For more than a billion people living in China, freedom of religion does not exist. So, those that do wish to worship as they please must do so in secret, and if they are discovered, the consequences can be extremely severe.
This from discernreport.com.
This week, China is in the news because it is engaged in a trade war with the United States. But most of the time, people living in the western world pay no attention to what is really happening inside China, and so very few actually know about the absolutely horrifying things that are being done to Christians by the communist Chinese government.
Christians would do best to avoid China for the foreseeable future; practicing your faith in China could get you arrested. New regulations which will go into effect May 1 ban foreigners “from preaching, sharing their faith, or establishing religious organizations without official government approval.”
Justifying these regulations, Chinese state media claimed the newly revised rules promote national security—a common justification for CCP persecution of religion—and help to protect ‘normal religious activities,’ referring to activities run under strict government oversight as part of state-run religious institutions.
This being the latest attempt to crack down on “unauthorized” religious activity in China, the Chinese government openly admits it “intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024.”
Earlier this year, the Chinese government issued a report boasting about the increased persecution of independent religious groups in 2024.
‘China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024,’ reported the Global Times, a state-run media outlet. ‘They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.’
NOTE: To the Chinese, any religious organization that is not controlled by the government is considered to be a “cult.”
Christians in China, are legally permitted to attend only certain types of state-controlled churches:
The protestant Three Self Church and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association are prominent examples of these state-run institutions. They work to promote CCP propaganda and the personality cult surrounding country President Xi Jinping through songs, sermons, and community events.
Independent house churches, which operate outside the state-sponsored system, are often raided, and their members are arrested on charges of working against the interests of the state.
It has been estimated that there are more than 100 million Christians in China, and independent house churches are extremely popular. But when a house church is discovered, the leaders are often arrested and taken to secret interrogation facilities:
– Authorities in China are detaining Christians in secretive, mobile “transformation” facilities to make them renounce their faith, RFA has learned.
– A member of a Christian ‘house church’ in the southwestern province of Sichuan who asked to be identified by a pseudonym Li Yuese said he was held in a facility run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s United Front Work Department, working in tandem with the state security police, for 10 months after a raid on his church in 2018.
– Li claims he was beaten, abused and tortured in a very small windowless room for almost 10 months.
– Many Christians that are grabbed by authorities are never seen again.
Chinese officials are hoping to eventually make religion of as little importance as possible in China. One of the ways that they hope to achieve this is by banning all children from participating in religious activities:
Children under 18 are constitutionally prohibited from having any formal religious affiliation in China. There is also a ban on religious education, including Sunday schools, religious summer camps and other forms of youth religious groups. Schools focus on promoting non-religion and atheism, and many children join CCP-affiliated youth groups, where they must pledge commitment to atheism.
What this means: Every child in China is prohibited by law from setting foot in a church.
This is evil beyond which words can describe. As they continue to grow in power, the Chinese may very well begin to impose their “values” on the entire globe.
Jesus warned us that those who decide to follow Him will be hated. And we are certainly witnessing that now.
