Many Countries Don’t Have Freedoms We Enjoy
Currently, American citizens are exercising one of their guaranteed freedoms by going to the primary polls to vote for their favorite presidential candidates. U.S. elections provide for an orderly and peaceful transition of governmental leaders.
And every Sunday, as well as during the week, Christians and people of all faiths are free to worship in the place of their choice. No barred doors. No Secret Police. No censoring of the message by government security. The freedom to worship according to one's conscience is one of our nation's most cherished values.
Of course, we need to be on constant guard to preserve these precious freedoms.
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But in many countries around the world there are not even basic human rights – especially religious freedom. Christians – especially in Islamic and communist countries – are forced to worship underground. Reading a Bible could bring imprisonment.
According to a Freedom House report, 43 countries or 36 percent of the world population were judged "not free" and 60 countries or 18 percent of the global population "partly free" in 2007. Those totals cover over 100 countries and 54 percent of the worldwide population.
Here are just a few examples of religious intolerance:
• North Korea – Kim Jong Il must be worshipped as a "god" with no exceptions. Up to 700,000 North Koreans are suffering in prison camps, some for simply practicing their faith underground. As one North Korean said last December, "we can only celebrate Christmas in our hearts."
• Saudi Arabia – The country is considered a friend of the U.S. due to its support of the war on terrorism. However, there is absolutely no religious freedom. A person charged with apostasy – changing one's faith from Islam – could face death.
• Iran – Islam is the official religion in Iran and all laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of Shariah (strict Islamic law). Since hard-line conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president in 2005, persecution has increased for Christians and others.
These three countries rank 1-2-3, respectively, in the 2008 Open Doors World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians suffer the most sever persecution for their faith. Rounding out the top 10 are Maldives, Bhutan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Laos, Uzbekistan and China. North Korea has topped the list for six straight years.
Last month Pope Benedict issued a strong call for religious freedom in Arab countries, saying everyone should have the right to practice their faith openly and to convert to other religions if they wanted. The Pope, making his call in an address to Catholic bishops from Arab regions, also said he was concerned that parts of the Middle East risked becoming just "an archaeological site" if an exodus of Christians forced out by violence continued. "I dearly hope that authentic religious freedom could become reality everywhere and that everyone's right to practice their religion freely, or to change it, should not be impeded."
As citizens in the United States go to the polls to vote in the primaries and to our churches with no harassment or restrictions, we thank our Lord for those freedoms which we enjoy.
But we can not stop there. We need to advocate, encourage and pray for the millions who suffer for their faith, like the ones the Pope refers to in Arab regions. Join prayer campaigns, write letters to suffering believers and government officials and consider going to the field to meet and support suffering believers.
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Dr. Carl Moeller is president/CEO of Open Doors USA
