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2007年06月07日
Things Japanese: The Hidden Christians of Matsushima
This week Reiko and I saw a very interesting documentary on NHK. It was about the people living on an island in Kyushu called Matsushima. What was remarkable to me was the fact that the entire population of the island was Christian. The inhabitants are descendants of the Christians in Kyushu who had to go into hiding during the 1500s.
One of the most prominent buildings at the port is the church. The headman of the village is also the head elder of the church and basically the whole village gathers at the church on Sundays. The main occupation on Matsushima is fishing but all the men rest on Sunday and observe the Lord's Day. I believe that the Hidden Christians of Japan do not have official ties with the Catholic Church and so it is considered a native religion and the Catholic Church does not send a priest to the church at Matsushima. The head elder leads the worship there.
Up to this time I had heard of whole villages coming to Christ in other countries but this is the first time for me to hear about such a thing happening in Japan. Needless to say, Reiko and I were challenged by the faith of this group of Christians who after over 400 years still kept their faith in God the Father and in Jesus Christ His Son. May God continue to lead and guide and bless this village as they live their daily lives centered on faith in the living God.
投稿者 bethany : 2007年06月07日 17:00
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