Govt. to Christians in Laos: You Believe? Then Leave.

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm by Kathy Schiffer

Govt. to Christians in Laos: You Believe? Then Leave. 2016-09-30T15:55:14-05:00 Kathy Schiffer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Every day, I read horror stories about the deaths of Christians in the Middle East. And of course, I’m familiar with threats to religious liberty here in the United States, such as the HHS Mandate.

Until today, though, I hadn’t heard much about the very real persecution of Christians in the southeastern Asian nation of Laos. In many regions of that small country, religious persecution continues despite Constitutional protections. Minority Protestants, in particular, have been denied the right to worship; more than half of practicing Christians have no official church building in which to pray, but instead hold small “house services” at which neighbors come together for worship and teaching. Two Buddhist monks have been arrested in Bolikhamsai Province for having been ordained without government authorization. Protestants arrested for active proselytizing have sometimes been subjected to “reeducation.”

Recently, eleven Christian families have been given a harsh ultimatum: Renounce their Christian faith, or leave.

The eleven families, all of whom reside in the village of Nongdaeng in western Laos, converted to the Christian faith last spring, in April and May 2013. At first three of the families began praying in their homes; eight other families in the neighborhood were gradually inspired to join them.

Lao church at which three pastors were arrested

But on August 30, representatives from each of the 11 families were summoned by civil authorities in the Province of Burikhamai and were ordered to renounce their new faith and return to the animist religion common in that region. The government officials, who represented the Department of Religious Affairs, called on the Christian families to “abandon the religion of Western foreign power, which is disruptive to the nation of Laos.”

But the families were not persuaded. On Sunday, September 1, they gathered for a liturgical service in one of their homes—insisting that they had the right under the Constitution of Laos to practice their faith freely.

As the case moves forward, the Christians do have an advocate: Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom, a United Nations NGO, has urged the Lao government to permit people of Nongdaeng to worship in the Christian faith. The NGO has also recommended that the government impose sanctions on the officials who issued the “order of renunciation and eviction from the village”, which they have called “completely illegal.”

* * * *

Remember the faithful people of Laos—and all those throughout the world who live under oppressive regimes—in your prayer.

Religious Liberty

Laos

Persecution

Previous Post

September 5, 2013

The Pope and the President: Two Approaches to the G-20 Summit

Next Post

September 5, 2013 "Touchdown Jesus" Is Coming Back--This Time As "Hug Me Jesus"! UPDATED

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Synod14 Abortion Abstinence Abuse Addiction Adoption Advent Adventure Advertising Aging Agnosticism All Saints Day All Souls Day Amish Anathema Angels Anglican Animals Annulment Annunciation Apocalypse Apologetics Apostles Apostleship of the Sea Apparitions Archangels Archbishop Cordileone Archbishop Dolan Archbishop Vigneron Archeology Architecture Art Art Buchwald Ash Wednesday Assisted Suicide Astronauts Atheism Athletes Babies Baptism Beatification Beauty Bible Biochemistry Bioethics Birds Bishop Lori Bishops Blasphemy Books Canon Law Canonization Capital Punishment Cardinal Burke Cardinal Dolan Cardinal George Caritas Catechesis Catechism of the Catholic Church Catholic Catholic Education Catholic Higher Education Catholic Social Teaching Celibacy Cemeteries Character Charity Chastity Cheapskate Christian Unity Christmas Churches Civil Rights Cloning Comedy Communion of Saints Community Kitchens Confession Confirmation Conscience Consequences Consistory Constitution Contraception Conversion Cooking Councils of the Church Creativity Criminal Justice Cristero War Crucifixion Crystal Cathedral Culture Death Death and Dying Death Penalty Department of Health and Human Services Diaconate Dictatorship of Relativism Dignity Disability Discrimination Dissidence Divorce Doctors of the Church Early Church Fathers Easter Economics Ecumenism Education Encyclicals Environmentalism Episcopal Church Eucharist Euthanasia Evangelism Evangelists Evangelization Evolution Excuses Facebook Faith Families Family Fashion Fasting Fatherhood Federal Government Feminism Fiction Film First Amendment First Communion For Greater Glory Forgiveness Free Speech Friends Friendship Gender Discrimination Germany Gnosticism Good Friday Government Grace Greed Gregorian Calendar Happiness Health Heaven Heresy History Holidays Holiness Hollywood Holy Land Holy Saturday Holy Spirit Holy Week Holy Year Home Sweet Home Homosexuality Hope Humanism Humility Humor Imagination Immaculate Conception Immigration Impulsivity In Vitro Fertilization Incarnation Indulgences Infallibility Internet Islam Italy Jerusalem Jesus Judaism Justice Kathleen Sebelius Labor Movement LCWR Lent Life Literature Liturgy Lourdes Love Magi Marketing Marriage Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Mass Media Medical Ethics Mexico Michigan Miracles Missionaries Modernism Modesty Monks Monothelitism Motherhood Movies Mushrooms Music Muslim Mystery Mysticism Mythology Nativity Natural Law Nature New Evangelization New Media New Year New Year's Resolutions Nostalgia Obscenity Occult Old Testament Origen Orthodox Orvieto Pallium Papacy Parenting Patience Patriarch Bartholomew Patriotism Peace Peace and Justice Penitence Pentecost People Persecution Philosophy Poetry Political activism Political Correctness Politics Polls Pop Culture Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pope John Paul II Pope John XXIII Pope Paul VI Pope St. Pius X Pope Urban VII Population Prayer Preaching Prejudice Pride Priesthood Pro-Life Protestantism Psychology Purgatory Queenship of Mary Racism Rape Real Presence Reconciliation Reformation Relics Religious Religious Liberty Reliquary Renewal Reproductive Technology Resurrection Rights Romance Rome Royalty Sacraments Sacred Heart Saints Satanism Science Science Fiction Scripture Seal of Confession Secularism Seniors September 11 Seventy Times Seven Sexuality Sharks Sin Smoking Social Communications Social Justice Social Networking Social Sciences Space Exploration Spirituality Sports St. Luke St. Patrick's Day St. Paul St. Peter St. Teresa of Avila Stations of the Cross Steve Jobs Superstition Supreme Court Symbolism Synod Technology Teen Rebellion Television Terrorism Thankfulness Thanksgiving Theology Think This, Not That Tobit Toilets Toys Tradition Traditions Transplants Travel Trinity Twitter U.S. Air Force Uncategorized United Nations USCCB Valentine Vatican Vatican Archives Vatican Blogfest Virtue Vocations Where We Pray White Heart Women World Day of Social Communications World Meeting of Families World News World Youth Day Worship Writing Year of Consecrated Life Year of Faith Year of Mercy Youth

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Eliezer" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God is strength The chosen one God is my help The Lord provides