RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION LEADING TO SLAVERY AND EXPLOITATION
religions of the world http://www.zpub.com/un/pope/relig.html
hawaii history
http://www.gohawaii.com/statewide/travel-tips/history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hawaii
Let me brag a little bit on how awesome our Father is. God saw us through
another year. Whewwhh. What a journey that was! Seriously people are not
valued enough for the wonderous artwork and the magnificant individuals that
we are. We are God made. We are not China made. American made. Made in
Canada. Even if one does not believe in God they must surely acknowledge
that they did not knit themselves together. God's handiwork is spectacular
from my point of view. You should all be where I am right now. What I see is
a gorgeous mosaic. People are also not appreciated enough for the effort in
their life journey. It takes an incredible amount of strength to exist on
this world even in a calm uneventful day - let alone a day full of stress
and pressures. So as you sit here listening to me and your mind starts to
wonder a bit and your eyes start to roam. I hope you are realizing every
person you lay eyes on is a hero just for breathing. And I do hope you take
an interest in what it took for them to be here today in this room with you
and I. More over I hope that awe and curiousity transcends to the market,
bus stop, school, office, traffick jam.
Lets pray.
Father in Jesus precious name. Thank you for being. Thank you for creating.
Because you are-all is. Because you had the courage to create-all exists.
Thank you father for creating us. Thank you for creating us and placing us
into our lives. Please teach us to be light in the darkness. Please give us
words to speak at the time needed. Please allow our words to have the same
impact as when you said, 'light be.' and light was. Light chased, confused,
confounded, overcame, over powered, tortured, tormented and pierced the
darkness. Father by the might of Holy Spirit we each here want to be like
you, we want to speak light and want to be the light in the darkness, so
Holy Spirit have your way with us all here today. Refine us with your
perfect love that casts out all fear. Help us to grow up in your character.
Holy Spirit use us to impact the world with you-love. I pray in Jesus name
that anyone who has not encountered you father that they encounter your Holy
Spirit and experience the love that they have been yearning for which is so
far more deeper than they have ever known. You complete us Lord Father.
Thank you. In Jesus name Amen.
If you would please turn to the first hand out there...
THESE PRECIOUS WORDS Michelle Carmela Saldana
These precious words that I hold here in my hands my eyes do read
These precious words that my eyes do read
I hold here in my heart so my mind may believe
These precious words.
These precious words that my mind believes
Wash over my soul.
Over my thoughts
Over my actions
Have complete control
So that others may see
These precious words living in me.
I have been invited here to share with you some of my experiences of not
only Religious Persecution but also of Human Trafficking which I am honestly
more familiar with. Intimately familiar with. You see I am a survivor of
child slavery -specifically child labor slavery and child sex slavery. All
which took place here on the soil of the United States. And which has
underminded my life in many ways - especially my health, and most
regretably my relationship with my children. We will discuss this more
later.
First let us define *What is religious persecution? *
* *
*According to Wikipedia...*
***Religious persecution** *is the systematic mistreatment of an individual
or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or
affiliations or lack thereof.**
We know religious persecution is wrong otherwise we would not be here.
Several years ago, I taught Spanish at a private Montessorri pre-school. In
my class. One child came from a family that had converted from Christianity
to Muslim. The parents even opened up and ran the only Muslim temple in the
area. One child came from a Jewish family. One child was the grandchild of a
Baptist minister. Lastly, another child from a scholarly atheistic family.
Four children from different religious upbringings. Not only were they of
different religious upbringings they represented the human rainbow. Yet,
they were best of friends on the play yard. It was a joy to watch them
interact. Sadly, the thought would creep in my mind from time to time...
When they grow up will this beauty be lost? Then I would pray that God would
nurture the relationship of these little ones well into their older years.
**The tendency of societies or groups within society to alienate or repress
different subcultures is a recurrent theme in human history. *
From time to time, I read the links in the internet taking notice of the
latest harrassment or oppression forced upon the Christian community hacking
away at our freedom of speach in America or the UK and EU. Worse yet in many
countries around the rest of the world it is Freedom of Life being erased
away with every person beaten or killed for their conversion to
Christianity.
However, we Christians can not play the "Woe is me" game. When in all
honesty the Christian community has also alienated and repressed different
subcultures. Namely what comes to mind is in our own history of America the
American Indian Nations who are still on reservations and are still going
through a silent genocide.
**
e.) We have no right as Christians to think we have the complete set of
answers to all of life's questions because we don't. We do have a
relationship to the One who does have all the answers. Jeremiah
33:3 And
we need to give other people room to teach us. The Bible
does acknowledge other gods besides Father God.
Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul strength and
mind, love your neighbor as yourself. Jeremiah 10:10 says
*“You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it
turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” ~ Anne Lamott*
**
*Moreover, because **a person's religion often determines to a significant
extent his or her morality and personal identity, religious differences can
be significant cultural factors.**
From 2006 to 2008, I had been livining on the Gulf Coast as part of
Hurricane Katrina relief. In mid July, I was visiting with some friends
before returning to Los Angeles. Due to an Anaphylactic episode, I had a
hospital stay. Once discharged my friend that I was visiting welcomed me to
stay at her home. Once we realized I was going to need more care than she
was able to give and with her husband returning home from being overseas-he
is an oceanographer- I started calling the churches in the area that I had
grown relationships with. I knew they did not have an organized shelter, any
one of them. What I was hoping for was that someone would open their home up
like my friend did. Not a one did though and I understood why. The care that
I needed and the sensitivity of my immune system was a strain even for me.
