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10/17/1980 - And No Fire Was Coming Down From Heaven by Camilla J. Wilson

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT WRITER S CONSENT CJW INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS AND NO FIRE WAS COMING DOWN FR0 HEAVEN By Canny Wilson Buddhists tolerant They match Communists western charlatans missionary lived Cambodia spent years refugee camps along Thai Cambodian border Don Cormack teaches Bible camps erseas issionary Fell owship fundamen talist group The Khmers Cambodians going society absolutes It philosophy individualistic There nothing society shape Islam Christianity other countries They blood animals They feelings They No So wiped Buddhism gentle religion gentle people unprepared Khmers absolut Pol Pot deposed former state whose bloody regime country Buddhism shambles Once reportedly himself Pol Pot inadvertently helped condition people accept religion Cambodians rejected before Pol Pot power Cambodians notoriously resistant gospel Cormack Canadian world evangelism conven Pattaya Thailand Another speaker pastor refugee camps conwention The church newer better opportunity A tenet proselytizing potential conwerts experience trauma another amenable switching religions softened missionary lingo A follow fundamen talist missionaries preaching Cambodians experiences years little politics Pol Pot Cammy Wilson formerl staff writer Minnea Dolis Tribune 0werseas Journalism Fellow Institute Current World Affairs natural consequences havin failed adopt Christianity One seeing through Christian would God pouring wrath people resisted Him years Cormack Some pastors I think Khmers westerners I think dangerous efinitely Why God America Maybe maybe He conceded Buddhism natural death Speaking another missionary Aranyaprathet village miles dozen border refugee camps noted Buddhist idols taken actually ground icons beaten bases roads They their destroy desecrate They their trace Buddhism An War InPhnom Penh museum painted They fanatically religious The Pol Pot faction prevailed imposed radical reordering Khmer society People cities towns labor massive public works projects Children separated parents husbands wiwes assigned different localities months espouse belief cause other faith regime death Religion particularly Buddhism Khmers loved became target But Buddhism religion suffer Some missionaries suffering The Catholic Church price Cambodians Phnom Perth adopting Christianity brick brick blasted foundation Cormack Every vestige capitalism Central Bank pieces With latter money floating reets If people United States their churches going smoke Khmers their temples doing Americans CJW their ministers being killed nothing happening Ameri might religion Being cosmopolitan Americans might I think religion answer But seeing testimony people seemed found mercy there teachers available people seemed answer I would would attractiwe change religions By after years missionary efforts there hundred Christians Cambodia mostly inFnnom Penh But missionaries arrived early 1970s worked establish Chris tianity The Khmer Christian church founded Christian Missionary Alliance CAMA which Cormack described solid American organization They Bible translated They Bible school They thorough serious disciplined Suddenly quite suddenly Cormack recalled ground rules Buddhism broken Khmer Rouge destroying temples killing monks winning coming Heaven People losing everything their their Buddhism their God King Prince Norodom Sihanouk their families The young people looking answers their roots Their temples going smoke their idols going smoke All props their society being wiped They spiritual wacuum accounted great coming Christia Cormack Cambodia after arriwed weeks before Pol Pot forces triumphed With brought Cambodian refugee children stand every religious outside Christian church mission library becau which Don Cormack teaches Bible suspected Khmers would destroy library books Cormack later effort across border Thailand Cormack description founding church number converts refer primarily fundamentalist Christian groups include Roman Catholics There weren numbers refugees recalled We clothin projects medical projects There relief workers border There French International Rescue Committee nurse established camps The UoNo always thins But there relief workers We language OF visas superstructure Our Cambodia before When Vietnamese attacked diverting driving KhmerRouge Thai border refugees began Thailand including Christians still coming In Khao I Dang where church pastor Christians escape Cambodia minister flock Cormack They hidden Bible tattered They secretly together through Pol Pot times There there They after being under government years suddenly celebrate Christmas We their Bibles their books their literature They zealous Several Bible students showed founded Khmer church They forefront found something belong Faced great adversity Khmers naturally answers spiritual realm Most believe spirits Buddhism certain tenets Brahmanism The Khmers super religious sensitive spiritual things Cormack They there God They there angels They there demons You convince Khmers They going answer spiritual realm They instinctively supernatural Much reach spiritual result Christians Buddhism tends absorb comes along tolerance defence Confronted Christianity Buddhism oyster sensing grain midst oyster accepts inewitability slowly begins layer layer veneer until transformed pearl oyster making Some Christians If Khmer Here Lord Jesus Christ He Son God Cormack Every Thai Cambodian This Jesus these Christians people It Jesus We shelf alter And their temples worship their idols Khmers accept Christianity their But whether Christian God winds shelf along Buddha perhaps Vishnu offering papaya placate house spirits remains The Khmers saying It Many ships river anchor river They riwer remains Received Hanover