Online Articles
Freedom Part One
What ideas come to your mind when you hear the word freedom? In the history of mankind, freedom has been a precious and often elusive thing to come by. In America, freedom covers a wide spectrum of ideas. For many, freedom from a tyrannical government and the birth of a nation is what comes to mind; others think of freedom from slavery. Today, most people think of all the freedoms of choice that we have. We can choose our occupation. We can choose where we want to live, who we marry, what vehicle we drive. The choices are virtually limitless. Our country was built on the foundation that all men are created equal; that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The first ten amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights, which outline specifically the freedoms we enjoy in our country.
Freedoms such as:
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of the press
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of petition
- The right to bear arms
Freedoms that we still hold dear today. But, just like many other blessings we have, these freedoms can be easily taken for granted. We are busy working, playing, worshiping and raising our families. It’s easy to let time go by without giving serious thought to the freedoms we have. We are indeed blessed in this regard as no other country has been in the history of the world. I would like us to take a moment and reflect on the freedoms we have by way of comparison to another country which does not enjoy those same freedoms. That country is North Korea.
In North Korea there is no freedom of movement. It is illegal to leave the country without the regime’s permission. Even movement within their own country is highly restricted. They must have a specific purpose and get permission from their work unit to travel. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans have been relocated to less favorable parts of the country as a form of punishment and political persecution. As Americans, we only need to obtain a passport to leave the country. And of course we can go anywhere we please within the country...at any time. If we don’t like the cold, we can pick up and move to a warmer climate. If we don’t like the mountains, we can move to the beach. No permission necessary.
There is no freedom of speech in North Korea. Criticism of the regime can have not only the offender but their whole family be made to “disappear” from society and into a political prison camp. There is no free media. The only public voice allowed is that of the state. In the United States, we are allowed to speak our mind. We can even peaceably protest right outside the White House lawn without fear of being arrested.
No freedom of information in North Korea. The regime uses propaganda to maintain control over the people and thus it is the only source of information and ideas to the North Korean people. It is illegal to own a tunable radio and the internet is unavailable to all except the highest government officials. Landlines and mobile phones cannot be used to make international calls. There are virtually unlimited sources of information in our country. With Facebook, Twitter and the like, anyone who wishes can make themselves a media outlet.
There is no religious freedom in North Korea. Organized religion is seen as a threat to the regime. There are only a few token churches in North Korea which are a facade of religious freedom to foreign visitors. Thousands of Buddhists and Christians have been purged and persecuted throughout the history of North Korea. Citizens who are caught practicing organized religion face harsh punishment including public execution or being sent to political prison camps. Here in America, our Bill of Rights states that Congress shall make no law establishing religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
North Korea has a class system known as Songbun. It is a system that has 51 levels based on family background. The different levels determine life opportunities such as where someone can live, educational opportunities, military service, occupation and treatment by the criminal justice system. Any perceived political infractions by a family member can lead to their Songbun being demoted.
I hope that this comparison will give you pause to reflect on how good we have it here in these United States. God has blessed us greatly with the freedoms we have in America. As Christians we should be especially thankful for the freedoms of religion, assembly and free speech. We should also take advantage of our freedoms to spread the word of God and glorify His name. As wonderful as these freedom are; they are NOT guaranteed. They can be taken away. But even if we lose these freedoms there is a greater freedom that cannot be taken away. We will look at that freedom in part 2.
Mickey Taylor
