Four Christian men in Tehran were charged with “acting against national security” after they partook in communion and drank a small amount of wine — the common religious act of symbolically partaking of the blood of Jesus Christ.
And their sentences?
Ten years each in prison. Two of the men were also given additional sentences that will put them in exile for two more years in southern Iran.
The Express has more:
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammadreza Omidi, Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Saheb Fadaie have been sentenced to ten years in prison each.
In a further blow Nadarkhani and Omidi were given additional sentences of two years in exile in southern Iran.
Drinking alcohol in Iran is forbidden under the country’s strict Sharia Islamic law, but despite the ban, enjoying a sly tipple at home is believed to be widespread amongst its 80 million strong population.
Holy Communion wine, also known as sacramental wine, is used by billions of Christians worldwide in celebration of the Eucharist.
It is often watered down and is used during Holy Communion alongside small bread wafers, known as Sacramental Bread.
he authorities accused the men of “propagating house churches” and “promoting Zionist Christianity”.
Charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) condemned the sentences and said the Christian community in Iran has been criminalised.
CSW’s chief executive Mervyn Thomas said: “We are deeply disappointed by these excessive sentences, which are based on spurious charges and are clearly part of an intensified campaign of judicial harassment aimed at intimidating members of minority faiths.
“We reiterate that the national security charges levelled in all of these cases amount to the criminalisation of the Christian community for exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief, and that this is occurring despite the fact that the Iranian constitution recognises Christianity.”
Omidi, Mossayebzadeh and Fadaie were initially sentenced to a public flogging but have appealed against the punishment.
It is unclear when the court will rule on the sentence of 80 lashes each.
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Jesus said: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Its ok to build nukes to kill jews, but drinking booze is a capitol crime. What a great belief system.
This is islam, what do you think the sentence would be in America for having a couple beer and a hot dog at at the ball game?
It depends, is the hot dog pork or beef?
Yes, frogs and snails and puppy dog tails.
Some hot dogs, in particular Hebrew National are all beef hot dogs, but some hot dogs have pork in them (Ball Park franks). I am a connoisseur of American hot dogs.
Yes, with great sorrow I have noticed that the A&W restaurant chain have dropped the whistle dog from the menu.
If you pine for the great taste of whistle dogs, don’t despair you can make them yourself at home:
http://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/aw-whistle-dog-copycat-10407
That is not the point, they brought back some early memories of long ago…
I see, no offense was intended.
None taken, in retrospect, I should have quit while I was ahead…
This is nuts.
I am humbled at the bravery of every denomination of Christian in these moslem terrorist countries. I pray that if my faith is ever challenged like it is with these brave Christians l, that I’ll be able to stand for my Holy Lord Saviour Jesus Christ.
fucking tool
One day you will pay for your vile and blasphemous mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ; first, in hell and finally in the lake of fire unless you repent.
Drinking communion wine is a silly way to take a stand. Grape juice does just fine.
It’s a coward who deprecates the actions of others and the consequences of same.
The fact is some churches partake without alcohol.
Who cares? This was muslum religious persecution no matter how you spin it. Communion wine has hardly any alcoholic content at all.
It’s incredible. I know a S. Korean guy whose S. Korean pastor went to Iran to preach the gospel then went to Turkey to preach the gospel and disappeared, never to be seen again.
That’s horrible!
Yall morons realize the picture on the right is a picture of an IRAQI national police officer, not an Iranian cop how fucking gullible are you people
Dear f’ing allahtard that doesn’t change the plight of these Christians. Pucker up muslum buttercup:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4731/738/320/f011.jpg
They should have been at the mosque instead, listening to the imam spew hate speech while “praying” with their heads oh-so-close to the azz of the men “praying” in front of them. 10 years….that’ll teach them…..
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It’s not safe for any Christian or Jew to live in a predominately Muslim country. Instead of getting better, it’s getting worse. Every Jew should also leave France.
This is heartbreaking to me. Pastor Nadarkhani has been arrested and imprisoned a number of times and had not been out all that long.The authorities also constantly harassed his wife. She has also been jailed. His “crime” is being a leader in the house church movement, and evangelizing Muslims.
Two thirds of Iranians are 30 or under, and do not want to live under this tyrannical theocratic regime.
The Party of Ali knows perfectly well that Christians drink communion wine. It’s just that some Imam decided that it was “stick it to the infidel” time. So they got themselves some Christians and charged them. That is the way it works with both flavors of Islam. Dhimmi Christians are protected. But, from time to time, some of them will be arrested and killed. As long as the community puts up with this, they are protected from a mass killing. Every Christian is guilty of denying the prophethood of Mohammad and the truthfulness of the Quran. Every Christian is guilty of the one unforgivable sin in Islam, that of ‘Shirk’ – the association of anyone with Allah. That means that any Christian can be arrested at any time. Dhimmis must live under this lack of security as an alternative to genocide.
The wine is a bit more than symbolic for some Christians. During the saying of the Mass, it becomes the blood of Christ.