‘If You Continue to Preach Jesus, We Will Not Spare You’: Nepali Pastor Filled With Fear – and Faith – Following Attack
Source: christiannews.net
‘If You Continue to Preach Jesus, We Will Not Spare You’: Nepali Pastor Filled With Fear – and Faith – Following Attack
Photo Credit: Morning Star News (Morning Star News) – More than a month after men claiming to be Maoists in Nepal assaulted Dhurba Kumar Pariyar, the 40-year-old pastor is still physically and mentally traumatized. “I still have headache and chest pain, though I am under strong medication,” Pastor Pariyar told Morning Star News. He later quoted...
‘If You Continue to Preach Jesus, We Will Not Spare You’: Nepali Pastor Filled With Fear – and Faith – Following Attack
(Morning Star News) – More than a month after men claiming to be Maoists in Nepal assaulted Dhurba Kumar Pariyar, the 40-year-old pastor is still physically and mentally traumatized.
“I still have headache and chest pain, though I am under strong medication,” Pastor Pariyar told Morning Star News.
He later quoted Matthew 5:10, Christ saying those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are blessed.
“I find courage in reading of the persecution that my fellow Christians are undergoing,” he said. “My suffering is little in comparison.”
One of the leaders at Devotees Nepali Assembly in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, the pastor was riding a motorcycle on his way back from distributing free toys and stationary to Dalit children on March 24 in Sarlahi District when two motorcyclists with riders on extra seats stopped him 36 miles from Mahottari at about 7 p.m., he said.
Accompanying Pastor Pariyar on another motorcycle was the chief guest of a program organized by a Non-Governmental Organization for poor Dalits in Ramgopalpur, Mahottari District.
One of the riders asked Pastor Pariyar his name, and as soon as he confirmed his identity, the rider hit his motorcycle with a thick wooden stick while the other pulled him off, he said.
“One of them caught hold of me from my chest and pulled me down from my motorbike and dragged me towards the jungle,” Pastor Pariyar told Morning Star News.
While two men dragged him away, two others caught hold of his program guest, who is not a Christian, and aimed a knife at him, threatening to kill him if he interfered. They forced him to switch off his mobile phone, Pastor Pariyar said.
Twice Pastor Pariyar tried to escape, but each time they kicked him to the ground, he said.
“They said I am preaching foreign religion, converting people and ‘feeding’ on dollars in return,” Pastor Pariyar said. “They asked me to hand over all the [supposed, U.S.] dollars I am carrying to them, and they will spare my life. I asked them who were they to question my work and demand money from me, to which they said they were ‘underground Maoists.’”
While they were kicking him and beating him with wooden sticks and their fists and threatening to kill him if he did not hand over U.S. dollars to them, he said, a bright light from a passing vehicle fell on them, and they fled.
“They fled while warning me, ‘If you continue to preach the Jesus religion, we will not spare you – we will come and kill you, wherever you may go,’” he told Morning Star News.
The pastor, who is also president of BG Hands Ministries in Kathmandu, sustained injuries on his face, arms, elbows, knees and ankles, he said.
Pastor Pariyar and his guest immediately went to the area police station to report the attack, and then to Gadhimai Hospital, Lalbandi in Sarlahi District for treatment. The next morning the pastor registered a First Information Report in the Kesharganj Police Station after submitting a written complaint.
The Nepal Christian Society also reported the attack to the National Human Rights Commission, according to the Religious Liberty Forum Nepal (RLFN).
Police are investigating but have yet to find the assailants, Pastor Pariyar said.
“When I walk on the road or ride my motorbike, I am suddenly shaken with fear when a motorbike overtakes me,” he said, adding that twice he had previously received threats. “I am still in trauma from the incident. There is no outcome of the FIR that I registered.”
With his wife and 5-year-old son, he has served as a pastor of Devotees Nepali Assembly since 2011.
Uptick
Pastor Sagar Baizu, senior pastor and mentor of Pastor Pariyar, told Morning Star News he was shocked by a recent increase in the number of anti-Christian attacks in Nepal.
