赏析版2011年7-12月经济学人文章(英汉双语对照)汇(7)

dropped, respectively, from 95% to 76% and from 96% to 86%.

基督教徒的数量几乎和世界人口数量同步增长，但是，22亿信徒的众多数量并不能自然地保障他们的安全。部分原因是，这个世界上最大宗教的地域越益向世界更热的地方扩展（这里―热‖字有多种含义）。据Pew论坛今年12月发表的一份报告，黑非洲（撒哈拉以南）的基督教人口占总人口的比例，在上个世纪中从9%猛增至63%。与此同时，欧洲和美国人口中基督徒的比例却分别从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，基督教从疲惫的北方向富有活力的南方扩展，并不能预示基督徒在南方的安宁生活。在尼日利亚，几十名基督徒在针对圣诞节祈祷者的伊斯兰炸弹袭击中死亡。在伊朗和巴基斯坦，基督徒因为―变节‖（放弃原来的伊斯兰信仰）或―亵渎‖罪被判死刑。在印尼，几十座教堂被袭击或关闭。在伊拉克，战前基督教人口的三分之二已逃离那里。在埃及和叙利亚，虽然世俗的独裁者多少给了基督徒一些保护，但政治动荡和穆斯林的狂热在威胁着那里历史悠久的基督教团体。此外，穆斯林并不是基督徒遭受磨难的唯一根源。基督教信仰在形式上的共产主义国家中国和越南也受到烦扰。在印度，印度教民族主义者要求惩罚那些变换信仰转为基督徒的人。在耶路撒冷圣地，当地的教堂受到两方面的夹击：以色列人对基督教财产的侵蚀和巴勒斯坦人独占耶路撒冷的要求。耶稣的家乡可能会罕见基督徒了。

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.

与历史上那些基督教徒之间的宗教战争和现代的宗教内部冲突（如伊斯兰）比较起来，目前对基督教的烦扰还不算太血腥，但仍然是残酷的。即便西方大国已不再把扩展基督教作为地缘政治的优先目标，仍然很难想象美国的传教士们会漠视中国对家庭教堂的全面禁止。不管他们自己的宗教信仰是什么，西方的选民们有其它原因对基督教徒的命运感到关切。因为，压制基督教的政权或社会通常也会压制其他少数人群。把基督徒视为魔鬼的逊尼派穆斯林同样诅咒什叶派穆斯林。只要宗教问题缠绕进来，任何冲突都变得难以化解。

Just don’t call it a crusade

绝非十字军运动[注2]

Among liberal values, the freedom to profess any religion or none has a central place. America‘s