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History belongs to history. The story of the Middle East is the story of the Jews. How they were chosen by God to be His people, how He helped them numerous times to escape their enemies, how they rebelled against Him by following idols, how they were punished by God who allowed them to be enslaved by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans, how they were sent their Messiah by God, whom the non-believing Jews handed up to the Gentiles to be crucified, how Jesus Christ thereby became Savior of all, the Jews and Gentiles.
It's all in God's plan. How the Persians (Iran) were the ones to release the Jews from Babylonian captivity. How they turned often to Egypt for safekeeping. How the Jews fought against themselves, Israel vs Judah, how they battled the Egyptians, Babylonians, Hittites, Edomites, Moabites, Phillistines, etc and sometimes aligned with them to fight each other. It's a history replete with constant warring, and today the war continues.
So, why the whining about this 1800 year old church then?
Wouldn't this be included as part of God's plan? Wasn't persecution promised as part of the New Covenant?
Again, I find it very sad from an historical standpoint, but, that doesn't seem to be what you are arguing, so, what is the point?
The exodus of Iraq's Christian population began in late 2003/early 2004, and continued throughout the US military occupation. The Baghdad Syriac Catholic church massacre and hostage-taking took place in 2010, when there were still plenty of US military bases in the area.
The US military's presence did nothing to protect Iraqi Christians. As recent events show, it was actively harmful to the status of Iraqi Christians compared to their situation under Saddam.
Indeed. If anything it seemed to precipitate ethnic cleansing and religious warfare throughout the country as detailed here:
"In fact, the conflict in Syria and the American invasion of Iraq are linked by a common thread: the failure of the U.S. to consider the effect of its foreign policy on vulnerable religious communities, especially Middle Eastern Christians.
...
In October 2003, human rights expert Nina Shea noted that religious freedom and a pluralistic Iraq were not high priorities for the administration, concluding that its “diffidence on religious freedom suggests Washington’s relative indifference to this basic human right.”"
So, why the whining about this 1800 year old church then?
Wouldn't this be included as part of God's plan? Wasn't persecution promised as part of the New Covenant?
Again, I find it very sad from an historical standpoint, but, that doesn't seem to be what you are arguing, so, what is the point?
God's plan also allows for free will; to decide whether to sin or not, accept Jesus Christ as propitiation for their sin or not, so humans can choose their own destiny.
"Militants from the radical jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have set fire to a 1,800-year-old church in Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul, a photo released Saturday shows.
The burning of the church is the latest in a series of destruction of Christian property in Mosul, which was taken by the Islamist rebels last month, along with other swathes of Iraqi territory.
What did Muslims just arrive in Iraq after an 1,800 year absence and promptly set a church on fire? Or is there more to this than you let on by saying "What wonderful people the Muslims are..."?
Or perhaps they had been trying to burn the church for 1,800 years and were only thwarted by the United States?
They are probably using a fair number of Made in the USA weapons supplied by us to radicals with the intent they would be used against Assad in Syria, similar to how we once supported Bin Laden and others, and they were able to enter Iraq and do as they pleased because the U.S. destabilized it according to plan, so I guess you should really be saying "What wonderful people the Americans are...".
Patriarch Louis Rafael I Sako denounced IS as worse than the country’s Mongol invaders during the medieval period. “This has never happened in Christian or Islamic history. Even Genghis Khan or Hulagu [the Mongol destroyer of Baghdad in 1258] didn’t do this,” he said, according to Reuters, at a church service in Baghdad where 200 Muslims joined in solidarity.
“We are seeing great swatches of Christianity wiped from the Middle East,” said Edward Clancy, Aid to the Church in Need’s director of evangelization and outreach. He said IS enforces “the strictest and most brutal interpretation of sharia,” including “little children having their hands hacked off” for stealing food out of hunger “They have no problem with crucifixion, and they have done it,” he said.
Many decades ago in Manhattan there was a very old Christian church. Apparently, that Christian sect could no longer support it with parishoners and their donations. They sold it to the highest bidder which happened to be people who converted it into a for profit bar and disco. They kept it exactly the way it had always looked liked, a CHURCH. Apparently, that was the appeal.
So, if a church building is sold to a for profit business, that is ok? If this business wants to use the existing building, that is ok? If this business wants to demolish it and put up a skyscraper and rent that out for profits, that is ok too?
It is only NOT ok when ANOTHER religion, read NON-CHRISTIAN, wants to tear it down, or HORROR, convert it to a house of worship to THEIR religion????????
God's plan also allows for free will; to decide whether to sin or not, accept Jesus Christ as propitiation for their sin or not, so humans can choose their own destiny.
Which god?
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