scc@mgweed.UUCP (Steve Collins) (05/10/84)
I will be entering an article titled "A M.P. Courier's Dramatic
Story of Soviet Arrest!". This article was given to me by the
author with permission to re-print. The Article
is extremely long, so it will be submitted in 4 parts. I hope
it show you the attitude of Russia on the subject of
religion. Often you hear the statement of Russia having
an open mind and freely condoning religion. This article
addresses the real feelings of the Russian government.
Steve Collins
AN ORCHESTRA WITHOUT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
You have been so faithful in praying for and supporting this
work although some of you may not have been always kept up to date
with the latest happenings "on the other side." It's your intercession
and help that makes our work possible, and we, along with our friends
over there who cannot say it personally, say to you, "Thank you,
faithful Brother and Sister! The lord is lifted up, and people are
being drawn to Him! The job is getting done!"
We make a lot of trips into the East, and the majority of them
are what we see as great successes. But, we are still in the
middle of a spiritual battlefield whose scope is beyond what we
could possibly imagine! One of our recent trips ended in what
some may call a "defeat," but was it really a defeat?
We always pray over our literature befor we go that every piece
will come into the right hands; to exactly the right person to whom
God has chosen to receive it. This was the case before my last
trip to the Soviet Union. Although our vehicle was ingeniously
"built," we still must rely on God's grace and not just in our
intellect.
Almost immediately after we arrived at the soviet border,
the highly trained coustoms soldiers proceeded to try and
dismantle the inside of our vehicle. My impression is that
they were possibly looking for something else, such as drugs, and
accidentally stumbled across the means of finding the literature
we had with us.
ONE THOUSAND NEW TESTAMENTS DISCOVERED
As one of them triumphantly produced a Russian New Testament, we
were immediately ordered to drive into the special garage where I
was separated from my two traveling companions. I was glad that I was
the only one who knew any addresses. The others would not be able to
tell what they didn't know. I think the guards were aware of this from
the start.
I was given paper and pen and told to write "the whole story."
I gave them no other information that my testimony and my motivation
for doing what I did -- which was simply my love and concern for
my Christian brothers and sisters in the USSR.
At first, as the KGB arrived, they were furious that I hadn't
"spilled the beans" yet. I repeated my testimony to all of them.
Occasionally, they would walk out in a huff, and someone else would
come in. It was not unlike the situation where, because of Paul,
the whole Roman guard where he was being held heard the Gospel!stanwyck@ihuxr.UUCP (Don Stanwyck) (05/10/84)
WARNING! This set of articles contain accounts of "Christians" deliberately breaking import/export laws, bragging about it, and generally seeking support for their illegal activities simply because the country whose laws are being broken is perceived to be "anti-religion". Not all Christians, or those who call themselves such, support in any way the actions of these law-breaking people. I, for one, find it to be in great distaste because of its blatent disregard for the teachings of the Bible (see Romans 12, other places) where the Bible teaches subjection to government authority, regardless of the government. -- ________ ( ) Don Stanwyck @( o o )@ 312-979-3062 ( || ) Cornet-367-3062 ( \__/ ) ihnp4!ihuxr!stanwyck (______) Bell Labs @ Naperville, IL
seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert) (05/11/84)
I believe that we are supposed to obey the rulers, since God
has put them into power, (or at least *allowed* them to be in
power) so long as the rules they make don't conflict with God's
rules.
So laws that say "pass on the right", "build your house 'x'
feet back from the property line", and so on are to be obeyed.
But rules like "work seven days a week", "do not read the Bible",
and so on, are in direct conflict with the rules of God, and are
not to be obeyed.
Obviously one should be very sure that one *is* doing the right
thing when going against a government. Not something to be
taken lightly. (The gov't certainly won't!!)
