Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion

Rating:
Summary: Author remarks
Review: -- Quite intriguing to read varying Amazon reviews of "JUCHE."

One reviewer (from NC) seemed to have an anti-Christian "axe to grind" -- which is not surprising given the inherently HOT ideological/spiritual conflict associated with this topic.

Ironically, had any reviewer in North Korea (Christian or otherwise) adversely commented on a pro-Juche book, he/she would end up in a concentration camp!

As one considers the spiritual map of the Korean peninsula, one cannot help but note the dramatic contrast between the North (heavily dominated by the Juche faith) and the South (heavily influenced by the Christian faith).

On his www.adherents.com website, Preston Hunter states, "But today's Juche has developed into a distinct, unique system, and has officially repudiated its Marxist-Leninist roots. While we recognize there may be validity in continued classification of Juche as a highly "heretical" subset of Communism or general secularism, it seems that, on balance, to do so today is no more accurate than continuing to classify Buddhism as a Hindu sect." Ref: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Juche

NOTE: The ADHERENTS website currently ranks Juche as the 10th largest religion in the world.

One might ask, "So what!?" Why is this significant? My answer is that every North Korean's worldview is heavily influenced by the Juche ideology since he/she has been systematically brainwashed with since age 3. Thus, whether one is a diplomat, an international businessman, student, policy analyst, missionary or humanitarian aid worker, etc., one lacks the basic knowledge necessary to understand this radically different way of viewing the world.

For even more detailed (and controversial) information on the spiritual principalities/occult/origins/background of Juche, see my 657-page master's thesis entitled, "JUCHE: The State Religion of North Korea" (available via either the University of Michigan Library or the Regent University Library (www.regent.edu).

For example, there are amazing "coincidences" such as the "Tower of Juche Idea" [555 ft tall obelisk -- pagan (Juche) origins located at 39 degrees N. Latitude] and the "Washington Monument [also 555 ft tall obelish -- pagan (Free-Mason) origins also located at 39 degrees N. Latitude.]

Many specifics regarding the North Korea's spiritual principalities (and origins thereof) are included in the unabridged version of JUCHE. For Korean researchers, Both Rev. Dr. Cho (Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church) and the Institute for East Asian Studies (Seoul) also have a copy of the (larger) unabridged version of JUCHE.

Without apology, I do not present JUCHE as a "neutral" book. One candidate (Christian) publisher's CEO asked me if there was any way that I could edit the manuscript such that it "would NOT be offensive to the government of North Korea" (NOT Voice of the Martyrs). Such a request was like asking the Simon Wiesenthal Center to write a book on th Holocaust that would not be offensive to Nazis, neo-Nazis, or Hitler!

Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) was the one publisher that did not find the topic "too hot to handle." Remarkably, VOM had already been scathingly denounced in official North Korean propaganda for anti-totalitarian protests against North Korea that occurred in Europe. So, VOM's decision to publish JUCHE is just another step in their uncompromising dedication to support the persecuted church worldwide and to the uncompromising propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered his American soldiers to march through, view and film the concentration camps in person so that people could NOT someday claim that, "such a thing did not happen." Eisenhower was NOT neutral about the Nazi's, their regime and their concentration camps -- neither am I regarding Juche, the North Korea regime and their concentration camps.

JUCHE includes a history of North Korea's concentration camps including drawings, policies, etc. For more recent firsthand accounts from North Korean concentration camps, see the new VOM book, "Eyes of the Tailless Animals" (see either Amazon.com or the publisher's (VOM) website (www.persecution.com).

Kindest regards,

Tom

Rating:
Summary: Interesting look at a very foreign country
Review: -- Quite intriguing to read varying Amazon reviews of "JUCHE."

One reviewer (from NC) seemed to have an anti-Christian "axe to grind" -- which is not surprising given the inherently HOT ideological/spiritual conflict associated with this topic.

Ironically, had any reviewer in North Korea (Christian or otherwise) adversely commented on a pro-Juche book, he/she would end up in a concentration camp!

As one considers the spiritual map of the Korean peninsula, one cannot help but note the dramatic contrast between the North (heavily dominated by the Juche faith) and the South (heavily influenced by the Christian faith).

On his www.adherents.com website, Preston Hunter states, "But today's Juche has developed into a distinct, unique system, and has officially repudiated its Marxist-Leninist roots. While we recognize there may be validity in continued classification of Juche as a highly "heretical" subset of Communism or general secularism, it seems that, on balance, to do so today is no more accurate than continuing to classify Buddhism as a Hindu sect." Ref: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Juche

NOTE: The ADHERENTS website currently ranks Juche as the 10th largest religion in the world.

