Rising Persecution in the “Land of the Free”

Steps to Global Tyranny	Spiritual Warfare: Part 8  (See Part 1 ) Rising PERSECUTION in the “Land of the Free“? Are we prepared for the battles ahead?   By Berit – May 6, 2013 Trusting God as Freedom Fades	Home Armor of God
“… because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you… for they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:19-21

What goals are driving our government
today? What can we expect as America gradually merges into the anti-Christian
New World Order? Will you and I face persecution for our faith?

We don’t know all the answers, but
recent decades have offered some clues. You may want to check some of these
articles:













Gorbachev’s Plan For
A United World,

Purging the
Memory of Our Christian Roots,

The emerging New World Order,
and

The UN Plan for Global Migration.
(See a longer list
here)

These are sobering warnings! Centuries ago,
God blessed America with peace, hope and shelter from the terrors that
darkened so many other lands!  But the world is changing fast! 
Today, our
nation is forgetting God’s goodness and mocking His guidelines, while corrupt 
leaders trade truth and integrity for lies and deception. Psalm 52:1-3 summarized it
well:

“Why do you boast in
evil, O mighty man? …
Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

You love evil more than good…”

The historical record shows us that the cycles of
peace, followed by compromise, rebellion, corruption, despair,
repentance and faith are nothing new. Through the ages, this
cycle has been repeated again and again!

Today, as Christians are mocked, despised and
persecuted by those who hate our Lord, this fallen world now faces a choice.
Will the masses choose spiritual darkness in a fallen world that despises
our Lord?  Or will we cry out to our Shepherd and Lord for His peace
and victory in the midst of the darkness?

It’s no secret that today’s faithful children
face mockery and rejection from classmates as well as from anti-Christian
teachers in their secular schools. And countless
adults who dare to express their faith in a secular workplace are threatened
or fired.

But in the midst of this rising darkness, our God
continues to reigns! Therefore…

“…do not be discouraged…for
the battle is not yours, but God’s.”  2
Chronicles 20:15

Hating
God and His Truth

This spiritual war has been raging
since the beginning of time. As long as the people trusted God, He met their needs. But when they grew strong
and proud, they ignored their
Provider and forgot His
guidelines. When He finally withdrew His hand of protection, they faced droughts,
famines, wars and cruel invaders.

Does that sound familiar? The New Testament
warns us that we will face similar
consequences if we reject His guidelines. Are we prepared to follow our Lord
no matter what happens?

The following news items offer clues
to the battles ahead:

Christians
[are] victims of rising ‘hostility’ from gov’t and secular groups:
“The 140-page ‘Survey of
Religious Hostility in America,’ prepared by the Liberty Institute
and the Family Research Council, highlighted more than 600 examples
illustrating “religious animosity” shown
by judges, government bureaucrats, schools and secular
groups. Among the examples listed in the survey:

•
Matthew Reynolds,
valedictorian for HLV Junior-Senior High School in Victor, Iowa,
was told he had to give a ‘secular’ speech after he wished to attribute
his success to his faith in Jesus Christ during his graduation speech….

• Dr. Frank Turek,
a Cisco employee, was fired for expressing his views on traditional
marriage in his book, even though he never voiced his religious
opinions at work.

•
Samantha Schulz,
8, was barred from singing ‘Kum Ba Yah’ at a Boys and Girls Club
in Port Charlotte, Fla., because the song included the words ‘Oh,
Lord.‘

• Lorena Cenzon-DeCarlo,
a nurse at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Hospital, was forced to participate
in a late-term abortion against her religious convictions, and was
threatened with job termination and loss of license. “[1]

Persecution of Christians on
Rise — in U.S.:
“A report by two
U.S.-based religious freedom groups says anti-Christian persecution is
on the rise in America….[Liberty
Institute Founder Kelly] Shackleford says government, from schools to
social programs, is the ringleader. ‘There are children being prohibited
from writing Merry Christmas to the soldiers, senior citizens being
banned from praying over their meals in the Senior Center, the VA
banning the mention of God in military funerals….

