Reuters
Predominantly Buddhist Cambodia has barred Christian missionaries from door-to-door proselytizing and handing out leaflets, saying it disturbs people's lives and could create "insecurity in society".
A Ministry of Cults and Religions edict also prohibited the use of cash or other incentives to get people to convert to Christianity.
"All activities disseminating Christianity in public are banned," said the order, which could place unprecedented restrictions on the many Christian groups operating in the war-scarred southeast Asian nation.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose young white-shirted Mormon volunteers are seen regularly cycling around the capital, admitted some missionary groups many employ underhand tactics but denied any wrongdoing on its behalf.
"I think there are some breaches of those rules happening in the country, but not by us," Cambodian mission head Robert Winegar said, without giving details.
"I don't see the action of our missionaries disturbing anyone. Our missionaries do not force any one and we do not pay people to come to our church," he said.
Deputy Cults and Religions Minister Sun Kim Hun said some missionaries working in the provinces had tricked children into converting to Christianity by offering them sugar and money.
"This is against Buddhism, which is unacceptable," he said.
Most of Cambodia's 13 million people are Theravada Buddhist.
Its Muslim and Christian minorities are largely tolerated, although a house church near the Vietnam border was ransacked in 2003 by villagers blaming Christians for a drought.
A Ministry of Cults and Religions edict also prohibited the use of cash or other incentives to get people to convert to Christianity.
"All activities disseminating Christianity in public are banned," said the order, which could place unprecedented restrictions on the many Christian groups operating in the war-scarred southeast Asian nation.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose young white-shirted Mormon volunteers are seen regularly cycling around the capital, admitted some missionary groups many employ underhand tactics but denied any wrongdoing on its behalf.
"I think there are some breaches of those rules happening in the country, but not by us," Cambodian mission head Robert Winegar said, without giving details.
"I don't see the action of our missionaries disturbing anyone. Our missionaries do not force any one and we do not pay people to come to our church," he said.
Deputy Cults and Religions Minister Sun Kim Hun said some missionaries working in the provinces had tricked children into converting to Christianity by offering them sugar and money.
"This is against Buddhism, which is unacceptable," he said.
Most of Cambodia's 13 million people are Theravada Buddhist.
Its Muslim and Christian minorities are largely tolerated, although a house church near the Vietnam border was ransacked in 2003 by villagers blaming Christians for a drought.
2 comments:
Frequently, I understand the agressive missionaries of Christianity to convert people. They can use every tactics to lure and proselytize the people.
In Cambodia, poverty and uneducation can be easily lured and deceived by Christianity.
They use charity as the banner to convert people...Christian has no actual hearted kind at all to provide services to people...their intention is to convert only...
And the teaching of believing in one God in bible creates only division and religious conflicts for multi-theistic belief in Cambodia.
KY
I disagree... there is a darkness in Svay Pak that only the power of God will break through and bring illumination on the atrocities that are occurring in Svay Pak for instance. If there was a true fear of God, not even half of it would be happening. We can all sit and comment on blogs... about what's wrong with this and what's wrong with that. But my question is, what are intelligent people like us doing to help the children that are being trafficked from places like Vietnam into Cambodia to be sold as sex slaves for sick pedophile Westerners? What are the Cambodians, religious or otherwise doing to help those children... or is everyone there turning a blind eye and pretending it isn't happening. You know, people can criticize all they want about Christians, but at least, some with good intentions really do care and try to make a difference somehow... perhaps not meeting your standards... but if you think it can be done better, I challenge you to do so, and help those children, because they need intervention... how would you like someone selling you off and keeping you hostage and as you get raped, sodomized, violated and beaten day in and day out, for a couple of dollars that won't even go to you anyway? Think about that and think about how many people are really making a difference to stop this atrocity from happening? There are bigger fish to fry than pointing out what you think is wrong with Christianity, far bigger fish to fry I'm afraid. And thought and attention needs to be given to that instead in my humble opinion.
Post a Comment