One might ask, "So what!?" Why is this significant? My answer is that every North Korean's worldview is heavily influenced by the Juche ideology since he/she has been systematically brainwashed with since age 3. Thus, whether one is a diplomat, an international businessman, student, policy analyst, missionary or humanitarian aid worker, etc., one lacks the basic knowledge necessary to understand this radically different way of viewing the world.

For even more detailed (and controversial) information on the spiritual principalities/occult/origins/background of Juche, see my 657-page master's thesis entitled, "JUCHE: The State Religion of North Korea" (available via either the University of Michigan Library or the Regent University Library (www.regent.edu).

For example, there are amazing "coincidences" such as the "Tower of Juche Idea" [555 ft tall obelisk -- pagan (Juche) origins located at 39 degrees N. Latitude] and the "Washington Monument [also 555 ft tall obelish -- pagan (Free-Mason) origins also located at 39 degrees N. Latitude.]

Many specifics regarding the North Korea's spiritual principalities (and origins thereof) are included in the unabridged version of JUCHE. For Korean researchers, Both Rev. Dr. Cho (Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church) and the Institute for East Asian Studies (Seoul) also have a copy of the (larger) unabridged version of JUCHE.

Without apology, I do not present JUCHE as a "neutral" book. One candidate (Christian) publisher's CEO asked me if there was any way that I could edit the manuscript such that it "would NOT be offensive to the government of North Korea" (NOT Voice of the Martyrs). Such a request was like asking the Simon Wiesenthal Center to write a book on th Holocaust that would not be offensive to Nazis, neo-Nazis, or Hitler!

Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) was the one publisher that did not find the topic "too hot to handle." Remarkably, VOM had already been scathingly denounced in official North Korean propaganda for anti-totalitarian protests against North Korea that occurred in Europe. So, VOM's decision to publish JUCHE is just another step in their uncompromising dedication to support the persecuted church worldwide and to the uncompromising propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered his American soldiers to march through, view and film the concentration camps in person so that people could NOT someday claim that, "such a thing did not happen." Eisenhower was NOT neutral about the Nazi's, their regime and their concentration camps -- neither am I regarding Juche, the North Korea regime and their concentration camps.

JUCHE includes a history of North Korea's concentration camps including drawings, policies, etc. For more recent firsthand accounts from North Korean concentration camps, see the new VOM book, "Eyes of the Tailless Animals" (see either Amazon.com or the publisher's (VOM) website (www.persecution.com).

Kindest regards,

Tom

Rating:
Summary: An excellent insight into the driving force in North Korea
Review: Five stars... yes. I recommend this book for anyone who may have the heart or the desire to learn of North Korea and the forces which shaped its present day existence. I have gazed over the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and seen the devastation in the land of the North and then by turning slightly to the right seen the prosperity of the South. At that time it became apparent who was walking in the blessing and whom in the curse. This book is an excellent aid to those who feel called to pray for N.K. It covers Juche, the architects of Juche, Korean history, those who have seen the inside of N.K. and the spiritual dimensions of this religion. The most challenging part of reading through the book was not the length but how draining and tedious the N.K. government propaganda is. The author hit the nail on the head when he called it "psycho-babble". I commend Commander Belke for writing this book and Living Sacrifice Books for publishing it.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting look at a very foreign country
Review: I suppose the information in this book would shock me much more if I were a really hard core Christian, so the parts about "worship" of Kim il-Sung don't really offend me. The description of the labor camps and everyday life in North Korea is the most shocking part of the whole book. It sounds just like Stalin's Soviet Union, and maybe worse. The persecution of Christians in North Korea represents just a small part of what's going on there...I wonder if its the same for all people who are "different" that live in that country. Unfortuanatly, its hard to tell if ALL the information is true, as is the case with any sort of book on a rogue nation. Hardly any of us have visited these countries, and even those who have have been limited in what they see. Luckily, they do provide a good deal of information from defectors and other people who have left North Korea. Pretty frightening material...

Rating:
Summary: A well intentioned effort
Review: Tom Belke's book brings to the American reader some very disturbing news about a society which most American's know nothing. But with whom we fought a major war only fifty years ago. And may well again. Tom, who has conducted an enormous amount of research for this text and compiled a truly impressive bibliography, gives readers almost an insiders view into a totalitarian state which has transformed Marxist communism into a system of religion with Kim Il Sung and his son as the objects of worship. Truly fascinating.