Canadian Immigration officials did not believe Chinese refugee Pin Xian Xin was a Christian because she was confused by questions about biblical “parabolas”.

"What is your favourite parabola?" Ms. Xin was asked by Ms. [Lily] Oddie, the IRB [Immigration Review Board] adjudicator, according to the certified transcript of her refugee admission hearing.

"I beg your pardon?" Ms. Xin replied, through a Cantonese interpreter.

"What is your favourite parabola?" Ms. Oddie repeated. "There are parabolas in the Bible. Have you read about them?"

For that reason, Ms Oddie ordered her returned to China despite credible fears of persecution.  Fortunately, a federal appeals court judge, who knows the difference between “parabola” and “parable”, sided with Ms Xin.

"I find the board's reasons for finding that the applicant was not credible and concluding that she had not been a member of the underground church nor was a Christian to be patently unreasonable," Judge [Leonard] Mandamin wrote in his recent decision.

The IRB adjudicator’s lack of knowledge about Christianity is laughable; however, it also endangered the welfare of an apparently legitimate claimant.

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