--
_____
/_____\ That auto-crossing beagle,
/_______\ Snoopy
|___| BMWCCA, Windy City Chapter
____|___|_____ ihnp4!ihuxl!seifertrlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (05/11/84)
> I, for one, > find it to be in great distaste because of its blatent disregard > for the teachings of the Bible (see Romans 12, other places) where > the Bible teaches subjection to government authority, regardless > of the government. Sounds like a great way for a government to keep people in line. Just line up the support of the church, and you're in. I wonder if this has been tried before... :-) [Of course, there's the proviso that the citizens have not been trained in the art of thinking.] -- Those responsible for sacking those people who have just been sacked, have been sacked. Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr
jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (05/12/84)
Don Stanwyck writes: >WARNING! This set of articles contain accounts of "Christians" > deliberately breaking import/export laws, bragging > about it, and generally seeking support for their > illegal activities simply because the country whose > laws are being broken is perceived to be "anti-religion". > >Not all Christians, or those who call themselves such, support in >any way the actions of these law-breaking people. I, for one, >find it to be in great distaste because of its blatent disregard >for the teachings of the Bible (see Romans 12, other places) where >the Bible teaches subjection to government authority, regardless >of the government. Some people tend to forget what is the nature of the USSR. The USSR is not only "anti-religion", it is currently the worst oppressor of freedom. The USSR has signed UN and Helsinki treaties/declaration on Human Rights, which include clauses guarantying the freedom of religion. These treaties uphold the rights of individuals for religious worship. The right of worship includes free access to religious material. The Soviets continuously violate these treaties by restricting access to religious materials. I feel that the smuggling described in Steve Collins' article are not only morally justified, but should be viewed as commendable actions. (I think the USSR has laws protecting religious freedom. The USSR may be violating its own laws by oppressing religion). -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho
pmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) (05/13/84)
Article 124 of the U.S.S.R. Consitiution declares the following: In order to ensure to citizens freedom of conscience, the church of the U.S.S.R. is separated from the state. And the school from the church. Freedom of religious worship and freedom of anti-religious propaganda is recognized for all citizens. Interesting, huh? I wonder which of the two "freedoms" in the last sentence gets exersized more often? Paul Dubuc
scc@mgweed.UUCP (Steve Collins) (05/14/84)
PART 2 of 4 PARTS
A SOVIET OFFICER IS CONFRONTED WITH CHRIST
One young soldier (officer) told me that what I did was totally
unnecessary, because "every believer in the USSR already has
a Bible!"
I replied that couldn't possibly be true, because in my previous
trips to Moscow (one of the largest cities in the world), I had
never seen ONE Bible in ANY store! He glanced around the room and
replied, "You see, in the Soviet Union, we have complete separation
of Church and State. So, if there is a shortage of Bibles, that
is the Church's fault, not the State's!"
I became angry at the way this young man had been so blinded, and
I declared, "How can you say there is separation of Church and State
when the Church isn't allowed to do a single thing without the State's
permission? They can't print or sell Bibles, hold evangelistic meetings,
baptize new converts, give religious instruction to children, elect a pastor,
or build a church without the State's 100% approval! How can you say
that the State is separated from the Church?!"
He had no comment to this, and I changed the subject to ask why
the USSR has such a problem with alcoholism. He answered that the Soviet
State is only 65 years old, has lived through two world wars and a civil
war, and the State, along with individuals, can't solve all their problems
at once, so many become frustrated and turn to alcohol as an escape. I
then told him that many alcoholics in the USSR (and the rest of the world)
have found the real cure to their need in Jesus Christ. He didn't argue.
He then asked me if I thought his heart was "black." In that instant
of time, I wish I could have conveyed to him the answer to the heartcry
of billions, but all I could say with a voice choked with emotion was,
"You need Jesus in your life! He can give you the peace you're looking for!"
At this, the young officer became very uncomfortable and quickly
left the room. I never saw him again.
With my other interrogators, I had to put up with numerous threats
of prison. I had already long prepared myself for such a possibility
before starting the trip. I was still amazed at the strong love and strange
peace in my heart and told them repeatedly, "Well, come on then, let's go!
I'm ready to go if necessary." They said, "Are you really prepared to suffer
for what you believe in" Do you want to be a martyr?" They said that a
Soviet prison is no pleasure resort. I knew they were trying to terrorize
me, and I said, "The love of Jesus in my heart is stronger than than
any fear you can put on me."
A COMMUNIST YOUTH LEAGUE MEMBER PONDERS CHRISTIANITY
They called for another break (as they usually would at times like
this). In the following moments, I was again able to witness to Misha, my
interpreter. He was a fine young man, extremely intelligent, and very open
to what I was saying. Whenever he translated what I said, he always said
it in the first person. For example, when I would say that I believe in
Jesus Christ, he wouldn't say, "he says that he believes in Jesus Christ,"
but rather he would say, "I believe ..." just as I would say it.
It was also extremely difficult for him to translate their threats
to send me to "special investigators" and then to Siberia. I would
just wink and smile at his troubled face. He said he had never met
someone who was that dedicated to his beliefs before. I told him that
he would make a fine Christian himself. That gave him something to ponder!
He finally said that he was a member of the Komsomol, the communist
Youth League, and therefore it would be impossible to convert to
Christianity and carry on with the Komsomol. I sensed that his entire life
revolved around this atheistic, militaristic organization. He never challenged
my reasons for believing in a personal, Almighty God.scc@mgweed.UUCP (Steve Collins) (05/15/84)
PART 3 OF 4 PART ARTICLE
SOVIET PRISION - A REALITY OF LIFE
As the others returned, the discussions went on. They said that
Christians in Russia aren't persecuted at all. I shot back that
there are at least 250 or more known cases where Christians in the
USSR were in prison for their beliefs, and I knew personally of
two cases - Ivan Fedotov and Galina Vilchinskaya!
