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When Freedom Dies Series: Cuba: - The Revolution and the Church: Castro, Communism, and Religious Freedom · Voices Of Life

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  You're listening to Voices of Life. When Freedom
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  Dies, a teaching series from the Church for Life.
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  In this fifth episode, Pastor David takes us
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  into the story of Cuba, a nation where a revolution
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  promised freedom, justice, and a government for
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  the people, but quickly transformed into a communist
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  system that restricted faith and elevated the
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  state above God. Tonight, We explore Fidel Castro's
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  rise to power, the shift from hope to control,
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  and the impact of Marxist -Leninist ideology
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  on the Christian church. This is Episode 5 Cuba,
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  the Revolution, and the Church. Castro, Communism,
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  and Religious Freedom. Let's begin. Welcome back
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  to the Voices of Life. I'm Pastor David. We are
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  going through our When Freedom Dies series, and
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  in our last episode we explored the Soviet Union
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  and what happened to Christianity under the state
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  atheism. Tonight, we turn to the Caribbean, to
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  a nation whose revolution promised equality but
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  delivered control. This is Cuba, the revolution
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  and the church, Castro, communism, and religious
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  freedom. Let's begin. In 1959, Fidel Castro stood
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  before the Cuban people as a hero. He promised
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  freedom from corruption, justice for the poor,
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  and a government that would belong to the people.
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  He spoke of liberty, equality, and a new dawn
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  for Cuba, a nation free from tyranny and greed.
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  Crowds filled the streets, waving flags and shouting,
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  They were witnessing the birth of a government
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  that would restore the dignity and hope. Castro's
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  speeches were filled with passion and conviction.
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  He declared that the revolution was not for himself,
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  but for the people. For the farmer, for the worker,
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  for the student, and for the family who had suffered
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  under Batista's corruption. But within just two
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  or three years, the vision changed. The promise
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  of freedom became the reality of control. The
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  revolution that had begun with cries of liberty
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  turned into a system of Marxist -Leninist communism.
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  Castro aligned himself with the Soviet Union,
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  silenced dissent, and declared that the state,
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  not God, would define truth, morality, and justice.
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  The people who had fought for freedom found themselves
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  ruled by fear. Churches were closed. Pastors
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  were watched. Citizens were told that loyalty
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  to the revolution was more important than their
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  loyalty to conscience. And while the ordinary
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  Cubans struggled to survive, the government elite
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  lived in luxury, protected by privilege, surrounded
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  by abundance, and insulated from the suffering
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  of the people. The revolution that promised equality
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  created a new class of rulers. who enjoyed what
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  others were denied. The dream of the people's
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  government became a nightmare of a party's government.
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  The voice of people was replaced by the voice
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  of state, and the freedom that had been promised
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  was quickly taken away. So what was the church
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  under communism? When Castro embraced Marxist
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  -Leninist rule, the Cuban church quickly discovered
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  that the revolution's promises of freedom did
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  not apply to faith. What had been presented as
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  a movement for the people became a system that
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  demanded absolute loyalty to the state, and Christianity
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  was seen as a rival authority. The new government
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  began redefining religion. Churches were no longer
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  spiritual communities. They were treated as political
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  organizations. Pastors were labeled as counter
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  -revolutionary. Christian families were watched.
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  And the message was clear. Faith was acceptable
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  only if it served the revolution. To enforce
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  this, the regime created the Office of Religious
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  Affairs, a government body. with sweeping power.
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  It monitored sermons, controlled church activities,
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  approved or denied religious gatherings, and
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  kept detailed files on pastors and congregations.
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  The state decided what was allowed in worship,
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  and what could be preached, and who could lead.
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  Christian schools, many of them respected for
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  decades, were nationalized. Crosses were removed
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  from the classrooms. Bibles were taken away.
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  Teachers were ordered to promote atheism, and
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  revolutionary ideology. Children were taught
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  that loyalty to Castro mattered more than loyalty
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  to God. Missionaries were expelled, seminaries
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  were closed, church property was seized, and
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  believers who refused to conform were denied
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  access to education, employment, and government
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  services. A Christian could be a citizen, but
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  only a second -class one. The government also
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  launched a massive propaganda campaign. Posters,
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  radios, broadcasts, and youth programs portrayed
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  Christianity as weak, outdated, and dangerous
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  to the revolution. The message was repeated everywhere.
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  The revolution is your savior. The state is your
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  provider. The party is your truth. But while
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  the state demanded sacrifice from the people,
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  the government elite lived in privilege. High
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  -ranking officials enjoyed imported goods, private
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  homes, special medical care, and access to resources
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  unavailable to ordinary Cubans. The same leaders
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  who preached equality lived in comfort while
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  the people waited in ration lines. This hypocrisy
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  deepened the conflict between Christianity and
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  communism. Christianity teaches humility, truth,
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  and the equal worth of every person. Marxist
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  -Leninist rule in Cuba produced a ruling class
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  that lived above the people, while insisting
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  the people worship the revolution. And yet, despite
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  surveillance, discrimination, and pressure to
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  conform, the church did not disappear. It adapted.