At a loss as what to do. My friend suggested I call the Hari Krsna farm. I
did. They said they had room and were most welcoming. I called my pastor and
mentor and he said to go for it and learn all I could so I could let others
know how to build bridges with them.
So with his blessings I stayed at the farm and did indeed grow
stronger. The food was excellent. The company pleasant. And I learned
things about the Hari Krsnas and even about Jesus that I had never known
before, like there are two temples in India that were errected to worship
Jesus who they call Issa. And these two temples are some of the most visited
in India.
I was surprized to learn how many people at this temple where I was
staying were former Christians not really in relationship as we say "born -
again" but they were familiar with Christianity because they were once part
of or active in their church. A few even former pastors or students of
seminary. I asked them why they became Hari Krsnas to them it was logical.
They wanted to know what Jesus meant by "Many other things I have to teach
you, but you are not ready." They felt that the Krsna religion could help
them understand. Some said because in their brokenness, the CHURCH broken
them even further. These were reasons the American followers gave. One lady
from India, told me she was an atheist, she had a successful realistate
business and had no time for religion. "But one day she went to the temple
sat in on the class." She said. "Listening to the teacher, I now had answers
to questions that I did not even realize my soul was asking until that
moment. My life's questions were answered and my heart felt complete
listening to the teacher." My response was, "That is the same feeling I get
when I read the Bible." We both smiled and just enjoyed the moment with each
other.
All the while I stayed there, and it was several weeks. No one tried
to convert me. Instead they shared with me stories of the persecution that
they went through for their beliefs. Nearby was a Baptist church that had
invited me to guest speak from time to time. The pastor had his daughter
pick me up to speak at the church. Knowing I was going to the church, the
kitchen people had fixed me up a plate of sweets to give to the pastor and
his family. They also fixed for me a snack. When I returned, I was just in
time for lunch at the krsna temple. As I was getting my lunch, I learned
from some of the 'devotees" that the Maharaja that I had met the night
before and spoke with that night about gardening was so touched by our
conversation that he quoted me during his lecture even to the point to
incorporate whatever I said into his teaching.
The project that I am currently working on is called Once Upon An
Eden. Later when you have time to yourself, you may read about this project.
It is fully non-denominational and intercultural as well as inter-religious.
The hari krsnas I am happy to say, have been a huge help in not only my
health recovery but also in helping me to learn and understand many of the
ancient traditional methods of farming as they were then and even now with
modern twists.
While I can not fathom why they are so devoted to tending to the needs
of the wooden statues. They can not understand why I can not. While for me
having a relationship with Father, Son and Holy Ghost is more than enough
for me. They find knowing the tales, dates of celebration and feasts of all
their gods as a joyous way to spend life and devotion. And overall they are
people of joy.
My time at the temple let me see and understand what life in Jesus day
or the Old Testment must have been like. I wore Sari's, and beautiful
peasant skirts they call goppi skirts. And I ate meals that the receipIt is
a beautiful place. And the people do really live devoted and with such
respect that they take off their shoes before going into the temple. They
kiss the floor of the temple. They pay reverence to their teachers. Of
course they have their squabbles and differences like any other religion
and I was surprized to hear they even have denominations and fractions
within. Just like the other religions. But these were things that I noticed
that really caused me to ask God to be the best light of his presence in me
while at the temple. As a result these people who have earned a dear place
in my heart have given me so much respect and love in return.
*Religious persecution may be triggered by religious bigotry (i.e. the
denigration of practitioners' religions other than those of the oppressors)
or by the State when it views a particular religious group as a threat to
its interests or security. At a societal level, this dehumanization of a
particular religious group may readily turn into violence or other forms of
persecution..... Indeed, in many countries, religious persecution has
resulted in so much violence that it is considered a human rights problem.*
* *
Religious Persecution is nothing new. Let us examine more closely *the
systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a
response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack there of. *
Over the years I have encountered many atheists who can quote the Bible
better than I or many other Christians. When I have asked them, "How is it
you know the Bible so well but you do not believe in the God it speaks of?"
The answer I often hear is that they learn the Bible as a tool of defense
against being "Witnessed to or at" so much. The critique I often hear from
individual atheitsts is that they want to be heard and treated like a person
and not a target or project. It can be surprising sometimes to hear how
intrenched and involved they were at one time in their church
community. Yes, many atheists do feel dehumanized by many, not all, but
many Christians and other religious groups.
As stated *a person's religion often determines to a significant extent his
or her morality and personal identity, religious differences can be
significant cultural factors.* Religion and culture played a huge part
during the
*Religious persecution may be triggered by religious bigotry (i.e. the
denigration of practitioners' religions other than those of the oppressors)
or by the State when it views a particular religious group as a threat to
its interests or security. At a societal level, this dehumanization of a
particular religious group may readily turn into violence or other forms of
persecution.*
**
One man is infamous to this very day for his religious bigotry, When
religious persecution comes to mind do we not think of Hitler? When the
religious persecution is by another religion upon another or within
religious affiliations do we not think Radical Muslims or cults? When
religious persecution is by the State (meaning government induced religious
persecution) do we not think of again the Middle Eastern Cultures or China?
Would it be surprizing to learn that Religious Persecution is still
happening in America?
* Jesus said in John 10:10*
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may
have life and have it abundantly.
English Standard Version
Again, *Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief comes to steal and to kill and to
destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly. *
Jesus was hounded and persecuted by the Pharisees and Sandhedrian who
claimed he spoke hereisay. Jesus believed in the same books and scriptures
as they; however, his interrpretation and the fact that he did interpret the
scriptures and taught the scriptures having not the level of schollastic
achievement as they and teaching in a way contridictory as how they taught
and in a manner that empowered people made Jesus a threat to the religious
powers of that day.
*Jesus prayed in John 17:1-6*
Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2
since you have given him authority over all flesh,to give eternal life to
all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent 4 I glorified you on
earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now,
Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you
before the world existed. 6 "I have manifested your name to the people
whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
*John 14:22-24*
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest
Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23Jesus answered and said to him, "If
anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me
does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the
Father's who sent me.
Native American Indians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
[image: Jay Tavare] <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare>
Jay Tavare <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare>
Actor, Writer & Activist
Posted: January 28, 2011 02:20 PM
BIO <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/#blogger_bio> Become a
Fan<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Jay+Tavare>
Get Email Alerts <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/> Bloggers'
Index <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/index/>
A Modern Day American Indian
Story<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/our-true-american-indian-_b_808290.html>
First Article from Jay Tavare -Huffington Post
I couldn't make up a more gripping story than this. It's a disturbing tale
of one people's struggle against ethnic cleansing and cultural exploitation.
Not fictional violence played out on the silver screen like one of my
movies. Not a comfortable account of a remote holocaust far across the ocean
or centuries ago. This tragic saga is real life, here in America. And it is
happening now.
My name is Jay Tavare. I am an actor and writer, a storyteller in the modern
way. What I am going to tell you is a true story you might not hear any
place else.
The year is 2011. The place is the United States of America. The people are
the American Indians. Their plight... they are dying from lack of heat, food
and even water. They are dying from despair. All of this happens quietly,
like a closely guarded government secret.
You probably think I'm exaggerating, and that's understandable. After all,
our government gives hundreds of millions of dollars each year to other
nations to solve their problems... natural disaster, war, famine, epidemic
disease... you name the cause, and we finance it. So how is it possible that
our own indigenous people are among the poorest in the world? The answer is
simple. It is possible because we are ignorant.
This raises a more intriguing question though: Why and how we've been kept
in the dark for so long? And the answer to that is nothing more than
standard fare for any successful long term mass extermination effort --
indoctrination, historical revision and elimination of the "enemy".
What our children learn about our nation's early history and our
relationship with the American Indians is so loosely based on reality, it's
actually more of a fairytale. Conveniently, our history books fail to
explain the cost paid in human suffering and lives so the rest of us would
prosper.
Five-hundred-sixty-two American Indian nations survive today. I say
"nations" instead of "tribes," because that is what the original treaties
with the U.S. Government say. But the government has revised its
interpretation of those treaties so they can forget that each tribe is a
recognized sovereign nation; that their lands are likewise sovereign; and
that American Indians should have the same opportunities for prosperity and
happiness that you and I have. The result for American Indians is,
"recognition" does not include basic human rights.
The first Indian reservations were concentration camps. While conditions on
the reservations are somewhat different today, they are not better.
Reservation life remains unhealthy and unsafe. The average American Indian
man on the reservation lives just 46 years.
My film work has given me an unusual opportunity to learn what our text
books do not teach us about American Indian history and culture. I have felt
outrage, dismay and finally deep compassion for the plight of my people. But
my feelings don't feed hungry stomachs or warm cold bodies. I intend to make
a difference by doing something real! I searched hard for a place that I
could do this and I found *Adopt a Native Elder <http://www.anelder.org/>*,
a philanthropic organization that is very dear to me.
Adopt a Native Elder was born over 20 years ago when Linda Myers walked onto
a Navajo reservation. She asked if anyone would give her a rug to sell. She
would, she promised, bring the money back to them. Just imagine how the
Navajo elders must have looked at this white girl asking them to trust her.
But one elder stepped up and was eventually proven wise. Linda sold the rug,
returning all the money to the elder. And through that act of kindness Linda
Myers found her counterpart in the Navajo country, Grace Smith Yellow
Hammer.
My project at Adopt a Native Elder, Warming Hearts, raises much needed money
for fire wood essential to the Navajo elders during the harsh winters.
Today I finish with this urgent news. Soon I will make one of my regular
trips to the Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico. They are dealing
with a horrific problem -- teens who are killing themselves in greater
numbers than ever before. Suicide is heartbreaking and the problem is huge,
but we will find a way to end it.
In my next post I'll talk about these things and more in greater detail.
Please share your ideas and comments with me. I look forward reading them.
And stay tuned... This is a continuing story!
*Follow Jay Tavare on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SacredPower *
Jay Tavare <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare>
Actor, Writer & Activist
Posted: February 12, 2011 01:41 PM
BIO <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/#blogger_bio> Become a
Fan<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Jay+Tavare>
Get Email Alerts <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/> Bloggers'
Index <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/index/>
Life or Death: Teen Suicide on American Indian
Reservations<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/suicide-american-indian-reservation_b_821639.html>
Second Article from Jay Tavare -Huffington Post
Teen suicide is beyond what most of us can fathom. No parent should have to
bury their children. I have done it in my films and even that much was
emotionally uncomfortable and draining.
[image: 2011-02-11-MountainGodsMescaleroApachereservationsmall.jpg]
American Indian teens take their own lives at more than two times the rate
of any other teen demographic in the USA, according to statistics from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of course, these numbers are
just averages, so on certain reservations the suicide rate is exponentially
higher. But calculating the numbers is easy. It's the reasons that are
harder to fathom.
Most are kids who do not have drugs or alcohol problems. Many come from
financially comfortable families, by Native American standards. And most
don't leave a suicide note, so their loved ones suffer the pain of regrets
and self blame without the relief of being able to know the true reasons.
Imagine a 14-year-old girl coming home from school and after putting her
books away, hanging herself. Shocking, I know, but this is what had become
commonplace on the Mescalero
Apache<http://www.mescaleroapache.com/area/history_and_cul.htm>
reservation
in New Mexico (map <http://www.mescaleroapache.com/images/image004.gif>). In
2009, they faced a true state of emergency when four teens committed suicide
and one attempted suicide in the space of just two
months<http://www.ruidosonews.com/>.
- Fifteen-year-old Coloradas Mangas shares his stunning firsthand
experience in this AP
story.<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36039795/ns/health-mental_health/>
- Also read Coloradas' moving testimony before the Senate Hearing for the
Committee on Indian
Affairs.<http://indian.senate.gov/public/_files/ColoradasMangastestimony.pdf>
For some reason the truth about this crisis is seldom publicized by the
mainstream media. Maybe we find it comfortable to believe that problems on
the reservation are the same as ours in the mainstream. But the situation is
more complicated than that.
The American Indian nations are proud and independent people. They're not
helpless and they're not seeking outside assistance. In fact -- and this is
something we must take to heart in order to truly understand -- historical
evidence strongly suggests that it's outside "help," in the form of European
colonialism and religious missionary movements, that created this problem in
the first place.
For centuries, American Indian culture has been attacked and exploited by
our new dominant culture. Traditions, language and spiritual beliefs of so
many of the American Indian nations are almost completely extinguished. Is
it any wonder that the youth find themselves in an identity crisis?
Hearing all this, it's natural we want to help. But real healing has to
come from within the Indian community. What we can do is become educated and
empathetic. We can help by learning about and respectfully supporting
programs founded by and for Indians on the reservations.
The Mescalero Apache reservation has created their own suicide prevention
youth program, Honor Your Life, headed by coordinator Jeremiah Simmons. And
the recent news are encouraging: In 2010 there were no teen suicides on the
Mescalero Apache reservation. Although kids still talked about taking their
own lives, they didn't go through with it.
Janice Merino -- who happens to be a direct descendant of
Cochice<http://www.snowwowl.com/nativeleaders/cochise.html>and a
beautiful generous soul whom I cherish dearly -- is a suicide
prevention specialist for the Honor Your Life program. Janice says:
"Its interesting because now we are mainly seeing suicide ideation,
thoughts but no plans."
This is a huge step in the right direction. I'm incredibly proud of
Janice and everyone she works with. The things they accomplished in defiance
of all odds and adversity are miraculous. Kudos to Janice, Jeremiah and all
the precious people at Honor Your Life!
Janice goes on to say:
"Also the teen pregnancy rate has risen very high and parents are not
talking to kids about sex. There have been more bullying issues in middle
school. And of course drugs and alcohol issues seem to remain the same."
These are things I'll talk about more in upcoming posts.
Obviously, the greater crisis still looms, not just on the Mescalero
Apache reservation, but over all of Indian country. Pine Ridge Oglala
Lakota Sioux reservation of South Dakota is another tragic
example<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/us/09suicide.html?_r=1>,
with a suicide rate more than three times the average for the rest of the
nation.
There are too many stories like these. But by learning the facts,
remembering them and sharing them with others, you're a vital part of what
happens next. The shift is coming!
As the Apache say: G'u Z'u D'alsh ("Let all good things happen!")
*(Photo by Jay Tavare. "The Apache reservation is surrounded by four
mountains that are sacred to them. White Mountain is the one seen here.")
