Destroying crosses. Burning Bibles. Shuttering churches and ordering parishioners to renounce their faith. By all accounts, China's government is waging an all-out war on Jesus the likes of which hasn't been seen since Mao Zedong's regime was in power over fifty years ago.
Pastors and religious freedom groups have been reporting brazen cases of what can only be described as a concerted Communist Party crackdown on Christian congregations in Beijing and beyond, an apparent drive to "Sinicize" religion by demanding loyalty to the state and eliminate any challenges to its authority posed by faith doctrine.
"The international community should be alarmed and outraged for this blatant violation of freedom of religion and belief," wrote Bob Fu of the U.S.-based group China Aid, characterizing the closure of churches in both central Henan province and Beijing in recent weeks as a "significant escalation."
Burn Baby (Jesus) Burn
Despite talks of religious revival in the emerging powerhouse, Chinese Christians have been watching their freedoms shrink dramatically under President Xi Jinping, whose drive to consolidate power has made him the greatest single threat to organized religion since religious freedom was written into the country's constitution back in 1982.
In recent months, Christians have been singled out for punishment by the government and forced to sign forms vowing to renounce their faith. Shocking video footage has also been shared on social media showing piles of burning Bibles:
#China CCP starts burning the Bible and crosses in Henan. Last time burning Bibles campaign happened in late 1960s by dictator Chairman Mao's wife Jiang Qing in Shanghai. She was arrested in 1976 but Christians grew to millions. Will Never be successful pic.twitter.com/T5esv16NXI
Bob Fu (@BobFu4China) September 5, 2018
Shades of Mao
Experts say these incidents are eerily reminiscent of Chairman Mao's radical 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution, where Christians were forced to make declarations against their faith under threat of expulsion from school and the loss of welfare benefits.
In the Henan city of Nanyang, a Christian pastor (who asked to rename anonymous) claims his church was raided at 5 am and its crosses, Bibles and furniture burned following 'discussions' with local authorities demanding the establishment "reform" itself.
It was a similar story in Beijing, where nearly 60 government workers swarmed the Protestant Zion church (one of the largest in the capital) with buses, police cars and fire trucks, forcing the church's pastor Ezra Jin Mingri to close shop after his church was declared unofficial and his services illegal. The pastor's personal assets were also frozen after he refused to install television cameras in the building - an apparent attempt to strong arm him into complying with government demands. "Churches will continue to develop," he told the Associated Press by phone. "Blocking the sites will only intensify conflicts."
Cracking Down on Christ
These incidents are certainly alarming, especially because they appear to form a pattern of government oppression. Church serviceshave been raided across Chinese provinces, with congregation members arrested and beaten by government officials. Churchgoers have been forced to replace paintings of Jesus Christ with communist imagery, while teachers are being accused of "brainwashing" students with Christianity.
"The Chinese government is trying to stop the spread of Christianity," exclaimed the American Center for Law and Justice in a petition that has since been signed by close to 45,000 people. "This blatant persecution cannot be tolerated."
Of course, there is no proof that any of this will work. In fact, the last Bible-burning campaign in the late 1960s only caused China's Christian population to explode. With an estimated 38 million Protestants countrywide, the Chinese government may want to start weighing the wisdom of forcing its citizens to choose between God and State.
49 comments
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Iconoclast
I do not believe there can ever be any lasting alliance between socialism and Christianity, because socialism requires totalitarianism and Christianity teaches individual rights and responsibility. In a socialist society the State or the collective is god.
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Dan Atatakai
John Owens - Where in the Bible does it state that it teaches individual rights when the penalty for apostasy happens to be death, according to the Bible?
Socialism requires totalitarianism? Are you really so certain? The largest Socialist organization in the US is the US military, followed by fire protection and police agencies. How are they a demand for totalitarianism? Do you really believe national and state parks are also totalitarianistic? How about libraries? All of these are socialist concepts.
The biggest civilian socialist program is Social Security. How on earth is that totalitarian?
Please explain, also, how Socialistic organizations happen to be believers in a government "deity".
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Thom
Socialism = a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. No mention of any religious beliefs. But when a society is ran by the community as a whole and not the few powerful 1% as it is now, I'm sure it would a better place for all. Certainly seems more Christian like to me.
