I thought you'd find it interesting to know that if you are a Christian, the worst place to live in the world is North Korea. This is according to Open Doors' 2008 World Watch List released Monday February 11th. This is the sixth year in a row that North Korea has ranked the #1 on the list. In North Korea, considered by many the most repressive regime in the world, citizens are strictly banned from worshipping any other gods beside those enforced in the state religion, which is a "personality cult" revolving around current dictator Kim Jong Il, and his deceased father, Kim Il Sung. Christianity is considered a serious threat to the regime's power. Christians are publicly executed, tortured or imprisoned indefinitely simply because of the discovery of their faith. It is estimated that there are at least 200,000 underground Christians and up to 400,000 to 500,000 belivers secretly practicing their faith in North Korea. At least a quarter of the Christians are imprisoned for their faith in political prison camps, from which people rerely get out alive.
In second place behind North Korea is the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Unter the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islamic law, apostasy (conversion to another religion) is punishable by death if the accused does not recant. Islam is the predominant religion in 6 of the top 10 countries. The World Watch List ranks countries based on the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith. The list is compiled based on answers to 50 questions covering various aspects of religious freedom from Open Doors' indigenous contacts, field workers and persecuted believers. The top ten countries on the 2008 World Watch List in order are: first, North Korea; then Saudi Arabia; Iran; Maldives; Bhutan; Yemen; Afghanistan; Laos; Uzbekistan; and #10 is China.
Pastor John