There is now an all-out war on Christianity around the world. From China to the UK, from Nigeria to the United States, Christians are being persecuted physically, legally, and verbally.
In some Western countries like the U.S., Christians might not always be killed or tortured for their faith (though the recent transgender Nashville shooter did target Christians). But while Islam is elevated to a protected status, Christianity (and Judaism) is vilified, mocked, and restricted in public. In other countries, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Iran, and China, Christians are actively hunted down and harassed, imprisoned, kidnapped, or killed. It is once again painfully true across the globe what Jesus Christ said in John 15:20, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”
Why is Christianity so persecuted? Well, truth is always persecuted by people whose power depends on lies, and globalists and tyrants around the world depend to a great degree upon false narratives to hide their crimes and manipulate public opinion. Another reason Christianity is persecuted is because it encourages people to strive for excellence and to adhere to a traditional moral code. Many if not most governments and institutions around the world now, including in the U.S., need most people to be somnolent, unmotivated, and immoral—because, if they are, they will rely on authorities to guide their lives. The more undisciplined a person is and the more lacking in critical thinking skills, the more he will be susceptible to manipulation and oppression.
For instance, if young people believe strongly in LGBTQ ideology, they will probably vote Democrat no matter how terrible the economy gets—their ideology trumps their ability to see reality. On the other side of the spectrum, tyrants like China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei rely on irrational devotion to ideology or fearful emotions to keep massive amounts of people obedient. If these people begin to believe the Christian teachings of personal responsibility, of disciplined virtue, and of personal charity, the top-down tyranny will be threatened.
But, most importantly of all, and less abstractly, both radical leftists and monarchical tyrants are very threatened by a belief in a higher power, because that is an authority higher than and independent from the state. As a Catholic Christian, I don’t believe the government is the highest authority, for instance, and I don’t believe morality is altered by laws. That is, something isn’t good because it’s legal, and something isn’t bad because it’s illegal. Christians across many denominations would agree with me on those points. That’s why Christianity is persecuted, because it undermines the absolute power ethic of so many governments and institutions.
There are multiple examples of this war on Christianity, of course. Catholic group Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International announced that Christians faced increased persecution and even “genocide” in various countries from 2020 to 2022. North Korea and Nigeria are particularly dangerous. Other dangerous countries for Christians include India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Pakistan, China, and multiple Middle Eastern and African countries. Out of the 24 countries ACN reviewed, 75% saw a rise in persecution of Christians between 2020 and 2022.
The genocidal Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been aggressively persecuting Chinese Christians for years. Chinese Christians can have their social benefits restricted and even be imprisoned or tortured. News from the end of March displayed the anti-Christian attitudes of both the U.S. and the CCP. Over 60 Christians were denied asylum by the U.S., and they have been arrested in Thailand, likely to be sent back to the ruthless CCP.
Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be Christian. In 2021, eight out of ten Christians killed for their faith worldwide were reportedly Nigerians, and the persecution hasn’t slowed. Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram kills, kidnaps, and pillages in Nigeria, and the Islamic militant Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and others carry out similar violence against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
To a lesser (and less deadly) degree, Christians are persecuted in the UK, the U.S., and other Western nations. For instance, Oregon denied an adoption request from a Christian mother recently due to her anti-LGBTQ views, as the state bans anyone who doesn’t support radical LGBTQ ideology from adopting (thus banning any more traditional or Biblical Christians). Artificial intelligence (AI) program ChatGPT recently made an irreverent joke about Jesus, but refused to joke about Mohammed, claiming it couldn’t joke about “religious figures”—which apparently doesn’t include Jesus? Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Oxford’s Magdalen College has ditched its traditional annual St. George’s Day dinner on April 23 in favor of an end-of-Ramadan celebration.
And, as noted above, even in Western countries anti-Christian hatred can turn deadly. The transgender Nashville shooter Audrey Hale last month specifically targeted a Christian school, ultimately killing three adults and three 9-year-old children. Leftists across America, up to the White House itself, immediately sent out messages of sympathy for Hale and other transgenders while simultaneously denigrating Christianity. Why? Because, ultimately, globalists, leftists, and tyrants hate Christianity so much that they will express sympathy with anyone targeting Christians, no matter how horrific and destructive the tactics they use.
