EUGENE, Ore.—Depictions of faith and spirituality by
Shen Yun Performing Arts were welcomed by many audience members at Eugene’s Hult Center on the afternoon of Oct. 17.
Former events coordinator Karen Sellers and her husband Terry said they were impressed by the precision of the
Shen Yun performers. They likewise commended how the performance they watched not only depicted China’s long millennia of faith-based culture but how people of faith are
persecuted in today’s China.
“It’s great to also see the cultural side,” she said. “It’s got a great story to it. And it’s a story that should be shared, especially as I’m concerned with the persecution for religious beliefs. That’s hard, and I know that it’s becoming more prevalent worldwide,” Sellers said.
“And that’s something that concerns me for the future of humanity.”
Sellers added that as a Christian, she finds it heartbreaking that “freedom is not necessarily welcomed” in communist countries.
During the performance, emcees spoke of how
Shen Yun performers cannot work in China due to their faith in the meditation practice of
Falun Gong which has been persecuted by the Chinese regime since 1999.
Michael Scheer, a retired marine and insurance business owner, cheered
Shen Yun for its courage in bringing matters of
faith to light.
“Aside from the two things that I think are spectacular, which were obviously
the dancing and the whole scenery ... the spiritual message is what caught me the most,” Scheer said.
“I loved learning the ancient history of China and I love what they’re doing,” he said.
“I must say straightforwardly that I’m very anti-communist ... The talk about spirituality and God is incredibly necessary in this world today. The message was fabulous.”
Scheer said that he believes “there’s a lot of forces at work, actively, trying to get rid of God and spirituality.”
“It’s been a long time coming that those people stand up and fight back. That’s what the show is doing,” he said.
Reporting by Mary Zhang and NTD Television.