“The manner in which he was stopped in the jungle area and assaulted is astonishing,” Pastor Baizu said.
He said it is evident that pastors and other Christian workers are being identified and targeted.
“This incident along with other recent instances of increased targeting of Christian leaders reveals that Christians in Nepal are being spotted from among the general masses, watched regularly, their activities tracked, and then they are assaulted and extorted for money,” Pastor Baizu said.
He said he was further shocked that there is no security from the government and from political parties for Christians who are helping the poor and the needy.
“They are doing no harm to the society at large in any way yet are assaulted, harassed and put in jail,” Pastor Baizu said. “It is high time that the government should realize and step-up to provide security to the church and the Christian community. It is a matter of great concern that religious terrorism is increasing rapidly in Nepal. The way Hindu radicals are carrying out hate campaigns against the Christian community is a matter of great concern.”
Pastor Baizu, who was also attacked last year and has since received several phone threats, said Christians are deprived of basic human rights in Nepal, including the right to burial spaces.
“There is not even a burial ground for the Christians who die in Nepal,” he added.
An increase in persecution of Christians in Nepal began after a new criminal code was passed in October 2017, which took effect in August 2018.
Nepal was ranked 32nd on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
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Evangelicals in Chiapas Held After Refusing to Contribute to Catholic Festival
Evangelicals in Chiapas Held After Refusing to Contribute to Catholic Festival
Source: christiannews.net
Evangelicals in Chiapas Held After Refusing to Contribute to Catholic Festival
Evangelicals in Chiapas Held After Refusing to Contribute to Catholic Festival
(Evangelical Focus) — At least 12 native evangelicals were held illegally last Sunday in the municipality of Zinacantán (Chiapas, south Mexico).
They were attending a local district assembly to discuss issues of common interest. But the agenda of the gathering was changed as the leaders of the municipality addressed the organization of the Catholic festival of the “Holy Cross,” which is to be celebrated on May 2.
The evangelicals refused to contribute to the religious festival, said lawyer and member of “Mission 21 grams” Luis López Herrera. Herrera, who offers legal support to victims of religious intolerance in Chiapas, denounced that the 12 evangelical Christians were held against their will for almost 24 hours.
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--> Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, would you please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed? May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!Openly Homosexual US Ambassador: VP Mike Pence Is ‘on Board’ With Decriminalizing Homosexuality Worldwide
BERLIN — U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who is openly homosexual, told reporters this past week that Vice President Mike Pence is “on board” with his plan to urge nations worldwide to decriminalize homosexuality.
Grenell spoke with Fox & Friends on Tuesday in regard to his remarks about Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, also a homosexual, who has characterized Pence as being “anti-gay.” Grenell had stated on a recent broadcast of “The Story With Martha McCallum” that Buttigieg’s assertions are a “hate hoax along the lines of Jussie Smollett.”
“Mike and Karen are great people. They’re godly people. They’re followers of Christ. They don’t have hate in their heart for anyone. They know my partner [and] they have accepted us,” he said, according to a report from Fox. “You asked me do we agree philosophically on every single issue? No.”
As previously reported, Pence swore Grenell into office last May as his “partner,” Matt Lashey, held the Bible.
“Ric, I know you’ve got a lot of friends from many years here, but most importantly, you’ve got people that you cherish, and your family. I want to acknowledge your mother Judi, who’s with us today; your brothers, Jeff and Brad; your partner, Matt Lashey; and his parents, Dave and Nancy; and many others,” Pence said during the occasion.
Buttigieg was asked about Grenell’s “hate hoax” comment during a televised CNN town hall event on Monday, but did not wish to respond.
“I’m not a master fisherman, but I know bait when I see it. I will not take it,” he said.
Grenell said on Tuesday that he was just trying to “defend my friend, Mike Pence, the vice president, who is a great man, an honorable man, a man of Christian faith and somebody that I admire.” He then added, “I also want to just point out the fact that the vice president, Mike Pence, is fully on board with my push to decriminalize homosexuality around the world.”