*
*Follow Jay Tavare on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SacredPower *
**
Orgs
Native Americans
*Welcome to Adopt-A-Native-Elder <http://www.anelder.org/>*
www.anelder.org
stolen generation
http://reconciliaction.org.au/nsw/education-kit/stolen-generations/
******************************************************
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Hidden in plain sight
http://criminal.lawyers.com/Criminal-Law-Basics/Hidden-in-Plain-Sight-Human-Trafficking.html
stats for human trafficking
http://www.unescobkk.org/culture/cultural-diversity/trafficking-and-hivaids-project/projects/trafficking-statistics-project/data-comparison-sheet/
this is a video from thailand or orient
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7En-A1k1Ac&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7En-A1k1Ac&feature=related
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION LEADING TO SLAVERY AND EXPLOITATION
religions of the world http://www.zpub.com/un/pope/relig.html
hawaii history
http://www.gohawaii.com/statewide/travel-tips/history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hawaii
Let me brag a little bit on how awesome our Father is. God saw us through
another year. Whewwhh. What a journey that was! Seriously people are not
valued enough for the wonderous artwork and the magnificant individuals that
we are. We are God made. We are not China made. American made. Made in
Canada. Even if one does not believe in God they must surely acknowledge
that they did not knit themselves together. God's handiwork is spectacular
from my point of view. You should all be where I am right now. What I see is
a gorgeous mosaic. People are also not appreciated enough for the effort in
their life journey. It takes an incredible amount of strength to exist on
this world even in a calm uneventful day - let alone a day full of stress
and pressures. So as you sit here listening to me and your mind starts to
wonder a bit and your eyes start to roam. I hope you are realizing every
person you lay eyes on is a hero just for breathing. And I do hope you take
an interest in what it took for them to be here today in this room with you
and I. More over I hope that awe and curiousity transcends to the market,
bus stop, school, office, traffick jam.
Lets pray.
Father in Jesus precious name. Thank you for being. Thank you for creating.
Because you are-all is. Because you had the courage to create-all exists.
Thank you father for creating us. Thank you for creating us and placing us
into our lives. Please teach us to be light in the darkness. Please give us
words to speak at the time needed. Please allow our words to have the same
impact as when you said, 'light be.' and light was. Light chased, confused,
confounded, overcame, over powered, tortured, tormented and pierced the
darkness. Father by the might of Holy Spirit we each here want to be like
you, we want to speak light and want to be the light in the darkness, so
Holy Spirit have your way with us all here today. Refine us with your
perfect love that casts out all fear. Help us to grow up in your character.
Holy Spirit use us to impact the world with you-love. I pray in Jesus name
that anyone who has not encountered you father that they encounter your Holy
Spirit and experience the love that they have been yearning for which is so
far more deeper than they have ever known. You complete us Lord Father.
Thank you. In Jesus name Amen.
If you would please turn to the first hand out there...
THESE PRECIOUS WORDS Michelle Carmela Saldana
These precious words that I hold here in my hands my eyes do read
These precious words that my eyes do read
I hold here in my heart so my mind may believe
These precious words.
These precious words that my mind believes
Wash over my soul.
Over my thoughts
Over my actions
Have complete control
So that others may see
These precious words living in me.
I have been invited here to share with you some of my experiences of not
only Religious Persecution but also of Human Trafficking which I am honestly
more familiar with. Intimately familiar with. You see I am a survivor of
child slavery -specifically child labor slavery and child sex slavery. All
which took place here on the soil of the United States. And which has
underminded my life in many ways - especially my health, and most
regretably my relationship with my children. We will discuss this more
later.
First let us define *What is religious persecution? *
* *
*According to Wikipedia...*
***Religious persecution** *is the systematic mistreatment of an individual
or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or
affiliations or lack thereof.**
We know religious persecution is wrong otherwise we would not be here.
Several years ago, I taught Spanish at a private Montessorri pre-school. In
my class. One child came from a family that had converted from Christianity
to Muslim. The parents even opened up and ran the only Muslim temple in the
area. One child came from a Jewish family. One child was the grandchild of a
Baptist minister. Lastly, another child from a scholarly atheistic family.
Four children from different religious upbringings. Not only were they of
different religious upbringings they represented the human rainbow. Yet,
they were best of friends on the play yard. It was a joy to watch them
interact. Sadly, the thought would creep in my mind from time to time...
When they grow up will this beauty be lost? Then I would pray that God would
nurture the relationship of these little ones well into their older years.
**The tendency of societies or groups within society to alienate or repress
different subcultures is a recurrent theme in human history. *
From time to time, I read the links in the internet taking notice of the
latest harrassment or oppression forced upon the Christian community hacking
away at our freedom of speach in America or the UK and EU. Worse yet in many
countries around the rest of the world it is Freedom of Life being erased
away with every person beaten or killed for their conversion to
Christianity.
However, we Christians can not play the "Woe is me" game. When in all
honesty the Christian community has also alienated and repressed different
subcultures. Namely what comes to mind is in our own history of America the
American Indian Nations who are still on reservations and are still going
through a silent genocide.
**
e.) We have no right as Christians to think we have the complete set of
answers to all of life's questions because we don't. We do have a
relationship to the One who does have all the answers. Jeremiah
33:3 And
we need to give other people room to teach us. The Bible
does acknowledge other gods besides Father God.
Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul strength and
mind, love your neighbor as yourself. Jeremiah 10:10 says
*“You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it
turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” ~ Anne Lamott*
**
*Moreover, because **a person's religion often determines to a significant
extent his or her morality and personal identity, religious differences can
be significant cultural factors.**
From 2006 to 2008, I had been livining on the Gulf Coast as part of
Hurricane Katrina relief. In mid July, I was visiting with some friends
before returning to Los Angeles. Due to an Anaphylactic episode, I had a
hospital stay. Once discharged my friend that I was visiting welcomed me to
stay at her home. Once we realized I was going to need more care than she
was able to give and with her husband returning home from being overseas-he
is an oceanographer- I started calling the churches in the area that I had
grown relationships with. I knew they did not have an organized shelter, any
one of them. What I was hoping for was that someone would open their home up
like my friend did. Not a one did though and I understood why. The care that
I needed and the sensitivity of my immune system was a strain even for me.
