Frequently asked questions about Tears of the Oppressed
Click on the questions below to find out more about Tears of the Oppressed...
Persecution is harrassment or punishment for your beliefs. According to the Macquarie Dictionary, ‘persecute’ is defined as
1. to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment
2. to oppress with injury or punishment for adherence to principles or religious faith
3. to annoy by persistent attentions, importunities or the like.
“Christian persecution” describes the harassment, punishment, discrimination against, or killing of, people who believe in the Christian faith.
Tears of the Oppressed believes that Christians have a particular responsibility towards other Christians, especially towards those who are suffering persecution and hardship. This idea is based on Biblical teaching. A few instances of this are:
- The Apostle Paul uses the image of a body to describe the way in which Christians are united spiritually under Jesus, and says that every Christian needs every other Christian (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 21) and there are shared and unified experiences as part of that body – “if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 21:26).
- Christians often refer to each other as “brothers and sisters”, following Jesus’ example (Mark 3:31-34), as there is a sense that they belong to the one spiritual family, with Father God as their spiritual Father. Along with that comes a kind of family obligation to one another. The Apostle Paul picks up on this in Galatians 6:10: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)
- Writing to the Christian community, the Apostle John said, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. If anyone of you has material possessions, and sees a brother or sister in need, but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you?” Kindness to our spiritual brothers and sisters ought to come straight from our understanding of love, derived from Christ’s self-giving love.
- The writer to the Hebrews says, “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters… Remember those in prison, as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3). It’s an exhortation to remember and care for those within the Christian community who are suffering imprisonment and mistreatment because of their belief in Jesus. Tears of the Oppressed does this through its advocacy work.
A Christian is someone who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that Christ died and rose from the dead for the forgiveness of sins, and that the teachings of the Bible define how we should try to live. A Christian is guided in all things by the commands to love God and love each other.
Well, actually, we do sometimes help people of other religions. Tears of the Oppressed serves Christians and those who suffer with them – people who are caught up in violence and persecution of Christians, but who may not be Christians themselves. One example is the Mandaean sect in Iraq. The Mandaeans, who describe themselves as followers of John the Baptist, not Christians, have endured terrible persecution and suffering over the past 12 months – in some cases, more extreme violence than Christians. Many of their members have been kidnapped and killed, or threatened and abused, by extreme Muslims.
Similarly Christians have also suffered severe abuse at the hands of extreme Muslims in Iraq. So, in making representation to the Australian Government about the plight of Iraqi Christians during 2004, we also discussed the terrible suffering of the Mandaeans and urged the Australian Government to intervene on their behalf. It would have been remiss to exclude the plight of the Mandaeans – a very small community with little voice in the outside world - when they are suffering in the same context in which Christians are suffering, and are suffering similar human rights abuses at the hands of the same perpetrators.
But on the whole, Tears of the Oppressed is a Christian organisation, with Christian origins, aims, and interests, which exists to serve the Christian community and those who support Christian ideas. In Australia, there are many other groups - such as Muslim groups and Buddhist groups – who advocate on behalf of, and serve, members of their faiths, here and in other parts of the world. These groups are already meeting the needs of their religious communities, and as a Christian organisation, there is no reason for us to intrude on their religious activities or duplicate their work.
The answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes success – in terms of getting a prisoner released, for example – is the outcome of many groups and individuals lobbying, and Tears of the Oppressed is just one of the organisations who make it happen. The more voices in this field of work, the better.
At other times Tears of the Oppressed develops its own individual campaign, and the cumulative effect of our initiative and many of our supporters writing letters and praying for a result makes a real difference to the outcome. You are an important part of our work and mission.
Sometimes there is no change in a world situation for many years, but after constant and consistent advocacy and prayer over a period of time, a breakthrough comes.
In committing our work to the Lord, we believe He hears our prayers. Sometimes unexpected things happen.
Tears of the Oppressed is a not-for-profit organisation supported by donations. Currently it does not have tax-deductible status. At the moment, Tears of the Oppressed depends on its volunteer base for its successful operation… and is always looking for more volunteers to lend a hand!
If you would like to contact us to volunteer or to support us financially, click here.
We are not affiliated with any particular church or denomination. We are an interdenominational organisation, which means our supporters come from a wide variety of individual churches, denominations and congregations. There are about 2,500 recipients of our newsletter on our database – some are individuals, and some are churches. We also have an increasing number of supporters who do not see themselves as Christians, but take an interest in human rights generally and religious freedom in particular.
We are not affiliated with any political party or organisation. We are an independent, not-for-profit organisation. Although our current President is a Liberal Senator, the matters that are discussed with the Board are human rights issues, and transcend all manner of party politics.
Generally speaking, yes. Through the year we have opportunity to attend Government-NGO dialogues, make personal appointments with parliamentarians, and we are invited to contribute submissions to inquiries and human rights dialogues on topics relevant to persecuted Christians. We have found them open to receiving our material. The relationship with government bodies and representatives has developed over many years.
Yes, we have a free newsletter that is published 10 times a year. You can receive it by mail or email. Simply click here and fill in the form for more details.
Yes, the national directors and some members of our Board do speaking engagements on behalf of Tears of the Oppressed. Call our office (in Canberra, Australia) on +61 2 6232 6310 for more information.
Tears of the Oppressed is funded primarily by donations from concerned Christians. Our work is provided entirely by volunteers, from the people who fold the newsletters, right through to the national directors, working full time. If you would like to make a financial contribution to the work of Tears of the Oppressed you can either contact our office, or make a secure online donation with your credit card by clicking the donate button at the top-right of this page.
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