In Belarus, Religious Restrictions Follow Political Crackdown

By Freedom Feed On January 10, 2011 · Leave a Comment

January 10, 2011

Scenes from Doctor Zhivago flashed in my minds eye as the plane flew over the snow-covered land of Eastern Europe leading into Minsk, Belarus. Little did I know that snippets of Zhivago’s life and how it was affected by the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Russian Civil War would become part of my own story.

In the landlocked Republic of Belarus, once part of the former Soviet Union, I was a recent election observer with the Florida-based Spiritual Diplomacy Foundation. The organization consults various governments on spiritual matters and joined other international observers for the Dec. 19 elections.

Religious Restrictions

Belarus’s history of political repression has come with religious restrictions as well. Lingering Soviet policies toward religious freedom still exist in the independent Belarus. Several “opposition candidates” ran on platforms calling for more liberties for the nation’s citizens.

Less than one percent of the total population is evangelical Christian while the remaining is either Russian Orthodox or Catholic. I met several of these born again Christians and in whispering tones they secretly shared their fears of possible persecution. Believers also send ‘coded’ email messages trying to communicate concerns about the government’s intimidation on evangelical churches.

Peter Asheichyk, rector of the Bible

Article source: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11643889/