CBN News | 052218
It feels like every day we are hearing more news about China increasing persecution on the Christian community.
Abuses are escalating to unprecedented levels as we’re seeing a full out “purge against Christians” in the Zhejiang province in Eastern China perpetrated by the government, according to organizations monitoring the situation on the ground.
ChinaAid, a watchdog group, stated that local governments are stepping up and taking charge of the persecution and outlaw of Christianity.
The government has banned all kinds of religious meetings, meaning no church services, no Bible studies, and no prayer meetings. Not only are they banning religious events but they are calling for people to renounce their faith, particularly in Jesus Christ.
Wenzhou and Shaoxing, two governments in the eastern province have banned religious gatherings, stating that they are a fire hazard, and routinely work to shut down each gathering.
“The police often show up and say that they want to conduct a fire safety inspection. They wander around in the church and arbitrarily point out that some facilities do not meet the standards,” Li, a Hangzhou Christian stated.
“Then, they require you to reform in two weeks. Even if you do exactly as they said, they would still deem you ‘unqualified’ in the next inspection. You are helpless,” Li continued.
“The government will ban you no matter what. We no longer organize large-scale gatherings. Only a few people meet up in their own houses, changing location once in a while,” Zhu, another Christian stated. He pointed out that the government will go looking for any small excuse to shut down churches.
Not only are government officials shutting down all religious gatherings, but they are also being pressured at school on their religious beliefs by teachers. In Wenzhou, it’s reported that there is an intense role each teacher plays.