Before the Kim’s took over the country, the country’s religion mainly consisted of Buddhism and Confucianism and Korean shamanism. However with the new government, the country became an atheist country. North Korea sees organized religious activity as a potential challenge to the leadership. There is no religious freedom and those who oppose the country are punished.
The Kim’s are seen as Gods to the North Koreans, they are worshipped and Kim-Jong-Sung is seen as the eternal president and is still considered the highest authority today. North Korea actively discourages the practice of religion, including Buddhism. Currently, the country claims to have about 10,000 active adherents of Buddhism. As with other religions in the country, Buddhism came under the close scrutiny of the country's government.
In January 2013, Christian nonprofit organization Open Doors announced that for the 11th year in a row, North Korea was the #1 country where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is the worst.
This is interesting as even though Buddhist's don't worship a God they still get persecuted for their beliefs
ReplyDeleteIt was helpful to see North Korea in comparison to ant christian activity worldwide.
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