Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy god giveth thee to possess it. (Deuteronomy 19:14)
Anastasia Lin, Miss Canada 2015, was barred from attending the 65th annual Miss World contest held on the southern Chinese island of Hainan this week, only because of her outspoken advocacy for human rights and religious freedom in China. The world has been very quiet on this issue since it happened.
Commenting on the refusal to grant Ms. Lin’s a visa, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said that “China welcomes all lawful activities organized in China by international organizations… But China does not allow any persona non grata to come to China.”
Ms. Lin was angry at and disappointed in the Chinese government, and rightfully so. I, in turn, am disappointed in myself and in people like me; we claim to love God and pursue righteousness, but failed to speak out for her and raise our voices to condemn this blatant attack against freedom of religion.
This Sunday, our pastor delivered a sermon about what we can do to preserve the landmark God gives us as a sign that we partake of His inheritance: We need to be outspoken and active in defending our Christian faith and that of our brothers and sisters around the world, as well as the right of other believers to practice their faiths, whichever they may be.
For me, the best way to help Christians in China is to follow Ms. Lin’s example and denounce the abuses the Communist regime commits against those who seek to be faithful disciples of Jesus. As she said, “If I don’t speak out for what’s right, it will send out a terrible message to those who experience China’s fear and intimidation and don’t have the ability to fight back.”
When Ms. Lin openly criticized how the Chinese Communist Party persecutes people who practice their religion Falungong, security agents “urged” her father to rein in his daughter’s talk about human rights. He was so afraid that he threatened to sever ties with his daughter if she did not stop.
Like Ms. Lin’s father, my parents have been traumatized by the Communist regime’s oppression and are too afraid to stand up for what they believe is right. Every time I call them, my parents always warn me to never speak out against the Communist government policies, and most of all implore me to stay away from any kind of relation with human rights activists. Like Ms. Lin’s father, mine also supports the Communist Party, out of a strange combination of respect bordering love, and certainly fear.
As a Christian, my landmark, my sign that I have inherited His kingdom, is to confess Jesus before men and to seek justice and defend the oppressed. What is yours?