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Iconoclast
Because you are indoctrinated into socialism, Thom. How would you GET from private property and ownership TO socialism, WITHOUT stealing? Answer: it cannot be done. Is anyone who believes as you do aware of how socialist economies actually fare in this world? Socialism can only succeed until it runs out of other people's money. NOT Christian like at ALL. Paul said if people didn't work, they shouldn't eat.
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Iconoclast
AND, there is no biblical statement or command that government should own the means of production. That is supposed to be privately-owned. Governments are incapable of equitably distributing wealth.
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Carl Elfstrom
Then there were the hunter-gatherers. I bet they would have thought of grocery stores as being socialist.
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William Waugh
Not correct. Its not stealing when majorities win referendums, make new laws etc. Modern socialism only augments markets typically ignored by capialists only interested in stock returns. ......wow i think i just made capitalists as sleazy as thieves!!
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John Owens
William! It doesn't matter if a majority votes for something or not! Stealing is stealing. You can't vote and say it isn't stealing. That is stupid.
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Rev. Rene
Socialism is a system we know in Canada and Europe and the USA as well. Socialism is where the many have a system to look after the few, or not so few, who need a bit of extra help. This is why we all pay taxes, so the "indigent" can have welfare, and subsidized housing, and food stamps. What you are talking about is Communism, where the ideal is to have everybody the same. Except, of course as in 1984 the book, the leadership is never the same. And if you read your bible, Jesus would give his last bit of food to someone needy! And help His fellowman (or woman) where needed! That too was socialism!
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Iconoclast
You maybe should read your bible. Paul said if people don't work, they shouldn't eat. He also said we are supposed to work so we can have something to give others. Canada, Europe, and the USA are a blend of Socialist programs and Capitalist ownership of business. A form of government theft from private business in order to appear to give a crap about people, which is just to keep from having to deal with reality.
Socialism is based on THEFT, which God Almighty, and Jesus Christ, and anybody with any moral code at all is AGAINST. It is NOT based on generosity, unless it is okay for me to take what is yours and generously give it someone else.
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Carl Elfstrom
According to the legal courses I took, stealing only means to go somewhere and take something that doesn't belong to you. Taking something that is given to you is not theft, but is receiving a gift. So you can be as generous as Robin Hood with the wealth of the rich without stealing anything, gather up all those buy now pay later catalogues they've been sending you and order as much as you can,as quickly as possible. Soon, you will receive a whole shit load of gifts in the mail that you can generously distribute to whoever you want to, even in the name of Jesus, if you want to. The best part about it is you can't go to jail for not paying your bills. By law, the worst thing that will happen is you'll get seven years of bad credit. It doesn't matter if you have fifty counts or one, at the end of seven years you won't owe anything to anyone, and you can start the process again, by building up your credit rating. [This is valuable advice I usually charge a lot of money for, and it won't be offered again. Call it religious generosity, if you will.] However, you'll have so much more to give away, and feel good for having done so, as long as your Christian guilt doesn't sink in. Praise the lord !
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Iconoclast
Carl, just to point out-- ROBIN HOOD (although fictional) STOLE from the rich. Now, the story and the movies made it look justifiable, but the truth is, theft is theft. Also, when countries shift from capitalism to socialism, everyone who has ever EARNED their money and accumulated a little bit of actual wealth gets screwed out of it. Socialism is looting by the government.
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Chris
Maybe you should revisit the book of Acts. The disciples had all the converts give them everything and used it to support the cause. Sounds pretty much like socialism to me. Jesus would have them wander through fields that someone else had cultivated so they could harvest food while they walked. Sounds socialist to me. Caring for the sick and lame. Feeding the masses. Sounds socialist to me.
It also sounds like you really need to study more on socialism before spouting out about what you think it is.
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Iconoclast
Maybe YOU should revisit ACTS. That was a relatively small group of people who thought the Messiah would return in glory in their lifetime who were trying to evangelize the known world at that time. That was NOT a government of any kind. It only sounds like socialism because you are indoctrinated that way. You are only looking at what you have been trained to see. YOU need to stop spouting until you have learned to actually reason.
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Carl Elfstrom
The only angels (egregori) on this planet fell from grace a long time ago, and aren't nearly ready yo return yet. Wanting to doesn't make it so. There aren't any truly selfless martyrs here iether. A lot of supposed Christians do steal, but then say they're sorry and are forgiven, so they think.
