Sri Lanka Blasts 156 dead, over 500 injured in six explosions at Churches and Hotels

[JosephZ]

Sad story coming out of Sri Lanka this Easter Sunday. Prayers going out to all those affected.

Serial blasts occurred at around 8.45 am as the Easter Sunday masses were in progress in churches.

At least 156 people were killed and more than 500 other injured after six near simultaneous blasts hit three Sri Lankan churches and three five-star hotels on Easter Sunday.

Sri Lanka Blasts Live Updates: 156 dead, over 500 injured in six explosions on Easter

 

[worshipjunkie]

So sad. Prayers for those affected.

 

[JosephZ]

Apparently the threat is not yet over. There have been reports of two additional explosions within the past hour.

Sri Lanka attacks: more explosions as at least 100 killed at churches and hotels on Easter Sunday – live

Based on what I have been able to gather from various news reports there have been 8 explosions at 8 locations leaving 190+ dead including at least 36 foreigners, and more than 500 injured. There are American, British and Dutch nationals among the casualties. (This information has yet to be confirmed)

Targets:

• Kochchikade Church
• Katuwapitiya Church
• Batticaloa Church
• Shangrila Hotel
• Cinnamon Grand Hotel
• Kingsbury Hotel
• Hotel in Dehiwal, Colombo
• Mahawila Udayana Road Housing Scheme in Dematagoda

 

[JosephZ]

It has now been confirmed that among the victims of these attacks are nationals of; the US, Denmark, China, Japan, Pakistan, Morocco, India, and Bangladesh.

This attack marks the end of a decade of peace following a three decades long civil war in that country and a celebration had been planned to celebrate this milestone next month.

Sri Lanka to mark 10 years on from massacres as ‘dawn of peace’ | Tamil Guardian

 

[JerseyChristianSuperstar]

May the Lord God Almighty bless His Alain children who were callously killed for giving Him worship on one of the holiest days, Easter, intended to celebrate the resurrection of His Son.

In Jesus’ name I pray amen.

 

[redleghunter]

Sad story coming out of Sri Lanka this Easter Sunday. Prayers going out to all those affected.

Serial blasts occurred at around 8.45 am as the Easter Sunday masses were in progress in churches.

At least 156 people were killed and more than 500 other injured after six near simultaneous blasts hit three Sri Lankan churches and three five-star hotels on Easter Sunday.

Sri Lanka Blasts Live Updates: 156 dead, over 500 injured in six explosions on Easter

Lord have Mercy. Praying.

 

[Archivist]

Praying for the families of those killed, for those injured, and for the nation...

 

[Romans 8]

I take these are Islam extremests doing the dirty work?

 

[Anto9us]

Sri Lanka has shut down social media sites in an effort to control misinformation.

All we know is suicide bombers timed several blasts to go off in 3 churches and 3 large hotels (at least).

 

[JosephZ]

Sri Lanka blames National Thowheed Jamath for deadly blasts

 

[mindlight]

Sri Lanka blames National Thowheed Jamath for deadly blasts

So it was Muslim jihadists again. Since the main fight in Sri Lanka is between Hindus and the majority Buddhists not sure why these Muslims chose Christians as their target. Just means everybody in Sri Lanka puts them at the bottom of the food chain

 

[Anto9us]

Religion in Sri Lanka - Wikipedia

Buddhists 70.2 %
Hindu 12.6
Muslim 9.7
Christian 7.4

 

[Archivist]

So it was Muslim jihadists again. Since the main fight in Sri Lanka is between Hindus and the majority Buddhists not sure why these Muslims chose Christians as their target. Just means everybody in Sri Lanka puts them at the bottom of the food chain

This time the victims were Christian. Last month in New Zealand the victims were Muslim. Last year in Pittsburgh the victims were Jewish. Can we all just pray for an end to religious violence?

 

[Anto9us]

A mosque was fire-bombed also, and two muslim-owned businesses... the day the churches and hotels were bombed.

I agree with Archivist - pray to end all religious violence.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

A few thoughts.

I wouldn't have expected the attack to happen in Buddhist Sri-Lanka of all places. As I understand it, Muslims are being subject to violence by Buddhists all over South East Asia. That this group targeted Christians for their attack instead of the majority religion, makes me think it was done, mislead though that reasoning is, in response to Christchurch.