      “Christian civil
rights organization ACLJ senior counsel David French says the exact rate
of increase is hard to determine, but many of the new cases come from
colleges…. ‘One of the most
strident examples: the misuse of the Establishment Clause to attempt to
ban any mention of God from historical markers, monuments or even museum
exhibits,‘ French says. ‘This represents an effort to whitewash God from
American history and change our national identity.’”[2]

Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing
is Not Permitted:
“…Mikey Weinstein [the anti-Christian founder of the Military Religious Freedom
Foundation] and others from his organization met privately with Pentagon
officials on April 23. He said U.S. troops who proselytize are guilty
of sedition and treason and should be punished – by the hundreds if
necessary – to stave off what he called a ‘tidal wave of fundamentalists.‘…
‘Until the Air Force or Army or Navy or Marine Corps punishes a member of
the military for unconstitutional religious proselytizing and oppression,
we will never have the ability to stop this horrible, horrendous, dehumanizing
behavior.’...

    
“[Tony] Perkins said it was troubling the Obama Administration would place
so much trust in someone like Weinstein. ‘Unfortunately, it appears our
military is on a forced march away from the very freedoms they are sworn
to protect.”[3]

Pentagon Consults Extremist
Who Calls Christians Monsters and Enemies of the Constitution to
Develop Religious Tolerance Policy:
“[Weinstein wrote,] ‘Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian
monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized
and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in
our nation’s armed forces.’ …
Weinstein will be a consultant to the Pentagon to develop new policies on
religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military
chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of
American troops.”[4]

 

Winning High School Runner Disqualified for…Giving Thanks to God? 
“…Derrick Hayes was preparing for sweet victory — but, despite his win, the excitement was ripped
away after he was disqualified for making an apparently unacceptable gesture.
His offense? …offering up
a simple praise to God while crossing the finish line.”[5]

Elderly Christian florist
faces thousands in fines for refusing to provide flowers for gay ‘wedding’:
“Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers and Gifts in Richland, refused
to sell flowers to Robert Ingersoll for his ‘marriage’ to Curt Freed.
… ‘I grabbed
his hand and said, ‘I am sorry. I can’t do your wedding because of my relationship
with Jesus Christ,’ Stutzman said.”[6]

‘Gay’ case puts speech in category
with torture: “’This
lawsuit against Rev. Scott Lively is a gross attempt to use a vague international
law to silence, and eventually criminalize, speech by U.S.
citizens on homosexuality and moral issues…”[7]

No
wonder people feel intimidated and afraid! An article titled
“Americans
Fear Government More Than Terror”
provides some statistics:

“According to a pair of recent
polls, for the first time since the 9/11 jihadist hijackings, Americans
are more fearful their government will abuse constitutional liberties than
fail to keep its citizens safe….

   
• Bucking the trend, 51 percent of Democrats responded they would give up
personal freedom to reduce the threat of jihad….

   
• Forty-seven percent of Republicans, on the other hand, opposed giving
up freedoms, compared to only 43 percent in favor.

   
• Yet independents were the most resistant, with only 29 percent willing
to sacrifice freedom, while 58 percent stood opposed.”[8]

So, why is our government so hostile to the Christian
message of hope and love? Why
would our leaders trade our Constitutional freedoms for terror and tyranny?
Was this agenda planned long ago?

Indeed, it was! Our leaders have been following a global
blueprint kept hidden from the public. Step by step, decade-by-decade, we have
been headed for a world government and a global education system that would
ban any positive public reference to Jesus Christ and His Word. And
that applies to Jews as well as Christians — to

Europe as well
as America. Both have opened their gates wide to
anti-Christian migrants who want more than just “asylum.”

