During her early days in the United States, in order to improve her English, Su joined a Bible study group, where she felt for the first time that selfless love existed in the world. She came to realize that rationality alone would not suffice. "For instance, based on rational analysis, a mother's love for her children does not do the mother much good, so she should stop giving her children so much love, but the point is that this kind of love is very crucial for the survival of mankind."

As for the existence of God, Su said it was the film The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, that somewhat convinced her of this, or at least she was able to completely accept Christianity "theoretically." The movie focuses on the last 12 hours before Jesus' crucifixion, when he endures the cruelest torture and suffers for the sake of all mankind.

Most Christians agree that the ethical core of Christianity is love. Man aspires to love and be loved. The word "love" appears frequently in the Bible, which demands that one love God more than anything else, love others as one loves oneself and even love one's enemies.

Bolstering spiritual life

Qin Dadi, a lawyer in Beijing, also studied in the United States. At his alma mater, Iowa State University, Lu Gang, a Chinese student haunted by jealousy and depression, killed his classmates, tutor and an assistant dean. After the incident, a letter of recommendation was found in the dean's desk drawer that was meant to help Lu get a job. Surprisingly, siblings of the dean, who are the offspring of a missionary in China, wrote a letter to console Lu's parents and prayed for them. The university never discriminated against Chinese students because of this incident. Qin said he was deeply touched and moved by this story and felt the philanthropy and justice embedded in Christianity.

"Like most people, I turned to Christianity when studying in the United States, hoping to find the bright side of life in this religion," said Qin, who believes that it is the Bible and church that released him from homesickness and helped him adapt to his new environment. Now, going to church and reading the Bible are an important part of his spiritual life.

At the beginning, Qin even sneered at the words "In God We Trust" printed on every U.S. currency note, and it seemed ridiculous to him when Americans referred to "sinners."