At a loss as what to do. My friend suggested I call the Hari Krsna farm. I
did. They said they had room and were most welcoming. I called my pastor and
mentor and he said to go for it and learn all I could so I could let others
know how to build bridges with them.
So with his blessings I stayed at the farm and did indeed grow
stronger. The food was excellent. The company pleasant. And I learned
things about the Hari Krsnas and even about Jesus that I had never known
before, like there are two temples in India that were errected to worship
Jesus who they call Issa. And these two temples are some of the most visited
in India.
I was surprized to learn how many people at this temple where I was
staying were former Christians not really in relationship as we say "born -
again" but they were familiar with Christianity because they were once part
of or active in their church. A few even former pastors or students of
seminary. I asked them why they became Hari Krsnas to them it was logical.
They wanted to know what Jesus meant by "Many other things I have to teach
you, but you are not ready." They felt that the Krsna religion could help
them understand. Some said because in their brokenness, the CHURCH broken
them even further. These were reasons the American followers gave. One lady
from India, told me she was an atheist, she had a successful realistate
business and had no time for religion. "But one day she went to the temple
sat in on the class." She said. "Listening to the teacher, I now had answers
to questions that I did not even realize my soul was asking until that
moment. My life's questions were answered and my heart felt complete
listening to the teacher." My response was, "That is the same feeling I get
when I read the Bible." We both smiled and just enjoyed the moment with each
other.
All the while I stayed there, and it was several weeks. No one tried
to convert me. Instead they shared with me stories of the persecution that
they went through for their beliefs. Nearby was a Baptist church that had
invited me to guest speak from time to time. The pastor had his daughter
pick me up to speak at the church. Knowing I was going to the church, the
kitchen people had fixed me up a plate of sweets to give to the pastor and
his family. They also fixed for me a snack. When I returned, I was just in
time for lunch at the krsna temple. As I was getting my lunch, I learned
from some of the 'devotees" that the Maharaja that I had met the night
before and spoke with that night about gardening was so touched by our
conversation that he quoted me during his lecture even to the point to
incorporate whatever I said into his teaching.
The project that I am currently working on is called Once Upon An
Eden. Later when you have time to yourself, you may read about this project.
It is fully non-denominational and intercultural as well as inter-religious.
The hari krsnas I am happy to say, have been a huge help in not only my
health recovery but also in helping me to learn and understand many of the
ancient traditional methods of farming as they were then and even now with
modern twists.
While I can not fathom why they are so devoted to tending to the needs
of the wooden statues. They can not understand why I can not. While for me
having a relationship with Father, Son and Holy Ghost is more than enough
for me. They find knowing the tales, dates of celebration and feasts of all
their gods as a joyous way to spend life and devotion. And overall they are
people of joy.
My time at the temple let me see and understand what life in Jesus day
or the Old Testment must have been like. I wore Sari's, and beautiful
peasant skirts they call goppi skirts. And I ate meals that the receipIt is
a beautiful place. And the people do really live devoted and with such
respect that they take off their shoes before going into the temple. They
kiss the floor of the temple. They pay reverence to their teachers. Of
course they have their squabbles and differences like any other religion
and I was surprized to hear they even have denominations and fractions
within. Just like the other religions. But these were things that I noticed
that really caused me to ask God to be the best light of his presence in me
while at the temple. As a result these people who have earned a dear place
in my heart have given me so much respect and love in return.
*Religious persecution may be triggered by religious bigotry (i.e. the
denigration of practitioners' religions other than those of the oppressors)
or by the State when it views a particular religious group as a threat to
its interests or security. At a societal level, this dehumanization of a
particular religious group may readily turn into violence or other forms of
persecution..... Indeed, in many countries, religious persecution has
resulted in so much violence that it is considered a human rights problem.*
* *
Religious Persecution is nothing new. Let us examine more closely *the
systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a
response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack there of. *
Over the years I have encountered many atheists who can quote the Bible
better than I or many other Christians. When I have asked them, "How is it
you know the Bible so well but you do not believe in the God it speaks of?"
The answer I often hear is that they learn the Bible as a tool of defense
against being "Witnessed to or at" so much. The critique I often hear from
individual atheitsts is that they want to be heard and treated like a person
and not a target or project. It can be surprising sometimes to hear how
intrenched and involved they were at one time in their church
community. Yes, many atheists do feel dehumanized by many, not all, but
many Christians and other religious groups.
As stated *a person's religion often determines to a significant extent his
or her morality and personal identity, religious differences can be
significant cultural factors.* Religion and culture played a huge part
during the
*Religious persecution may be triggered by religious bigotry (i.e. the
denigration of practitioners' religions other than those of the oppressors)
or by the State when it views a particular religious group as a threat to
its interests or security. At a societal level, this dehumanization of a
particular religious group may readily turn into violence or other forms of
persecution.*
**
One man is infamous to this very day for his religious bigotry, When
religious persecution comes to mind do we not think of Hitler? When the
religious persecution is by another religion upon another or within
religious affiliations do we not think Radical Muslims or cults? When
religious persecution is by the State (meaning government induced religious
persecution) do we not think of again the Middle Eastern Cultures or China?
