Read this and other attacks on faith from Weekly Prayer Update 8/14-8/21

Senator James Lankford, co-chair of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, made the following statement on the release of the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report. Please remember to pray for those who are being persecuted for their faith around the world.

“I applaud Secretary Rex Tillerson’s remarks on the release of today’s State Department International Religious Freedom Report. It is vitally important that our top diplomat clearly and unequivocally proclaim that religious freedom is a core American value and a universal human right. Sadly, many countries, including China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, and many others, continue to oppress, imprison, torture, and persecute religious minority communities. Turkey continues to unjustly imprison Dr. Andrew Brunson without charges, and I appreciate Secretary Tillerson reminding the world of this. It is important for America to be clear about the human rights abuses happening around the world, as well as the genocide being committed by ISIS against Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. With an Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom nominated, and hopefully soon to be confirmed, and an administration that is firmly committed to human rights, we can make a difference around the world.” Read more here.

For anyone who thinks religious discrimination is non-existent in America, the attorneys at First Liberty Institute have a different story. First Liberty announced the release of Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America (2016). It is available online here, free of charge.  

International Prayer Points

Iran: Minority Religious Groups Suffer

“The Iranian government continues to persecute religious minorities, including groups supposedly given special recognition by the country’s constitution: Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) annual report for 2017, Iran’s government ‘engaged in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused.'”

State Prayer Points

Religious Liberty Legislation

Continue praying consistently and fervently for the successful passage of legislation that effectively protects our Judeo-Christian heritage and religious liberty. Also, pray that bills and resolutions that undermine our First Amendment Rights will be unsuccessful.

NC: Commissioners Still Deciding Whether To Appeal Case 

“After first being told by a court they could pray based on their faith – and then being told they couldn’t – commissioners in Rowan County, North Carolina, are considering whether to take their case to the Supreme Court…Rowan County commissioners have 90 days in which to decide whether to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is Lund v. Rowan County.” Contact the Commissioners to let them know you stand with their right to pray in a public setting, and encourage them to appeal the case to the United States Supreme Court.”

NM: Freedom From Religion Foundation Complains About Mural

From FFRF site: “A large mural painted inside the Freshman Academy of the Clovis Municipal School District in Clovis, N.M., depicted a dove and an anchor along with a biblical quote, ‘Hope anchors the soul — Hebrews 6:19.’ The mural had been painted by a former art teacher at the academy. FFRF had received a complaint about the ..mural from a local resident.”