Image: Pastor Ramish talks about his experiences of persecution in Sri Lanka.
Christians can't move to new cities
Pastor Ramish shared his experience of persecution in Sri Lanka. When he had to move to a new city, it was difficult for him to find a city to settle in, as Christians are not welcome in many cities and there are even signs at the entrance of several cities that forbid Christians from even entering the city. When he finally found a place to live, it wasn't long before the locals realized that he was a Christian, and from then on he couldn't get a building permit and was left with an empty lot.
Facts:
Early last year, Maithripala Sirisena was elected as the new president, which has given hope to Christians as he has limited the power of Buddhist groups in society. However, the Christians are still under pressure, but there are indications that the situation is improving.
Especially hard to be new to the faith
In Sri Lanka, power is decentralized, so each village has its own leadership and rules. Power is exploited by many villages through a welfare system that is used to selectively exclude Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu converts, forcing them to either renounce their faith in Christ or move out of town. For many new Christians, exclusion will mean they cannot buy food, go to the hospital, use the city well or be buried in public cemeteries. In order to continue life in the village, many keep their faith hidden for a time and go far away to attend church until they become strong in their faith.
Church growing despite persecution
Today, Christians are not afraid of persecution after years of persistent opposition to the church. Christians have begun to adapt to conditions in the country through less overt evangelism, which has helped reduce attacks on churches in recent times. However, Christians have not become less proactive, but are now serving the villages through acts of charity, holding unofficial house meetings and doing child labor. Through this work, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims are experiencing the power of God in their lives and many are coming to faith. So the church in Sri Lanka is currently growing.
