c. 2008 Religion News Service

SAN FRANCISCO _ Lorrin Lewis said she has no problem separating politics and sports as the Olympic torch wound its way through the city on Wednesday (April 9), but what she can’t _ and won’t _ separate are politics and faith.

“I should be home preparing for Passover,” said Lewis, a 59-year-old rabbi’s wife, near the torch’s planned route. “That is when my people were slaves in Egypt. Right now the people of Darfur are being enslaved and killed. I find it an obligation to be here.”

She wasn’t alone.

As the torch made its only U.S. stop on its way to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, as many as 25,000 persons turned out along its official route _ one side against China and its policies on Tibet and Darfur, the other in support of the embattled host country.

In many ways, the anti-Chinese protests are inherently political, because they touch on Beijing’s political positions on autonomy for Tibetan Buddhists and the government’s ties to the Sudan and the violence in Darfur.

Yet for many people here, the demonstrations were motivated not by politics but by faith, and a sense that God would stand on the side of religious freedom in Tibet and human rights in Darfur.

“We come from a religious tradition where we care about what people do to one another,” said Lewis’ husband, Sheldon, 66, a retired rabbi from Palo Alto. “In the Torah, there is a verse that says one should not stand idly by while someone’s blood is being shed. So we cannot stand idly by.”

The six-mile parade route _ the torch was later re-routed to avoid the scuffles that erupted in Paris and London _ was a sea of flags and placards. People shouted through megaphones and raised their fists in the air as tourists and locals looked on.

Among the protesters was Chris Lull, 34, who said his Quaker faith brought him from nearby Berkeley to speak out against China’s ties to oil-rich Sudan.

“I have a spiritual responsibility to try and shepherd the forces of goodness in the world,” he said, a “Save Darfur” cap on his head. “To that extent I want to participate here as much as I can.“

Christian Lewis, 16, waved a white sign that read, “Another Christian for a Free Tibet.” She, too, said Darfur brought her out _ with her pastor’s encouragement.

“My pastor told me that God gives people their own nation and they have a right to run it,” she said, standing in a group of students from nearby Oakland. “It’s like sovereignty. Tibet should be doing their own thing and China should be doing their own thing and I am pretty sure every Christian should believe that.”

Across the street, Steven Rozzi, 18, shouldered a sign declaring himself “another Christ-follower” for Tibet. He, too, linked his political actions to his religious beliefs.

“Jesus was a guy who was out there fighting for injustice,” he said. “I feel like adding my voice is something all Christ followers are called to do.”

Even after the torch had taken a detour to bypass the protesters, many stayed along the official route. Rabbi Joshua Fenton of San Jose said “tikkun olam” _ the Jewish mandate to “save the world” _ led him to hoist a banner in protest.

“We are in partnership with God and it is our role to help the world become something better than it is now,” he said as a phalanx of police on motorcycles sped by, the torch nowhere in sight. “The prophet Micah said, `What does God require of you? To make a just world.’ That underlies why we are here.”

Minutes later, Tenzin Dawa, a 29-year-old Tibetan, carried his country’s flag amidst protesters clad in white Team Tibet t-shirts. Between chants of “China lies, people die,” he said his solidarity with the Dalai Lama brought him to the protest.

“My personal view is it is not necessary one should be a Buddhist to help us,” he said. “All religions teach truth and peace, and anyone who supports truth and peace should support us.”

Even those of no religious persuasion said their beliefs pushed them to go public. Daniel Yanow, 53, a self-described atheist from San Francisco, said he carried a Tibetan flag to support the rights of the oppressed _ including the right to freedom of religion.

“Just because I don’t happen to believe in God doesn’t mean I don’t believe freedom of religion is a basic human right,” he said, the flag’s orange and scarlet bright in the sun. “All human beings are created equal and all people are entitled to freedom of religion _ and more importantly, to freedom to eat and freedom to live.”

Even pro-China demonstrators shared the convictions of the protesters _ to an extent.

Chris Mao, 36, sat on a cement bench as Team Tibet passed by. He held a bright blue flag that bore the Olympic rings and the words, “light the passion, share the dream.”

“They have a right to voice their opinion,” said Mao, of Fremont, Calif. “I don’t have a problem with that. That’s what makes America great.”

KRE DS END WINSTON850 words

Photos of Rozzi and Dawa are available via https://religionnews.com.