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About Persecution |
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In the courtyard of a great palace, the crack of the whip could be heard. The nine pieces of metal and glass swipe around the man's back and hooks into the flesh; the recoil strips his body of skin. Thirty-nine times he is struck with the cat-o-nine-tails, each time ripping more and more muscle. Then, more soldiers come. They clothe him with a king's robe, and place on his head a crown of long, thick thorns. Then they blind fold him and mock him shouting, "Prophecy, who hit you?" It was said that he wasn't even recognizable as a man, because of the damage done by the soldiers. The governor, who knows this man is innocent, looks on from a balcony. "Crucify him! Crucify him!" the angry mob cries out. Cruelly, one soldier strips off the robe, scraping away whatever scabs had the chance to form. He was made to carry his crude cross with whatever strength was left in him. Nine-inch nails were driven between the bones of each arm and leg. As he hung on that hill before the mob, exposed and shamed, suffocating under his own weight; he never cursed the soldiers or the mob for placing him on that cross, but instead with a weak smile and clear, watery eyes, he whispered gently, "Forgive them." Why? Because in the words of the governor Pilate, "I have found nothing wrong with this man, surely he is innocent." This Jesus of Nazareth, "King of the Jews," was the first martyr in a long line of martyrs. |
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The tortures in some cases were worse then those that Jesus suffered, and in some cases they were quick and painless. But unfortunately, persecution still occurs every day in every country. In fact, millions of victims are cruelly beaten and harassed every day. They are violated, tortured, and martyred for the cause. Why? They were different. They believed something foreign and refused to conform to religious domination. Religious persecution has transpired for many centuries, it is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it still happens today in various degrees and on every continent. One will be persecuted for acclaiming a faith or even for acclaiming atheism. |
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Persecution affects the victim and the victim's family and friends. Ignorance, intolerance, pride, and the abuse of power cause this inequity. Persecution can be stopped by education, if people learned the horrible affects of attempted genocide and of the cruelties of holocaust. I will take action by sending petitions signed by the world wide web and my school/community to the governments of countries where harassment is most prevalent. These questions remain: |
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1. What do the persecutors do? |
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2. What are the motives of the persecutors? |
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3. Why is it allowed in some countries and not in others? |
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| But to make any of this possible, I will need your help. So let us work together to help our suffering brothers! |
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"Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me [Jesus] has eternal life. (John 6:47)" |
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Click here to e-mail me |
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