Pot, porn, and parables

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33516, 23 April 1974, Page 5

Pot, porn, and parables

bible*. pornography and drug* are placed on the <ame level by authorities in the Communist rountries of Eastern Europe, according to a man who helps organise the smuggling of Bibles into (ommunist countries. The Re\ Bernard Honders *a;d «n Christhurch on Sunday that he had been working with Brother Andrew, authoof “God’s Smuggler.” ana pioneer of the smuggling >t Bibles, since 1970 Mr Hon. ders has just finished tourin'; _\rw Zealand outlining his T-i esent activities and whai Las been achieved. A Dutchman. Mr Honderlived m New Zealand for 17 years before joining Brother Andrew and for five tears he was minister of the Suni-ner-Redcliffs Presbyterian Church. He now works with Brothei Andrew from "somewhere in the middle of Holland." La« y ear 44 teams, mostly of tw > persons, went into Communist countries with Bibles and Christian literature. Thev al' tetumed safely. "Our whole work is an answer to. prayer.” said Mr Honders. He would not say how the smuggling was done but said that very few Bible smugglers were caught. Most of them smuggled on a part- 1 time basis. The degree of danger varied from country to country. with Albania. Bulgaria and Russia taking the hardest line. Some years ago a team caught at the Albanian bord?r was threatened with being, shot but finally was ushered' out of the country. Another team in Bulgaria was kept 'it prison for a few days before being expelled.

Mr Honders said that, officially, Bible societies had to condemn smuggling, but thev supplied Bibles to the smugglers in whatever language was wanted Communist countries said they allowed freedom of worship and religion but without Bibles such freedom was verv restricted, said Mr Honders His organisation saw to it that law could be fulfilled and the people could worship properly—with Bibles. He <aid that mans' people in Communist countries would give two months salarv to buy a Bible on the black market if they were available. Smuggled Bibles were given away and the work was supported bv gifts irom all over the world—there was no church organisation behind it

The fact that communism spent so much time and monev trying to stamp out the Bible and Christianity showed how much Communists feared the Christian faith, said Mr Honders. "Christianity is the onlv real enetnv communism has.” he said. In spue of the restrictions, or perhaps because of them, the Christian church in Communist, countries was more, alive than in the free Wes-, tern world, said Mr Honders. “It seems that the ■.Christian faith needs opposition to bring out the real, good in people.” he said. I “That does not give us a rea-, son for doing nothing. We' are all members of the one; body and when one member suffers we all suffer."