Life in a Socialist Country
We know there are socialists at work in our country and in our government. Their plan is to destroy our religious rights, our Constitution, our form of government, and our freedom. They will destroy our country in their plans to “reset” to a new world order. Some people believe that socialism is a viable solution to our problems when, in fact, it is the reason for our problems. Sometimes just saying that socialism/communism is bad, is not enough. We need to hear the voices of those who have suffered under socialism. The following excerpts are from Pastor Barroso’s testimony of living in Cuba. To read the full testimony go here.
My name is Mario Felix Lleonart Barroso, I am originally from Cuba and I’d like to briefly share my testimony. I was a pastor in Cuba for more than a decade before emigrating to the United States and pastoring my church, which I presently lead near Washington, DC. Under Socialism, Religious Freedom is the First to Be Attacked One of America’s most profound blessings is its deep respect for religious freedom, a priority since its very founding and a profound legacy left by its Founding Fathers. As history shows, a majority of them were believers who emigrated to North America and founded the 13 colonies in search of the liberty to exercise their religious beliefs—which was prohibited in their European countries of origin.
Attacks on religious freedom are among the primary and most recurrent violations we see in those societies. When a nation with a democratic heritage is interrupted by a totalitarian regime that breaks the constitutional order and destroys foundational institutions, its first targets are precisely religious institutions, as well as individuals with religious beliefs. Destroying the foundations of any society and guaranteeing the oppression of a population who’s been stripped of its rights requires these regimes to also destroy the idea that we have equal dignity because we are created by God, that our rights come from Him and not from government. The Oppression That I Saw and Lived First-Hand
Another stark example is the unjust imprisonment and violent beating of Roberto de Jesus Quinones Haces, a Catholic lay minister from Diocese of Guantanamo-Baracoa who actively ministered to a local penitentiary. Cuba’s incarcerated population is one of the highest in the world and nearly 120 of them have been classified as prisoners of conscience. Some 228 Cuban citizens who were prohibited from traveling freely outside of the island were Protestant religious leaders. We know this oppressive system very well, as we were the targets of [violence], constant monitoring and roadblocks to our religious activities and ministerial duties were our “daily bread.” I was detained arbitrarily on numerous occasions. When President Barack Obama visited Cuba from March 20-22, 2016, I was violently arrested and imprisoned for three days, as were many other human rights activists. This would happen every time an important figure would visit the island. A Warning to a Blessed Nation However, the enemies of religious liberty in America aren’t just powerful, external enemies. The most worrisome are those who are within the nation doing everything in their power and using the system to push an agenda that undermines the basic foundations of the country. This is evident by the fact that one of the strongest electoral candidates for president is Senator Bernie Sanders, who has long sympathized, visited and praised failed socialist systems, such as the Eastern European countries under the Soviet Union or their extensions in the Western Hemisphere, such as Cuba or Nicaragua. It's [sic] was no surprise that in 2017 he showed aggressive opposition at a Senate hearing against Russell T. Vought, a professing Christian who was nominated to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. This hits very close to home for me, especially because my family and I arrived as refugees from Cuba in 2016 as survivors of recurrent and increased violations against our religious liberty and our human rights in general. We love the United States. We’re thankful for being taken in as modern pilgrims and for having a place in this great nation with the opportunity to live in freedom and exercise our rights. And also, we’re grateful for the values like religious liberty, which have been long kept in this nation.
God bless America, and may we continue standing strong for the blessing of religious liberty!—KLN
MAY WE LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS!
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