World's Worst Persecutor of Christians

This will probably not come as a big shock. Agape Press reports, Top Christian Persecutors: North Korea, Islamic Countries;

(AgapePress) - The communist nation of North Korea once again tops a list of countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith.

The 2005 "World Watch List" was complied by Open Doors USA, a ministry which serves the persecuted Church. For the third year in a row, North Korea heads the list because tens of thousands of Christians are currently in North Korean prison camps -- and at least 20 Christians were shot or beaten to death last year while in detention. Nevertheless, says Open Doors president Dr. Carl Moeller, persecution has not curbed church growth in that nation.

So, who is in second place? Well, no big surprise here either;

Saudi Arabia again held the second spot on the list, followed by Vietnam, Laos, and Iran. Five of the top ten nations on the list are dominated by Islam, notes the ministry. Moeller says Islamic countries are becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity.

"Islamic countries, especially those governments that are ruled under the tenets of sharia, or Islamic law, are the most repressing countries against Christianity. But I will say this," he adds, "Christians in those countries are experiencing the hand of God and blessing and growth -- even in the midst of what we would consider horrible conditions." [emphasis mine - ed.]

From the World Watch List link;

Saudi Arabia again held the second spot on the list, followed by Vietnam, Laos, and Iran. Other countries listed on the WWL’s top 10, from No. 6 to 10, include: Maldives, Somalia, Bhutan, China and Afghanistan. Newcomers to the top 10 are Somalia and Afghanistan. Dropping out of the top 10 are Turkmenistan (No. 12) and Myanmar (No. 17). Somalia moved up four places to seventh in the rankings primarily because “Christian converts from Islam are paying a high price for their new faith, especially in rural parts of this most lawless country in the world.”

Additionally, my friend Tom, the Pooklekufr, sent this to me via Valley of Decision.net, North Korean Horror. Imagine;

Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine yourself at fifteen. It was probably a year of growing independence as you got your driver's learning permit. You went to high school, encountered peer pressure, giggled in classes about crushes, went to movies or sporting events with friends. Now imagine you are a fifteen-year-old girl in another country. A country where you, just because you are female, are stigmatized and vulnerable to a world of dangers and a government that seeks to destroy rather than protect you. Imagine those pubescent years, struggling not with self-esteem, but with survival - forced to sell your blood for money. Imagine watching your little brother die because there is not enough food. The grass outside is gone because your family ate the last bit yesterday and you have not eaten since.

Imagine never knowing if your house will be raided and your family will be dragged to a gulag to face abuse. Abuse that you have heard spoken of in hushed tones of broken bones, scarred faces, beatings so severe the eyes pop out of their sockets. All for what? Singing a song that someone did not like. Refusing the sexual advances of an authority at work. Not giving officials special privileges. What happens to the people who are sentenced to more than just "light reeducation"? They disappear. So does their whole family, down to three generations, wiped out. That happened to your neighbor and you never saw her again.

You are only fifteen, but you already know what it is like to encounter death and worse. You have heard the rumors of girls younger than you being stolen. Like that eight-year-old girl who lived two doors down on the left - suddenly vanished. To be used by the officials as a sex toy, like so many others. You have seen the haunted eyes of your family and friends, trying to survive. You have witnessed the desperation of your parents. Your older sister tried to cross the border to find food two years ago, but never returned. Your turn is coming. Your parents don't want to send you into that den of wolves, but they have no choice.

Believe it or not, there is more. I'll continue posting on the evil that is the DPRK.

If you are not familiar with the pit of horror that is the DPRK's prison system, read my earlier reports.

North Korea's GULAG

North Korea's GULAG Pt. 2

North Korea Lies To Japanese Families

Freak Watch - Kim Jong Il

Communism and Islam are the two greatest threats to humankind in all of history.