In the wake of President Barack Obama’s recent announcement about his plan to open diplomatic ties with Cuba, Southern Evangelical Seminary’s President Dr. Richard Land said that appeasing dictators and compromising with evil is not the way to help free Cubans and reestablish their rights.
“President Obama will not see his plan for the U.S. and Cuba realized,” Land said. “A lift on the trade embargo must be removed by members of the U.S. Senate, and they must not bow to his wishes. Many Americans are opposed to any plan to open diplomatic ties with Cuba—Cuban Americans included.
“Cuba is in terrible, desperate shape,” Land continued, “and our President is simply throwing the country a life-preserver because of the terrible economic conditions. The reality is that once we know the truth, the truth shall set us free. And the truth is that appeasing dictators and compromising with evil does not work. Reestablishing ties will only prolong the agony of the Cuban people. As Americans, we must do what we can to help lift the yoke of oppression from the Cuban people, but that will not be accomplished by throwing a lifeline to the totalitarian, rights-abusing government of Castro’s Cuba.”
Land added that the Declaration of Independence and its rights are not reserved only for Americans.
“These are universal values,” he said. “They come from Scripture. Our forefathers knew how to tie our faith and our beliefs to our everyday worldview—in how we deal with others, how we live our lives and how we run our governments. Cubans should be able to worship as they please, share the Gospel and evangelize. But they are without protections of the God-given freedoms outlined in our First Amendment. Why should the United States extend anything extra to Cuba when it takes away so much from its own people?”
