
"Bill for the Prohibition
of Forcible Conversions" up for a vote in Sri Lanka
I'm quite concerned after reading the article entited, "Sri Lankan Churches May Think Twice Before Helping Poor" on ChristianPost.com.
The article says that if the anti-conversion bill is passed by the Sri Lanka Parliament, "any act to convert or
attempt to convert a person from one religion to another by the use of
force, fraud or allurement will result in serious punishments. Those
found guilty of breaking the law can be imprisoned for up to seven
years and/or fined up to 500,000 rupees (U.S. $4,425) – the equivalent
of about three years’ wages for the average person in Sri Lanka."
Unfortunately, under this law, helping the less fortunate people in their communities would be considered allurement. If anyone who has been helped by a church decides to become a Christian, it could bring punishment on the individuals involved.
I visited storm-ravaged areas of Sri Lanka about six months after the Tsunami hit its coastline. By then, much was cleaned up; but it was still devastated. It was an emotionally-draining trip for me and my creative team. Throughout the interviews, we were all touched deeply by both the needs and how the church was helping.
The fact of the matter is that churches were hugely responsible for bringing relief to people during this time. . . and even now. I was impressed at the delivery system of the churches in providing food, clothing, furnishings, skills, trauma counseling, construction and hope.
If you want to see a vivid demonstration of what I am talking about, watch this Tsunami Relief Update I helped to produce for Asian Access after the Tsunami.
In addition to praying about this upcoming vote in the Sri Lanka Parliament, join me in prayer for the church in Sri Lanka, for our brothers and sisters as they try to live out the gospel in their land.
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