Restrictive Constitutional Amendment Proposed

08 December 2004

After facing the defeat of a proposed anti-conversion law, the JHU party, composed entirely of Buddhist monks, is attempting once again to engrain Buddhism as the state religion and prevent the conversion of Buddhists in Sri Lanka . The JHU has introduced a constitutional amendment, referred to as the "19th Amendment." The proposed bill would declare Buddhism as the official religion of Sri Lanka , while allowing other forms of religion to be practiced "in peace and harmony with Buddha Sasana." Freedom of worship for religions other than Buddhism would be subject to public order and morals; something which could easily be abused to restrict religious freedom. The amendment would also prohibit converting Buddhists to any other religion as well as spreading other religions among Buddhists. On December 7, a court petition was heard against the proposal on the grounds that the amendment would infringe on basic human rights. The court's decision will be given to the speaker of the Parliament by December 16. An evaluation of this proposed amendment is available on the SriLankanChristians.Com website.

^{Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero}

As the December 12 anniversary of the sudden death of Buddhist leader Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero approaches (Click here for details), there are concerns that the violence seen last December may be repeated. Christians were widely blamed for his unexpected death during a trip to Russia last December. While violent attacks and threats against Christians have become less frequent in recent months, incidents do continue to occur. In a recent example, the pastor of the "Believers' Church" in the village of Kammalawa in Kuliyapitiya faced a crowd of over 100 on the evening of December 2, threatening him if he does not stop holding worship services. Later that night, the church was attacked with stones, damaging the roof tiles, one door and several windows.

Pray for the safety of Christians in Sri Lanka . Pray for the peace of Christ to reign in the hearts of believers facing the uncertainty of this proposed legislation as well as the dangers from those opposed to the Gospel. Pray for wisdom and direction for church leaders during this time.

For more details on the difficulties facing Christians in Sri Lanka , click here. The Voice of the Martyrs has recently produced a 30-minute video documentary, "Faith Under Fire: Sri Lanka " which records the testimonies and challenges facing Sri Lankan Christians. This documentary is available to order through our online catalog. A two-minute preview is available in the "What's New" section of our multimedia website, PersecutionTV.

Sri Lanka

Current Ministry Projects
VOMC supports persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka as they witness for Christ in hostile environments through Biblical training, legal aid, and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.

Project Funds: Equipping the Saints, Legal Defence, Relief & Development, Families of Martyrs
Country Information
Population
23,326,272 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Sinhalese (74.9), Sri Lankan Tamil (11.2), Sri Lankan Moors (9.2), Indian Tamil (4.2), other (0.5)

Religion (%)
Buddhism (70.2), Hinduism (12.6), Islam (9.7), Roman Catholic (6.1), Evangelical Christianity (2.0)

Leader
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Sept 2024)

Government type
Presidential republic

Legal system
Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Sri Lanka
Let's unite our hearts in prayer for those in Sri Lanka who are being persecuted for their faith, thanking God for what He is accomplishing despite the opposition. Ask that His people will be encouraged, strengthened and equipped by the promises of the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – knowing that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Ephesians 6:17; Jeremiah 1:12). May they not only overcome the strategies of the enemy, but also serve as effective witnesses to those in need of eternal salvation and deliverance from spiritual captivity.

Sri Lanka News

Church Pressured to Halt Christian Activities

A congregation in Sri Lanka.
Photo: VOMC

Members of the Way to the Comfort Ministry Church in Seethwaka, Sri Lanka, are receiving ongoing demands to cease all Christian activities in their village. On January 26th, Buddhist monks approached the church leadership and insisted that the pastor stop holding worship services, claiming that only Buddhist practices are permitted within the village. They further accused the pastor of forcibly converting people to Christianity and receiving foreign aid.

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Church Services Restricted to Pastor's Family

Photo: VOMC

In July, a complaint against the Jesus Jeewamanai Revival Church in Polgahawela was issued by some villagers and Buddhist leaders who opposed the worship services that were taking place at the pastor's home. In response, police requested that the church restrict the number of people attending the gatherings, particularly by limiting participants who were visiting from outside of the community, until guidance was received from the authorities on how to handle the situation. For more information about this incident, go to this report.

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Church Building Pelted with Stones; Worshippers Restricted Access

A group of Christians praying together.
Photo: VOMC

The Jesus Jeewamanai Revival Church in the town of Polgahawela has been the target of attacks perpetrated by disgruntled members of the community who oppose their place of worship. On July 7th and 11th, stones were thrown at the church building. Then, on July 14th, before the Christians' Sunday services were scheduled to begin, villagers blocked the road leading to the building in order to prevent the congregants and their pastor from accessing the facility.

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Arrests During House Church Construction

On June 13th, the pastor of God's Kingdom Gospel Church in Kandapola, Sri Lanka, was constructing a house church building, together with the support of other pastors and church leaders, when he was approached by a junior manager. The pastor was questioned by the manager as to whether or not the Christians had permission to build a church.

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