As the Bible affirms, the love of money has been and always will been the source of endless problems:
“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some, by longing for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10 NASB).”
Freedom of speech is one of Americans’ most cherished constitutional rights, but when that right seems to threaten economic interests, it can be openly attacked. As an example, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, after watching citizens in Hong Kong stand against attempts by the Chinese to diminish their freedoms, tweeted—“Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” The international backlash against his declaration of support for freedom and against communist oppression was so intense that Morey deleted his post.
Why was this NBA executive, who simply expressed his solidarity with those resisting a tyrannical government, so viciously attacked? Follow the money:
“The league’s “NBA China” business, launched more than a decade ago, was valued at more than $4 billion last year and it signed a five-year, $1.5 billion contract extension in July for China’s Tencent internet company to show games and other content on its digital platforms, according to Forbes.”[1]
Even NBA players like LeBron James publicly condemned Morey’s tweet,[2] telling the media “that Morey's comment was selfish and that he ‘wasn't educated on the situation at hand’.”[3] But Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter (from Turkey) had a very different view and actually tweeted against James’ attack:
"Wow dude!" "SMH [shake my head]" and an emoticon depicting a nauseous person.
Why would Kanter be so disgusted with James’ tweet? Because of his own personal experience in oppressive Turkey. He even tweeted a list of significant facts detailing his own personal experience with a tyrannical government:
-Haven’t seen or talked to my family 5 years
-Jailed my dad
-My siblings can’t find jobs
-Revoked my passport
-International arrest warrant
-My family can’t leave the country
-Got Death Threats everyday
-Got attacked, harassed
-Tried to kidnap me in Indonesia
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE[4]
As one news story explained:
Kanter has a longstanding feud with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and is currently exiled from his home country. Kanter is highly critical of Erdogan and has voiced support for an opposing political movement….[H]is family has been jailed, he cannot leave America because of threats against his life, and Turkey has issued an international arrest warrant demanding his return to Turkey. In fact, Kanter's experience with totalitarian regimes—of which China is one—is so personal that the FBI has installed a "panic button" at Kanter's home due to the severity of the threats against his life.[5]
Kanter understood that personal freedom is more important than economic profits. By the way, while James defended China against Morey’s attack, he remained strangely silent about China’s long record of international atrocities—including its recent attack on Christians:
“Around 1,000 Chinese personnel, including police officers, carried out a raid at the True Jesus Church in the province of Henan, forcibly removing congregants—including two elderly members who were injured in the incident and had to be taken to the hospital—before excavators began demolishing the church worth roughly $1.4 million.”[6]
To allow economic incentives to cause anyone to oppose what is right and remain silent about what is wrong violates Biblical principles. We should always remember Jesus’ warning, “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24 NASB).
Foundations of Truth hereby waives all claim of copyright (economic and moral) in this work and immediately places it in the public domain; it may be used, published, edited, and distributed in any manner whatsoever without any attribution or notice to Foundations of Truth.
[1] Golding, B. (2019, October 17). Adam Silver says NBA is suffering ‘substantial’ losses in China. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2019/10/17/adam-silver-says-nba-is-suffering-substantial-losses-in-china/
[2] Maloney, J. (2019, October 15). LeBron James weighs in on China-Hong Kong conflict, says Daryl Morey was 'misinformed' about ramifications: Morey's tweet sparked an international incident between the NBA and China. Retrieved from https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lebron-james-weighs-in-on-china-hong-kong-conflict-says-daryl-morey-was-misinformed-about-ramifications/
[3] https://www.theblaze.com/news/enes-kanter-powerful-response-to-lebron-james-pro-china-defense
[4] https://www.theblaze.com/news/enes-kanter-powerful-response-to-lebron-james-pro-china-defense
[5] https://www.theblaze.com/news/enes-kanter-powerful-response-to-lebron-james-pro-china-defense
[6] Parke, C. (2019, October 17). Chinese authorities raided church, forcibly removed members, moments before demolition. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-church-raid-demolition
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