Would it be surprizing to learn that Religious Persecution is still
happening in America?
* Jesus said in John 10:10*
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may
have life and have it abundantly.
English Standard Version
Again, *Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief comes to steal and to kill and to
destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly. *
Jesus was hounded and persecuted by the Pharisees and Sandhedrian who
claimed he spoke hereisay. Jesus believed in the same books and scriptures
as they; however, his interrpretation and the fact that he did interpret the
scriptures and taught the scriptures having not the level of schollastic
achievement as they and teaching in a way contridictory as how they taught
and in a manner that empowered people made Jesus a threat to the religious
powers of that day.
*Jesus prayed in John 17:1-6*
Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2
since you have given him authority over all flesh,to give eternal life to
all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent 4 I glorified you on
earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now,
Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you
before the world existed. 6 "I have manifested your name to the people
whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
*John 14:22-24*
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest
Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23Jesus answered and said to him, "If
anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me
does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the
Father's who sent me.
Native American Indians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
[image: Jay Tavare] <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare>
Jay Tavare <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare>
Actor, Writer & Activist
Posted: January 28, 2011 02:20 PM
BIO <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/#blogger_bio> Become a
Fan<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Jay+Tavare>
Get Email Alerts <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/> Bloggers'
Index <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/index/>
A Modern Day American Indian
Story<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/our-true-american-indian-_b_808290.html>
First Article from Jay Tavare -Huffington Post
I couldn't make up a more gripping story than this. It's a disturbing tale
of one people's struggle against ethnic cleansing and cultural exploitation.
Not fictional violence played out on the silver screen like one of my
movies. Not a comfortable account of a remote holocaust far across the ocean
or centuries ago. This tragic saga is real life, here in America. And it is
happening now.
My name is Jay Tavare. I am an actor and writer, a storyteller in the modern
way. What I am going to tell you is a true story you might not hear any
place else.
The year is 2011. The place is the United States of America. The people are
the American Indians. Their plight... they are dying from lack of heat, food
and even water. They are dying from despair. All of this happens quietly,
like a closely guarded government secret.
You probably think I'm exaggerating, and that's understandable. After all,
our government gives hundreds of millions of dollars each year to other
nations to solve their problems... natural disaster, war, famine, epidemic
disease... you name the cause, and we finance it. So how is it possible that
our own indigenous people are among the poorest in the world? The answer is
simple. It is possible because we are ignorant.
This raises a more intriguing question though: Why and how we've been kept
in the dark for so long? And the answer to that is nothing more than
standard fare for any successful long term mass extermination effort --
indoctrination, historical revision and elimination of the "enemy".
What our children learn about our nation's early history and our
relationship with the American Indians is so loosely based on reality, it's
actually more of a fairytale. Conveniently, our history books fail to
explain the cost paid in human suffering and lives so the rest of us would
prosper.
Five-hundred-sixty-two American Indian nations survive today. I say
"nations" instead of "tribes," because that is what the original treaties
with the U.S. Government say. But the government has revised its
interpretation of those treaties so they can forget that each tribe is a
recognized sovereign nation; that their lands are likewise sovereign; and
that American Indians should have the same opportunities for prosperity and
happiness that you and I have. The result for American Indians is,
"recognition" does not include basic human rights.
The first Indian reservations were concentration camps. While conditions on
the reservations are somewhat different today, they are not better.
Reservation life remains unhealthy and unsafe. The average American Indian
man on the reservation lives just 46 years.
My film work has given me an unusual opportunity to learn what our text
books do not teach us about American Indian history and culture. I have felt
outrage, dismay and finally deep compassion for the plight of my people. But
my feelings don't feed hungry stomachs or warm cold bodies. I intend to make
a difference by doing something real! I searched hard for a place that I
could do this and I found *Adopt a Native Elder <http://www.anelder.org/>*,
a philanthropic organization that is very dear to me.
Adopt a Native Elder was born over 20 years ago when Linda Myers walked onto
a Navajo reservation. She asked if anyone would give her a rug to sell. She
would, she promised, bring the money back to them. Just imagine how the
Navajo elders must have looked at this white girl asking them to trust her.
But one elder stepped up and was eventually proven wise. Linda sold the rug,
returning all the money to the elder. And through that act of kindness Linda
Myers found her counterpart in the Navajo country, Grace Smith Yellow
Hammer.
My project at Adopt a Native Elder, Warming Hearts, raises much needed money
for fire wood essential to the Navajo elders during the harsh winters.
Today I finish with this urgent news. Soon I will make one of my regular
trips to the Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico. They are dealing
with a horrific problem -- teens who are killing themselves in greater
numbers than ever before. Suicide is heartbreaking and the problem is huge,
but we will find a way to end it.
In my next post I'll talk about these things and more in greater detail.
Please share your ideas and comments with me. I look forward reading them.
And stay tuned... This is a continuing story!
