Phony Religious Freedom in China

By Chuck Colson

The exhibit is titled “A Lamp to My Feet, A Light to My Path.” Sponsored by the government of China, it’s meant to educate Americans about the history of the spread of Christianity in China from the Tang Dynasty onward.

The irony, of course, is that the same government that is urging us to join in celebrating the spread of Christianity over the centuries is brutally repressing Christians today. China Aid, an organization that exposes the persecution of Christians in China, says the exhibit is “a government propaganda ploy” intended to deflect attention from reports of growing religious persecution in China.”

None of this comes as a surprise to my great friend, Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia. In his new book, Prisoner of Conscience, about his human rights work around the world, Frank describes his trips to China, where human rights violations are among the worst in the world. How does he know? He’s seen it with his own eyes.

Frank and his friend, Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, flew to Beijing just prior to the 2008 Olympic Games. The plan was to dine with half a dozen human rights lawyers and underground house church pastors.

But when the Chinese government got wind of this, they started arresting the Congressmen’s dinner companions. In the end, only one dissident showed up-and he was arrested the next morning.

So much for religious freedom. When Frank and Chris publicly complained, the Chinese government told them to keep their noses out of China’s internal affairs.

Wolf and Smith also met with Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, and asked him to release people “who’d committed the ‘crimes’ of promoting democracy, religious freedom, and labor rights,” Wolf writes. It didn’t happen.

The two were especially concerned with Pastor Zhang Rongliang, who had been tortured with electric shock, and whose family relied on donations from fellow Christians to survive.

Protestants are not the only victims. “At the time of our visit,” Wolf writes, “every one of the approximately thirty-five underground bishops of the Catholic Church was either in jail, under house arrest, under strict surveillance, or in hiding.”

China’s leaders were attempting to brush all this under the rug as the world’s eyes turned to the Olympic Games. Frank Wolf was one of the few people who refused to let them get away with it. Which is why he’s not welcome in China today.

So if you happen to see those Chinese Bibles on display, know it for what it is: a propaganda ploy. Because those who worship the God of the Bible are being arrested, imprisoned, and persecuted.

Pray for them and agitate on their behalf with the Chinese Embassy-and with the State Department and your elected representatives! As Frank will tell you, and as I know from my many years in the White House, life gets better for dissidents when Westerners advocate on their behalf.

I also urge you to pick up a copy of Prisoner of Conscience, by Frank Wolf. You can order one at our book store at BreakPoint.org.

You will learn more about the congressman who makes a habit of dropping in on some of the most dangerous countries on earth, and how you can help him fight global injustice.

Courtesy of http://www.christianpost.com/news/phony-religious-freedom-in-china-59715/

Christians arrested amid China’s crackdown

Beijing police have arrested dozens of Christian worshippers from a “house church” – one not formally recognised by the government – when they tried to pray outdoors, a rights group said.

They sang hymns and said prayers as police loaded them onto waiting buses in Beijing’s western Haidian district, the US-based Christian rights group China Aid said in a statement, citing witnesses.

“The Beijing authorities have again demonstrated their total disregard of their citizens’ constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right to religious freedom,” China Aid founder and president Bob Fu said in the statement.

Police declined to comment to agency reporters and requested written questions be sent to them by fax.

The New York Times reported that one if its photographers was among those detained, but was later released.

China Aid said more than 100 were detained, but the newspaper said “dozens” of people were held.

The United States and the United Nations have expressed serious concerns in the past week at a growing crackdown across China in which artists, lawyers, writers, activists and intellectuals have been detained.

The church incident comes a week after Ai Weiwei, an outspoken artist who helped design the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium for the 2008 Beijing Games, was detained for unspecified “economic crimes.”

The church tried to hold services in the open air after it was evicted from a rented space as the landlord was pressured to not renew the lease, China Aid said.

Shouwang, one of Beijing’s largest house churches, invited its members to meet Sunday morning at an open air public platform linking the SinoSteel Building and the South China Poetic Restaurant building, China Aid said.

Some of the detainees were taken to a nearby elementary school where authorities took down their names and other details, the statement said.

Several church leaders had been called to their local police stations on Saturday, with some spending the night in detention while other were told they were not permitted to leave their homes on Sunday, the statement said.

