Which side will you choose? - Ken Walker is reporting for BPNews that Christian persecution is on the increase around the world.
Walker sites several organizations that keep track of religious persecution. Here's an example:
-- The slaughter of 10,000 Christians in Indonesia over the past five years. Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern (ICC) in Washington, said during this time 1,000 churches have been destroyed, along with 80,000 Christians' homes.
-- The Washington-based Center for Religious Freedom reports that Vietnamese authorities are stepping up their campaign against minority Christians, in some instances threatening to murder spiritual leaders. Last year, the center reported that police beat three Hmong Christians to death, including the 10-year-old child of a church leader.
-- Compass Direct reported Dec. 29 that a Chinese house church leader died while in police custody after her arrest by police Oct. 29. The news service reported that Zhang Hongmei, 33, was seen at the police station in heavy chains and injured, and the next day her family learned she had died.
Swing by for the complete article and some photographic evidence of some of harm being done to people because they name the Name of Christ.
Dan Wooding for ASSIST News Service directs our attention to Vietnam in his article for Insight on the News, I recommend you read the full article too. Currently in Vietnam there is a crackdown by the government on Christians within its borders.
Wooding begins:
Since the Cambodian government closed the refugee camps in Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri provinces of Cambodia, the Vietnamese government has increased repression in the Central Highlands, arresting, imprisoning and killing the Montagnard Degar people to halt the spread of grass-roots Christianity.
He goes on to quote a press release from the Montagnard Foundation Inc. ("The main thrust of Montagnard Foundation, Inc. is to bring specific human rights grievances to the attention of the international communities; consequently, pressure the Vietnamese authorities for their redress.") which you can also find at this link:
"On Dec. 21, 2003, at approximately 1 p.m. eight trucks filled with paramilitary police surrounded the village of Plei Todrah, commune of Bongong, Cu Se district, Gia Lai province, in order to capture our Christian brothers who have been hiding in the area.
"In this incident, the police arrested four of our Christian brothers, Jum, Huit, Teng and Thoi, who were hiding in the house of our Christian brothers Hram, Won and Oh. The police tied them up and tortured the four Christians in full view of the villagers by repeatedly beating and kicking them. The police then pulled them around the village to show the rest of the Christians how Montagnards will be treated if they disobey the government. The villagers reported to us that blood came out from the noses and ears of those four brothers of ours while the police paraded them around the village. After the beating the victims were literally thrown on the back of the trucks and taken away. The villagers reported to us they do not know if our brothers are still alive and that some were unconscious when thrown on the trucks.
"The three Christian brothers, Ham, Won and Oh, who had helped these four Christians are now on the run after the police completely destroyed their [homes]. The entire village is extremely fearful of what has happened to our four brothers that day as the police were extremely intent on hurting them during the public beating. The four Christians who helped their brothers now face arrest, torture or worse as Vietnamese police are now also hunting them down.
"On Dec. 21, 2003, the same day as the above operation, Vietnamese government police arrested two other Christian brothers, Hlo, from the village of Plei Pheo, commune of Bongong, Cu Se district, Gia Lai province, and Hua, from the village of Plei Brong Guai, commune Ia Pet, Dak Dao district, Gia Lai province. The police beat, kicked and publicly tortured these two brothers of ours in the same manner as they did to our four brothers [above]. It is currently unknown what has happened to these six victims.
"Then on Dec. 22, 2003, a Montagnard Christian named Y Bun Ayun from Buon U village, Dak Lac province, went to the police station at Cu Jut District to ask for government permission to celebrate Christmas. The police however, arrested him and had him beaten and subjected him to electric-shock torture. They repeatedly told him not to follow the Christian religion. After two days of torture and beatings the police eventually released him. His family is extremely worried the police will continue to harass him or torture him again."
Pray people of God. Pray.
The Great Separation continues.
