In the Land of the Morning Calm, a darkness has fallen that blights the hearts of the faithful. There exists a realm under the iron rule of a despot, where the Christian folk, simple and steadfast in their faith, face a dread ordeal. It is a tale of pain and suffering, where even the innocence of a child, a babe of but two winters, has been met with the harsh sentence of lifelong imprisonment.

This child, born unto parents who held the Bible dear, has been ensnared by the chains of tyranny, their entire kin sent to languish in the dungeons. Even more grievous is the account of a faithful woman and her grandchild, who met their end by firing squad, their only crime being the possession of the Holy Book. It is a sombre tale indeed, reminiscent of the darkest chapters of Middle-earth’s history, where innocents were persecuted for their beliefs.

Yet, the physical doom is but a part of their tribulation. The faithful also face trials of the spirit, subjected to tortures most vile. Among these is the ‘pigeon torture,’ where the persecuted are suspended, hands bound behind their backs, unable to find rest in sitting or standing, their torment spanning days. A tale was told of one who endured this torture, and in their words, it was ‘the most painful of all tortures.’ This description brings to mind the pains of Gollum, who was tormented by the power of the One Ring.

Sleep, a gift as cherished as the light of the Two Trees in the realm of Valinor, is also denied to these prisoners. It was told that a Christian woman, confined in solitude, was driven to end her own life in the year of 2020, after the guards refused her the solace of sleep. The torment did not end there, for they were subjected to starvation, dehydration, and forced into agonising positions for extended periods. Their plights echo the hardships faced by Frodo and Sam on their journey through the barren lands of Mordor.

Despite the written promise of religious freedom in the constitution of this land, a dark irony persists. The churches that stand in the capital, rather than serving as sanctuaries of faith, act as mere showpieces for the eyes of foreigners. They are but empty shells, bearing semblance to Minas Morgul, once a tower of light, but later a haunting monument of darkness.

In this realm, it is estimated that up to seventy thousand Christians suffer imprisonment for their faith, a number shocking in its enormity. This is a tale of faith and trial, of darkness and hope, much like the tales of Middle-earth. Yet, it is no work of fiction. It is a grim reality, a shadow that hangs over the Land of the Morning Calm, calling out for the dawn of a brighter day. As the writer of such tales, I am reminded of the strength of the faithful, their resilience echoing the endurance of the Fellowship in their darkest hours. Perhaps, like the dawn of the Fifth Day, relief shall come to these souls, in time.

The post J.R.R. Tolkien: Dark Shadows Over the Land of the Morning Calm—A Tale of Faith and Trial first appeared on Famous Writers AI.

The post J.R.R. Tolkien: Dark Shadows Over the Land of the Morning Calm—A Tale of Faith and Trial appeared first on Famous Writers AI.