Greed, Politics Stall Religious Freedom Bill

The House International Relations Committee will begin marking up the Freedom From Religious Persecution Act (HR 2431) later this month. In spite of the fact that millions of people of faith continue to suffer and die because of their religious beliefs, a strange mix of greed and politics has thrown a wrench into efforts to get the act passed though Congress. The president opposes the bill because it will take power away from him to negotiate with countries that participate in widespread and ongoing persecution. Big business opposes the bill because they think that sanctions that block foreign aid to offending countries may cause them to lose money.

The fact that more Christians have been martyred in this century than in the previous 19 centuries combined is now well established. So why has there been so little outrage in America? Some light was shed on our country’s lack of action at the initial hearings last month on HR 2431. For example, John Shattuck, assistant secretary for democracy and human rights of the State Department, in effect recommended gutting the bill and substituting language that would never require the president to stand up for the persecuted. That would take us back nearly 60 years to our country’s shameful response to Hitler’s early atrocities.

History tells us that appeasement never succeeds in dealing with tyrants. It has only led to greater oppression of the innocent. Many in America believe that if we help China become a strong industrialized nation, its brutal rulers will develop pangs of conscience about human rights issues.

To hope that a vibrant middle class will evolve that will hunger for freedom and democracy and be less tolerant of a police state is unreasonably optimistic. Unfortunately, that seems to be where the Clinton administration is on the issue.

I recently received a letter from Timothy Ho of Anaheim telling me about his nephew Philip Xu, a 42-year-old native of Shanghai.

Philip became a traveling preacher, and his ministry prospered. Philip was arrested on March 14, 1989, and held for three months. Then, in response to Tiananmen Square, the government tightened control over free speech. While he was teaching a Bible study class in Shanghai, Philip was arrested again on Nov. 16, 1989, and subjected to three long years of hard labor and confinement. On June 16 of this year, Philip was again arrested and is now in solitary confinement.

Nov. 16 is designated around the world as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Encourage your spiritual leaders to acknowledge that day and to pray for Philip and all who are suffering for their faith, and let your congressman know how you feel about the State Department’s attempt to emasculate HR 2431.