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It's perhaps an unpleasant truth and one that we try to avoid, but religious extremism is part of the world we live in, in the same way that Communism was a few decades ago. How should we respond as Christians? Some want an 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth' response and demand revenge - and end up killing in the name of a Saviour who sacrificed himself to save a world from eternal death. In our post-modern, tolerant, wealthy society in the UK, we often adopt the opposite approach - saying nothing in case we offend somebody. Neither of these solutions is satisfactory: we need to face unpleasant truths, neither reacting with violence nor ignoring them. So what should we do?
The little Christian community in Orissa, India, is currently facing this question, as it suffers from the actions of a small number of Hindu extremists who are inciting the population to mob violence. At least 18 people have been confirmed dead in 92 incidents of violence against Christians since suspected Maoists murdered Hindu leader Swamiji Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others on Saturday 23rd August. Christians make up 2.4% of Orissa's population, or 897,861 of the total 3.7 million people. The figure of 92 incidents so far comes from the Global Council of Indian Christians.
Following heated accusations by Hindu extremists that Christians had killed Saraswati, the national newspaper Hindu reported on Wednesday 27th August that nine people had been killed in Orissa violence, and a source from Compass Direct news agency confirmed that an additional nine people have been killed. The death count by the Hindu included four people killed in the Barakhama area. News agencies had earlier confirmed three dead in Raikia and two others, including a woman, killed in Bargarh, where a missionary-run orphanage was set on fire.
Saraswati and four others were killed by suspected Maoists in the swami's ashram, or religious centre, in the Jalespata area of Kandhamal district's Tumudiband Block in Orissa state. A warning letter found at the Saraswati religious centre and use of expensive weapons suggested Maoists were behind the attack. In a state with a strong Maoist presence, police reportedly said they have evidence to link the communist rebels to the murders of Saraswati and his four associates. One police theory is that Maoists could have attacked Hindu leaders in a misguided effort to gain support among area tribal people, many of whom have converted to Christianity.
What, then, should our response be to events like this? As Christians, we are of the same family as those who are being dispossessed and killed. Should we be calling for revenge on their behalf? Well, Romans 12 tells us, 'Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.' That sounds easy, from our comfortable perspective in the UK, no homes burned, no relatives killed. But the key to this verse is the assumption that we can trust God to take vengeance, in his own time, with complete justice - something no human being could ever achieve. God will see true justice done, and his justice is always tempered with mercy. Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors, said in a recent interview, "When I see someone who has killed people, I don't see an extremist or a terrorist or a murderer. I see someone who needs Jesus." All of us have done wrong and need God's forgiveness, so we cannot judge the sins of others.
This does not diminish the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Orissa, or anywhere else in the world where Christians are persecuted. It shows us the attitude of Jesus - the attitude that Paul holds up as our example in Philippians 2:5-11. We must pray for the injured Christians of Orissa to be able to respond with that same attitude, so that God might bring justice, healing and reconciliation in this community. And we must be prepared to respond with that same attitude ourselves, in our own daily lives. How else will the world see Jesus?
Source for Orissa story: Compass 
Open Doors supports the Persecuted Church in 45 countries around the world by: training church leaders and Christian workers; supplying Bibles and other Christian resources to Christians who either can't get a Bible or have difficulty; providing practical livelihood training and opportunities; visiting, comforting and encouraging those who are suffering; and raising awareness of the difficulties facing persecuted Christians and mobilising prayer support throughout the western world.
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Unprecedented: Egyptian Government Suppresses Christian Doctrine
The government is forcing the Coptic Church to “liberalize” its position on divorce and remarriage, even as it continues to govern according to the fascistic dictates of Sharia law.
June 16, 2010 - by Raymond Ibrahim Share | It is not enough that the Egyptian government facilitates persecution of the Copts, Egypt’s indigenous Christian minority. Now the government is interfering directly with the church’s autonomy concerning doctrine. According to the Assyrian International News Agency:
The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt has rejected a court ruling that orders the church to allow divorced Copts to remarry in the church. In a press conference held on Tuesday June 8, Pope Shenouda [III], reading from the statement issued by the Holy Synod’s 91 Bishops, including himself, said: “The Coptic Church respects the law, but does not accept rulings which are against the Bible and against its religious freedom which is guaranteed by the Constitution.” He went on to say “the recent ruling is not acceptable to our conscience, and we cannot implement it.” He also said that marriage is a holy sacrament of a purely religious nature and not merely an “administrative act.”
Though little reported in the West, this issue is rapidly boiling over. There is even talk that, if he does not submit to the court’s ruling, the pope will (once again) be imprisoned. What is behind such unprecedented governmental interference with the Coptic Church’s autonomy?