China only allows religious worship in state-approved churches.

Organisers of underground churches are routinely sent to labour camps without trial.

Courtesy of http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/10/3187347.htm?section=justin

Tiananmen Square Leader Chai Ling Embraces Christian Faith and Freedom

BOSTON, April 22 /Christian Newswire/ – More than 20 years ago, a young woman named Chai Ling mourned the death of political and economic reformer Hu Yaobang, a symbol of freedom and hope for the forward-thinking students of China. Hu’s funeral, held on April 22, 1989 seven days after his death, was attended by 50,000 students.

Chai Ling, then a 23-year-old top-ranking national honors student at “Bei Shi Da” Beijing Normal University, became a galvanizing force in the Tiananmen Square Student Movement, rallying thousands of hopeful students, and later becoming the top leader of the protest movement. Following the bloody Tiananmen Square Massacre on June 4, 1989, Chai Ling skyrocketed to a place on the “21 most-wanted” students list in China for organizing the demonstration. With the help of Chinese Buddhists and Hong-Kong organizations, she escaped from China in 1990, eventually arriving in the United States.

Following her immigration to the U.S., Chai Ling settled in Boston, MA, where she met and married her husband Robert Maginn, Jr. Together, they built the software company Jenzabar, which now employs more than 280 employees. Chai Ling earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 1998, and has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. She has used her success to give back to the marginalized in China, helping fund orphanages and humanitarian efforts in-country. Last year, she pledged to give millions to fund organizations supporting human rights in China.

“I stumbled on this idea that if only I could become a very successful entrepreneur, like Bill Gates, I could make lots money and set up a giant foundation, then I could once for all overcome and free China,” Chai Ling said. Despite her fruitful actions, she began to lose hope, feeling too weak to accomplish her goal of bringing freedom to China.

In November 2009, Chai Ling attended a hearing in the U.S. Capitol on the effects of China’s One Child Policy. On hearing the personal story of one woman’s brutal forced abortion, Chai Ling was finally convicted that only God could stop such brutality. Through the encouragement and prayers of several mentors and friends, Chai Ling became a Christian on December 4, 2009.

Chai Ling’s goal of freedom and hope for the Chinese people has not changed since her days as a student. But her perspective and focus is fresh and renewed. She now has hope for bringing God’s love and freedom to the people of China, as well as raising awareness of and fighting against the One Child Policy. At her baptism on Easter, April 4, Chai Ling presented her testimony. Her story is a rousing testament to the transformational power of the Gospel, and the hope of Christ in a broken and sinful world.

Read Chai Ling’s testimony

Read more background on Chai Ling

Chinese Premier Offers a Tribute to a Reformer

Chuck Colson on The Tiananmen Massacre

As the memorial of Tiananmen Square approaches, ChinaAid expresses gratitude for a Chai Ling’s life and testimony, and for the thousands of Chinese who have become Christians in recent years. We encourage Chai Ling and other advocates to continue raising awareness of the evils of China’s One Child Policy and to pursue religious freedom as their basic human right.

See the article at ChinaAid.org

ChinaAid grants permission to reproduce photos and/or information for non-fundraising purposes, with the provision that www.ChinaAid.org is credited. Please contact: Annee@ChinaAid.org for further information.

Christian Leaders to Risk Arrest in Front of White House Speaking Out and Praying for Human Rights and Religious Liberty in China

WASHINGTON, April 12 /Christian Newswire/ — Rev. Patrick Mahoney and Michael McMonagle will call upon President Obama to challenge Chinese President Hu Jintao on human rights and religious liberty during his visit to Washington this week.

 

Rev. Mahoney, Michael McMonagle and Brandi Swindell were twice arrested in Tiananmen Square and deported from China during the Beijing Olympics for speaking out against the human rights abuses and violence of the Chinese government against their own people.

 

The prayer and witness will take place on Monday, April 12, at 3:30 P.M. in front of the White House on the Pennsylvania Avenue public sidewalk.

 

The leaders are troubled that the Obama Administration is giving billions of dollars to the Chinese government to pay off our debt while that country continues to brutalize their own people.