I wonder if the Muslim world will do what New Zealand did. Broadcast Christian prayers over the TV, gather publicly and let priests preach, wear crosses in solidarity with Christians and start crossing themselves. Of course they won't do that and nor should they. Though the response to this attack will not be as profoundly shocking as what happened in Christchurch since it happened in a non western country.

It is funny to see the victims being called 'Easter-worshipers' by leftists like Obama and Hilary, because persecution of Christians can't really be mentioned publicly. I suppose that's the politically correct term for Christians now.

 

[JosephZ]

It is funny to see the victims being called 'Easter-worshipers' by leftists like Obama and Hilary, because persecution of Christians can't really be mentioned publicly. I suppose that's the politically correct term for Christians now.

That's a bit of a stretch.

Had this happened next Sunday, they would probably only be referred to as only worshipers. That term has been used to describe people attending church for as long as I can remember. It's common sense that Easter worshipers means Christians. Just because the word Christian wasn't used to describe the victims killed in a church doesn't mean there is some kind of PC movement to stop using the word Christian.

If you do a google search of church attacks in the past, you will find many examples of where the term worshipers were used instead of Christians.

Here are a couple:

Men Attack Worshipers at St. Lucia Cathedral, Killing One (2001)

''The attack this morning on worshipers in Islamabad was a cowardly act that took the lives of five innocent people and injured many more while they were worshiping,'' -- Wendy J. Chamberlin United States Ambassador to Pakistan (2002)

Had these incidents occurred on Easter Sunday, they would have likely been called Easter worshipers. This is nothing new.

 

[The Barbarian]

This time the victims were Christian. Last month in New Zealand the victims were Muslim. Last year in Pittsburgh the victims were Jewish. Can we all just pray for an end to religious violence?

And so the cycle of violence continues. Jesus showed a way out of it, but even many who profess to follow Him, won't listen.

 

[mindlight]

This time the victims were Christian. Last month in New Zealand the victims were Muslim. Last year in Pittsburgh the victims were Jewish. Can we all just pray for an end to religious violence?

It is always a tragedy when people get killed like this and a double tragedy when they die worshipping gods that cannot save them as many on your list were. At least these Christians in Sri Lanka are real God loving martyrs. It is hard to imagine many suicide bombers, who gave their lives to murder people, for a false religion that cannot save them, making it to heaven and more likely that they went the other way.

To focus on the violence is to miss the point of why people feel so passionately about God even when completely deluded about Him. But this should provoke prayer for those who lost loved ones, for the church in Sri Lanka and for God to move in that country even amongst Muslims.

 

[mindlight]

And so the cycle of violence continues. Jesus showed a way out of it, but even many who profess to follow Him, won't listen.

The Christian body count is quite low this year ie 0 (List of terrorist incidents in 2019 - Wikipedia) Muslims are the ones who are killing people in all the major incidents this year. The murderer in New Zealand was also not a Christian. Sri Lanka has a history of Buddhist and Hindu massacres also. The Christians are peaceful and law abiding and did not deserve this. These martyrs in Sri Lanka died worshipping the One True God and go straight to be with Him. In that respect they mirror Jesus and 10 of the 11 disciples who remained true to Him who all faced violent deaths with the grace that we associate with Christian believers. Maybe our expectations that people who hate God will always leave us alone to live comfortable lives, in ignorance or indifference to the unclean and deluded godless outside our walls, is what is being challenged here. The history of the church is red with the blood of martyrs like we saw in Sri Lanka

 

[Archivist]

The Christian body count is quite low this year. Muslims are the ones who are killing people. Sri Lanka has a history of Buddhist and Hindu massacres also. The Christians are peaceful and law abiding and did not deserve this. These martyrs in Sri Lanka died worshipping the One True God and go straight to be with Him. In that respect they mirror Jesus and 10 of the 11 disciples who remained true to Him who all faced violent deaths with the grace that we associate with Christian believers. Maybe our expectations that people who hate God will always leave us alone to live comfortable lives, in ignorance or indifference to the unwashed godless outside our walls, is what is being challenged here. The history of the church is red with the blood of martyrs like we saw in Sri Lanka

Of course the Muslims killed in New Zealand also did not deserve what happened to them, nor did the Jews killed in Pittsburgh. That is the reason why all of us need to pray for an end to all religious violence.