Tuesday, May 27, 1997

Religious persecution bill questionable

By CAL THOMAS

The persecution of Christians around the world finally got some attention last week when a "Freedom From Religious Persecution Act" was introduced in the Senate by Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican, who is Jewish, and in the House by Rep. Frank Wolf, Virginia Republican, who is an evangelical Christian.

The man responsible for drafting the legislation, Michael Horowitz, is also Jewish, and a former top Reagan Administration official. Columnist A.M. Rosenthal of the New York Times, who is Jewish, is a strong supporter. I am somewhat bothered by this 40-page bill.

The legislation creates a director of the Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring in the White House. The director would issue annual reports assessing whether persecution exists in one of two categories: (1) ongoing and widespread persecution that includes rape, imprisonment, abduction, torture, enslavement or forced mass resettlement and whether such persecution is done by a government or with a government's support; (2) religious persecution not carried out with government support, but when government fails to take serious and sustained efforts to eliminate it.

The director could recommend to the president immediate sanctions to ban all exports to foreign governments and cut off virtually all foreign aid. Further sanctions could be applied after a waiting period. Asylum for persecuted religious minorities could also be granted.

The latest documentation of Christian persecution is contained in two books, Their Blood Cries Out by Paul Marshall (Word Books), a Senior Fellow in Political Theory at the Institute of Christian Studies in Toronto, and The Lion's Den by Nina Shea (Broadman Holman), a book based on eyewitness accounts of torture and martyrdom.

There is no question of widespread persecution of Christians, especially in Sudan, whence comes numerous reports of people being kidnapped, jailed, tortured and even murdered for their beliefs. How widespread is a matter of debate. Some have claimed as many as 160,000 Christians are murdered for their faith every year. Some experts view this figure as misleading because it includes deaths from other and unknown causes. So, they say, the actual number who die for their faith is unknown.

While the current bill is better than an earlier draft, it still suffers from a one-size-fits-all approach. The Islamic governments who persecute Christians do so for religious reasons. It is unlikely they all will back down in the face of economic sanctions. Those with large oil reserves are unlikely to feel much pressure from an America dependent on their wells. China, one of the major offenders, will escape tariff penalties. President Clinton and most of Congress want to continue most-favored-nation trade status with China.

The Specter/Wolf bill provides for no sophisticated, step-by-step approach during which pressure would be slowly increased on the persecutors. It's all punishment. No country is given incentives to listen to America's complaints.

Though well-intended, the asylum provision might have a curious effect. Throughout its 2,000-year history, the Christian church has grown and prospered under persecution. Consider the loss of popular clout among American churches, which have collectively grown fat and lazy because of their preoccupation with agendas centered on prosperity and politics.

For Americans persecution occurs when the sermon runs past noon or a journalist calls Christians names. A Sudanese Christian might think Americans have it easy when their lashings come by way of the tongue, while his come from whip or gun.

Would the expansion of the Christian faith be helped or hindered by allowing fledgling churches to flee persecution and come to America where a prosperity gospel and compromise often eclipses the way of the Cross?

Paul, the Apostle, wrote, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you."

That's not a justification for governments to do nothing. It is a call for Christian people to give more support to their brethren. The example of the Jewish people's unity during their times of persecution might be a good model to follow.

Los Angeles Times Syndicate