Pray for the Church in China and Hong Kong: Chinese Communist Party Takes Total Control of All Churches – Reported by Mark Schiefelbein (January 1, 2020)
The Chinese Communist Party has passed a series of administrative measures for religious groups that will bring them completely under governement control. In reality, the only religon in China will be the Communist Party.
The government’s religious affairs department will assume absolute control over religious groups and “should perform their functions such as guiding and supervising the groups’ operation.
Below are some of the laws go into effect on February 1, 2020.
(1) All religious organizations will be required to “spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party” by educating “religious staff and religious citizens to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.”
(2) All religious activities or rallies and even programs of religious communities must have the approval of the Religious Affairs Office.
(3) The new regulations “stipulate how the groups should designate their officials, carry out their work and manage their own affairs.”
(4) Every aspect of the life of seminaries and religious communities will now be subject to approval by the government’s religious affairs department, including the formation of programs, gatherings, and daily schedules.
(5) The new measures will require religious personnel to actively promote submission to the Chinese Communist Party among all members of their communities.
Religious organizations “must adhere to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, observe the constitution, laws, regulations, ordinances and policies, adhere to the principle of independence and self-government, adhere to the directives on religions in China, implementing the values of socialism.”
Furthermore, all religious organizations “must spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as national laws, regulations, rules to religious personnel and religious citizens, educating religious personnel and religious citizens to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, supporting the socialist system, adhering to and following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
