Worldwide violence against Christians is on the rise, according to the Open Doors World Watch List released this week.
Among the most shocking violence-related data disclosed was a report citing that more than 9,000 churches and Christian buildings were attacked in 51 countries in 2019. More than 5,500 of those attacks took place in China. This number represents more than a 1,000 percent increase since 2018. Notable violence numbers from 2019 include:
- 2,983 Christians were killed for their faith
- 8,537 Christians were raped or sexually harassed for their faith
- 9,488 churches or Christian buildings were attacked
- 3,711 Christians were unjustly arrested or imprisoned
- 1,052 Christians were abducted for faith-related reasons
- 3,315 Christian homes were attacked, burned or destroyed
The data found that 14,645 Christians were physically or mentally abused, with the majority of that activity occurring in India, China and sub-Saharan African countries where myriad jihadist groups aim to create instability. At least 8,500 Christians were raped or sexually abused for reasons related to their faith, a number that should be regarded as the tip of the iceberg, since most sexual harassment happens behind closed doors and is, therefore, more difficult to accurately track. Every day …
- 8 Christians are killed for their faith.
- 23 Christians are raped or sexually harassed
- 25 Churches are targeted and attacked
- 10 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned for their faith
“Christians remain one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world,” the report concluded. “While persecution of Christians takes many forms, it is defined as any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Christ. Christians throughout the world continue to risk imprisonment, loss of home and assets, torture, rape and even death as a result of their faith.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice