PRINTER'S NO. 976
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
182
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY RAPP, KAUFFMAN, DUSH, METZGAR, MILLARD, FARINA,
LONGIETTI, BAKER, SONNEY, READSHAW, SACCONE, McGINNIS,
ZIMMERMAN, D. COSTA, MENTZER, JAMES, WATSON, GILLEN AND
GROVE, MARCH 24, 2015
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MARCH 24, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Condemning the persecution of Christians worldwide and calling
on world leaders to implement policies that protect the
religious liberty of Christians and all other faiths within
their borders.
WHEREAS, Persecution comes in many forms, including
discrimination, loss of basic fundamental rights, violence,
torture and execution; and
WHEREAS, Christians are currently being persecuted in over 50
countries for their faith; and
WHEREAS, The United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom finds systematic persecution of religious
minorities, which includes many Christians, to be a global
problem that is not contained in any one specific region of the
world; and
WHEREAS, In Belarus, government regulation of religious
communities has restricted the ability of Christians to worship
freely; and
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WHEREAS, In Cuba, pastors have been harassed and detained for
preaching publicly; and
WHEREAS, In China, church buildings are demolished and
publicly displayed crosses are removed by government officials;
and
WHEREAS, In North Korea, approximately 50,000 to 70,000
Christians are being tortured in prison camps; and
WHEREAS, In Burma, Christians are subjected to extrajudicial
killings, sexual violence and forced labor; and
WHEREAS, In Egypt, Christian-owned homes, businesses and
churches have been subject to violence and vandalism, causing
Christian families to abandon their homes; and
WHEREAS, In Iran, Christian converts face severe
discrimination, arbitrary arrests, executions and extrajudicial
killings; and
WHEREAS, In Sudan, blasphemy laws target Christians across
the nation, with Christians being sentenced to death for
refusing to renounce their faith; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives condemn the
global persecution of Christians and call on world leaders to
implement policies that protect the religious liberty of
Christians and all other faiths within their borders.
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