By The Korean peninsula continues to be a place of amazing contrasts:
North Korea has topped the list of nations persecuting Christians for the sixth year in a row, a U.S. Christian watch group has claimed.
Open Doors, based in California and with branches worldwide including South Korea, stated in its annual watch list that "There is no other country in the world where Christians are being persecuted in such a horrible and relentless way."
The report did not cite specific sources, except to state that the list was compiled from answers to 50 questions on religious freedom from its indigenous contacts, field workers and persecuted believers. [Yonhap]
South Korea has to be one of the most pro-Christian nations in the world while North Korea is the greatest persecutor of them.Â
It is the sad reality. No mistake...
2:20 am on February 8th, 2008 1
yes once again more inclination that the sunshine policy is crap and NK's are really not like SK's except that most are short have black hair and drink a lot
3:47 am on February 8th, 2008 2
The Norks "Persecution" of "Christians" is an insignificant spec of mircoscopic subatomic quantum dust compared to the mind boggling amount of suffering and oppression that the minions of christ have perpetrated on humanity over the last 2000 years. Do we need to be concerned about how North Korea treats people who base their world view on invisible imaginary friends that talk to them in voices that only they can hear? Would a person who went to North Korea to expouse his views on democracy be treated any different than someone who was attempting to recruit the children of Kim Jong Il into the world of christers?
4:23 am on February 8th, 2008 3
Pyongyang used to be called Jerusalem of Korean Peninsula prior to the division in 1948. Pyongyang was where most of American missionaries set up seminaries to educate future Korean clergy. Compared to Seoul, Pyongyang had more people who are receptive to foreign culture and religion. During 1945-49, many elite educated Korean Christians from 5 northern provinces crossed the 38th parallel to seek for democracy and religious freedom. After all, ROK's first President was Methodist elder who established chain of Korean-American churches throughout US in 1920-30. Here is my 2 won on Korean church history.
6:05 am on February 8th, 2008 4
Cloying_odor – I tend to agree, perhaps it's the one thing they are doing right. Who needs those trouble makers
I would imagine all religions are unwelcome, except the Cult of Kim (CoK)
8:12 am on February 8th, 2008 5
I think a lot of the North Koreans ended up in Songtan and some call this area little Jerusalem. I wonder if what is happening/happened to the Christians in N Korea was predicted in the statement: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people."
8:17 am on February 8th, 2008 6
Pray for the Christians in North Korea and in other countries where they are being persecuted.
11:15 pm on February 8th, 2008 7
The persecution of Christianity in NK is insignificant? Public execution in front of the town square is insignificant? Deaths by thousands is insignificant? I'll bet more people will die in NK than insurgents will kill Iraqis this year.
The crusades and the inquisitions were more than a century ago. And those were faults of men. I dont' blame Islam for jihadists terrorists who distort allah's teachings.
It's in the middle east and NK where the spirits of Purtianical repression is still alive and well.
3:45 am on February 9th, 2008 8
But think about why so many South Koreans go to church, both in South Korea and in the States, and you'll begin to peel back the layers of the onion.
Matthew 21:12-13.
3:50 am on February 9th, 2008 9
You are assuming that the majority of deaths in North Korea are the deaths of christians? Maybe I was unclear, the death and suffering of the North Korean people has absolutly nothing to do with christianity. The jesus freaks wish to point out that these few lunitics who are too stupid to realize that professing a belief in anything other than the Dear Leader are somehow special, that the non-christians that are persecuted aren't as important and the "children of jesus". This overiding superiority complex that organized religions have is the root of the suffering they cause the world.
As for your second paragraph, small incident in the 1940's procecuted by a little guy with strong Christian beliefs refered to as the Holocaust. As far as "allah's teachings", have you actually read any of the Koran? I challange you to sit down and give a good read and then reconcile what it says with the statement "Islam: A religion of Peace". What you don't understand is that the suicide bombers are fighting and dying in an effort to continue and actually expand their "Puritanical repression" of their own people and the rest of the world as well.
The spirit of Puritanical repression also lives in the West, it is alive and well at 1600 Pensylvania Ave.
4:03 am on February 9th, 2008 10
Mark,
Matthew 21:12-13 FTW!