Tough Times For Chinese Christians As Government Lays Embargo On Church Activities

It seems Chinese christians are in for a hard time as authorities across several counties China’s central Henan province issued a warning on March 8, prohibiting any Christian assembly in the area and placing Christians under house arrest. Additionally, officials continue to tear down couplet door decorations that use Christian language.

According to an anonymous source in Shangqiu, Henan, Christians there have been placed under house arrest without charge, with police officers watching their residence and requiring them to report where they are going every time they wish to leave the house.

“I heard that many churches in Sheqi County also received a notice that believers cannot gather anymore,” a Christian in Nanyang, Henan said. “Christians are afraid of gathering and they don’t have anywhere to gather either. Times have changed. It feels like the Cultural Revolution.”

The Cultural Revolution refers to the period between 1966 and 1976, when Mao Zedong attempted to destroy all influences besides Communism in China, and was a period of great economic and societal hardship, especially for citizens who practiced religion. Atheism began to be enforced as the official religious belief of the Communist Party.

A Christian named Wang spoke with a reporter on March 9, explaining that the day previous, a notice had gone out to all churches in the cities of Zhumadian and Zhoukou, as well as Gushi County, announcing that all religious activities in the area are cancelled until further notice. Though the warning stipulates that any who refuse to comply will be punished, the nature of that punishment is unclear.

In Tanghe County, authorities forcibly disbanded house church meetings and ordered all participants to register with a government operated Three-Self Church instead. Christians were warned that any who continued to meet would be fined 30,000 yuan (U.S. $4,700).

During the celebration of Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, which can last several weeks in China, authorities inspected Christian households and removed any decorations which referenced religion. Couplets, which are banners with paired poetic phrases hung on both sides of the door to a house, are very common decorations for the Spring Festival. However, officials tore down all couplets which used the term “Emmanuel” and replaced them with couplets wishing for “good fortune and wealth” instead.

ChinaAid reports on instances of religious persecution, such as the outbreak of events across Henan province, in order to expose abuses by the Chinese government and promote human rights and rule of law in China.

Source: Naira land

Comments

#RamadanDailyDigest: What You Should Tell Troublemakers While Fasting

Today's Ramadan Daily Digest comes with another scintillating topic titled what you should tell troublemakers while fasting, as Ramadan fasting enters Day 13. It is important that as a fasting Muslim, first of all, you should not create problems for others or yourself at all times, as you should know what you should tell troublemakers while fasting, in order to have all the rewards of Ramadan and not just putting yourself under hunger and thirst, which means a nullity in fasting. READ THIS TOO: Fasting For 18 Hours Isn't A Joke What the above paragraph is explaining likewise is that you, as a fasting Muslim should not be a troublemaker by causing problems with your tongue during Ramadan fasting. It is important to add quickly that whether before, during or after Ramadan, you should not cause rancour among people. In some instances, people who dare not talk to you with disgust might want to tease you as they know you are fasting. Therefore, you should know what to tell troublem...

7 Greatest Sportsmen Of All Time

There are often arguments and counterarguments on who the 7 greatest sportsmen of all time are. Some sports historians, analysts, and supporters pick their own choices not necessarily on facts but emotions. In picking the 7 greatest sportsmen of all time, I briefly checked their achievements not just in their specific fields but also their impact outside the world of sports. 1. Boxing legend, Muhammad Ali has been crowned the best sports athlete of all time in a star-studded list. The 'Greatest' is widely considered the best boxer in history and arguably the most iconic sports star of the 20th century. Ali was not just a beauty to watch in the boxing ring, the greatest pugilist positively influenced decisions in many countries globally. 2. Pele is widely picked as the winner, and number one football player in history in all criteria. His three-time World Cup-winning feat, from four World Cup appearances, is unlikely to be matched. Pele scored a Guinness World Record of...

#RamadanDailyDigest: Significance Of Moonsighting & Commencement Of Ramadan

Ramadan Daily Digest, which is an annual article on the stable of Naijaloveinfo with hashtag, #RamadanDailyDigest will be discussing briefly the significance of moonsighting and the commencement of Ramadan. Ramadan, which is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar is the only month in which Muslims, the world over fast from dawn till sunset for 29 or 30 days. Allaah commands Muslims to fast as stated in some parts of Suuratul Baqara (chapter 2) of The Glorious Qur'an. The Glorious Qur'an is the first and most important book to all Muslims. For all the Islamic months, starting from Muharram (first month) to Dhul Hajj (12th month), the numbers of days in each of these 12 months are often 29 days and once in a while 30 days. The interesting thing about counting days is that the crescent (new moon) plays an important role. Therefore, the significance of moonsighting is the first consideration before starting the Ramadan fasting. The question that could come up is why do Muslims co...

Naijaloveinfo

Search This Blog