The ambassador noted that homosexuality is illegal in 71 countries, and in some nations, it can result in prison time or the death penalty.
“Mike Pence is on board with decriminalizing homosexuality around the world,” Grenell repeated. “I think that speaks volumes.”
News that Grenell would be leading the effort to decriminalize homosexuality first made headlines in February, as NBC News reported that “[t]he U.S. embassy is flying in LGBT activists from across Europe for a strategy dinner to plan to push for decriminalization in places that still outlaw homosexuality — mostly concentrated in the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.”
“This is a bipartisan push,” Grenell also stated at that time. “People understand — religious people, individuals who may not always be in the LGBTI fight — they understand that criminalizing homosexuality is absolutely wrong. It is unbelievable to believe that in today’s world a 32-year-old man in Iran can be hanged simply for being gay. That’s unacceptable.”
The Washington Blade reports that it has confirmed with Pence’s office that the vice president supports the initiative.
As previously reported, while some have been opposed to Pence in claiming that he is anti-homosexual — from Pete Buttigieg to Lady Gaga — Pence defended the Trump administration in February 2017 in its decision to retain an Obama-era order banning groups that contract with the federal government from “discriminating” against homosexuals and transgenders in their business or non-profit organization.
“I think throughout the campaign, President Trump made it clear that discrimination would have no place in our administration,” Pence said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” according to a transcript of the discussion. “He was the very first Republican nominee to mention the LGBTQ community at our Republican National Convention and was applauded for it. And I was there applauding with him.”
He also rejected reports about his beliefs regarding “conversion therapy” as being “fake news” in February 2018, as he cheered openly homosexual figure skater Adam Rippon in his Olympic quest.
“@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU,” he wrote (caps in original.) “Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!”
It is not clear or not whether Pence, who identifies as an evangelical, believes that homosexuality is a sin. His wife works at a Christian school that cites homosexuality and transgenderism among various behaviors that are unacceptable for employees. Those who wish to serve as staff must agree to uphold Christian lifestyle standards, following “a personal life of moral purity.”
Proverbs 14:34 states, “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
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--> Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, would you please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed? May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!Hong Kong Christians May Fall Victim to Revised Extradition Laws
(International Christian Concern) – Hong Kong is planning to amend its extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to mainland China, a move that comes widely criticized by rights groups and Western countries.
On April 3, Hong Kong’s leaders launched the laws to grant the chief executive the right to order the extradition of wanted offenders to China, Macau and Taiwan as well as other countries not covered by Hong Kong’s existing extradition treaties.
Many fear that suspects in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationalities, could be arrested secretly and sent to China without due process.
Ying Fuk-tsang, director of the Divinity School of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, joins the list of concerned Hong Kongers as he expresses his worries over potential arrests of Hong Kong Christians who minister to Chinese underground churches.
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--> Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, would you please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed? May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!Village in India’s Chhattisgarh State Uses Local Ordinance to Make Christianity Illegal
(International Christian Concern) — Under India’s constitution, people’s right to religious freedom is broadly protected by Article 25. In practice, however, this right has become overshadowed by conflicting laws and the actions local governments.
This fact of life in India was recently demonstrated by unconstitutional actions taken by village leaders in the village of Penkodo, located in India’s Chhattisgarh state. In Penkodo, village leaders passed a resolution that both condemned and prohibited the practice of Christianity. To justify these unconstitutional actions, the village leaders used local laws allowing them to pass village resolutions aimed at protecting their traditional customs and culture.
According to local reports, the residents of Penkodo became irritated with local Christians because they were not participating in traditional Adivasi festivals. Village leaders asked the Christians to stop practicing their faith, but the Christians refused.
Upset, the village leaders drafted an official ordinance on April 13, condemning Christianity and claiming it was harming local practices and traditions.
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--> Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, would you please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed? May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!