The officially atheist Chinese Communist Party led by Xi Jinping (pictured) disapproves of all kinds Church activity and purports Christianity is being used to “subvert” the government. COURTESY PHOTO.
Uganda Christian News has learnt of a massive new wave of persecution of Christians taking place in China.
According to Bitter Winter, a watchdog on religious freedom and human rights, in just two weeks’ time, the Yugan county in Jiangxi Province, southeast China shut down at least 48 churches and meeting locations after the COVID-19 lockdown lifted in April.
All 48 were “three-Self churches,” strictly allowed to conduct prayer activities solely in government registered and controlled premises.
Bitter Winter reports that government officials stormed the churches and forcibly removed their podium, crosses and all other religious symbols.
According to International Christian Concern, the reasoning behind the shutdowns is due to Yugan County’s “large number of believers,” making it “one of the key targets of the Chinese Communist Party’s religious persecution.”
“Higher echelons of government declared after an inspection that there were too many believers in the county,” Bitter Winter quoted a village Party secretary in Yugan’s Daxi township as saying. “When so many believe in God, who will listen to the Communist Party?”
A local believer told Bitter Winter that the government intends to convert one of the closed Church buildings into an elderly activity center.
“The government does not allow us to believe in God,” another believer complained to Bitter Winter . “Xi Jinping (China’s President) follows the path of Mao Zedong, who cracked down on all religious beliefs and killed people of faith. If you refuse to obey the president who orders you not to attend religious meetings, you’ll be arrested and imprisoned.”
Regional manager for Southeast Asia at International Christian Concern Gina Goh, told media reporters it appears, as coronavirus restrictions begin to fade away in China, the government increases its crackdown on Christians.
“In recent weeks, we have seen an increased number of church demolitions and cross removals on state-sanctioned churches across China, as house church gatherings continue to face interruption and harassment. It is deplorable that the local authorities not only conducted this raid without proper procedure but deployed excessive use of force against church members and bystanders,” she said.
That said, Bitter Winter also reported recently that Christian teachers in Chinese schools within the nation’s school system are under pressure to renounce their faith or risk being fired.
“To warrant “proper” indoctrination of students, China’s regime probes and punishes religious teachers, ensures that not a single faith-related word is said in class,” the news source reported.
“Teachers are required to indoctrinate children with patriotic ideology, make them believe and praise the Party,” one educator whose identity was concealed for safety told Bitter Winter. “The entire country is permeated with patriotism. Moreover, schools have assigned special personnel to monitor and report on religious teachers and students. They were told to give up their faith, and some have been designated as key targets of surveillance, the authorities fearing that they will develop ‘counterrevolutionary influence,’ collude with foreign forces, and cause chaos.”
