THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD

Ever wonder what might be the most persecuted religion in today's world?  Hands down, it's Christianity.  It's hard to believe; but, in most respects, our Christian brothers and sisters are exceeding the early Church as martyrs for the Gospel. But that is not a story the established media wish to pursue in the United States.

If one mentions religious persecution to the "faux journalists" who are wielding power through both the print media and the airwaves, you'll probably get either a blank stare or a few words about the Inquisition or the religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Despite the silence of those who report our news, nuns are being subjected to rape in Africa, Hindus are slaughtering Christians by the hundreds in India, and the Muslim world continues its massive pogrom of decimation against the followers of Jesus.  All told, in more than  100 countries throughout the world, Christians daily face either de jure or de facto persecution and discrimination, most of it occurring against believers in the Southern Hemisphere, whose fate is made even worse by virtue of the poverty-stricken conditions in which they must live.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., some Christians face the prospect of being forced by governmental or judicial fiat to breach their consciences when it comes to abortion, birth control and same-sex marriage.  At the same time, the insouciant attitude prevailing in our neo-pagan society makes it even less likely that the pro-government media will devote any coverage to such issues, and an administration pursuing accommodation on a large scale with countries in which toleration is an unknown concept makes it more likely that Christians will be persecuted in those locales.

In an average year, dear readers, more than 100,000 Christians will die for their faith throughout the world.  During the recent Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt, radical imams harangued their followers to attack churches and priests and to abduct Christian young women.  After Mohamed Morsi and the Brotherhood were ousted from power, Muslims went on a binge of destruction and mayhem in retaliation.  And, still, Egypt's Christian population continues to hemorrhage from unceasing attacks.

Last week, nearly 70 people died during an attack on a shopping-mall in Nairobi.  The radical Islamic group that carried out the attack is a Somali-based organization called al-Shabaab.  Not so well known is that al-Shabaab has systematically eliminated the few Christians left in Somalia.  Even less well known is that al-Shabaab operates openly in Minneapolis, where it has raised money for its undertakings and has sent jihadists to terrorize Christians in places like Nairobi.

Of the numerous grotesque  stories of Christian persecution.  many are certainly known to the State Department and the media, but the larger population, distracted by a pagan popular culture, is largely indifferent. Consequently, official action and media coverage is virtually nil.  So, what is it that Christians in the U.S. should do?

For some, the opportunity to travel abroad to hot spots where they would attempt to place themselves between their co-religionists and their tormentors might be an option.  Some might say that affluent Christians should sell their worldly goods and assist in setting up aid programs and refugee camps to serve persecuted Christians.  At home, perhaps, Christians should fight the good fight to get out the word that Christians are dying daily at the hands of persecutors.  That could certainly be an effort of committed Christians working in their own overly-privileged and complacent congregations.  And our representatives in government must be constantly reminded that the U.S. has no business dealing with and placating regimes that allow persecution.

The late great American Egyptologist James Henry Breasted once found a hieroglyphic inscription at Gizeh, which translated roughly as: "And no one cared."  Surely, we cannot allow that to be the epitaph for persecuted Christians around the world.

For those of us who call ourselves Christians, silence is not an option.  If need be, let us shout it to the heavens that our brothers and sisters are in peril.  If we truly love our Lord and Master, the story of persecution cannot remain the greatest story never told!

Deo vindice!