How Christians disappear from the lands which were once theirs ....

and only because the West helps to hasten their exodus.... while at the same time strengthening islam and its followers.  Read the  few paragraphs below on how Christians have "magically" disappeared from almost all of Turkey.

The second vid shows the seven "churches" of Turkey as mentioned supposedly in the old testament of the Bible.  However, to my way of thinking, any place of  worship before the birth of Jesus Christ should be termed  "temple" and not "church"  for many, many reasons... but hey ...that's just me and my opinion. Anyway,  I have included that vid  because the various sites of the ancient edifices show how stunning was the history of ancient Turkey when it was not a Muslim country.  All the sites shown in that vid were built long before the birth of Jesus Christ and Christianity. The ancients of Turkey, many of whom are the modern day Armenians and Jews,  worshipped  in those temples.  One of the oldest temples known to men is to be found in Turkey.  

Stephen Starr writing at IrishTimes:
Uncertain times for Istanbul’s Christians during Turkey’s ‘modernisation’ drive. 
....It has been the Turkish government, led by conservative prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that has facilitated the destruction of numerous historical if run-down buildings and districts in Istanbul to make way for malls, modern apartment complexes and money.
And Istanbul’s churches are seemingly no obstacle.
Earlier this month the Russian Orthodox chapel of St Elias was opened for Mass for the first time in 40 years. About two dozen worshippers attended the service but the unavailability of priests to keep it open means it may close again soon.



Members of the chapel’s foundation say it needs $50,000 to restore frescos and icons, and are also troubled by the potential sale of the building it occupies, deemed possible as the building is not officially listed as housing any religious sites.
Down the street, St Pantaleon’s, a Russian Orthodox monastery named after the fourth-century martyr, is located up five flights of stairs past a busy construction crew and family homes. Inside a bolted door, Russian-speaking Fr Dimitrios has been taking care of the church for 13 years.



Three other churches – St Mary’s, St John’s and St Nikola’s – in varying states of decline are all located a few score metres away. Centuries ago these buildings served as rest stops for pilgrims headed to Mount Athos in Greece or to Jerusalem. But on a recent visit to the churches and chapels in Karakoy, five of six visited were locked, open only for a couple of hours on Sundays.
In a region where religious minorities have come under threat, particularly in recent years, the remaining Christians of Karakoy feel much uncertainty in light of the development plans.
“There are a lot of questions being asked about what will happen to the churches and schools, a lot of gossip that they will be moved somewhere else,” said Murat Yagan, an Armenian Christian jeweller sitting drinking beer with friends outside the St Gregor the Illuminator Church.........