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  It endured. It found ways to survive when the
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  state tried to silence it. Now we turn to the
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  ideological conflict. Communism teaches that
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  the state is the ultimate authority. Christianity
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  teaches that God is the ultimate authority. Communism
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  demands loyalty to the party. Christianity demands
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  loyalty to Christ. Communism seeks to reshape
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  human nature through ideology. Christianity seeks
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  to transform human hearts through grace. These
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  two worldviews cannot coexist peacefully when
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  the state claims divine power. Then came the
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  persecution of believers. During the 1960s and
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  70s, thousands of Christians faced persecution.
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  Pastors were imprisoned. Churches were closed.
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  Believers were denied education and employment.
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  Children of Christians were mocked in the schools.
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  The government promoted atheism through propaganda,
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  youth programs, and mandatory political education.
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  Faith was portrayed as weakness, a relic of the
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  past. Yet the church endured. So there became
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  the underground church in Cuba. In homes and
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  hidden rooms, believers gathered to pray, read
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  scripture, and sing quietly. They shared Bibles
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  smuggled from abroad. They baptized in secret.
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  They encouraged one another to stand firm. The
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  underground church became a symbol of courage,
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  proof that faith survives even under oppression.
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  And then there was a turning point. In 1991,
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  after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba
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  faced an economic crisis. So Castro eased restrictions
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  on religion to gain international support. Churches
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  were reopened, believers reemerged, but the state
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  still maintained control. Even today, religious
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  freedom in Cuba remains limited. Churches must
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  register with the government, pastors face surveillance,
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  and a political dissent disguised as faith is
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  punished. So here lie the lesson for the church.
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  Cuba's story reminds us that when government
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  becomes God, freedom dies. But it also reminds
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  us that faith endures, even in the face of persecution.
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  The Cuban church teaches us that the courage
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  is not the absence of fear. It is the presence
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  of conviction. It teaches us the truth. cannot
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  be silenced by ideology. And it teaches us that
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  the gospel thrives even in the shadows. For the
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  people of Cuba who are oppressed even still today,
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  with the hope that that will end very soon, let
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  us pray together. Father, we thank you for the
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  witness of your people in Cuba, men and women
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  who have held fast to the gospel when their freedom
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  was taken. and their voices were silenced. We
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  thank you for the courage you placed in their
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  hearts, the strength you gave them to their families,
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  and the light you preserved in the midst of darkness.
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  Lord, remind us that no government, no ideology,
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  and no earthly power can ever replace you. You
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  alone are God. You alone define truth. You alone
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  give freedom that cannot be taken away. We pray
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  for believers around the world who still worship
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  in secret, who still face pressure, surveillance,
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  and fear. Strengthen them, protect them, surround
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  them with your presence. And let their faith
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  be a testimony that inspires us to stand boldly
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  for Christ wherever we are. And Father, help
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  us to learn from their endurance. Teach us to
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  value the freedom we have. to guard it with wisdom,
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  and to use it for your glory. May our hearts
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  remain faithful, our voices remain clear, and
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  our lives remain anchored in your truth. In Jesus'
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  name we pray, amen. We've seen how the Cuban
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  Revolution reshaped a nation and how the church
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  refused to surrender its soul. Sometimes someone
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  can promise everything we had hoped for. But
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  when it comes to the delivery, unless you're
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  involved, unless you're part of it, we can never
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  anticipate what the true outcome will be. Next
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  week, we turn to another chapter in the story
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  of freedom and faith. It's going to be about
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  China, the controlled church, and the struggle
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  for truth. This has been Voices of Life, a ministry
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  of the Church for Life. When Freedom Dies series,
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  Episode 5, Cuba, the Revolution, and the Church.
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  I'm Pastor David, and I'll see you next week.
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  Thank you for joining us for Episode 5 of Voices
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  of Life. When Freedom Dies tonight, Pastor David
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  walked us through the promises of the Cuban Revolution,
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  the rapid turn toward communism, and the courage
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  of believers who held on to their faith. even
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  as the state tried to silence the church. Cuba's
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  story reminds us that when government becomes
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  God, freedom disappears. But the light of Christ
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  continues to shine, even in the darkest places.
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  Next week, we continue our journey with Episode
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  6, exploring the struggle for truth and worship
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  inside China's controlled religious system. This
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  has been Voices of Life. When freedom dies. We'll
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  see you in the next episode.