The Plight of Christians in Burma

“There shall be no home where the Christian religion is practiced.” This was the opening line of a document, leaked a couple years ago by the government of the military regime in power in Burma since 1962. Burma (Myanmar) is listed 5th on the Restriction of Religious Freedom Index, only behind such anti-Christian countries as Saudi Arabia and Iraq. At least four to six percent of the 55,390,000 population of this country is Christian. The majority of the rest of the country’s population is Buddhist. The government has restricted the building of churches and in 2004 it was illegal to print or import the Bible into Burma. More recently there continues to be censorship of local publications of the Bible. In 2007 a Buddhist monk, backed by the military burned down a church and in ongoing ethnic struggles, 27,000 of the predominantly Christian Karen tribe were driven from their homes.
In a more recent example of the persecution of Christians in Burma, pastors in Rangoon were forced to sign papers that they said they would stop holding their church services. The Kyauktada Township “Peace and Development” Council summoned more than 40 local church leaders, forcing them to sign the papers, which said that pastors would be punished and even jailed if they failed to comply. The military government, or junta, of Burma has in past years issued permits to churches, but since the late 1990’s have no longer issued these permits, so churches are forced to meet covertly in residential apartments.
In early May 2008, the cyclone Nargis left tens of thousands dead, including many who died from the lack of relief following the disaster. The government prohibited the aid that was offered by other countries and organizations and, only when it was too late to save many, allowed agencies to help. As reported by World magazine, the government has barred help to the Karen minority. And yet, this tragedy has swelled the numbers of the church in Burma, with private Christian aid helping to bring in the gospel.
SRO has sought to get involved in aiding suffering Christians in this oppressed country, and has found an excellent avenue in the ministry of Sabbath House, an organization based here in Moscow. Sabbath House has sent funds raised by SRO to its contacts in Rangoon (Yangon), to supply medicine for clinics in northern Burma, and to cover basic needs for Mercy Children’s Home, an orphanage in Rangoon. Moscow locals became familiar with the faces of these orphans over the summer and fall, as they were displayed on the poster at SRO’s Farmer’s Market table. SRO’s army of volunteers faithfully baked goodies and staffed the table from July through October, bringing in more than $1200 for Mercy Children’s Home. All told, SRO has send about $1900 to Burma over the past nine months, helping to meet most of the orphanage’s pressing needs. SRO is committed to continuing to search out opportunities to minister to the oppressed throughout Burma and we pray weekly for their deliverance.


Things to keep in prayer
--Thanksgiving for God’s provision, through SRO and others, of Mercy Children’s Home’s major needs.
--Thanksgiving for Pastor Naing Thang’s ministry to Christians throughout Burma
--Prayer that God would overthrow the oppressive regime that has killed and impoverished millions in Burma for the past 60 years.
--Prayer that God would give peace to the Karen people of eastern Burma, most of whom are now refugees.
--Prayer for the continued success of Mercy Children’s Home’s ministry, and for their protection from disease.
--Prayer that God would bring the plight of Christians in Burma to the attention of more Westerners.


Reference Links
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/14809
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/1514-rangoons-christians-banned-from-worshiping.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1540121/Burma-'orders-Christians-to-be-wiped-out'.html
http://www.persecution.org/suffering/countryinfodetail.php?countrycode=12#Articles
http://www.barnabasfund.org/pdfdocs/LOP32_IG3.pdf

by Becca Hurt, SRO Columnist