The Arabic "nun" - supporting our Christian brothers and sisters

MoreCoffee

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ChristsSoldier115

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Let's pray that it is not the end; Christ's Church ought to be in all the world for a witness before the end ...

If anyone needs the light of Christ right now its the people of Iraq.
 
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MoreCoffee

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If anyone needs the light of Christ right now its the people of Iraq.

It is sad to see the suffering of our brethren in Iraq, in Syria too, it may be true that Islam is not inherently violent, as many say, but it is also true that Islam as it exists in Syria and Iraq is not protecting Christians and Jews from those who want to persecute them and kill them - maybe some Muslims do protect their Christian or Jewish friends, I hope some do but the numbers who have been expelled from towns and cities is distressing indeed - and not protecting the suffering and persecuted is one of the sins for which God judged Israel in ancient times. One cannot help but think that something in Islam, something about the culture that it has nurtured and developed, is quite friendly to wickedness. ...
 
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Rick Otto

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From Christian Today:





What do you think of this? Have you changed your signature, avatar, or social media personal avatar, etc.?

Why or why not?

I'm curious about trends and the reason(s) for them ...

Nun.jpg
I try not to jump on what looks like a bandwagon.
I don't think it makes a real difference because it is like words - cheap and easy.
I think it's biggest effect is slaving a conscience back into the sleep of ignorance.
It focuses on what is sensational without revealing any of the true causes of the conflict.
 
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GoingByzantine

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I think it's biggest effect is slaving a conscience back into the sleep of ignorance.
It focuses on what is sensational without revealing any of the true causes of the conflict.

Can you explain these points of contention more?
 
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MoreCoffee

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I try not to jump on what looks like a bandwagon.
I don't think it makes a real difference because it is like words - cheap and easy.
I think it's biggest effect is salving a conscience back into the sleep of ignorance.
It focuses on what is sensational without revealing any of the true causes of the conflict.

Using the Arabic letter "nun" is cheap and it is easy for those of us in secular democracies where we are rather unlikely to be persecuted for using the letter as a sign of solidarity with our brethren in Syria and Iraq and in the refugee camps to which many have been forced to flee. If that is all that we do then it costs us very little. God willing we will do more. God is witness to what we have already done.
 
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Whats interesting about the article is that their persecution ramped up exponentially after we overthrew Saddam. IS was just the final nail on the coffin after 11 years worth of severe persecution.
It would seem that Western meddling in the affairs of sovereign states is what is actually leading to the wiping out of Christianity in those places. The same thing is occuring in Syria today.
 
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MoreCoffee

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It would seem that Western meddling in the affairs of sovereign states is what is actually leading to the wiping out of Christianity in those places. The same thing is occuring in Syria today.

It all looks very much like political leaders, even if we assume good faith on their part, are not up to the tasks they set for themselves and their armies. That's what's worrying about it all; the overthrow of the Teliban, invasion of Iraq, and the Arab spring have all gone very pear-shaped haven't they. Now we have governments pledging to degrade and destroy this "Islamic state". Can we be confident that they got this more right than what they did in Afghanistan and in Iraq? Can we expect better to come from the unrest in Yemen and in Oman? And all these kids born in Western Democracies who are going over to Syria and Iraq to fight with "Islamic state" cannot be a good sign for stability in our own countries. It makes one wonder if this is a case of living in "interesting times"? Perhaps we're seeing the "wars and rumours of wars" along with the other elements mentioned in Matthew's eschatological chapters .... It isn't as if I am a millennialist looking for signs of the times and hoping for trouble in Israel hoping that it will all be according to some dispensationalist timetable or something ... but there's a lot that really looks very unstable and unhappy about our times today.

Let's remember to pray for our brethren in these troubled places; Syria, Iraq, and the Yemen and Oman. Those in Egypt and other places where persecutions are rising. And let's not forget to pray for our political leaders in the hope that the troubled times in which we live will not become worse and worse (will wax worse as the KJV expresses it).

Lord have mercy on us all ... Lord have mercy.
 
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Rick Otto

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Can you explain these points of contention more?

I thought about it, and now think it is self explanatory, but I would be happy to answer a more specific question about what it is you would like to understand.
 
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ChristsSoldier115

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It all looks very much like political leaders, even if we assume good faith on their part, are not up to the tasks they set for themselves and their armies. That's what's worrying about it all; the overthrow of the Teliban, invasion of Iraq, and the Arab spring have all gone very pear-shaped haven't they. Now we have governments pledging to degrade and destroy this "Islamic state". Can we be confident that they got this more right than what they did in Afghanistan and in Iraq? Can we expect better to come from the unrest in Yemen and in Oman? And all these kids born in Western Democracies who are going over to Syria and Iraq to fight with "Islamic state" cannot be a good sign for stability in our own countries. It makes one wonder if this is a case of living in "interesting times"? Perhaps we're seeing the "wars and rumours of wars" along with the other elements mentioned in Matthew's eschatological chapters .... It isn't as if I am a millennialist looking for signs of the times and hoping for trouble in Israel hoping that it will all be according to some dispensationalist timetable or something ... but there's a lot that really looks very unstable and unhappy about our times today.

