On Saturday 13 April, at 10:00 a.m., an global conference “Kulturkampf 2.0” was held in the performance hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The planet vs. Christians, as the name suggests, is devoted to the persecution of Christians. Marek Jurek, Johannes de Jong (Netherlands), Grzegorz Górny and Agnieszka Marianowicz-Szczegieł took the level in cooperation with the Sallux Foundation. Their appearances will shortly be seen on tv Confirmation Channel. The conference was part of the arcades of the Catholic Publishers' Fair and the entrance to the National March of Life, which the next day marched through the streets of the capital. The event was preceded by press briefings for the media, and Affirmation.info was 1 of his media patrons.
According to the yearly accounts of the Open Doors organization, persecution of Christians is increasing. Only last year, at least 5621 people lost their lives due to their religion in Christ. This means that the number of Christians killed has nearly doubled in the last 5 years (in 2018 it was 3066 people). besides nearly twice (to 76) the number of countries in which Christ’s followers experience the highest degree of repression and persecution increased. They are threatened by all seventh Christian (or about 312 million faithful).
The sad anti-ranking podium opens North Korea, where in the last year there has been another tightening of the anti-Christian course by the communist regime. another places are mainly entirely or to a large degree Muslim countries (another: Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria). The situation of Christ’s followers has late deteriorated rapidly in northern Sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist groups are growing. In Nigeria, 90% of last year's martyrs for religion were murdered in the absence of central authorities. In large part, they died in Islamist-organized pogroms of full villages.
Violence against Christians, though not as drastic as the above mentioned, besides affects developed countries and most (at least recently) Christian countries. At the end of the year, the study prepared by the Organisation for safety and Cooperation in Europe reported that a full of 840 acts of hatred against Christians occurred in 35 of the OSCE associate States (although the organization besides erroneously takes into account the events in which Jehovah’s witnesses were victims). Significantly, according to the same document, in 2016-2019 their number oscillated between 400 and 600. This figure includes 52 cases of physical violence, 55 cases of threats and 733 attacks against property.
Also in Poland, where more than 71% of residents are declared as Catholics (according to the 2021 census), 82 acts of this kind occurred (as the OSCE states). According to the study on anti-Catholic attitudes in Poland, which was presented by Dr. Jarosław Przeperski from the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, 22 percent of Polish Catholics felt any concerns about revealing their spiritual affiliation, and almost 32 percent felt the request to keep it secret. Almost 45 percent of them do not feel free to uncover their Catholic faith.
In the beginning conference "Kulturkampf 2.0. The planet versus Christians” press briefing president organising the event of the Foundation of St. Benedict Bogusław Kiernicki reminded of these sad statistics. He besides pointed to the cultural war in front of us, in which Christians besides became the target. Further in the briefing, the speakers briefly announced the subject of their lectures.
Change in language is simply a change in thinking
The conference began with a speech by Grzegorz Górny. A well-known publicist dedicated his lecture to the changes that enemies of life civilization are trying to make on language. Only after changing the meaning of basic concepts can the revolution be effectively carried out. The advanced pointed out that this was a maneuver already known in Confucian times and successfully applied even in the case of the French Revolution or later by the Bolsheviks.
In the opinion of the publicist with a akin phenomenon of attempts to change the fundamental meaning of concepts we are dealing with today. The advanced 1 describes them as “the creeping semantic revolution”. As an example of a word whose meaning has been manipulated today, the publicist has given “tolerance”, which for centuries meant the ability to “suffering” attitudes or views incompatible with ours, and present is to force them to be affirmed, enthusiastically accepted.
A akin (r) semantic evolution has taken place with respect to concepts related to abortion. Originally, the discussion was not about whether the small man under the heart of his parent was a man at all – this fact was considered a certainty and this was reflected in the law. Today, alternatively of the “man” the left speaks of “fed”, and abortion calls “return to reproductive health” (this is even utilized by the UN). The effect within social psychology is that people, tamed with a fresh language, cease to think of the conceived kid as a man.
The full performance of Grzegorz Górny shortly on tv Confirmation Channel.
SEE ALSO: Back to the time of Christ. Persecution of Christians in the Holy Land
Persecution in White Gloves
Our editorial colleague Agnieszka Marianowicz-Szczegieł took the level after Upper. It began by quoting the celebrated and moving passage of the Letter to Diognet, describing life and functioning in the planet of the first Christian communities (They live in their own country, but as if they were strangers... and further). This description can besides be perfectly applied to modern times.
Later on, Agnieszka Marianowicz-Szczegieł quoted detailed statistic on the level of spiritual freedoms and persecution of Christians in various countries of the world. She pointed out, among another things, that in the 20th century more followers of Christ were most likely murdered than in any erstwhile century. The talker recalled that persecution, although in a more veiled form, meets Christians besides in Western civilization countries with Christian roots.
Referring specifically to the example of Poland Marianowicz-Szczegieł, she referred to the fresh OSCE report, according to which Christians in our country are besides a group more persecuted than, for example, sexual minorities. At the same time, the talker recalled that persecution has always been an immanent part of Christian life.
The full performance of Agnieszka Marianowicz-Szczegieł shortly on tv Confirmation Channel.
SEE ALSO: Interrupted mass and sawn crosses. Will the law “to defend Christians” halt the blasphemers?
Constitution depends on the seat point?
The 3rd talker at the conference was the talker of the Sejm, 1 of the most crucial voices of conservative public opinion in Poland, Marek Jurek. At the beginning of his speech he recalled that the full legal and moral order of Western civilization continued, despite ever-increasing liberal influences, finds its foundation in Christianity.
According to Marek Jurek, protecting primates of values and natural law is possible only on the basis of a return to this very foundation. B. the talker of the Sejm besides pointed to a certain hypocrisy of liberal groups in Poland, which over the last years have appealed to the defenders of the Constitution to completely ignore its records on abortion.
The full speech by Mark Jurek shortly on tv Confirmation Channel.
Being a Christian is not going to beheaded.
The last of the conference’s “stationary” speakers was the Sallux Foundation guest from the Netherlands Johannes de Jong. In his speech, he spoke about his visits to and assistance to the Christian community in Syria. In particular, de Jong focused on the conflict for endurance that the community had to fight against the alleged muslim State (ISIS).
Referring to this example and formed in Syria, the Christian self-defense militia of Dutcher stressed respective times that being a Christian does not mean a passive attitude to reconcile persecution. On the contrary, a Christian is simply a man of action who should openly stand up for his values as well as his brothers in the faith. This attitude, although related to the usage of another tools, belongs not only to the reality of countries where Christians are deprived of their lives for their faith, but besides to those where they are persecuted “in white gloves”.
At the end of the event, the audience had the chance to perceive to a voice from Ireland, represented from the screen by Senator Rónán Mullen – 1 of those who rejected a fewer weeks ago in the referendum another attack on the Irish household and marriage. In the context of planned actions aimed at life and household in Poland, including possible referendums, the fresh Irish experience should be regarded as an crucial and constructive example of resistance, providing a model and hope. The video with Senator Mullen's message can be viewed below (it is worth turning on subtitles generated automatically).
