“FREEDOM!”

Me-Maw Thoughts
Number 443
September 24, 2019///

We are admonished as Christians to pray for our great Country and the World. We must pray for our leaders and our freedoms.

With this in mind, I thought it fitting to share with you some portions of a C-Span video of the first meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom.

No matter what your opinion is of President Trump he made a great speech and gave a couple of startling statistics.

If you want to see the entire thing go to: http://www.c-span.org and check their videos. It was held on Sept. 24, 2019. If you have trouble finding it, you can check out Franklin Grahams face book page. He has a comment and link there about it.

Donald Trump, 9-24-2019
Today, it’s a true honor to be the first President of the United States to host a meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom. And an honor it is. It’s long overdue. And I was shocked when I was given that statistic that I would be the first. That’s very sad, in many ways. And it’s great to be with you.

THE UNITED STATES IS FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT OUR RIGHTS DO NOT COME FROM GOVERNMENT, THEY COME FROM GOD, THIS IMMORTAL TRUTH IS PROCLAIMED IN OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND ENSHRINED IN OUR FIRST AMENDMENT TO OUR CONSTITUTION, BILL OF RIGHTS. OUR FOUNDERS UNDERSTOOD THAT NO RIGHT IS MORE FUNDAMENTAL TO A PEACEFUL PROSPEROUS AND VIRTUOUS SOCIETY THAN THE RIGHT TO FOLLOW ONE’S RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS. REGRETTABLY, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ENJOYED BY AMERICAN CITIZENS IS RARE IN THE WORLD.

APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE WORLD POPULATION******** LIVE IN COUNTRIES WHERE RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES ARE THREATEN, RESTRICTED OR EVEN BAND.

WHEN I HEARD THAT NUMBER I SAID PLEASE GO BACK AND CHECK BECAUSE IT CAN’T POSSIBLY BE CORRECT. SADLY IT WAS. 80%.

AS WE SPEAK, JEWS, CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, BUDDHISTS, HINDUS, SIKHS, MANY OTHER PEOPLE OF FAITH ARE BEING JAILED, SANCTIONED, TORTURED AND EVEN MURDERED AT THE HANDS OF THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT SIMPLY FOR EXPRESSING THEIR DEEPLY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. SO HARD TO BELIEVE. TODAY WITH ONE CLEAR VOICE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CALLS UPON THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD TO END RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

AS PRESIDENT, PROTECTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IS ONE OF MY HIGHEST PRIORITIES AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. LAST YEAR OUR SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO HOSTED THE FIRST EVER MINISTERIAL TO ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND AT THIS YEAR’S MINISTERIAL, SECRETARY POMPEO ANNOUNCED PLANS TO CREATE THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ALLIANCE, AN ALLIANCE OF LIKE-MINDED NATIONS DEVOTED TO CONFRONTING RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ALL AROUND THE WORLD. I’VE APPOINTED A SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM, WE ARE STANDING UP FOR ALMOST 250 MILLION CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE PERSECUTED.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 11 CHRISTIANS ARE KILLED EVERY DAY FOR FOLLOWING CHRIST!

JUST THINK OF THIS, 11 CHRISTIANS A DAY FOR FOLLOWING THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST, WHO WOULD EVEN THINK THAT’S POSSIBLE?

IN RECENT TIMES THE WORLD HAS ALSO WITNESSED DEVASTATING ACTS OF VIOLENCE IN SACRED PLACES OF WORSHIP. IN 2016 AN 85-YEAR-OLD CATHOLIC PRIEST WAS VICIOUSLY KILLED WHILE CELEBRATING MASS IN NORMANDY, FRANCE. THE PAST YEAR THE UNITED STATES ENDURED HORRIFYING ANTI-SOMATIC ATTACKS AGAINST JEWISH AMERICANS AT SYNAGOGUES IN PENNSYLVANIA AND CALIFORNIA. IN MARCH, MUSLIMS PRAYING WITH THEIR FAMILIES WERE SADISTICALLY MURDERED IN NEW ZEALAND. ON EASTER SUNDAY THIS YEAR, TERRORISTS BOMBED CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN SRI LANKA, KILLING HUNDREDS OF FAITHFUL WORSHIPERS . THESE PEOPLE ATTACKS ARE A WOUND ON ALL HUMANITY.

THE UNITED STATES IS FORMING A COALITION OF U.S. BUSINESSES FOR THE PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS BEEN DONE. THIS WILL ENCOURAGE THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO PROTECT PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS IN THE WORKPLACE.

TOO OFTEN PEOPLE IN POSITIONS OF POWER PREACH DIVERSITY WHILE SILENCING OR CENSORING THE FAITHFUL. TRUE TOLERANCE MEANS RESPECTING THE RIGHT OF ALL PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR DEEPLY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

TODAY I ASK ALL NATIONS TO JOIN US IN THIS URGENT MORAL DUTY, WE ASK THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD TO HONOR THE ETERNAL RIGHT OF EVERY PERSON TO FOLLOW THEIR CONSCIENCE AND LIVE BY THEIR FAITH AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD. THE UNITED STATES HAS A VITAL ROLE IN THIS CRITICAL MISSION.
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To conclude Me-Maw Thoughts, I ask that you join me in being diligent to pray that God’s Glory covers the earth!!!
Love, MeMaw