without highlighting the excessive force used by the police, a level of brutality which is alien to the people of Hong Kong.

## Lived Religions

The term lived religions here refers to the practice of local religious communities, religious organizations and individual believers. What are the religious faiths of protestors? To what extent and how are they inspired and motivated by their faith? These concerns are beyond the scope of this short article. Nevertheless, we have been able to observe religious communities involved in the protest. Let me share some of my observations. Both Catholics and Protestants have had a more obvious role in the protest. First, many churches were open for people during the time of protest. This was not the case during the Umbrella Movement, five years ago. One pastor said, “On August 5, two protestors suffering from tear gas came to my church for refuge and cleaning. They said ‘thank you’. I am pleased to know that my church is serving people who are in need.” There are no temples and mosques open for this purpose because there are no temples in the urban areas where the protests used to take place. Second, many Christians using the name of their denominations, individual churches and Christian associations have made public statements saying no to the bill, condemning the excessive force employed by the police and the violence of the thugs, and urging the government to listen to the five demands of the people. Third, the Pastors’ Care Fellowship was formed in solidarity with protestors. For instance, it organized a 72-hour prayer meeting starting on June 10 outside the Government Main Office. One amazing scene was on the night of June 11, when tension between protestors and police escalated. The protestors (both Christians and non- Christians) joined together with Christians singing the hymn, “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord,” for nearly nine hours straight, and this helped to release the tension. The police did not know how to respond to them. Since then, “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” has become one of the songs for protestors to use in the resistance. A young protestor wrote in his Facebook, “I am not a Christian, but I am ‘indoctrinated’ by this hymn after singing it for a few hours. The Christian hymn is really powerful. It helps to reduce the tension between police and protestors.” In order to prevent violence, the fellowship organized a team of pastors to stand between police and protestors. The role of the pastors caught the media attention, but its effect should not be over- estimated. The role of Pastors’ Care Fellowship is declining as the clash escalates. Fourth, as one of the slogans of the protest is “Be Water”, more individual Christians and pastors are organizing assemblies to pray for Hong Kong. Some key Christian figures such as Most Rev. Joseph Ha, Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Church, said in a public gathering, “Where our sheep are, there the pastors are.” Fifth, Christians have their own newspapers, the Christian Times for Protestants and the Kung Kao Pao for Catholics. They not only report Christian participation in protests, but also provide a deep theological reflection on the issue. This helps to generate a good discussion of the issue among Christians. An article published in Global Web entitled to “The Damage Done by These Pastors on Hong Kong Society is Beyond your Imagination” severely criticizes the churches engaging in the