12 August 2020

Wanted for Arrest: Followers of Jesus Christ

While the author thinks his freedom to practice his religion is constitutionally protected, recent events prove that 'protection' meaningless.

From Catholic Stand

By Dennis Dillon

At a recent Sunday Mass, the priest asked, “If there were a ‘Wanted: Follower of Jesus Christ’ bulletin posted, would you be arrested?”
I meditated on that for a day or two and then again this morning. The answer I came up with was “yes.” Arrest as a follower of Jesus Christ is likely. What evidence is there for the authorities to arrest me?
Arresting Evidence
Well, for one, it would be that, when I can, I attend daily Mass and Communion. That act alone would be enough to get me arrested. Even if my fellow regular Mass brothers and sisters tried to hide that fact from the authorities, the video archives of daily live streaming would document me going to Communion and thereby being in attendance at the daily Mass. But that’s not all; there is much more evidence.
I publicly attest to my relationship with Jesus Christ by the content I post on my Facebook pages and my blog page. They both contain much damaging evidence. There is visible proof on those social media pages that would indict me by my relationship and association with Jesus Christ.
Further evidence is that I belong to specific groups and organizations that evangelize the teachings of Jesus Christ, e.g., a Bible study group, the Knights of Columbus, a pro-life advocacy group. The authorities would most definitely designate these groups as subversive and would arrest me.
My family and friends would attest that I am a Jesus Christ sympathizer. It took a while for me to feel comfortable talking about Jesus with them. Still, I overcame the discomfort and never missed an opportunity to mention Jesus in prayer before meals or conversation. I get a squint, an eye-roll, a sincere and enthusiastic response, and sometimes a laugh. A friend of mine in an outburst of frustration because he banged his finger with a hammer and angrily shouted out “Jesus Christ!,” at which point I  piped up and said, “What are you blaming him for? He didn’t do it.”  My friend looked at me for a second, nodded his head up and down in agreement, and laughed.
An examination of my online Kindle library and my home library would result in more damaging evidence. They both contain dozens of volumes on Jesus Christ, his apostles, his martyrs, his Saints, and his Church. I enjoy reading and learning about these once real live people who profoundly impact our Catholic faith and help Catholicism grow to some 1.2 billion current followers. Jesus knew the power of the tiny mustard seed.
The authorities would find damaging evidence on my online sites, such as the National Catholic Register, Catholic Stand, RI Catholic, Word on Fire, Claritas University, Thomistic Institute, and the Catholic News Agency bookmarked on my computer, to name a few.
The evidence is overwhelming, and yes, an arrest is likely as a follower of Jesus Christ.  I honestly feel that it is a comforting thought.
Christianity and History
However, I’m not sure how comforted I would feel if, instead of 2020 USA, this was 60-300 AD Rome, 1600 Japan, 1789-99 France, 1920-41 Russia, modern-day China, or certain Middle East countries. Would I have the courage to admit being a follower of Jesus Christ so readily?
I thank Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven and the Holy Spirit, that I am blessed to live in a country at a particular time in history that constitutionally guarantees me the religious freedom to worship Him and not worry about being arrested.
Dechristianization?
As I just mentioned, I am blessed to live in America. However, I’m concerned that my religious freedoms are eroding by God-less secular organizations, disingenuous politicians, and specific anti-faith government programs. Under the umbrella of COVID-19 restrictions, state governments shut down churches and other faith-based gatherings. They prohibit people from attending a Mass gathering for a faith service. I understand and accept these decisions in the spirit of public safety. However, these same government officials call for the police force to stand down while large groups of rioters desecrate religious statues and set fire to churches and places of worship. Gavin Newsome, the Governor of California, has just ordered a ban on worship and home bible studies, yet encourages mass protests. In March of 2020, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio told his city’s religious community that fines and permanent closures may come their way if they refuse to stop worship services during the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor de Blasio’s answer to the significant people gathering protests in his city is to defund the police, and in so doing, he encourages violent demonstrations.
In May of 2020, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision allowed restrictions on attendance at church services, which impose a 25% occupancy cap or a 100-person maximum. Yet the dissenting justices noted that an underlying constitutional problem with this decision is that comparable secular businesses are not subject to a 25% occupancy cap.
The Portland metro area, Seattle, and San Francisco are the most religiously unaffiliated cities in the US. Sixty-eight percent of the religious unaffiliated disagreed with the statement: it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values. In my opinion, the absence of God is related to the heightened level of acts of bodily violence and property damage. These godless thugs display a complete lack of the core societal value of respect for persons and property. The absence of God gives people the idea that anything is acceptable as long as it suits their personal needs. Violent actions by Antifa and Black Lives Matters thugs sully the legitimate message of social injustice.
My parish had to restrict attendance at funeral masses to five people, yet thousands attended the George Floyd funeral mass. These kinds of selective restrictions are unfair. To me, they are a sign that although my religious freedom is constitutionally guaranteed, situations and events can occur that may erode that guarantee.
Christianity and the Future
Who knows? Could surveillance cameras identify us as subversives because we went to a faith service? Would you be arrested for being a follower of Jesus Christ? What is the evidence? Are we at the beginning of de-Christianization, as France was in the 1700s?
If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

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