{"id":27037,"date":"2020-06-24T15:00:54","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T06:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=27037"},"modified":"2020-08-26T13:26:51","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T04:26:51","slug":"vomk-report-106","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2020\/06\/24\/vomk-report-106\/","title":{"rendered":"PERSECUTION MINISTRY UNVEILS COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE, NEW BOOKLET AS REMINDER THAT \u201cCOMMUNISM IS NOT DEAD\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”27032″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Voice of the Martyrs Korea, an NGO which ministers to persecuted Christians worldwide, held a press conference today to unveil a plaque on its Martyrs Timeline commemorating \u201cThe Unknown Martyrs of Communism\u201d and to officially release its new booklet, \u201cCommunism Is Not Dead\u201d, an educational resource for Christians and churches.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>Since 1921, an estimated 25 to 30 million Christians have been killed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>so far\u00a0<\/span><\/span>by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>atheist and Marxist regimes<\/span><\/span>\u00a0because of their faith<\/span><\/span>, according to the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary<\/span><\/span>,\u201d says Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>June 29 is the day many churches\u00a0<\/span><\/span>around the world\u00a0<\/span><\/span>remember the martyrdoms of the Apostles Peter and Paul.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>So<\/span><\/span>\u00a0it is a<\/span><\/span>n appropriate\u00a0<\/span><\/span>time<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to remember\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018The Unknown Martyrs of Communism\u2019<\/span><\/span>. We should also remember that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>oday more than\u00a0<\/span><\/span>3<\/span><\/span>\u00a0billion people\u00a0<\/span><\/span>still\u00a0<\/span><\/span>live\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in countries where Christians face Communist oppression<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Martyrs continue to lay down their lives in these places even<\/span><\/span>\u00a0now<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley\u00a0<\/span><\/span>says\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that w<\/span><\/span>hile China, Vietnam, Laos<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>North Korea,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and Cuba are considered the last \u201cCommunist\u201d nations, the ideology remains influential in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>other countries,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>including India and Nepal.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>In India, Communist groups are called Naxalites,<\/span><\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe name\u00a0<\/span><\/span>origina<\/span><\/span>ted<\/span><\/span>\u00a0from the town of\u00a0<\/span>Naxalbari<\/span>\u00a0in northeastern India where an uprising occurred in the late 1960s. The Naxalites claim to represent the poorest in Indian society, especially those from a low caste or no caste in the Hindu-dominated country.<\/span><\/span>\u201d Representative Foley sa<\/span><\/span>ys<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that a<\/span><\/span>lthough the Naxalites do<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>n<\/span><\/span>o<\/span><\/span>t commonly persecute Christians, they were responsible for the 2019 murders of two Christians in separate incidents.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>In October<\/span><\/span>\u00a02019<\/span><\/span>, they tied an evangelist to a tree and beheaded him for refusing, after repeated warnings, to stop sharing the gospel<\/span><\/span>,\u201d she says<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”27158″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”27160″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Eritrea<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>should also be included in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the list of countries where Christians experience Communis<\/span><\/span>t oppression<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>Eritrea<\/span><\/span>\u2019s president, Isaias\u00a0<\/span>Afwerki<\/span>, studied in China during the Cultural Revolution (1966\u20131976)<\/span><\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>He absorbed<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Chairman Mao Zedong\u2019s strong-arm approach to governance.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>When he returned to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Eritrea,\u00a0<\/span>Afwerki<\/span>\u00a0founded his own Marxist revolutionary movement \u2014 the Eritrean People\u2019s Liberation Front, later renamed The People\u2019s Front for Democracy and Justice<\/span><\/span>\u2014and fought a 30-year\u00a0<\/span><\/span>battle for independence from Ethiopia<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>When\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Eritrea\u00a0<\/span><\/span>became independent in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>1993<\/span><\/span>, the situation for Christians<\/span><\/span>\u00a0worsened sharply<\/span><\/span>. Christians in Eritrea are harshly persecuted to this day<\/span><\/span>. Some<\/span><\/span>\u00a0endur<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>\u00a0imprisonment in shipping containers in extreme\u00a0<\/span><\/span>heat and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0cold<\/span><\/span>. In June 2019, about 500 believers were arrested in multiple raids. In one raid on an underground church, authorities arrested 45 believers, including children, pregnant women and elderly people.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that d<\/span><\/span>espite the efforts of Communist<\/span><\/span>s to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>suppress and eradicate the church<\/span><\/span>\u00a0since 1921<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Christians under Communism have remained faithful to Christ, and the church continues to grow today\u00a0<\/span><\/span>under Communist oppression<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>Rev.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Richard\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span><\/span>urmbrand<\/span><\/span>, the global founder of Voice of the Martyrs, spent 14 years in prison under Romanian Communists,<\/span><\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cHe was once asked\u00a0<\/span><\/span>if Communism was a threat to the church<\/span><\/span>. He said, \u2018Communism is no threat to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the church of Christ<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Even the gates of hell cannot prevail against\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the church.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0It is Communism which is rather endangered by the existence of the church, because the last victory is ours.<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Rev.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Wurmbrand<\/span><\/span>\u00a0said, \u2018<\/span><\/span>We don\u2019t tremble before Communis<\/span><\/span>ts<\/span><\/span>. They should be in panic because of us.<\/span><\/span>\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]At the press conference,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u00a0<\/span><\/span>officially\u00a0<\/span><\/span>releas<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0its new booklet, \u201cCommunism Is Not Dead\u201d<\/span><\/span>, which presents a histor<\/span><\/span>ical overview of the Church under Communism,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0as well as\u00a0<\/span><\/span>up-to-date\u00a0<\/span><\/span>information<\/span><\/span>, trends, and testimonies<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>It is designed to be used as an educational tool for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Korean<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Christians and churches<\/span><\/span>. It\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is being offered in bundles of 10 for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>10<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>000<\/span><\/span>\u00a0KRW<\/span><\/span>, which includes shipping<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”27159″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says\u00a0<\/span><\/span>she believes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Korean<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Christians have a growing interest\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the situation of the church under Communism today, but they often lack detailed information\u00a0<\/span><\/span>since it is not reported in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mainstream media<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe most popular book in our Voice of the Martyrs Korea online bookstore is Rev.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Wurmbrand\u2019s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Marx and Satan,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>which\u00a0<\/span><\/span>traces the historical links between Satanism and Communism,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span><\/span>The book is still as relevant today as when Rev.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Wurmbrand<\/span><\/span>\u00a0first wrote it<\/span><\/span>. But we also need to provide\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Korean\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Christians and churches with current information about Christians under Communism so that they understand that this is not\u00a0<\/span><\/span>past history<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that ended when the Soviet Union collapsed. Christians are continuing to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>make a bold witness and to pay for it with their lives\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, North Korea,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Eritrea, and India.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Individuals interested in purchasing\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the \u201cCommunism Is Not Dead\u201d booklets can do so in packets of 10 for 10,000 KRW by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>call<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0VOM<\/span><\/span>K<\/span><\/span>\u00a0at 02-2065-0703 or\u00a0<\/span><\/span>by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>go<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/shop<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Rev.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Wu<\/span><\/span>r<\/span><\/span>mbrand\u2019s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0book,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Marx<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and Satan,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is available through the same source for 10,000 KRW.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”27032″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Voice of the Martyrs Korea, an NGO which ministers to persecuted Christians worldwide, held a press conference today to unveil a plaque on its Martyrs Timeline commemorating …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":27036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}