*Follow Jay Tavare on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SacredPower *
Jay Tavare <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare>
Actor, Writer & Activist
Posted: February 12, 2011 01:41 PM
BIO <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/#blogger_bio> Become a
Fan<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Jay+Tavare>
Get Email Alerts <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/> Bloggers'
Index <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/index/>
Life or Death: Teen Suicide on American Indian
Reservations<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/suicide-american-indian-reservation_b_821639.html>
Second Article from Jay Tavare -Huffington Post
Teen suicide is beyond what most of us can fathom. No parent should have to
bury their children. I have done it in my films and even that much was
emotionally uncomfortable and draining.
[image: 2011-02-11-MountainGodsMescaleroApachereservationsmall.jpg]
American Indian teens take their own lives at more than two times the rate
of any other teen demographic in the USA, according to statistics from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of course, these numbers are
just averages, so on certain reservations the suicide rate is exponentially
higher. But calculating the numbers is easy. It's the reasons that are
harder to fathom.
Most are kids who do not have drugs or alcohol problems. Many come from
financially comfortable families, by Native American standards. And most
don't leave a suicide note, so their loved ones suffer the pain of regrets
and self blame without the relief of being able to know the true reasons.
Imagine a 14-year-old girl coming home from school and after putting her
books away, hanging herself. Shocking, I know, but this is what had become
commonplace on the Mescalero
Apache<http://www.mescaleroapache.com/area/history_and_cul.htm>
reservation
in New Mexico (map <http://www.mescaleroapache.com/images/image004.gif>). In
2009, they faced a true state of emergency when four teens committed suicide
and one attempted suicide in the space of just two
months<http://www.ruidosonews.com/>.
- Fifteen-year-old Coloradas Mangas shares his stunning firsthand
experience in this AP
story.<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36039795/ns/health-mental_health/>
- Also read Coloradas' moving testimony before the Senate Hearing for the
Committee on Indian
Affairs.<http://indian.senate.gov/public/_files/ColoradasMangastestimony.pdf>
For some reason the truth about this crisis is seldom publicized by the
mainstream media. Maybe we find it comfortable to believe that problems on
the reservation are the same as ours in the mainstream. But the situation is
more complicated than that.
The American Indian nations are proud and independent people. They're not
helpless and they're not seeking outside assistance. In fact -- and this is
something we must take to heart in order to truly understand -- historical
evidence strongly suggests that it's outside "help," in the form of European
colonialism and religious missionary movements, that created this problem in
the first place.
For centuries, American Indian culture has been attacked and exploited by
our new dominant culture. Traditions, language and spiritual beliefs of so
many of the American Indian nations are almost completely extinguished. Is
it any wonder that the youth find themselves in an identity crisis?
Hearing all this, it's natural we want to help. But real healing has to
come from within the Indian community. What we can do is become educated and
empathetic. We can help by learning about and respectfully supporting
programs founded by and for Indians on the reservations.
The Mescalero Apache reservation has created their own suicide prevention
youth program, Honor Your Life, headed by coordinator Jeremiah Simmons. And
the recent news are encouraging: In 2010 there were no teen suicides on the
Mescalero Apache reservation. Although kids still talked about taking their
own lives, they didn't go through with it.
Janice Merino -- who happens to be a direct descendant of
Cochice<http://www.snowwowl.com/nativeleaders/cochise.html>and a
beautiful generous soul whom I cherish dearly -- is a suicide
prevention specialist for the Honor Your Life program. Janice says:
"Its interesting because now we are mainly seeing suicide ideation,
thoughts but no plans."
This is a huge step in the right direction. I'm incredibly proud of
Janice and everyone she works with. The things they accomplished in defiance
of all odds and adversity are miraculous. Kudos to Janice, Jeremiah and all
the precious people at Honor Your Life!
Janice goes on to say:
"Also the teen pregnancy rate has risen very high and parents are not
talking to kids about sex. There have been more bullying issues in middle
school. And of course drugs and alcohol issues seem to remain the same."
These are things I'll talk about more in upcoming posts.
Obviously, the greater crisis still looms, not just on the Mescalero
Apache reservation, but over all of Indian country. Pine Ridge Oglala
Lakota Sioux reservation of South Dakota is another tragic
example<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/us/09suicide.html?_r=1>,
with a suicide rate more than three times the average for the rest of the
nation.
There are too many stories like these. But by learning the facts,
remembering them and sharing them with others, you're a vital part of what
happens next. The shift is coming!
As the Apache say: G'u Z'u D'alsh ("Let all good things happen!")
*(Photo by Jay Tavare. "The Apache reservation is surrounded by four
mountains that are sacred to them. White Mountain is the one seen here.")
*
*Follow Jay Tavare on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SacredPower *
**
Orgs
Native Americans
*Welcome to Adopt-A-Native-Elder <http://www.anelder.org/>*
www.anelder.org
stolen generation
http://reconciliaction.org.au/nsw/education-kit/stolen-generations/
******************************************************
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Hidden in plain sight
http://criminal.lawyers.com/Criminal-Law-Basics/Hidden-in-Plain-Sight-Human-Trafficking.html
stats for human trafficking
http://www.unescobkk.org/culture/cultural-diversity/trafficking-and-hivaids-project/projects/trafficking-statistics-project/data-comparison-sheet/
this is a video from thailand or orient
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7En-A1k1Ac&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7En-A1k1Ac&feature=related
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