Hi All,
I want to sincerely thank those of you who have committed to pray, I'll be sending an email tomorrow to friends of Pastor Bocek, and I'll definitely make mention that they are receiving prayer as well as expressions of condolence and support.
While I don't want to turn this into a debate thread, I did want to deal with a couple of misapprehensions if I might.
Originally posted by Yeager
For a Christian to go into a Muslim country and try and convert Muslims is just asking for a brutal death. Leave those people be, they are not worth it. My condolences to the deceased.
While it is an overwhelmingly Muslim country, Turkey is one of the few majority Muslim nations that actually has a secular constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion, specifically article 25 of their constitution states in part:
"ARTICLE 24. Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religious belief and conviction.
Acts of worship, religious services, and ceremonies shall be conducted freely, provided that they do not violate the provisions of Article 14.
No one shall be compelled to worship, or to participate in religious ceremonies and rites, to reveal religious beliefs and convictions, or be blamed or accused because of his religious beliefs and convictions. ... "Although Turkey is currently ruled by a pro-Islamist party (AKP) they have not adopted the Sharia Laws that would make apostasy from Islam or non-Islamic worship illegal. Additionally the majority of employees of Zirve are Turkish Christians, so it wasn't a case of "going into a Muslim country" these were mostly native Turks simply attempting to exercise one of the fundamental freedoms we hold so dear.
The problem for these Christians isn't that they are "provoking persecution" by the distribution of free bibles - or statements to the effect of "We hope you've learned your lesson" (as if the punishment for giving someone a bible
should be being gradually cut into little pieces). The problem is the ongoing radicalization of Turkish Islam, much of which can be traced to the various Muslim Brotherhood organizations and the main sponsors of the spread of Wahabbism, or good friends, the Saudis. Do we really want to encourage the idea that if someone in Turkey converts to Christianity and feels a calling to be a pastor, the only way they can do that is by fleeing from their native country?
Also, where does that fleeing end and is the dichotomy really just? America currently has 6 million Muslims (a greater number than Presbyterians) and that number is increasing by 100,000 per year. There are currently 1,200 Mosques with 80% established in the last 16 years. And the Wahabbis are pouring in proselytizers at a rate which
absolutely dwarfs the meager attempts of Christians to do missions in the Muslim world. Do we really want to capitulate to Sharia and say,
"you may come here and proselytize at will, but we'll encourage Christians to stay out of the Islamic world or flee if they have the misfortune to be born there so you don't have to hunt them down and persecute them one by one." Finally, I would disagree that they are "not worth it," they are. I was once absolutely hostile to the Christian faith myself, but in retrospect I am glad that there were Christian men and women who persevered in obeying Christ's command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:18) and who persevered with me and responded to my abuse with "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15) rather than repaying evil for evil. If you believe, as these Turkish Christians did , that there really is a heaven and a hell, and that by spreading the message of Gospel of Christ men might have peace with God and man, and eternal life hereafter then you will want to do all you can to share that gift with others whatever the cost to yourself.
