Persecution of Christians
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Persecution of Christians is the religious persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith, both historically and in the current era.
Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity was an offshoot, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land early Christianity was distributed across. This continued from the first century until the early fourth, when the religion was legalised by Constantine I. There is also a history of individual Christian denominations suffering persecution at the hands of other Christians under the charge of heresy, particularly during the 16th century Protestant Reformation.
In the 20th century, Christians have been persecuted by radical Muslim and Hindu groups inter alia, and by (officially) atheistic states such as the USSR and North Korea. Currently (as of 2010), an estimated 100 million Christians face persecution, particularly in the Muslim world and at the hands of Hindu extremism in India, with a rising tendency.
See also
- Persecution of Hindus
- Persecution of Ahmadiyya
- Anti-Christian sentiment
- Christian Solidarity Worldwide
- Open Doors
- Persecution of Muslims
- Persecution of Jews
- Religious intolerance
- Religious persecution
- Religious pluralism
- Voice of the Martyrs
