Free State Patriot Editor, Mark Caserta
Sadly, church history is replete with examples of evil perpetrated in the name of Christianity. Far too often, those espousing the Christian faith have transgressed the examples and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps the most relevant example would be the Crusades of the Middle Ages, when those professing Christianity engaged in a “holy war” and brutally murdered thousands of Muslims to regain holy territory.
Some would like to compare the tragedy of that time with the modern-day war Islamic extremists are waging on Christianity. But there’s a stark contrast between the teachings of Muhammad and the teachings of Jesus.
Muhammad rode into Mecca on a stallion with a sword in hand to conquer by force. From the beginning, Islam has condoned the use of the sword to forcibly advance its religious beliefs. But Jesus rode humbly into Jerusalem on a donkey, not to conquer, but to overcome with love. He took up only the “sword of the spirit” and offered God’s grace and eternal life as a choice for mankind.
One can hardly make a modern-day comparison.
Additionally, the Islamic faith puts a strong emphasis on salvation by works, while Christianity is based on accepting salvation by faith. While having no assurance of heaven, Muslim extremists believe if they die while engaging in jihad, they’re assured of entering heaven and receiving “rich heavenly rewards.”
And in tumultuous pursuit of those rewards, the world is now witnessing a modern-day holocaust, as Christians are being targeted by radical Islamists simply because of their faith.
In February 2014, in the Christian village of Izghe in northeastern Nigeria, Islamic extremists from Boko Haram gathered at least 121 Christians and summarily slaughtered them. The rebels, seeking to impose Sharia law throughout Nigeria, reportedly shot some people and slit the throats of others while shouting, “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater).
In November 2014, members of the radical Islamic group Al-Shabab attacked a bus in northern Kenya, singling out and killing 28 passengers who could not recite an Islamic creed and were assumed to be non-Muslims. Those who could not say the “Shahada,” a tenet of the Muslim faith, were shot at close range.
In January 2015, Boko Haram Islamic militants randomly opened fire on northern Nigerian villages, leaving bodies scattered everywhere. Reportedly, as many as 2,000 men, women and children were murdered. Some were burned alive.
And last Thursday, Al-Shabab gunmen rampaged through a university in northeastern Kenya killing 147 people in the group’s deadliest attack in the East African country. The masked attackers, strapped with explosives and armed with AK-47s, singled out non-Muslim students and gunned them down mercilessly.
This attempted “cleansing” of Christianity by the followers of the Muslim “religion of peace” simply follows the edicts of the Koran. And we simply aren’t witnessing attacks of this magnitude from any other religion.
The truth is, “anti-Muslim” bigotry in the world pales in comparison to the “anti-Christian” bigotry we are now witnessing. And it’s time we face this reality.
Christians are indeed targets of a modern-day holocaust.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
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