They were shocked! "What do you know about Galina Vilchinskaya?!"
I said I knew the whole story about her imprisonment for giving Christian
instruction to children, her three-year internment in a horrible
concentration camp, her release, and how the KGB set her up on false drug
charges so they could rearrest her. I told them it was common knowledge in
the west and had appeared in numerous newspapers. (If there's one thing
that makes Soviet officials uneasy, it's negative publicity in the west).
Later on, we were taken to hotel in the city to spend the night.
For the two rooms in this mediocre hotel for two nights, we had to pay
$250.00! Not only that, but the bugging devices (which were built into the
radio) crackled like Rice Krispies! We, of course, didn't talk about things
but spent the night in silent prayer.
The next day was a fresh round of the same old interrogation. I had
heard that my two companions had also been threateded with prison. I was finally
informed that if I didn't speak up, my friends would also get the same
8 to 10 year sentence that I would. My only concern was that they be allowed
to go free. I just sat there dumbly. They said, "Don't you even care that
your friends will go to prison for what you did?" I shook my head. They
exclaimed, "Because of you totally innocent people are going to suffer for
years, and you don't even bat an eye!" Then I shouted back, "Since when do
you lock up innocent people?"
It was then time for another break!
"AN ORCHESTRA WITHOUT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS"
Afterwards, they asked me why I hadn't brought my personal Bible
along on this trip. I answered that although it's not forbidden for
a tourist to bring his or her Bible along, it is a good way to be
followed everywhere you go. The KGB man said, "We've always had
the impression that the Christians always keep their Bibles with them.
The Christians here in the Soviet Union can hardly be separated from their
Bibles. Why, a Christian without his Bible is like a musician without
his musical instrument, and a group of Christians without Bibles is like an
Orchestra without musical instruments." Thrilled, I shouted, "That's exactly
why I came here with Bibles! There's an entire orchestra out there without
musical instruments!!"
I didn't need to see the sour expression on his face to tell me it was
time for another break!
As evening came, I was taken and informed that out vehicle was to be
confiscated. They also informed me it would be sold on the open market
to any interested Soviet citizen for 5,000 rubles, and the money would go
into the state treasury. (A Laugh)!
We spent our second expensive night in the same hotel not knowing what
the next day might bring. My friend tried to call his embassy in Moscow
but was informed by the operator that "nobody answers."scc@mgweed.UUCP (Steve Collins) (05/17/84)
I have noticed that Don Stanwyck has entered an article with a "WARNING!" message. I will have to agree that a warning should be posted. The warning I propose is as follows: Warning! These articles are about Christians that are following God. They are not putting the Russian Government up as a God before them. They are doing no more than many of the Great Men of God have done thru the years. Isn't that what the early christian life was all about? People were fed to lions because they refused to bow down to the governmental Gods.. Even in later history where would our churches be without men that refuse to hold Mans Laws up above Gods law. Men like Wycliffe and Tyndale noted for again smuggling Bibles because it was against the law. Praise God for all the men that gave up their lifes to follow Gods laws, not mans laws. In regards with teachings of the Bible: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15 The above verses uses the word "all," not just where the law allows you to preach the Gospel. I will be unable to post the next section of the Article on Russia tommorow. I will post it on Monday.
labelle@hplabsc.UUCP (WB6YZZ Labelle) (05/17/84)
The USSR dosen't need JESUS anymore than we do. Jesus! What they need
is a freer form of government which would promote better productivity.
"Jesus" still dosen't put the bread on the table. The farmer does!!
GEORGEscc@mgweed.UUCP (Steve Collins) (05/18/84)
PART 4 OF 4 PARTS
PHYSICALLY FREE, BUT SPIRITUALLY UNRELEASED
The next morning, right after breakfast, we were informed we
were to be immediately taken to the train station! I was happy -
but not too surprised. At the moment, my thoughts were not as
occupied with thought of going home as they were with all the
people there on the border who had been confronted with the
Gospel within the last few days.
My heart felt as though it was being torn apart as I
recalled the young border guards in the garage hungrily scanning
the contents of the New Testaments. I had desperately and
silently prayed to God that He would burn those few words into
those soldiers' hearts before they were forced to put down the
book. I thought of my interpreter, Misha, and wondered if I would
see him in the Kingdom. My heart ached for this huge,
infathomable Russia that I would never see again...
My friends looked at me curiously and asked if I was
alright. I nodded, and we rose from the table to get our things.
We put all our luggage into the waiting van and were whisked to
the train station. We were sent directly to a special waiting
room and told to wait while they bought train tickets to the west
for us (at our inflated expense, of course)!
