I'm pretty hard on Christianity sometimes, mostly because, well, the Christian Right is so out of control with hypocrisy and the politics of hate. So when I saw this article in the NY Times today, about Christian groups trying to get the administration to deal with human rights abuses in North Korea, I thought I had some good news to talk about.
Well, sort of. Seems like some fundamentalist groups are working together to bring attention to atrocities being committed by Kim Jong Il's regime, and in principle at least I'm all for that.
But I question the perspective of any group that thinks that George W. Bush is any kind of great humanitarian:
"God has put a man in office who has a heart for the nations, and for the pain and suffering that is happening all over the world," Ms. Younger said near a "sponsor's tent" as she recalled a talk with Mr. Bush about Mr. Kang's book when she visited the White House early last month.
So...would that include the suffering at Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib? Or the brutality of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe? How about the pain and suffering at the hands of our "friends" in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan...?
The Midland Ministerial Alliance took the opportunity to publicize their cause at Rock The Desert, which seems like sort of a fundamentalist Christian Burning Man, primarily by setting up an exhibit with graphic depictions of North Korean human rights abuses. The article doesn't show any part of the exhibit (I couldn't find any photos online, which leads me to wonder just how horrific it was), but it does show a photo of an 11-year-old girl covering her mouth against sulfurous gas fumes, presumably while viewing the source of those fumes, a re-creation of a gas chamber complete with bloody adult and baby mannequins.
So, I'm confused...I thought exposing kids to graphic violence was BAD and not in accordance with Christian family values...?
The centerpiece of their grand guignol tent show was apparently a North Korea defector and former prison camp inmate named Kang Chol Hwan. Again, this seems natural enough, but this "oh yeah" moment comes just about at the end of the article:
Just how many people practice Christianity underground in North Korea or are persecuted for it is impossible to determine, rights groups say. Communist North Korea has treated Christianity as treason for decades. But missionaries and defectors say they have heard reports of tiny underground churches.
Until recently Mr. Kang was not very religious, and until the addition of a new preface his memoir did not mention the subject.
"He is not really all gung-ho about prayer, prayer, prayer," and he was initially "flabbergasted" at the hero's welcome and shower of prayer here, the Rev. Douglas Shin, his friend and translator, said.
Mr. Kang is quickly learning to emphasize faith to his new American evangelical allies. Preparing for the festival, Mr. Shin helped Mr. Kang write a speech emphasizing "the love of Jesus Christ" and quoting the biblical "commission" to "make disciples of all the nations." [emphases mine]
So...are they giving this guy a forum to tell his story, or are they trying to exploit his experiences to further a religious agenda? It could just be that groups like this can't talk about anything without putting their religious slant on it, but it seems like he's getting pressured to talk about his non-religious experiences in a religious way. What gives?
Anyone got the lowdown on the Midland Ministerial Alliance or their partners? I know they were previously mobilized over the situation in Sudan, but that's about it. Curious minds want to know...
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