RELIGION HEADLINES – SAT 10-25-25

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(SRN NEWS)  Finally some good news for Christians in Iraq:  Two historic churches destroyed by ISIS have reopened after years of reconstruction.  The two houses of worship are both located in Mosul, which was the primary residence of Iraqi Christians before ISIS invaded.  Most believers fled or were killed and very few have returned since ISIS was defeated.  But religious freedom groups report that about 70 Christian families now live in Mosul and the reopening of the churches will be welcomed by them.  Christianity has a long history in Iraq, dating back to Biblical times, but the arrival of ISIS nearly brought all that to an end. 

(  )  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is blasting China for a rash of detentions.  The Communist Party has been rounding up pastors across the country in recent weeks, along with some of their parishioners.  The clergymen lead house churches — groups of believers who meet for worship in private homes.  The USCIRF says “With these arrests, the CCP once again has demonstrated its utter contempt for religious freedom.  We call upon the US government to pressure China until it releases all those who have been detained for practicing their faith.”  It is illegal in China to worship outside of a state controlled church. 

(  )  In Kerr County, Texas, which was devastated by flooding over the summer, churches are helping people get back on their feet.  First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville has given out 250,000 dollars that it received in private donations for repairing rooftops, replacing vehicles or covering rent, among other things.  It got an additional 560,000 from the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.  Church spokeswoman Bailey Havis says “These are our people and we want to get them to full recovery — which is many years down the road — but physical recovery as soon as possible.”  The flooding killed more than 130 people. 

(  )  International Christian Concern says there’s a real genocide going on in Nigeria and the global media is ignoring it.  Muslim terrorists have murdered tens-of-thousands of Christians in Nigeria over the past 15 years with no end in sight.  A new report from the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law also reveals that the terrorists are destroying an average of 100 Nigerian churches every month.  Nearly 20,000 houses of worship have been destroyed or shut down since 2009.  Religious freedom advocates accuse the mainstream media in this country of turning a blind eye to the Nigerian tragedy — perhaps because the victims are Christians.