Sergei Kourdakov, part 2
More Lessons From a Modern Day Paul
by Marilyn Schreiber
printed in First Baptist Beacon, West Concord, Minnesota, 2002
Last month we introduced you to Sergei Kourdakov, who in the
late 1960's was the leader of a secret KGB Police Force in the
Soviet Union. This special squad, all young men in their late
teens, was given the job of searching out and terrorizing Believers
as they met together in secret. The Communist regime has closed
the churches and atheism was the new "religion."
An orphan at the age of four, Sergei had been raised in Russia's
infamous state-run children's homes. He was raised to be the perfect
Communist even honored on Russian television as the Number
One Communist Youth of his entire province. His leadership abilities
and commitment to Communism led him to be singled out for an important
post at the Naval Academy in addition to this elite police squad.
After Sergei's men had conducted several raids on homes where Believers were praying together, he began to notice a trend that disturbed him. Increasingly the groups included more and more young people people his own age! He had been told that only older people held this foolish idea of a God.
He also began to secretly admire their devotion to this God they prayed to. This made him very angry, yet curious at the same time. One particular incident had a deep impact on his life, intensifying his confusion about these "Believers."
Word had come to police headquarters of a new prayer group meeting in a home. Sergei called his men together and they headed out into the darkened streets. Finding the address, they stormed inside where fifteen people were on their knees praying and singing. Sergei yelled, "There is no God, you fools! Don't you know that? You're praying to empty air." Then he and his men began beating the Believers and ransacking the home.
Sergei watched as Victor, one of the biggest and strongest of his men, lifted a young woman high above his head and threw her across the room. She hit the wall with a terrible force and then dropped to the floor, semiconscious. Victor laughed and replied, "I'll bet the idea of God went flying out of her head!"
Three days later one of their spies reported suspicious activity at another address. Sergei and his men rushed to the home, crashing through the door, catching the Believers completely by surprise. To their astonishment, this group was all young people! They had discovered a secret young people's prayer meeting in progress. His men went right to work, grabbing and swinging them about, slapping and beating them.
Then Sergei saw a sight he couldn't believe! The same girl that Victor had viciously thrown across the room just three nights earlier was here, praying again! This time Sergei himself beat her until he was sure she would forget all about God. To stifle her sobs the young girl bit through her lower lip and blood ran down her chin. They tossed her in a corner, satisfied that they had accomplished their purpose.
Back at the police station, Sergei looked over the names of the young people who were caught in the meeting. Young people believing in God! It was just too much for him to grasp. These were people his age his generation. He was baffled and confused by this new information. But one thing he knew for sure. That girl had certainly been taught a lesson! She would no longer hold on to this foolishness about God.
(Taken from his autobiography, The Persecutor, which is no longer in print.)