In a message dated February 21, 1998, VvJustinvV writes:

Thank you, Justin, for your reply. Please consider the following:

I will not say that there has never been an instance of Christians being persecuted for their beliefs. There is plenty of historical documentation for this, and I would be a fool not to recognize this. Having said this, please understand what I am saying, and what my message is all about.

You speak of yourself as a Christian, and consequently as a minority. The fact is, anyone who classifies himself within a group and thus aligns himself generally with others who allegedly adhere to the same philosophy does so primarily to ESCAPE his position as a minority. Therefore, to call Christians "the minority" is logically unfounded.

The only TRUE minority is: THE INDIVIDUAL. That is: you, and I. There is NO SMALLER MINORITY THAN THE INDIVIDUAL. Many will state that this is a 'moot point'. To argue thus is only serving to trivialize MAN'S EXISTENCE. I challenge those who make this assertion to cling to it when HIS rights are beginning to be questioned and stripped.

The INDIVIDUAL is the EASIEST PREY, and therefore, the easiest to persecute. It may not matter WHAT your position is, or how many agree with you IN ANOTHER PART OF THE GLOBE: if he is in a crowd of Christians, the atheist individual is, of course, the odd man out. Same as a Christian individual in a crowd of atheists.

The principles for truly recognizing persecution should never wander far from this fact: MAN IS BY NATURE AN INDIVIDUAL BEING, AND END IN HIMSELF.

Mark any philosophy that objects - either implicitly or explicitly - to MAN'S RIGHT TO EXIST FOR HIS OWN SAKE. Christianity, like any other religion, is just such a philosophy to beware of. Under Christianity, the INDIVIDUAL does NOT have the right to exist FOR HIS OWN SAKE. As I said in my last e-mail, there is NO MENTION OF THE CONCEPT OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN THE BIBLE ANYWHERE. Anyone who attempts to argue that the concept of INDIVIDUAL rights has biblical support cannot do so successfully by appeals to biblical doctrine. I challenge anyone to this task.

Remember, among the population at concentration camps under the Third Reich, the Jews were definitely the numerical MAJORITY, NOT the minority. However, it was still the Jewish individual who was being persecuted.

You will note that those who suffer the greatest genuine persecution throughout history are: THOSE MEN WHO ASSERT RATIONAL CERTAINTY IN THEIR STATEMENTS. You find any CROWD or GROUP or GANG, and you, the individual, assert your statements with CERTAINTY and the AUTHORITY of REASON, WATCH WHAT HAPPENS.

As for persecuted Christians in China: Please recall that China for the most part is a nation governed by PRIMITIVE philosophy. China, unlike Western Europe, has NEVER experienced a RENAISSANCE. The Renaissance in the West was the REBIRTH of MAN'S MIND and his ALLEGIANCE to REASON. WITHOUT THE RENAISSANCE, there would NEVER have been a DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

Without the Renaissance, we would still be under the edicts of kings and popes. STUDY YOUR HISTORY.

China, a nation with THOUSANDS of years of tribalism, superstition and primitive religious tyrannies to its 'credit', has only recently began to import Western Reason (primarily in the form of technologies). It is only natural and expected to see Christians [who do not have a long established historical presence in China] suffer discrimination and, arguably, persecution. To attribute this persecution to the specific nature of Christianity itself, and thus construe that persecution as EVIDENCE THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONE, TRUE RELIGION, and that the BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD, is: LUDICROUS! To argue such a point is only MISSING THE POINT. All you are seeing is the clash of RIVAL philosophies, both of which DENY man's right to exist for his own sake.

If you require more clarification or elaboration on my above points, please let me know. I will be more than happy to address your questions.

Tindrbox

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