Reference: Ottawa Citizen

REV. RICK REED is senior pastor at the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa.

It's growing at an alarming rate. A recent survey by the Pew Forum revealed that a third of the world's population (more than 2.2 billion people) live in countries where government restrictions or social hostilities towards religion are increasing (http://pewforum.org/Government/Rising-Restrictions-on-Religion.aspx).

The Pew survey found that religious persecution comes in many forms, including "individuals being killed, physically abused, imprisoned, detained or displaced from their homes, as well as damage to or destruction of personal and religious properties."

The overall global picture is gloomy. The Pew Forum reported that between mid-2006 and mid-2009, just one per cent of the world's population enjoyed an increase in religious freedoms, 67 per cent remained unchanged, and 32 per cent experienced a decline.

The regions where religious persecution and restrictions were most severe were in the Middle East and North Africa.

Christians are saddened, but not surprised by this increase in religious persecution. Jesus told us to expect it. He predicted that persecution would increase as history moves toward its climax: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me" ( Matthew 24:9 ).

What can we do to increase religious freedoms and help those suffering persecution? The Bible says our first response should be prayer. We are to pray for "kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives" ( 1 Timothy 2:2 ). We also pray for the protection of those suffering under the scourge of religious persecution ( 1 Thessalonians 3:2 ).

In addition to talking to God, we can also talk to our governing officials. We can appeal to them to bring pressure to bear on governments that promote or permit religious persecution.

Those of us who cherish religious freedom should work to see these same freedoms given to all peoples in all places.

RABBI REUVEN BULKA, head of Congregation

Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa, hosts Sunday Night with Rabbi Bulka on 580 CFRA.

Since we should have zero tolerance for any persecution, religious or otherwise, it would be of little comfort if in terms of numbers, religious persecution is declining.

What is clear, and tragic, is that in religion-based countries that are not democracies, persecution is the rule rather than the exception. It reinforces the truism of history, that religion and politics is a toxic fusion, wherein empowered dogmatists use their political muscle in cruel ways.

There is also escalating religious persecution is some countries where the state itself is the religion, and any religious expression is looked upon as non-compliance at the very least.

What is most disappointing is that these persecutions are not adequately reported in the media. It would be tragic if the reason for this is that those who are responsible for deciding what is news have concluded that there is nothing new in this, and not worth reporting.

It may be nothing new, but the moment we presume it is not worth reporting we will have granted the persecutors a free hand to wreak even more havoc.

I am sure that you are not interested in a mere "yes or no" answer to your question. Given the unacceptable situation, what can be done? For openers, become informed of how bad the global persecution has become. Then, get in touch with local media outlets and ask, even demand, more coverage of this ugly reality. It also can't hurt to speak to your local MP about this and convey your anger; yes, anger. Because if this does not engender anger, what does?

These are the first steps toward exposing the brutality and horror that imperils millions of people. Hopefully, exposing it will generate protests and demands for sanctions to stop the unfolding disaster.

This is arguably the most pressing global human rights issue facing us today. That it does not even get onto the radar screen compounds the tragedy.

KEVIN SMITH is on the board of directors for the Centre of Inquiry, Canada's premier venue for humanists, skeptics and freethinkers.

'Timing is everything." Giordano Bruno was a freethinker, a voracious reader of forbidden books and one who dared question Christian doctrine. His most critical issue, however, was being alive during the Roman Inquisition. Accused by church authorities as a heretic, he was burned at the stake in 1600.

If Bruno were alive today, his books would be on bestseller lists and he'd be packing them in at lectures. He would still take a lot of heat for his views, but fire wouldn't necessarily be part of the equation.

It was a bold man who took the first bite out of religion, but in recent years there have been an increasing number of us who have committed that primal sin -- to question belief.

Persecution of non-believers for challenging religion has been as vicious as religious persecution between those of faith, and the attacks against us are growing.

Apostasy is still considered a serious crime in certain Middle Eastern countries where, if I visited, I'd end up coming home in cargo. In America, home of the free, the bravest of its citizens are atheists, its most vilified minority. There are still democracies, including Canada, where if you swear at God, instead of allegiance to Him, you can be charged with blasphemy.

Our atheist bus campaigns receive venom-packed letters, sprinkled with the occasional death threat, obviously written by spin masters of religious morality.

This month, a lecture at a Michigan Golf and Country Club was cancelled when the owner discovered that atheist Richard Dawkins was the keynote speaker.

It's deplorable that in this rational age -- and likely because of it -- we continue to be oppressed for speaking our truth. But at least it's not the 16th century, or Dawkins would have been carted out to the 13th hole and burned at the pin.

In part, the answer to this question depends where in the world we look. Today in the Middle East, for example, Iraqi and Egyptian Christians are experiencing violent persecution that has made it necessary for many to leave their homeland. A person who has grown up in a culture formed in liberal democratic theory may erroneously assume that other cultures value free speech and freedom of religion as basic human rights. The West has over centuries evolved the practice of letting each person decide for her or himself which faith, if any, to embrace, but this mindset is not shared by a large part of the world.

It is fundamentally important to help other cultures to see the value in religious tolerance and freedom of religion. Today, in many areas of the developing world, we can see a positive shift in attitudes as different faiths learn more about each other's beliefs and, just as importantly, work together on joint projects such as improving housing, education, medical and economic opportunities. For example, the Catholic Church's "Development and Peace" organization works with local partners to improve life in many parts of the world, regardless of the religious affiliation of the aid recipients; this unbiased concern is a big help in fostering mutual understanding.

As a cautionary note, we should acknowledge that the reasons why a faith tradition would resort to persecution or violence are complex, but it seems that a common element is rejection of what are regarded as the decadent and immoral practices of other cultures or faiths. We must be careful not to assume that the liberal democratic tradition of freedom of religion will be seen as the obvious choice either abroad or here within Canada.

REV. RAY INNEN PARCHELO is a novice Tendai priest and founder of the Red Maple SAngha, the first lay Buddhist community in Eastern Ontario.

There has been a long history of persecution of Buddhism since the beginning of what we call the Common Era (CE). It hasn't been any one region nor any particular faith or secular group perpetrating it. One of the most egregious modern examples was the Taliban murder of Buddhists in Afghanistan and the dynamiting of the masterpiece giant stone Buddhas.

At present, the prime zones of Buddhist persecution are in the People's Republic of China (although this is diminishing since temples and monasteries now have value as quaint tourist attractions), Tibet, Burma and some of the smaller countries of the South Asian Pacific. If one looks on the internet, there are some isolated and mostly verbal attacks against immigrant Buddhists in the U.S. in a few countries, the Buddhists are those engaging in persecution, notably Sri Lanka against Tamil Hindus.

Recent statistics report that North America is among the most tolerant places in the world. Compared to other countries where one faith imprisons, tortures, murders or sustains socio-economic inequities against others faiths or sects, the kind of verbal abuse found in the U.S. and Canada does seem less worrisome. So, any decline or growth in persecution would have to identify which regions we are evaluating.

We also need to distinguish between state-sponsored, faith against faith and inter-sectarian persecution That is, do we consider Muslims attacking other Muslims, as in Iraq, as persecution? Further, do situations like that in countries where one faith or sect dominates constitute ethnic, class or religious persecutions? One group's religious identity can often be a mask for these other forms of persecution or exploitation.

Buddhism with some small sectarian exceptions, strongly condemns such persecution. Our history has mostly been as visitors to other countries and we tend to seek peaceful coexistence with them.

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