An interesting issue has risen within the United States Air Force Academy. I heard on the radio the other day that the Air Force is cracking down on religious intolerance. It seems that over the past year, there have been around 55 complaints made of religious slurs directed at minority groups. The problem with that is that 90% of the students that attend the academy are Christian. This means that the Christian students are guilty of persecuting those of other faiths.

At first glance, we as Christians may feel an animosity toward the government for mandating this religious tolerance rule. We may feel that Christians are persecuted all over the world; so, what’s a little heckling going to hurt? Is this any worse than what Christians are subject to all over the world?

The truth is, when Christians persecute those of other religions, it is worse. Christians are supposed to rejoice in their freedom in Christ, not scorn those who haven’t found that freedom yet. Still, Christians are guilty of this kind of persecution, even though it’s clear in the Bible that this is not what we are called to do: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12: 14-16.

This verse comes from a man who endured mocking and persecution to the extreme that many of us will never know. Still, Paul tells us to bless and mourn with those who are our enemies. Think about it, at a funeral we wouldn’t inflict sarcasm or anything like that when we address the family who has lost the loved one. The Bible tells us we should mourn for his children who are lost. The Christian’s heart shouldn’t have persecution in it. It is better for us to be persecuted, than for us to do the persecuting.

As we move into the coming years, Christian persecution will no doubt be on the rise. This could lead to many of us wanting to return the favor. Before we fall into this lifestyle look at how Jesus handled this in his time here on earth: "When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." -1 Peter 2: 22-23. Persecuting others is not an option for those who live in the freedom of Christ.

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