Key Points of the Article:

• “Christian spirit” is the power source for ongoing Hong Kong protests that have lasted over 100 days
• Religion has shaken China’s political regimes in history
• Observe the nature of this movement rather than the outward phenomenon

 
“Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” is heard on the streets as people read aloud from the Bible. Churches protect protesters.

It is not well-known in Japan, but a “Christian spirit” flows through the Hong Kong protesters that seek freedom.

Our magazine editorial staff flew to Hong Kong and reported on the field over August and September.

Democracy activist and former professor at the City University of Hong Kong, Joseph Cheng, said that many participants of the protests were Christians who believe in the afterlife. According to Cheng, these Christians don’t find value in materialistic happiness and are willing to sacrifice themselves for a higher order.

The people of Hong Kong participate in protests while accepting the risk. Over 1,400 people have already been arrested for charges such as rioting, and it is rumored that police forces from China may carry out armed intervention. The risk of protesting is overwhelmingly high.

Yet, people give their lives for a “higher order” that establishes freedom; a Christian spirit of self-sacrifice is at the root of the protests.

Joshua Wong as a Christian

Joshua Wong, a prominent figure of the Hong Kong protests, is also a Christian.

Wong was an active student leader during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and co-founded Demosisto, a political party that aims to achieve democratic self-determination in Hong Kong, along with Agnew Chow. Wong made trips to the church from a young age and studied at the United Christian College, a private Christian middle school in Hong Kong.

In 2012 when he was still in middle school, Wong established Scholarism, a student activist group to defend the autonomy of Hong Kong’s education policy from the Chinese Communist Party’s influence. They mobilized 120,000 students to protest and forced the government to withdraw their plans for change.

While Wong was detained by police in late August for allegedly planning an unauthorized protest, he visited Taiwan on Sept. 3 and asked for their support in democratizing Hong Kong. On the 10th, Wong met with German foreign minister Heiko Maas in Berlin, German; on the 13th, he went to the U.S. and gave a lecture at Columbia University; on the 17th, he attended a hearing by the U.S. Congress and urged officials to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. Wong has been active at an extremely fast-paced speed.

What exactly is moving Wong?

“Believing in Jesus Christ has allowed me to become stronger.”

On Sept. 19, Happy Science CEO Master Ryuho Okawa invited in the guardian spirit of Wong to find out his true intentions.

On the 5th, China’s government-controlled media published a false report, quoting Master Okawa’s spiritual reading of democracy activist Agnes Chow as Chow’s words herself. These are words from her “guardian spirit,” however, and not her own words.

The guardian spirit of Wong spoke in English and revealed his expectations from the Hong Kong government and a sense of helplessness he felt in Germany and the U.S. According to Wong’s guardian spirit, “if I were not Christian, I couldn’t have such kind of braveness”; Wong’s guardian spirit spoke passionately about creating justice in Hong Kong as a disciple of Christ.

Overall, the spiritual reading consisted of religious aspects that reiterated the reincarnation of Christians.

From Hong Kong Revolution to Chinese Revolution

The Chinese government fears the “Christian spirit” that is rejuvenating the Hong Kong protests. Looking back on China’s history, religious influence has always been a source for shaking a dictatorial regime.

In the late Han dynasty when peasants were burdened by high taxes, Way of Supreme Peace, a newly established Taoist religion, led the Yellow Turban Rebellion which created the way for the Three Kingdoms Period. After the Opium Wars in the late Qing dynasty, Hong Xiuquan founded the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, a newly established Christian religion, and triggered the rule of the Qing dynasty. These are just two examples. Religion has led rebellions against the then political administrations whenever a natural disaster or political disorder took place in history.

The Hong Kong protests have lasted over 100 days, with people still as passionate as ever, because of the backbone of a religious spirit. The protesters’ fight for freedom will transfer to mainland China if their spirits move people from around the world and create momentum.

Japan’s media likes to focus on surface-level phenomena such as “students boycotting classes to participate in protests” or “an army of protesters fighting with laser pointers against tear gas.” They have to understand the root of the Hong Kong protests which can be traced back to this religious backbone. Japanese media must listen to their cries and reconsider why Hong Kong protesters are continuing to fight.

The following were mentioned in the spiritual reading:

• Impression on Japan’s government
• Expectations from the U.S. government
• Dangers impeding on Taiwan
• Wong’s past reincarnations
• On Marxism and Christianity
• The meaning of freedom for human beings
• Christian-like spirit of self-sacrifice
• God’s justice that can’t be determined alone by size of numbers