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The Rev. Brother Robert Barker
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in COMMON. And they began selling their property and possessions and were SHARING them with ALL, as anyone might have need. Acts of the Apostles 2:44-45
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Iconoclast
Again, Rev, that was a small religious group. Not a nation. Get your head out of your book and think a bit.
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The Rev. Brother Robert Barker
The most successful of Christian communes began in Europe in the early 1800s and moved to the U.S. in the mid 1800s and is known as the Amana Colonies.
From Wikipedia: "Over 800 members of the Community immigrated to Ebenezer from Germany.[25] The Community founded a "provisional constitution" in 1843 that defined the intentions of the community, which they called the Ebenezer Society. All lands and buildings were to be held in common, and prosperous settlers were expected to pay community expenses. The initial plan was that, after some time, the land would be divided among the people according to their contribution of money and labor. However, leaders saw that the disparity in wealth, skills and age would make it difficult for all to purchase a portion of land—the community would fall apart as a result.[26] Therefore, the constitution was amended on October 23, 1850 to make the Community exclusively communal.[27] "
Amana Colonies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amana_Colonies
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William Waugh
Historically the conscience act of stealing the wealth of the working class for the lowest possible wage and conditions, constitutes. the first theft.
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John Owens
I think I know what you are trying to say, but the punctuation and syntax make it difficult. Not criticizing, but trying to be helpful.
Now, whatever you think history says, if you take from one person who has earned or inherited wealth and give it to another who has not, it is theft. Period.
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Carl Elfstrom
Its kind of like a hippy commune then, isn't it man?
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Oh Mo
Rene, better check the dictionary for the definition of 'socialism'.
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Beth K
I would point out that a number of the Epistles in the NT show the socialism among early Christians, and the texts say that it's a good thing to take care of the sick and needy, widows and orphans. Jesus himself practiced socialism - as in he gave "loaves & fishes" to the multitude, healed the sick, with no thought of anything like them paying fair market value for the food or healing.
Communist dictatorships require totalitarianism. Even Karl Marx does not espouse totalitarianism. Ultimately, he teaches anarchism - as people will know to "do the right thing", share with one another, not brutalize one another, and not cheat each other.
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Carl Elfstrom
Doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do sounds like being ethical, doesn't it?[I learned that in a business management course.] Are you sure that Karl Marx is still teaching, in this dimension? I think he shouldnt have left his brothers (Groucho, Chico, and Harpo). Like them, he was quite hilarious.
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Iconoclast
Look, you cannot insist that the first Christians were communists and Jesus was a socialist, and then cry about separation of church and state. First-- they were not the civil government. Anyone above an IQ of 50 or so knows that the way they conducted their lives was totally unsustainable. They didn't think it would be more than 2000 years before the Messiah returned to set up His kingdom.
Second-- They did not steal from others to create their little commune.
Third-- it was not "socialism" for Christ to feed the two different masses of people on two occasions. That is a ridiculous comparison. He never said that is how governments should operate. Fourth-- If you want to live in a theocracy, you can NOT complain about religious values or religious people in government. If you want the government to practice the principles by which JESUS lived, well, He lived by the Torah, and I don't think anyone here now wants THAT.
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Ann Wood
No organized group is more totalitarian than Christians. They demand obedience to thier definition of "god", they impose their own ideas about morality; how define it, how to enforce it, and in America, it is a crushing force against the exercise of free will. I fear organized religions more than i fear any sectarian ideas.
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Thom
So hitting the nail on the head. We really need reform here and the Christian religion needs to let go of this war. Switzerland is the Knights Templar. I do honestly feel that those who control the world bank think they control the world because they control the money. They are Christians I'm pretty sure. This is truly a deep seeded religious war which I fear greatly. Christianity wants to control the world. We all must work together with all religions because we are all human. We all NEED this planet which provides for us. It is our Savior. How do we treat it? Buy polluting and causing it to be toxic and unable to provide for us. We really must begin to honor what we've been given.
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Iconoclast
That NWO stuff is not Christianity, Thom, but Satanism disguised as Christianity.
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Iconoclast
If Christians DEMANDED obedience to their definition of God, none of the rest of you would be here, so your opening statement is like, as false as it can be, along with your fake fears.
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Carl Elfstrom
John, if Christians start demanding anything of the rest of us we'll go back to crucifying them. Can't you see that Christianity is on the way out. People aren't buying into that B.S. anymore. China's only the start. Go Xi go ! Although someone ought to let them know that the Bible is burned best one page at a time, rolled up in a joint. I've done it many times. Talk about a holy high.