Let's remember to pray for our brethren in these troubled places; Syria, Iraq, and the Yemen and Oman. Those in Egypt and other places where persecutions are rising. And let's not forget to pray for our political leaders in the hope that the troubled times in which we live will not become worse and worse (will wax worse as the KJV expresses it).

Lord have mercy on us all ... Lord have mercy.

I think moderate muslims are few in number than fundamentalist conservative muslims. They begin these Arab Springs to change things, but unfortunately for them, the conservative ones seems to far outnumber them they decide to "well.. lets make it like the good old days!"

I am slowly grasping it, but ME culture seems to views history differently than the west. I wish I could understand it exactly to explain it, but I don't fully understand it myself. The only way I can explain it is, the west views events in history as something that happened.. separate from themselves. ME culture does not. This is the fundamental difference that makes just about anything we do like walking on egg shells due to our past grievances towards them. This makes a peaceful simple Christian solution not easy to accomplish.
 
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Rick Otto

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It would seem that Western meddling in the affairs of sovereign states is what is actually leading to the wiping out of Christianity in those places. The same thing is occuring in Syria today.

That is exactly what I was talkin' about.
When you hear the national security advisor talking about "Western Interests", he means oil profits. That's what most the people simply having sympathy for Christian Arabs don't get.
 
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Rick Otto

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Using the Arabic letter "nun" is cheap and it is easy for those of us in secular democracies where we are rather unlikely to be persecuted for using the letter as a sign of solidarity with our brethren in Syria and Iraq and in the refugee camps to which many have been forced to flee. If that is all that we do then it costs us very little. God willing we will do more. God is witness to what we have already done.

What we need to do is find alternative energy sources.
 
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~Anastasia~

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Is that even possible?

"The gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church) ... "

But seriously, great efforts have been made to stamp out the Gospel in other places and times. They might have appeared to be successful, even for decades or longer, but in the end it turns out that there is usually (always?) a remnant, and the Gospel always returns or resurfaces, despite terrible persecution and locked borders.

At least from all I can remember having read.
 
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ChristsSoldier115

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What IS doesn't know is that, just like all would be empires, they're going to disappear just like every other one....if they make it that far. The church will still be around. I pray that they will return, but I do not think it will be in my lifetime.
 
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Targaryen

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Is that even possible?

"The gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church) ... "

But seriously, great efforts have been made to stamp out the Gospel in other places and times. They might have appeared to be successful, even for decades or longer, but in the end it turns out that there is usually (always?) a remnant, and the Gospel always returns or resurfaces, despite terrible persecution and locked borders.

At least from all I can remember having read.

I don't think it's nearly as doom and gloom for the future of Christianity in Iraq as the Post makes it out to be. Bit of left-wing sensationalism there (and as a left-winger, I know). While I don't think the traditional heartlands of Iraqi Christians will be as plentiful or at all, I don't see Iraq losing a Christian population entirely. Maybe it will mean moving into Kurdish held areas of Iraq, as the Kurds in Iraq tend to be far more open and accepting of others then in the Arab south but the Arab south is the big question. I don't know if Mosul for instance will get back it's Chaldean population and given the troubles they've faced since Hussein's overthrow,I'm not sure if I could recommend they try.
 
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It all looks very much like political leaders, even if we assume good faith on their part, are not up to the tasks they set for themselves and their armies. That's what's worrying about it all; the overthrow of the Teliban, invasion of Iraq, and the Arab spring have all gone very pear-shaped haven't they. Now we have governments pledging to degrade and destroy this "Islamic state". Can we be confident that they got this more right than what they did in Afghanistan and in Iraq? Can we expect better to come from the unrest in Yemen and in Oman? And all these kids born in Western Democracies who are going over to Syria and Iraq to fight with "Islamic state" cannot be a good sign for stability in our own countries. It makes one wonder if this is a case of living in "interesting times"? Perhaps we're seeing the "wars and rumours of wars" along with the other elements mentioned in Matthew's eschatological chapters .... It isn't as if I am a millennialist looking for signs of the times and hoping for trouble in Israel hoping that it will all be according to some dispensationalist timetable or something ... but there's a lot that really looks very unstable and unhappy about our times today.

Let's remember to pray for our brethren in these troubled places; Syria, Iraq, and the Yemen and Oman. Those in Egypt and other places where persecutions are rising. And let's not forget to pray for our political leaders in the hope that the troubled times in which we live will not become worse and worse (will wax worse as the KJV expresses it).

Lord have mercy on us all ... Lord have mercy.
Lord have Mercy indeed...
 
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