Christian family murdered in Venezuela

On December 12, Pastor Jean Carlos Salazar (30), his wife, Ingrid Higuera (33), and their young daughter were brutally murdered in the town of El Trigrito, Anzoategui state, Venezuela by suspected satanic cult members, according to a December 15 report from Latin American Herald Tribune. At approximately 3:30 a.m., neighbours of the Salazars noticed that the family's home was in flames and phoned the fire department. When the fire officials arrived, they found the decapitated bodies of the Christians. The assailants reportedly also painted satanic slogans on the walls. Pastor Salazar was a preacher at the World Centre of Peace church and was well-known in the area.

Pray for those who are grieving the loss of these Christians. Pray that those responsible will repent and seek God's forgiveness.

Christmas in Orissa, India: Brave Little Namrata's Story

12/16/2008
Namrata Nayak is a 10-year-old Dalit from the village of Sahi Panchayat, near Raikia (district of Kandhamal, Orissa). Three months ago, at the outbreak of violence against the Christians, the little girl's face was disfigured by a bomb thrown by Hindu extremists. After 45 days in the hospital, she has healed, and is happy.

The little girl was disfigured on August 26. When she arrived in the hospital of Berahampur, she had lesions on 40% of her body. Now she is practically healed. "For me," Namrita tells AsiaNews, "Christmas is a time to thank the Baby Jesus who saved me from the fire and saved my face, which was disfigured and wounded. I am one of the few fortunate ones who escaped death, although I had to spend a long time in the hospital. I feel very loved by the people of India, and by so many people in the world who have seen my photo and have prayed for me.

"In Kandhamal, there is so much pain and suffering, and I don't know how long the special forces will protect us. But Christmas is a time of gratitude. I am afraid that my people will still be attacked, but this is our life. If God has saved me, he can save other Christians too."

Pastors beaten in Madhya Pradesh, India

December 10, 2008
Approximately 20 Hindu militants attacked two pastors travelling home from a prayer meeting in Palasapara village, Meghasah Tehsil, Madhya Pradesh on December 5, according to a December 6 report from Evangelical Fellowship of India. At 3:00 p.m., Pastor Pangala Bhai and Pastor Limba Bhai were beaten, verbally abused, and accused of forceful conversion. Their bikes, cell phones, and money were also stolen.

Reports of village churches being destroyed and church leaders being threatened by local Hindus continue to be a daily reality in India. Other persecution faced by Christians is more subtle, as converts to Christianity are often cast out of their families and face poverty and ostracism.

The caste system is deeply entrenched in Indian society. Until the middle of the twentieth century, “The Untouchables” were for centuries regarded as the refuse of society. In 1950, their name was changed to “Dalits” and they were given a “Scheduled Caste” status. While most upper caste opinions remain the same to this day, the 1950 law guarantees a certain quota of Dalits in specific societal institutions. However, Dalit converts to other religions lose their Scheduled Caste status, thus denying them basic human rights in many cases. In August, 2005, Christian Dalits began revisiting a bill that had failed to reach legislative evaluation nine years before. If passed, the bill would allow them to maintain their special status so they could be assured a place in society. In the same month however, the Supreme Court actually rejected a plea from another religious group requesting minority status. The Supreme Court maintains that special status for a religious group of any sort only adds to tensions in society. They are, in fact, encouraging the National Commission for Minorities to help create a society in which notified minorities are gradually done away with completely, thus developing a unified society in which all person are considered equal.

Christians attacked by Muslims in Nigeria

Anti-Christian violence erupted in the central Nigerian city of Jos on November 28 following a local election. Sixteen church buildings were ravaged by Muslim mobs, thousands of Christians fled from their homes, and sources estimate that hundreds were killed. Although tension has eased in Jos, Plateau State, following a weekend of deadly violence, there is increasing resentment in the Christian community at “biased and inaccurate reporting of events” by the international media.

Several international news agencies have reported that the violence was triggered by the results of a local government election. However, sources in Jos point out that voting passed off peacefully and the violence broke out in the early hours of Friday 28 November before electoral results had even been announced. Moreover, instead of targeting political institutions, rioters armed with guns, spears, machetes and other weapons immediately attacked Christian businesses, churches and the homes of clergymen. A local source informed Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW): “As usual they took Jos by surprise, and are now hiding behind election results to launch and excuse their mayhem.”

Of even greater concern are reports that appeared to suggest that Christians had killed 300 Muslims over the weekend, whose bodies were deposited at a central mosque. In reality, the men died while obeying orders from a mosque in the Dilimi area, which was using its loudspeakers to instruct all Muslims to defy the authorities, participate in the “jihad”, loot properties for money and then burn them. Local security sources insist the rioters were shot while defying a night-time curfew and launching fresh attacks, including an unsuccessful large-scale assault on police barracks. Commenting on these deaths the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Engineer Salifu said: “It was not Christians who killed them; it was their own unfortunate attitude”. He also articulated local concern that such inaccurate reporting could fuel further violence against Christians elsewhere.

