and practice their faith is being slowly eroded by Western societies.It is incumbent, then, on us Christians to follow our Lord Jesus's example and be witnesses to the world of love, peace, and justice, and thus change the minds and hearts of atheists and secularists. We also need to support our persecuted brothers and sisters abroad through prayer and political action.We need to remember that Christianity has been at the core of Western culture. While some have distorted Christianity to justify bad actions, the sum of Christianity's contributions to humanity has been overwhelmingly good. Christianity has been the source of advances in education, health care, arts, science, and social reform (e.g., abolition of slavery and labor protections). Before Christianity, humans cared only for those in their tribe or family. Christianity calls us to reach out in love beyond our own and to serve, sacrifice, and show compassion. Peace and joy to all!Sincerely,The joy of the holy Easter season is tempered by an increase in religious persecution of Christians worldwide. Both the popular press and researchers are documenting the fact that Christians are the most persecuted religious minority in the world. Of the top 20 nations engaged in religious persecution, 14 of them are controlled or influenced by extremist Islam, e.g., Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, while the other six are authoritarian regimes, e.g., China, North Korea, and Myanmar. Persecution ranges from kidnapping and sexual slavery of Christians to destruction of property and murder, including via barbaric practices such as beheadings.While Christians in Western Europe and North America are not overtly persecuted, there is rising pressure on Christians by atheists and secularists. The space for Christians to express their views and practice their faith is being slowly eroded by Western societies.It is incumbent, then, on us Christians to follow our Lord Jesus's example and be witnesses to the world of love, peace, and justice, and thus change the minds and hearts of atheists and secularists. We also need to support our persecuted brothers and sisters abroad through prayer and political action.We need to remember that Christianity has been at the core of Western culture. While some have distorted Christianity to justify bad actions, the sum of Christianity's contributions to humanity has been overwhelmingly good. Christianity has been the source of advances in education, health care, arts, science and social reform, e.g., abolition of slavery and labor protections. Before Christianity, humans cared only for those in their tribe or family. Christianity calls us to reach out in love beyond our own and to serve, sacrifice and show compassion.Kim FreitagElgin