Christian Persecution

Uzbekistan is one of the many countries in the world that has persecution. Uzbekistan is one of only two double landlocked countries the other being Lichtenstein (meaning land locked by two or more landlocked countries.) The population of Uzbekistan is 30.24 million but only about 1,512,000 are Christians. The president is Shavkat Mirziyoyev who took office in September 2016. Christian have been persecution in the past and are still being persecuted in countries today, such as Uzbekistan; however their are things we can do to help these Christians.

Christian persecution has happened for many years, but it started with Emperor Nero of Rome. Nero became emperor when he was sixteen. His father died because his mother poisoned him because he wanted her son to become ruler, because of his tragic backstory, his ruler was filled with awful things. Nero began persecuting Christians in about 64 AD in the 10th year of his reign. Fire started in the part of the city. This fire went on for almost a week, burning 10 of the 14 districts many people died. While this was happening Nero watched from the roof of his palace singing songs. He blamed this fire on the Christians because some people believed that Nero started the fire. He had all the Christians thrown into prison. Christians were killed and killed because of this fire, when they didn’t even do anything wrong. Nero was a ruthless man and killed Christians in awful ways such as crucifixion. He had them torn to pieces by wild beasts by putting animal skins on them. He made them into torches at parties for his enjoyment.

He also sometimes ran chariots into them. He did everything he could think of to hurt them. Jesus wasn’t very big in Rome until Nero started persecuting Christians and he started to kill them the name of Jesus and the Christians was all over Rome Nero actually made more people hear about Jesus then trying to hurt them, he helped them. The Disciples were persecuted by others as well, not just the romans, 10 out of the 11 Disciples were martyred for the faith. Many were crucified, stoned, and killed just because they were Jesus followers. John was the only disciple that died of old age but he had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil, poisoned, and sentenced to an island to die (which is where he wrote the book of Revelation.) Persecution continued on for Christians and is still going on today.

Persecution is still happening to Christians today, in countries all around the world like Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan 93% of the population is islamic, 3% is Catholic, and 4% is Orthodox. Most of the Christians in Uzbekistan are ethnic minorities which means their culture our religion is different from the people around them. In Uzbekistan they have a law that says they can’t have unregistered religious activities like church services and gatherings. In Uzbekistan it is unsafe to

be a Christian. Secret police tap phones and send in undercover spies just to get information on the church. Christians receive public beatings, raids, public humiliation, losing their jobs, and sometimes even torture if the say they are a Christian. Sometimes when christians are imprisoned, there sentences will be extended just because, no reason what so ever. In Uzbekistan all sorts of bad things are happening to Christians, bank accounts are being frozen and money illegally taken from couples accounts. If some has even a Bible in their home they will be thrown into jail for 5 days. Sadly, there are lots of stories about Christian persecution in Uzbekistan, here is one of them. Stanislav Kim was sentenced to two years of “corrective labor” after having Bibles and other books about Christians in his home. He has to live at home under restrictions and one ⅕ of his wages will go to the government. Since this was his second time breaking this law he was sentenced to corrective labor. Most of the time these Christian books and Bibles are destroyed by order of court. Christian Persecution is very evident in Uzbekistan.

Even though Christians are being persecuted there are things we can do to help them. People such as Jessie Urban (an Open Doors volunteer) help Christians that are being persecuted she said “Volunteering with Open Doors has given me valuable insights into the situations facing believers around the world. Editing weekly updates puts my finger on the pulse of the changing circumstances in various countries, which allows me to pray and raise awareness more effectively. I have learned about the various programs and campaigns Open Doors has initiated to meet the specific needs of believers in difficult situations around the world. Through the two volunteer trips I have taken with Open Doors, I have also been privileged to meet not only some of the courageous believers living in difficult circumstances, but also the in-country workers whose tireless, sacrificial care for the body of Christ has inspired me beyond words.” A way that we can remember the persecuted Christians is the Acronym P.E.A.C.E. Pray for the persecuted church, Encourage the persecuted church, Advocate for the persecuted believers, Care for the needs of those who are being persecuted, Educate ourselves and others about this widespread problem. We can help Christians in lots of ways, How will you help? Christian have been persecution in the past and are still being persecuted in countries today, such as Uzbekistan; however there are things we can do to help these Christians.

Christians have been persecuted since Jesus day, and are still being persecuted today. We need to remember people like Stanislav Kim who have been influenced by persecution. Even though persecution is happening, there are things that we can do to help, whether it be praying, encouraging or even volunteering in countries or for organization such as Open Doors and through people such as Jessie Urban. Persecution is very important and it is world-wide, God wants us to help the persecuted, how will you help?