Beyond Torture (DVD)

Beyond Torture

This is a very compelling DVD that most Christians would find inspiring, and for Orthodox in the mid-Michigan area it is especially meaningful because it is in large part the testimony of Fr. Roman Brage, of the Holy Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction.

Communism is at its root nihilistic. Ignoring the dignity of humanity, it seeks to subvert what is unique to the personality and replace it with the bland generality of the prefabricated "new man". This DVD traces the horrible and failed communist experiments on psychlogical manipulation and brings forth the light of human dignity as found in the image of God, the God Who is love. What is most interesting is that such insanity not only produced great evil, but great good. A few of the interviews are those of Orthodox priests who have great love and forgiveness for those who committed such evil against them, recalling the words of Christ, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

The DVD's jacket describes it as follows: "When you said, 'I still believe in God,' in five minutes you were full of blood. - Roman Braga. Many of us died, many of us became mad, but in some of us the good triumphed. - George Calciu. These chilling words from two survivors of a brainwashing prison in Pitesti, Romania are sad reminders of the legacy of Stalinist communism. Beyond Torture: The Gulag of Pitesti, Romania documents the persecution of Romanians under the communist regime. Electrical shock, hallucinogenic drugs, near starvation and fatal beatings were daily rituals in the prison of Pitesti, Romania. But this sadistic story goes beyond torture: this was an attempt to totally destroy a people's culture and faith. In 1949, Stalinist Soviets began a systematic sweep of Romanian college campuses. Their purpose was to imprison and transform young Romanians into a communistic way of thinking. One prisoner describes this re-education as the most vile tortures imaginable. Orthodox priest Father George Calcui says, They tried to destroy our souls. But he and others survived this gulag, lived to tell their stories and even forgave their captors. In this documentary, you'll meet three survivors from the prison of Pitesti and see shocking paintings that capture the essence of the extreme torture. This DVD also includes an in-depth one-hour interview with Father Roman Braga: prison survivor and spiritual leader. Outside of Romania, this DVD is the first major historical documentation of the Pitesti experience. Not recommended for young children."

Other books of interest might include: Exploring the Inner Universe, On the way of faith: Faith, freedom, and love, Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father : Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father, Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses, and Tortured for Christ (Founder of The Voice of the Martyrs).