“Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into
the world. This is how you can recognize the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from
God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge
Jesus is not from God.” 1 John 4:1-3
Buddhist influence of the Pwo Karen:
Looking at
it from the Burmese side the Karen on the
Thai side look much better, they are more
prosperous, they are Buddhists therefore
some of them held positions in the Thai
administrative system. At Sangklaburi, along
the Kwae Noi river Carpenter found in 1873
the governor to be a Buddhist Karen and the
population to support a large monastery
there. It is also claimed that the Karen
along the River Kwae valley generally are
Buddhists. It is therefore reasonable to
suggest that many groups of Pwo Karens of
Western Central Thailand have been familiar
with Mon Buddhist institutions for more than
a century and have been active Buddhists
insofar as monks have been among them. They
still maintain a story, which they have in
common with the Burman people in Burma about
an ancestral forefather,
Phu Lyaung Heing, a Karen, who at the time of Buddha Gaudama
lived in the (Himalayan) forest of Burma
with several monks. The story portraits the
Karen "ignorance" of those days, the fright
they took at the sight of the appearance of
Buddha and their subsequent conversion and
offering of rice to him as a token of
generosity ( Dana ).
Nowadays
among Karens in Western Central Thailand,
there is a monastery in each village.
Praise:
- Thank the Lord for the ongoing
translation of the Old Testament in Pwo
Karen language in Thailand.
- The New Testament is of great value to
the Christians among the Pwo Karen in
Thailand and the best weapon against
other teachings!
Pray:
- For the
Christians who reach out to the Buddhist
Pwo Karen people, that old teachings
will be broken down by the power of Gods
Word.
- For the
translators of the Old Testament, that
they will be in good health, good spirit
and that they will do their work with
joy!
- For
Christian testimonies along the
Burmese-Thai border. The Pwo Karen do
write in a different script, but verbal
they can communicate!
- For
freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma
