It is cold comfort for Israel Folau to know that he is not alone but his situation is a clear example of the fact that the war against Christians is getting worse, not better.
Open Doors released its 2019 World Watch List on global persecution with this terrifying observation: “Persecution is increasing at an alarming rate.” In fact, according to the study, “each day, a staggering 11 Christians are killed for their faith in the top 50 countries ranked on the World Watch List.”
North Korea remains the No. 1 worst country for Christians, with Afghanistan coming in at second. Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, and India round out the top 10 of the Watch List’s top 50 countries.
Here are some other disturbing monthly statistics:
- 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons.
- 105 churches and Christian buildings are burned or attacked.
- 219 Christians are detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned.
The recording period for the 2019 World Watch List shows some other staggering figures for Christians in the top 50 countries for persecution and the most dangerous to be a Christian.
- 1 in 9 Christians experience high levels of persecution worldwide.
- 4,136 were killed for faith-related reasons – 11 per day.
- 1,266 Churches or Christian buildings were attacked.
- 2,625 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned.
Despite women’s liberation, the #MeToo movement, and the left’s loud proclamation of equality for all, it seems that women still face an upward battle for basic rights, including freedom to practice their religion of choice. Instead of gaining equal rights and staking a position among the other genders and minority groups, women are being marginalized in their own sports pursuits and persecuted for their faith.
According to the Open Doors study:
“In many places, they [women] experience ‘double persecution’— one for being a Christian and one for being a woman. Even in the most restricted circumstances, gender-specific persecution is a key means of destroying the minority Christian community. This kind of persecution is difficult to assess because it is complex, violent and hidden—in many cultures where women are specifically targeted, it is difficult if not impossible to report accurate numbers.”
Zerohedge