A young woman in Vancouver British Columbia applied for a job and received a reply:

“… we are not a Christian organization, and most of us actually see Christianity as having destroyed our culture, tradition and way of life.” and “‘God bless’ is very offensive to me and yet another sign of your attempts to impose your religious views on me. I do not want to be blessed by some guy… who has been the very reason for the most horrendous abuses and human rights violations in the history of the human race.”

There were other offensive statements, and she did not get the job, so she sued. I think she won 8500 dollars.

• RELATED: Trinity Western grad ‘attacked’ for being Christian in job rejection: CBC

The young woman applied as a recent graduate of Trinity Western University, a private Christian school in BC, and the employers reacted when they learned that.

But wait, there’s more:

“Maybe the Trinity leadership would be better suited for a Putin’s Russia or any other like his regarding the bashing of homosexuals or any other serious discriminations and human rights violations. Doesn’t it remind one of Hitler’s regime also. To frightening to contemplate when these beliefs come in the form of governments. The world is always creating new monsters from old ways.”

“That’s just what we need. A university with bigoted ideas educating lawyers. Heaven help us.”

“a crime is a crime is a crime and the bible has been used for millions of crimes around the world”

“I suggest TWU, and all other Christian groups, should be taken to court for encouraging child abuse by promoting brainwashing children. I suggest they all also be prosecuted under truth in advertising laws for makiing claims they can’t substantiate.”

These are comments from an article about the same university, Trinity Western, which is fighting in court for the right of lawyers trained in their law school to work in Ontario, Canada’s largest English speaking province. And note, the comments are posted with the government owned “Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,” so these are the mild comments that passed their editorial process. Probably many more vicious statements were rejected.

• RELATED: Trinity Western University takes Ontario law society to court: CBC

I call it persecution.

But this is not really a religious fight. Graduates from Bob Jones University, which is Evangelical Christian, and Brigham Young University, which is Mormon, can practice law in Ontario with no restrictions, and those American schools are at least as strict as Trinity Western, probably much stricter. There is no criticism of religious law schools, the attacks are only against Trinity Western.

This is a turf war.

The university and college system in Canada is under severe stress; I worked at a university that cost the taxpayers about one billion dollars a year, and we have at least six universities in the province. And now Tech schools are offering degrees.

In this overpriced mix, Trinity Western is the little school that could. The founders were mostly Swedish immigrants associated with the Evangelical Free Church, and the school offers the same services as the big schools, at no cost to the taxpayer. I am sure governments are looking carefully at this model.

All the vicious, persecuting comments are aimed at people who identify as Evangelical Christian, not against Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or Sikhs. It just happens that a small group of Christians are a threat to large and expensive institutions with a lock on public money and the high paying professions. If you want to make good money, a university is the gate keeper to your future.

That explains the persecution, from people who don’t care about religion. They do care about their paychecks.

Persecution was promised to all Christians, in the Bible, and it will happen whenever the established powers feel threatened. It lives just below the surface for most of us.

But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. (Mark 13:9)

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master ‘ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (John 15:20)

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)

Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)