宗教自由:基督徒與獅子
The world's most widely followed faith is gathering persecutors, even non-Christians should worry about that.
世界上最流行的宗教信仰正在各處受到壓制，即使非基督徒也應對此關切。
CHRISTIANITY is growing almost as fast as humanity itself, but its 2.2 billion adherents cannot count on safety in numbers. That is partly because the locus of the world's largest religion is shifting to hotter (in several senses) parts of the world. According to a report published by the Pew Forum in December, the Christian share of the population of sub-Saharan Africa has soared over the past century, from 9% to 63%. Meanwhile, the think-tank says, the Christian proportion of Europeans and people in the Americas has dropped, respectively, from 95% to 76% and from 96% to 86%.
基督教徒的數量幾乎和世界人口數量同步增長，但是，22億信徒的衆多數量並不能自然地保障他們的安全。部分原因是，這個世界上最大宗教的地域越益向世界更熱的地方擴展（這裏“熱”字有多種含義）。據Pew論壇今年12月發表的一份報告，黑非洲（撒哈拉以南）的基督教人口占總人口的比例，在上個世紀中從9%猛增至63%。與此同時，歐洲和美國人口中基督徒的比例卻分別從95%和96%降到76%和86%。
But moving from the jaded north to the dynamic south does not portend an easy future. In Nigeria scores of Christians have died in Islamist bomb attacks, targeting Christmas prayers. In Iran and Pakistan Christians are on death row, for "apostasy"—quitting Islam—or blasphemy. Dozens of churches in Indonesia have been attacked or shut. Two-thirds of Iraq's pre-war Christian population have fled. In Egypt and Syria, where secular despots gave Christianity a shield of sorts, political upheaval and Muslim zeal threaten ancient Christian groups. Not all Christianity's woes are down to Muslims. The faith faces harassment in formally communist China and Vietnam. In India Hindu nationalists want to penalise Christians who make converts. In the Holy Land local churches are caught between Israeli encroachment on their property and Islamist bids to monopolise Palestinian life. Followers of Jesus may yet become a rarity in his homeland.
但是，基督教從疲憊的北方向富有活力的南方擴展，並不能預示基督徒在南方的安寧生活。在尼日利亞，幾十名基督徒在針對聖誕節祈禱者的伊斯蘭炸彈襲擊中死亡。在伊朗和巴基斯坦，基督徒因爲“變節”（放棄原來的伊斯蘭信仰）或“褻瀆”罪被判死刑。在印尼，幾十座教堂被襲擊或關閉。在伊拉克，戰前基督教人口的三分之二已逃離那裏。在埃及和敘利亞，雖然世俗的獨裁者多少給了基督徒一些保護，但政治動盪和穆斯林的狂熱在威脅着那裏歷史悠久的基督教團體。此外，穆斯林並不是基督徒遭受磨難的唯一根源。基督教信仰在形式上的共產主義國家中國和越南也受到煩擾。在印度，印度教民族主義者要求懲罰那些變換信仰轉爲基督徒的人。在耶路撒冷聖地，當地的教堂受到兩方面的夾擊：以色列人對基督教財產的侵蝕和巴勒斯坦人獨佔耶路撒冷的要求。耶穌的家鄉可能會罕見基督徒了。
Compared both with the wars of religion that once tore Christendom apart and with various modern intra-faith struggles, such as those within Islam, little blood is being spilt. But the brutality matters. Even if Western powers no longer see promoting Christianity's interests as a geopolitical priority, it is hard to imagine American evangelicals ignoring a full-scale clampdown on house churches in China. And whatever their own beliefs, Western voters have other reasons to worry about the fate of Christians. Regimes or societies that persecute Christians tend to oppress other minorities too. Sunni Muslims who demonise Christians loathe Shias. Once religion is involved, any conflict becomes harder to solve.
與歷史上那些基督教徒之間的宗教戰爭和現代的宗教內部衝突（如伊斯蘭）比較起來，目前對基督教的煩擾還不算太血腥，但仍然是殘酷的。即便西方大國已不再把擴展基督教作爲地緣政治的優先目標，仍然很難想象美國的傳教士們會漠視中國對家庭教堂的全面禁止。不管他們自己的宗教信仰是什麼，西方的選民們有其它原因對基督教徒的命運感到關切。因爲，壓制基督教的政權或社會通常也會壓制其他少數人羣。把基督徒視爲魔鬼的遜尼派穆斯林同樣詛咒什葉派穆斯林。只要宗教問題纏繞進來，任何衝突都變得難以化解。
Just don't call it a crusade
絕非十字軍運動[注2]
Among liberal values, the freedom to profess any religion or none has a central place. America's government is bound by law to promote that liberty. In line with its own ideals, America is rightly as concerned by the persecution of Muslims of any stripe as by the travails of Christians in China or Jews and Bahais in Iran. And it objects when Christian lands, like Belarus, practise persecution. Other more secular Western countries should do more to defend that right.
在自由主義的價值觀念中，信教或不信教的自由有着極爲重要的地位。美國政府有促進宗教自由的法律義務。基於它自己的理念，美國理應對所有形式的宗教壓制感到關切：不管是穆斯林受到的迫害，還是中國的基督教徒、伊朗的猶太教徒和巴黑伊教派經受的磨難，都是一樣。當基督教佔統治地位的國家（如白俄羅斯）發生壓制其他宗教現象時，美國同樣表示了反對。其它宗教色彩較淡的西方國家也應當在保護宗教自由上承擔更多責任。
What about those who see persecuting other religions as part of their calling? No faith is blameless: from Delhi to Jerusalem many of those stirring up hatred are men of God. But there is a specific problem with Islam. Islamic law (though not the Koran) has often mandated death for people leaving the faith. There are signs of change. The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Co-operation has, with American encouragement, toned down its bid to outlaw "blasphemy" in various UN resolutions. It also condemned the attacks in Nigeria. But more Muslim leaders need to accept that changing creed is a legal right. On that one point, the West should not back down. Otherwise believers, whether Christian or not, remain in peril.
有些人把迫害其他宗教看做是自己的使命，這在各個宗教裏都不少見：從德里到耶路撒冷，很多煽動宗教仇恨的人自稱爲神意的執行者。但伊斯蘭的問題更大一些。依照伊斯蘭法（不是可蘭經），對於改變信仰的人通常必須執行死刑。不過，現在已經有改變的跡象。有57個成員國的伊斯蘭合作組織，已不再要求把一些聯合國決議中的詞句視爲“褻瀆伊斯蘭”和非法，這個態度得到了美國的鼓勵。這個組織還譴責了尼日利亞發生的襲擊基督教徒的事件。但是，更多的穆斯林領導人需要承認人們改變信仰的權利。在這一點上，西方不應退縮。不然的話，宗教信徒們（不管是不是基督教徒）仍然難以擺脫困境。
[注1]在基督教早期受到的迫害中，曾有古羅馬把基督徒餵給獅子的酷刑。
[注2]這裏是說反對迫害基督徒並不是像十字軍東征那樣站在基督教立場上反對異教，而是要反對一切形式的宗教壓制。
