By China Aid
The Chinese government often attacks
churches such as this one.
(Photo: ChinaAid)
Government personnel in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, closed a church in China’s southern Guangdong province on Oct. 24, notifying the landlord that the property should not be used for church activities.
On that evening, the members of Renew Church said they had gathered to study the Bible when local officials broke in, ordering them to stop and prohibiting them from walking around and taking pictures and videos. Director Wang from the Xiashan District Religious Affairs Bureau staid his government department had decided to close the church and that it must immediately cancel all events. The church members were also told they had no right to appeal.
Renew Church’s pastor, Ruan Dawei, requested that the officials show their ID and a written version of the bureau’s decision, but the authorities refused.
When some church members took pictures, police confiscated their cell phones. The conflict got physical.
The officers demanded that all of the congregated Christians to write down their names and phone numbers. Additionally, they ordered the landlord not to rent property to the church.
Similarly, churches across China are facing persecution. One of the congregations located in Chizhou, Anhui, received a pledge that the government required them to sign. It stipulates that “non-local Christians should not preach at this venue”, “elementary schoolers and middle schoolers should not participate in [church] service activities”, and even “The number of Christians should be controlled.”
The authorities claim that the purpose of the pledge is to help religious groups in following regulations as they organize events and carry out various management measures as well as assure all events happening at churches do not break the law. Religious institutions will be punished if they fail to fulfill the pledge.
ChinaAid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Christians in Anhui and Guangdong, in order to stand in solidarity with the persecuted and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.