In my last discussion with Misha, I found a Soviet magazine
with a huge picture of Lenin on the front. I explained to him the
difference between his god, who was dead and lying in a glass
case in Moscow, and my God and Savior, whose tomb in Jerusalem is
empty! He admitted he had a great interest in this Jesus -
something I had known all along.
I told Misha I was going to miss him. He was stunned! He
asked, "Whatever for? All I did here was my job and duty, nothing
more!" I told him I liked him and in no way considered him my
"enemy." His face was red, and he was at a loss for words.
Just then, we were told to proceed out the door to the
waiting train. As we went out the door, there were numerous
Soviet reporters taking dozens of pictures and filming. Not one
of them asked us a question. The "interview" would probably be
prepared later. I did smile for the cameras and made motions with
my hands that God answers prayer.
The top customs officer, in his parade uniform,
ceremoniously read a statement that we had deserved punishment
for our crime, but since the Soviet Union is so "merciful" and
"humanitarian", we were to be released. He gave us our passports
and before the crowd broke up, I said in Russian, "I wish you all
the Love of God!" Amazingly, Misha repeated the statement to the
group! He walked with me as far as our train car. I murmured a
farewell and got on the train.
The train had been kept waiting all this time for us, and
nobody had been allowed on or off in the meantime. Now everyone
was staring out the windows and wondering what was going on. As
we got on the train, a few people asked if we were movie stars or
something! I thought they were going to ask for autographs!
Our train rolled on and as we passed the last watchtower on
the edge of the river, marking the Soviet border, there was a
huge billboard with star, hammer, and sickle, announcing - "WE
ARE BUILDING COMMUNISM!"
I commented to myself, "...and WE ARE BUILDING THE KINGDOM
OF GOD!!"!!"
MY FRIEND:
This is one trip out of hundreds which have been made
possible through your giving and praying.
Please don't stop!...it's working...despite tremendous
obstacles...more effectively than ever before - over 150,000
copies of Scripture, books, etc., this year alone.
Gratefully yours,
W. Ralph Mann
Executive Directorjho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (05/18/84)
> The USSR doesn't need JESUS anymore than we do. Jesus! What they need > is a freer form of government which would promote better productivity. > > "Jesus" still doesn't put the bread on the table. The farmer does!! > > GEORGE I find the above of talk very offensive. Those of us who oppose religious coercion, should demonstrate consistency by rejecting vehemently anti- religious coercion. George, neither you nor I need JESUS, but there are people who claim that they do. No government or a majority should have the right to restrict the practice of religion (unless a religion infringes on the rights of other individuals). It would be desirable to have a democratic government in the USSR. Unfortunately, it may take many years before the citizens of the USSR and other oppressed nations of Eastern Europe will be free. At present, practicing a religion in the USSR is an expression of defiance to the Soviet system, not just a religious act. -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho
lied@ihlts.UUCP (Doctor Bob) (05/18/84)
Why does this "Dramatic Story" sound so much like an article from National Lampoon? Time to take a break, Bob Lied ihnp4!ihlts!lied
rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (05/21/84)
> > The USSR doesn't need JESUS anymore than we do. Jesus! What they need > > is a freer form of government which would promote better productivity. > > > > "Jesus" still doesn't put the bread on the table. The farmer does!! > > > > GEORGE > I find the above of talk very offensive. Those of us who oppose religious > coercion, should demonstrate consistency by rejecting vehemently anti- > religious coercion. Huh? Where was the religious coercion? Where was the offensiveness? Certainly it was no more offensive than someone saying "The US doesn't need humanism, what we need is Jesus!!" Which of course has never been said in this group, right? -- "An argument is an intellectual process. It isn't the automatic gainsaying of what the other person says." "... Can be." Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr
brunson@usfbobo.UUCP (%David Brunson) (05/22/84)
>From: lied@ihlts.UUCP (Doctor Bob) >Newsgroups: net.religion >Subject: Re: A M.P. Courier's Dramatic Story of Soviet Arrest >Posted: Fri May 18 14:05:45 1984 >Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL > >Why does this "Dramatic Story" sound so much like an article >from National Lampoon? > > Time to take a break, > Bob Lied ihnp4!ihlts!lied I can answer this question. You see, National Lampoon uses a technique called *mockery* to achieve a thing its editors call *humor*. National Lampoon's particular flavor of mockery relies on the use of guileless or naive subject material as the butt of the mock. The trick is to present the subject material almost sincerely except for occasional exaggeration, absurdity, and general filthiness. Although the "M.P. Courier" story lacks exaggeration, absurdity, and filthiness, it definitely contains guileless subject material, and this is why it sounds similar to articles you've read in the National Lampoon. David Brunson duke!ucf-cs!usfbobo!brunson