According to a new study from The Center For Studies On New Religious, Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. It cited numerous countries that are known for persecuting Christians.

In these countries, Christians are subject to violence, imprisonment, and other types of mistreatment. It’s become a growing problem.

The study found that over 90,000 Christians were murdered in 2016. 30% of these murders were carried out by Islamic terrorist groups. Open Doors, a Christian advocacy group, has stated that there has been an upward trend in global persecution of Christians over the last four years.

In an interview with Fox News, Robert Nicholson of the Philos Project said “those who think of Christianity as a religion of the powerful need to see that in many places it’s a religion of the powerless. And the powerless deserve to be protected.”

Christian Persecution Worldwide

Christians have been horribly persecuted since its beginning. The early church experience violent persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire. Today, in countries like Somalia, North Korea, Iraq, Christians are being killed and imprisoned. The study also found that 600 million Christians were prevented from practicing their faith last year.

Most of the persecution is occurring in sub-Saharan African nations. This is because of the rise of radical Islam in these countries. The same is also happening in Nigeria.  In Syria and Iraq, ISIS is also murdering Christians. Saudi Arabia is funding the building of mosques and Islamic schools in these countries, which is the reason why radical Islam is becoming more prevalent.

Persecution is usually carried out independent of the nation’s government. However, in some countries, persecution is an official policy. Sudan and Somalia are examples of this

What’s interesting about this is that Christianity is still one of the fastest-growing religions. The persecution is not reducing the spreading of the Christian faith. It’s truly a testament to the resiliency of Jesus Christ’s message: that a person can have a relationship with God because of Jesus’ dying on the cross for our sins  It’s been this way throughout all of its history.

When the Roman Empire began persecuting Christians, it grew. More and more people converted until the empire itself was ruled by Christians.

Are Christians Persecuted In The United States?

In the United States, Christians don’t have to worry about being imprisoned or murdered for their faith. But American Christians still experience persecution.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the level of persecution American Christians experience is comparable to what Christians in other nations experience. It’s not even close. But the fact still remains that American culture is increasingly becoming more anti-Christian.

In the United States, Christians who practice their faith have been subject to lawsuits, job loss, and ridicule. It’s a serious issue that seems to be getting worse.

Here are some examples:

• The University of Toledo fired Crystal Dixon when she disagreed with the notion that gay marriage was a civil rights issue.
• Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin were fined more than $6,000 because they wouldn’t use their photography business to photograph a lesbian commitment ceremony.
• Jack C. Phillips, a baker in Denver was sued because he refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay wedding. He lost nearly 40% of his revenue.
• Aaron and Melissa Klein, also bakers, were fined $135,000 by the State of Oregon for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian wedding.
• An Indiana Pizzeria closed down after being bullied by activists after stating that they would not cater a gay wedding.
• An Atlanta fire chief was fired because of a Christian book he had written. The book had a chapter that discussed what the Bible says about homosexuality.

These are only a few examples of how Christians are treated for practicing their faith. This type of persecution has become far more widespread in recent years.

Christians are also routinely maligned and ridiculed in the media. When Omar Mateen, an Islamic terrorists killed 49 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Christians were blamed for creating an anti-LGBTQ atmosphere. It was this atmosphere that supposedly inspired Omar Mateen to carry out the attacks.

The left is even willing to go after famous Christians for their faith. Last year, Buzzfeed published a hit piece that attacked Chip and Joanna Gaines from the show “Fixer Upper.” In the article, Buzzfeed went after the couple for attending a church whose pastor preaches against homosexuality.

It’s gotten to the point of being ridiculous. It’s not wrong to disagree with a Christian’s views. It’s your right as an American. But trying to ruin someone’s livelihood and reputation simply because they have a religious belief that you don’t agree with is reprehensible.

Final Thoughts

The fact that Christian persecution is on the rise should be troubling to everyone, not just Christians. The idea that a person could be killed or jailed because of their religious beliefs is something Americans need to take seriously. We may not be able to completely put an end to it, but we should fight it wherever we can.