Church building attacked in Cairo, Egypt

Thousands of Muslims attacked the Coptic Church of St. Mary and Anba Abraam building in Ain Shams, Cairo on November 23, angry that an extension had been recently added to the building. The mob gathered at the premises at approximately 5:00 p.m., following a consecration service that was held by the believers earlier that day. The mob, shouting anti-Christian slogans, threw stones at the building and set a portion of the structure on fire with the believers trapped inside. A nearby shop and two cars belonging to Christians were also burned in the violence.

In the early centuries after Christ, Egypt was predominantly Christian and a major centre for Christian scholarship. In A.D. 969, the country was conquered by Jawhar al-Siqilli and Islam. Cairo was founded as the new capital, but thankfully Egypt's Coptic Christian church never disappeared. Today, Egypt has the Middle East's largest Christian community. Official statistics place the number of Christians at six percent, with Christians claiming twenty percent. The actual number is likely somewhere between. Despite the prominent Christian community, the country's constitution gives preference to Muslims and Christians are treated as second-class citizens, denied political representation, and discriminated against in employment. At times, the discrimination results in violence.

The government uses an 1856 Ottoman Empire law to keep any church from being built without the permission of Egypt's president. Repairs of any kind to places of worship are up to the discretion of the local governor. A serious problem facing Christians in Egypt is the kidnapping, and often rape, of Christian girls, forcing them to marry Muslims. There have been a few hopeful decisions made by the Egyptian government. Some educational materials are now recognizing the Coptic contribution to Egyptian society. The Coptic Christmas was officially recognized as an official national holiday in January, 2003. (The Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7).

Pray that attacks on Christians and church buildings in Egypt will cease (Psalm 33:14-22). Ask God to grant boldness to these believers as they face opposition from their Muslim neighbours.

Authorities Crack Down on the Chinese house Church Alliances

Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and other underground Christians have been targeted by authorities in recent days due to a statement released on November 28 by the Ministry of Civil Affairs calling for the elimination of the Chinese House Church Alliance. According to a November 30 report from China Aid Association, Pastor Zhang, the President of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was detained by four officers in Nanyang, Henan province, at approximately 7:00 a.m. When authorities demanded that he sign the Ministry's statement, he refused.
In 1949, The People's Republic of China was formed under Chairman Mao Zedong. He quickly began purging the country of anything that did not coincide with his vision of a communist nation, resulting in millions of deaths. In 1950, China invaded Tibet, forcing its leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile in India and forcing the communist system on the people of Tibet.
In recent years there has been a move to a free market economy. However, that freedom has not carried over into human rights and religious freedom. China's human rights record is one of the worst in the world, with a system of "re-education through labour" which detains hundreds of thousands each year in work camps without even a court hearing. There are more Christians in prison in China than any other country in the world. The only legal churches are those strictly controlled by the government of China. Those who do not wish to follow government policies on religious practice and beliefs must meet in homes and risk being labeled as "evil cults." Such a designation can result in closing down the church, confiscation of property, and charges against the leadership, often resulting in torture, imprisonment and death.
During 2004, several mass arrests clarified the government’s objectives regarding house churches. In a single raid on a leadership retreat on June 11, 2004 police arrested more than one hundred leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF) house church movement. There has been no respite from individual arrests, imprisonment and torture, either. On June 18, 2004 Ms. Jiang Zongxiu was beaten to death while in prison. These are only a few of the thousands of Christians risking their lives daily in China, whose only crime is faith in Jesus Christ. Thankfully, the government has been responsive at times to international pressure. However, this responsiveness is sporadic and too frequently Western governments have been more obsessed with gaining access into the huge Chinese market than to require basic human rights for the people.

The First Indian Saint and The Persecutions

The wonders and marvels of God never cease, while Catholics and Christians in India suffer under terrible persecutions, God the loving father has raised up a saint from India to lead the suffering Christians through this time. India’s first woman saint was canonized along with other three saints, in St. Peter’s Square, on 12, Oct, 2008. St. Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception was born in Kerala, India in 1910 and died in 1946. Benedict XVI noted that her short life was marked with "extreme physical and spiritual suffering." "This exceptional woman," he continued, "was convinced that her cross was the very means of reaching the heavenly banquet prepared for her by the Father." Sister Alphonsa’s “heroic virtues of patience, fortitude and perseverance in the midst of deep suffering remind us that God always provides the strength we need to overcome every trial”, the Pope said.

The canonization of the first Indian saint, Sr. Alfonsa is bringing great comfort to the Christians, especially in this moment of explicit persecution. The Kandhamal Christians share their faith with St Alphonsa. The list of victims in the attacks continues to rise: 61 dead, 18,000 wounded; 181 churches razed or destroyed; 4,500 homes belonging to Christians burned; more than 50,000 displaced, of whom more than 30,000 have disappeared into the forests.

Sr. Karuna the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood was among the first to be struck by the violence in Orissa. She has spent several weeks living in the refugee camps set up by the government, seeking to comfort the wounded and fearful Christians. But she cannot wear her religious habit: she has had to dress like the local women, because the government is monitoring the refugee camps to make sure there is no "Christian proselytism." "St. Alphonsa's life runs parallel to the life of Kandhamal Christians," the sister continues, "she lived a humble quite life in a small village in Kerala, and her sufferings were united with the suffering of Christ, here too our Kandhamal Christians are the same, simple people, living ordinary lives, yet having to suffer for bearing his name.