Christians Executing Christians

A friend of mine emailed to me a disturbing BBC News item. Disturbing? I should say, more provocative:

North Korea 'executes Christians' By Andre Vornic, BBC News

Human rights groups in South Korea say North Korea has stepped up executions of Christians, some of them in public.The communist country, the world's most closed society, views religion as a major threat.

Only the founder of the country, Kim Il-sung, and his son, Kim Jong-il, may be worshipped, in mass public displays of fervour. Despite the persecutions, it is thought up to 30,000 North Koreans may practise Christianity secretly in their homes.

A report by a number of South Korean groups highlights one particular case of a woman allegedly executed in public last month, in a northern town close to the Chinese border. She was accused of distributing Bibles, spying for South Korea and the United States and helping to organise dissidents.

Her parents, husband, and children were sent to a prison camp.

And at this writing, there may be someone taking their "last walk," reading aloud from the Bible.

Because Christians in this country voted for the death penalty.

No, this really isn't a Christian-bashing post. Just a wake-up call to people who might read the above with mounting hatred for "Commie-Pinko" North Korea while not taking the time to look at themselves. It's a "let those without sin, cast the first stone" moment. And, very possibly, right now, there are people who will scream at me for daring to even make such a bold, insensitive statement.

Let them scream. But I think it's true.

It's also true that Christians are being executed in North Korea. North Korea has allowed the evidence to mount against its human rights violations point by point, death by death. But as we view that evidence with disgust, let us remember that we should set an example when it comes to the judging of our own citizens: our "most religious" country status is in jeopardy lest we abolish capital judgment as well as capital punishment.