Wednesday, November 27, 2013

American Tax Dollars Support Killing Christians



 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10

 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Rev.6:10

It has been a fact all down through history the Christian faith, those who live godly have suffered persecution and it has been the responsibility of Christians to look after the household of faith.  The result of this godly life and interest of taking care of their fellowman has cost many their lives.  In the past few years the number of Christians who have been killed for their faith has increased.  As American Christians we should be looking at the household of faith and the needs of those who are suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ but we have been silent to long.  

Often as Christians we are asked to stand up for what we believe.  Here in America we are often asked to sign petitions, march in protest of abortion clinics, send letters to our elected officials concerning the liberalization of our education but when it comes to supporting the Christians who live in countries that are hostile to Christianity we are silent. This is my statement of concern for the religious freedom of Christians in countries receiving financial and military aid from the United States.  It is my intent to bring about action by our government to stop sending aid to countries that persecute Christian by challenging American Christians to take action on the part of our fellow Christians.

Christians in America may be concerned about not saying Merry Christmas and replacing it with Happy Holidays or, if they can display the Nativity Scene in the public square or, if the Ten Commandments could be displayed on the courthouse lawn.  This is all important, but how can we forget the Christians who have been driven from their homes, lost they source of income, had their place of worship burned to the ground, or family members murdered because they are Christians?  How many time have we witnessed a Christian beheaded because of their faith?  How many of us have lost family and friends to those who want to stop the Christian faith?  When was the last time someone was put in prison for passing out Bibles or even witnessing to someone about their salvation?

I do not like to think that my tax dollars are supporting the murder of Christians but it is evident Christians are dying at the hands of those we support with our taxes.  The persecution of Christians in countries that are receiving financial and military aid from the United States should stop now.  American Christians are being taxed to send money to countries that are hostile to Christians.  Countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel.  (I am about to offend both Muslims and Jews.) Both countries are valued allies of the United States and both violate Christian beliefs and practices. 

As American Christians we should be concerned about these two countries.  Our government gives billions of dollars to these two countries. The Bush administration agreed to a large increase in annual military aid to Israel.   Annual military grants to Israel represent over 20% of the Israeli defense budget. U.S. military aid will increase from $2.4 billion in 2008 to $3.1 billion a year through 2018. About 75% of the aid is spent on American weaponry and services. (Israel itself in 2006 was the 9th largest arms exporter in the world.)
”Israel enjoys other privileges. While most countries receiving U.S. military aid funds are expected to use them for U.S. arms, ammunition and training, Israel can spend part of these funds on weapons made by Israeli manufacturers. Also, when it spends its U.S. military aid money on U.S. products, Israel frequently requires the U.S. vendor to buy components or materials from Israeli manufacturers. Thus, though Israeli politicians say that their own manufacturers and exporters are making them progressively less dependent upon U.S. aid, in fact those Israeli manufacturers and exporters are heavily subsidized by U.S. aid.

Israel also receives foreign aid from some other countries. After the United States, the principal donor of both economic and military aid to Israel is Germany. By far the largest component of German aid has been in the form of restitution payments to victims of Nazi atrocities. But there also has been extensive German military assistance to Israel during and since the Gulf war, and a variety of German educational and research grants go to Israeli institutions. The total of German assistance in all of these categories to the Israeli government, Israeli individuals and Israeli private institutions has been some $31 billion or $5,345 per capita, bringing the per capita total of U.S. and German assistance combined to almost $20,000 per Israeli. Since very little public money is spent on the more than 20 percent of Israeli citizens who are Muslim or Christian, the actual per capita benefits received by Israel’s Jewish citizens would be considerably higher.”  By Richard H. Curtiss Former U.S. Foreign Service Officer 

The Bush administration made the announcement of its $30 billion, 10-year military aid agreement with Israel to coincide with a separate deal to sell $16.7 billion in weaponry to Saudi Arabia.   The largest single recent U.S. foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia was a $9 billion contract for 72 F-15S fighter aircraft. The contract was signed in May 1993, and delivery of the F-15S aircraft was completed in 1999

America is supporting both these countries at a rate higher than we take care of our own people.   But, how do these countries treat Christians?  Let’s start with Israel the nation we feel we must give $30 billion dollars plus to each year.  The nation that Christian Zionist believe they are supporting “God’s Chosen People” is not so kind to their benefactors.  So how do the treat the followers of Jesus Christ?

In December of 1977 the Israeli government passed a law that made missionaries liable to five years’ imprisonment for attempting to persuade people to change their religion, and three years’ imprisonment for any Jew who converted. On April 1, 1978, the law prohibiting the offering of “material inducement” for a person to change his religion went into effect. A material inducement could be something as minor as the giving of a Bible.  Anti-Christian speeches were made in the parliament during debate on this law and one Parliament member called missionaries “a cancer in the body of the nation.”

Jewish religious leaders supported a religious ruling that copies of the New Testament should be torn out of any edition of a Bible owned by a Jew. Desecration of Christian property and churches—arson, window breaking, burning of the New Testament has be the history of the Jews toward the Christian community.  Some Jews wanted no Christians, whom they considered fallen Jews, in Israel. But Israel does not want the world to know they are in conflict with the Christian world: it couldn’t survive without it. This hatred, this violence, is the result of thousands of years of anti-Christian hatred by the Jews and everyone wants to pretend it does not exist.

Saudi Arabia-- there are Christians in Saudi Arabia, but it is listed as the second most difficult country to be a Christian.  All citizens must adhere to Islam and conversion to another religion is punishable by death. Public Christian worship is forbidden; worshipers risk imprisonment, lashing, deportation and torture. Evangelizing Muslims and distributing non-Islamic materials is illegal. Muslims who convert to Christianity risk honor killings. 

Blasphemy against Sunni Islam is also punishable by death, but the more common penalty is a long prison sentence.  Religious freedom is virtually non-existent. The Government does not provide legal recognition or protection for freedom of religion, and it is severely restricted in practice and the public practice of non-Muslim religions is prohibited.  The sentencing of a Lebanese Christian in May of this year to lashings and imprisonment for converting a Saudi coworker put the spotlight on the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its intolerance of the Christian faith.

Let me add this, if Israel and Saudi Arabia have a problem with the Christian faith that is their right, but it is also our right not to send money or military aid to countries that deny Christians the right to worship the LORD in those countries.  If they are so offended by our Christian faith then don't take our money.  These same people come to this country and expect to be treated with respect and the right to practice their religion.  The same should apply in their country. 
 
The United States government has been indifferent to its obligation to speak out against reigns of terror now being plotted and waged against Christians. We know that the United States government has within its power and discretion to adopt policies that would limit the reigns of terror and protecting the rights of Christians.   

It is time for the Christians of America to take a stand against the U.S. government’s support of countries that deny Christians religious freedom.  Religious liberty is a God-given right.  It is the very foundation America was founded on and has for years defined the people of America.  It is the responsibility of Christians to get our government to do everything we can to secure the religious liberty of Christians suffering from persecution.  It is time to end our silence and to speak out against the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters.  Christians have supported the religious freedom of Jews and Muslims while they in turn have continued to deny Christians the same freedom. 

It is time to remove our elected official from office who do not support stopping aid to countries that our persecuting Christians.  Let’s support our fellow Christians around the world.  

By the way, those who will say Christians benefit from this aid are wrong, both countries I mentioned don't help Christians so there is no loss of aid or benefit.