Marriage
Christian Singles Still Believe in Love at First Sight, Soul Mate
Fifty-five percent of Christian singles still believe in love at first sight, ...
Opinion
What Compromise? This Policy Leaves Religious Liberty in Peril and Planned Parenthood Smiling
As is often the case, what is presented in Washington as a compromise is really ...
U.S.
Kirk Cameron Joins Rick Warren, Billy Graham on Strict Female Rule
"Growing Pains" star and born-again Christian Kirk Cameron made news for not ...
Opinion
Gay by Choice?
Are all homosexuals "born that way"? Not if you believe the testimony of a ...
A Christian ministry working with persecuted churches said removing North Korea from the U.S. terrorism blacklist gives legitimacy to a country that has the worst religious freedom violation in the world.
“There is no other country in the world where Christians are being persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner,” said Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, in a statement this week. “Often three generations of Christians are hunted down and killed or placed in prisons.”
“Taking North Korea off the terrorism list just prolongs the life of a failing regime by giving it legitimacy,” he argued.
The U.S. State Department announced last weekend that it was taking North Korea off its list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange that the rogue regime will again continue its denuclearization process and allow international nuclear inspections.
North Korea has been on the blacklist since 1988. Other countries still remaining on the list are Cuba, Syria, and Iran.
Moeller believes removing the black mark on North Korea will result in greater hardship for Christians.
Like us on Facebook
Open Doors ranked North Korea as the number one country persecutor of Christians in its 2008 World Watch List. There is absolutely no religious freedom in North Korea with the government forcing all citizens to worship current leader Kim Jong Il and his deceased father, Kim Il Sung.
Being found a Christian is the worst crime in North Korea, and can result in imprisonment, torture or public execution.
According to estimates, there is an underground Christian population of at least 200,000 and as high as 400,000 believers. At least a quarter of the Christians in North Korea are imprisoned for their faith in political prison camps, from which people rarely get out alive.
“We need to keep the pressure on the United States government not to forget the terrible status of Christians,” the Open Doors president said. “Future dialogue should include freedom of religion and other basic human rights."
“North Korea has not softened its targeting of thousands of Christians one bit,” he added. “We must not forget the Christians in North Korea and how the regime of Kim Jong Il keeps them in chains. Please pray with me to have those chains broken.”