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Iconoclast
Carl, you actually just helped me make my point. Christians are not forcing anyone to do anything. If they had demanded adherence to their principles, no one else would be here.
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Freddy Guerra
This is happening all over the world would Christian from the Middle East to China it's happening it's going to start happening here in the United States
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Oh Mo
We can only hope.
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The Rev. Brother Robert Barker
And fundi-Christians in the U.S. whine that they're being persecuted. Yeah, right.
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Carl Elfstrom
It's called the law of karma. What goes around comes around, whether Christians believe it or not. Talk about a Pagan revival. The age of Aquarius is upon us, and there's nothing anyone can do about that. It's in the stars. Blessed be !!!
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Oh Mo
Where's the credits for the photos? Has ULC stooped so low as to violate copyrights of photographers? Oh, yeah, and the photo-shoppers. That "burning" cross is made of concrete which doesn't burn. The original was published months ago in which the cross doesn't burn, along with a less biased story that states local Chinese governments are removing crosses from christian churches because the crosses on buildings violate building codes.
Where are the Chinese soldiers preventing parishioners from rescuing "bible" pages? The Chinese are much more thorough than that - guards would have been there to put those pages back on the fire, stop people from grabbing them, and to scatter the ashes when the fire was out. Mmmm, nope, can't believe that one, either.
Of course, it doesn't help that US media - religious, mainstream (left and right) are beating this drum. Every news article published has a Christian slant which makes them nothing more than op-eds like this one.
If one needs a cross on the church, or around the neck, for that, one isn't much of a Christian. Unlike the hijab of the Muslim faith, nowhere in the Christian holy book is it commanded that a cross be mounted on a church, hung around a neck, or used as a statement of faith or as a decoration.
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Carl Elfstrom
I'm Wiccan all the way, but sometimes wear a cross around my neck as a magickal amulet, to get more smiles in public, and free stuff. And it works !!! Blessed be !
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Bill Fox
A study of Daniel would lead us to believe things can be a lot worse in China, and still allow for the individual to worship in his own home. The State does not want conflicting information to be circulated with impunity.
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Carl Elfstrom
Spoken like a true G-man.
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Qrez
I approve of bible burning that religion has certainly done enough burning of other books some of which set us back technologically hundreds of years.
Further more the bible constitute incitement to violence and should rightly be burnt out from existence itself. There is no excuse what so ever for text commanding people to murder gay people or burn people to death it is a monstrous text which contains a few part of some acceptable moral messages mixed in... though most of that is probably plagiarized like the golden rule.
I have no issue which Christians making a new bible without the toxic verses though but they clearly need to divorce themselves from this this crap otherwise i cannot forgive them.
Tradition is no excuse! Chinese intolerance of Christianity may be bad... but i cant complain about the suppression of a frankly evil collection of texts.
Also i will never forgive what Christianity has done to slow down the advancement of knowledge and learning which.
Praise be the machine god that the heretic grasp on society has slipped and humanity has moved past their insane dogma and backwardness.
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Iconoclast
...and into what? Non-religion certainly has nothing to offer besides bastardy, immorality, substance abuse, STDs, high crime and corruption, functional illiteracy, one form of nationalism or another, globalism, constant dissatisfaction, dependency, heartlessness.. Brave New World....
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It's the beginning of the New World Order. He's basically doing what Hitler did to the jews. What happens to our brothers and sisters who will not renounce our faith. Keep your eyes open on this as it will be much worse in the days to come. May God protect our brothers and sisters in China oh lord.
Thomas - No, this is not the "beginning of the New World Order." Christianity in China has been under the target for many decades. It is nothing new. This is also happening to the Muslims as well, for they are also targeted, given that they worship the same God of Abraham.
Thank you, Dan.
F. the chinese. they eat canine meat. WTF!
You ought to try those border town pero e gato tamales. They're finger lickin' good !
I am sure the Indians say the same thing about us because we eat cows.
Thomas, you sound like a Christian. Faith without works is dead. So go to China and straighten them out. And take some other ministers who are Christians with you. They've never seen men of great faith like y'all, and Jesus might even protect y'all. Well, anything is possible. I'd go with you, but I'm not a Christian, and don't care anything about it.
I don't think Jesus (God) is going to help anyone, If they were it would already have been done. No.. The Great Creator is content to just watch.