Ponder the following quotes from two leading
globalists in the last century:

 “[In 1933],
John Dewey, ‘father of progressive education’ and honorary president
of the National Education Association (NEA), co-authored the Humanist
Manifesto I. Its introduction warned against identifying ‘religion’ with
existing doctrines which ‘are powerless to solve the problems of humans living
in the Twentieth Century…'”[9]

Back in 1946, Canadian psychiatrist,

General Brock Chisholm, M.D. became the
head of the
World Health Organization (WHO). He wrote
the following message, which was published in two magazines: Psychiatry and the
Socialist International Conciliation.
(The latter was published by
Alger Hiss
(1943, 1945), the Communist leader who
co-authored the UN Charter and served as Secretary-General at the
organizing conference of the United Nations’ in 1945.)

“We have swallowed all manner of poisonous
certainties fed us by our parents, our Sunday and day school teachers…
The results are frustration, inferiority, neurosis and inability to… make
the world fit to live in. …

“The re-interpretation and eventually
eradication
of the concept of right and wrong which has been the basis of child training…
these are the belated objectives of practically all effective psychotherapy….

“…it has long been generally accepted that parents have perfect right
to impose any points of view, any lies or fears, superstitions, prejudices,
hates, or faith on their defenseless children. It is, however, only recently
that it has become a matter of certain knowledge that these things cause
neuroses….

“[Individuals with] guilts, fears, inferiorities, are certain to project
their hates on to others…. Any such reaction now becomes a dangerous threat
to the whole world. … We must be prepared
to sacrifice much….  If it cannot be done gently, it may have to be done roughly
or even violently.” [10]

But the apostle Paul reminds us, “We must obey God
rather than man.” Acts 4:3

As committed Christians, we can’t compromise our
faith. We can pray for those who despise us, but we can’t bend to their
contrary rules. Whatever happens, we must be alert and ready to serve our King wherever
and however He leads us! 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.       “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13

Notes:

1. Todd Starnes, “Religious Proselytizing is
Not Permitted” April 30, 2013,

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/24/christians-victims-rising-hostility-from-govt-and-secular-groups-report-says/

2.


http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/persecution-of-christians-on-rise-in-u-s/print/

3.

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/pentagon-religious-proselytizing-is-not-permitted.html

4.


http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/04/28/Pentagon-Consults-Extremist-Who-Calls-Christians-Monsters-and-Enemies-of-the-Constitution-to-Develop-Religious-Tolerance-Policy

5.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/03/winning-high-school-runner-disqualified-for-giving-thanks-to-god/

6.


http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/elderly-christian-florist-faces-thousands-in-fines-for-refusing-to-provide

7.


http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/new-gay-case-puts-speech-in-category-with-torture/print

8.


http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/americans-fear-government-more-than-terror/print/

9.

The Humanist Manifesto (1933) was the first
public declaration of the views and objectives of humanism. It rejected
God and His values but affirmed humanist faith in the power and evolution
of man. The Humanist Manifesto II (1973) reaffirmed and amplified this man-centered,
relativistic, utopian belief system.

10.
G. B. Chisholm, “The Re-establishment of Peacetime Society,”
Psychiatry, February 1946). The message was also presented in August 1948 at the International Conference on Mental Hygiene
in London. 

---

Our Spiritual
Warfare Series:  

Part
1:

The Unseen Foe Behind Rising Evil

Part 2:

America’s Perilous Partnership with China

Part 3:


Hating Truth and Primed for
Deception!

 Part
4:
Post-Christian Culture Welcomes Witchcraft!

Part 5:
Behind the Peaceful Scenes of Christmas

Part 6:
The Misguided Aims of the Counterfeit Church

Part 7:


Good or Evil – Who Wins?

Part 8:
Rising Persecution in the “Land of the Free” (Open)

Part 9:


Transforming the World through Violence, War, Deception & Chaos

Part 10:


A Devious Plot for a Blinded Nation

Part 11:
Marching toward Global Solidarity

*   *   *

See also
Trusting
God as Freedom Fades  & 
The Fall and
Rise of Human Violence

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