(LifeSiteNews) — The attack against Christianity, so obvious now for any thoughtful Christian, goes straight through the pro-lifers in Evangelical and Catholic Christianity. We have seen where evangelical ministers have dared to defy this zeitgeist, most notably in Canada and Scandinavia. In Canada, a Polish immigrant and evangelical minister ignored COVID restrictions. In Sweden and Finland, conservative Christians have read Paul’s letter to the Romans regarding homosexuality and preached on it.
They paid a price, being arrested, harassed, jailed, beaten. In the U.K., which has cloned the American buffer zones around abortion clinics, pro-lifers have been arrested merely for standing on a sidewalk, inside an abortion clinic “stay-away zone,” praying silently. They held no signs, said not a word. They were interrogated by cops, asked what they were doing, and arrested when they confirmed they were at prayer.
If anyone wonders if prayer is effective, the godless governments certainly think so.
Catholic sidewalk counselors in Philadelphia and Tennessee have been illegally arrested by the FBI thugs for their witness in front of child extermination clinics. Their conviction is not important to the Deep State. The justice process itself, involving a small fortune and much emotional suffering, has itself become punishment, and warns what will be the fate of others who dare witness for Truth.
Now this persecution is moving from harassment of individuals to entire Christian institutions. Just recently the fraudulent Catholic and President Joe Biden, under his administration, tried to force a Catholic hospital in Oklahoma to remove its vigil light, in the chapel, which by ancient practice must be maintained 24/7 next to the tabernacle. It is here where Catholics and Orthodox believe the Real Presence of God dwells. It must be honored by this candle light, held within a red glass cylinder, bolted to the wall, the floor or suspended from the ceiling. Even when people are not in attendance, the crimson light maintains the notice: God is here. Start acting like it.
READ: Biden admin backs down on trying to force Catholic hospital to extinguish sanctuary candle
The practice predates Christianity, as a red vigil lamp was kept next to the Ark of the Covenant, where the Real Presence of God dwelt in the form of the staff of Aaron, the manna and the tablets of the Ten Commandments.
To even touch the Ark meant death. We find in the Bible that once, when it was being transported, it began teetering and about to fall to the ground. A helpful servant or soldier rushed forward to keep it from falling, but was struck dead instantly. It seems unfair, but God’s laws are strict.
In Christ’s time, what was in the Jerusalem temple was an imitation of the original Ark, which was lost or destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Later, the Persians permitted the Jews to rebuild their Temple. When the Roman general Pompey captured the Temple in the midst of a Jewish civil war in 63 B.C., he boldly marched up to the Holy of Holies. His curiosity needed to be satisfied, and defying all the Jewish laws, marched up to the Ark, opened it — without dropping dead, of course — and found absolutely nothing inside.
What type of religion is this, he thought, which worships … a void?
Yet, the Ark, however empty, must have had a significant presence, for Christ Himself worshiped and prayed there … and cleansed it of the profane trafficking that took place “in His Father’s house.” Then too, the Temple curtain was ripped in two on Good Friday, signifying the end of the barrier between God and man.
But Christians also remember what Christ told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well:
Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
So, what of the crimson light found in every Catholic church where the Blessed Sacrament resides, the “real presence” of God in our midst?
Yes, God is everywhere, and wherever two or more are gathered in His name, so too is He. But that was just as true in 1000 B.C., 586 B.C., 63 B.C., and in 30 A.D. The Ark was still the Holy of Holies, something physical, something where people could go to worship the one, true and eternal God. The dispute between Jews and Samaritans was over where … the Temple or a holy mountain. It was sufficient a division to make them shun each other to a fault.
Yet Christ knew the Samaritan error was sincere and in ignorance. The Samaritan woman demonstrated her knowledge and full understanding of the nature of the dispute. His “Good Samaritan” parable showed that He was not interested in human disputes. The conversion of the woman’s village and the subsequent evangelization of Samaria after the Resurrection melted everything away.
READ: Biden national security document depicts Christian pro-lifers as domestic terrorist threat
Indeed, the Crimson Light was no longer found in the Temple after its destruction in 70 A.D. As Christ had predicted, it was going to spread around the world. Today’s evangelicals worship God “in spirit and truth,” as do Orthodox and Catholic, with the addition of a Real Presence found in both the humblest of chapels and most magnificent cathedrals.
But the Biden administration said that the vigil light in the Catholic hospital chapel was — gasp! — a fire hazard!
Well, of course it is. Just as is every bottle of rubbing alcohol, electrical socket, power strip and emergency generator.
So, the order came … remove it, or lose federal funding.
This author has long decried the danger of federal funding, anywhere and in any circumstance, not only because it is unconstitutional, but because it comes with federal dependency and control.
So, now what?
If anyone thinks that conservative news blogs are ignored, try again. Within a few days of this outrage being published, the Biden administration reversed its course. The order was withdrawn. Naturally, nothing appeared in the mainstream media.
The administration was likely prepared to do so. These little pin-pricks are merely testing the waters. But be assured, a new location and angle is already prepared. The real lesson, however, is likely lost on not only the hospital but the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Unless and until federal funding is refused, religious freedom will erode.
But where will the revenue come from? Well, there was no problem finding it in the days of a robust Christianity. Thus, we can truly say that the needed evangelization of society is the only true solution to all of our troubles in this cultural free-fall.
Bob Bird ran for U.S. Senate in 1990 and 2008. He is a past president of Alaska Right to Life, a 45-year Alaska resident and a retired public school teacher. He has a passion for studying and teaching Alaska and U.S. constitutional history. He lives on the Kenai Peninsula and is currently a daily radio talk-show host for The Talk of the Kenai, on KSRM 920 AM from 3-5 pm and heard online radiokenai.com.