 

The group calls it a “moral and national disgrace” that President Obama has not been a more vocal and outspoken critic of the human rights abuses by the Chinese government.

 

Mr. Obama has an historic opportunity to affirm to the world that the United States strongly supports human rights and to remind the Chinese government that they cannot crush and brutalize their own people and expect our support.

 

Rev. Mahoney and Mr. McMonagle will be holding an exact replica of the sign they displayed when they were arrested in Tiananmen Square. It reads “Jesus Christ is King” in Chinese and English.

 

Rev. Mahoney will also be holding a Tibetan flag given to him by a Tibetan Buddhist Monk after his arrest in China.

 

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states,

 

“It is critical for President Obama to stand against the tyranny and brutality of the Chinese government against their own people. Millions of Christians, and those of other religious traditions like Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners are oppressed, tortured and even killed by the leaders of China.

 

“China promotes the barbaric practice of forced abortion and sterilization and crushes all those who disagree with their policies.

 

“We are going to the White House to stand in solidarity with those who are brutalized because of their faith and ask Mr. Obama not to continue to borrow money from China which allows this oppressive regime to continue its violent practices and policies.”

 

Michael McMonagle, nationally known pro-life leader and advocate, adds,

 

“We will be praying for religious freedom throughout all of China and calling on President Obama to address these concerns with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

 

“We will also be praying for God to bring an end to the forced abortion policy in China and challenging President Obama not to continue an economic policy with a nation that targets women and the disabled for abortion.

 

“History has given us a powerful example from the free nations of the world when they confronted South Africa because of their policy of apartheid. We should apply those same principles to China’s forced abortion policy.”

 

Brandi Swindell, Director of Generation Life, comments,

 

“We call upon President Obama to make a statement to President Hu Jintao that America stands against the brutal regime of China.

 

“It is critical that Mr. Obama shows the United States stands in solidarity with the oppressed people of China and our nation opposes the tyranny of Chinese leaders against their own people.

 

“As a woman, I am shocked and saddened that President Obama would build relationships with a nation that supports targeting women through abortion. It is discrimination and bigotry and its worst.”

 

For more information or interviews call: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney at 540.538.4741 202.547.1735

Christians call on Microsoft and Yahoo to end internet censorship in China

Release International is calling on Microsoft and Yahoo to follow Google’s lead and refuse to censor the Internet and reports of persecution in China.

“Religious persecution is a daily reality in China,” said Release CEO Andy Dipper. “The Chinese people need to be told the truth – and gatekeepers to the Internet Microsoft and Yahoo have a duty to let the truth be told.”

The message came at a conference in London last week to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians in China. The joint conference was held by human rights advocates Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Release International.

The conference highlighted the plight of human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, who disappeared more than 400 days ago, after defending leaders of the persecuted house church and practitioners of the banned movement Falun Gong.

Addressing the conference was human rights campaigner, Bob Fu, a former leader of the Tiananmen Square student protest in 1989. He called on China to release immediately Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gao Zhisheng, whom he said had been tortured severely.

“When the authorities arrested Gao previously in 2005 they tortured him in ways that cannot be described,” said Fu, head of ChinaAid Association. “If he is still alive, they are almost certainly torturing him again. The aim is to break his spirit and to scare off other human rights campaigners.”

Fu was one of the last men to speak to Gao Zhisheng before he was hauled away by the Chinese authorities 400 days ago.

“We do not know for sure now whether Gao is dead or alive. It’s possible the authorities have disfigured or crippled him and would now be embarrassed to let him be seen,” he said.

“We call on China to let the world know whether he is still alive and, if so, release Gao immediately.”

Applauding Google’s decision to no longer allow China to censor its web browser, Fu extended a challenge to Yahoo and Microsoft to follow suit.

He said: “My message to Bill Gates and Yahoo is do the right thing. Don’t sell your conscience. Don’t give in to censorship.”

Dipper added: “We call on the international community to continue to bring pressure to bear on China to allow religious freedom and freedom of speech. We hope Microsoft and Yahoo will indeed do the right thing and stand up for freedom.”

Fu later briefed parliamentarians in the House of Lords on the continuing abuse of human rights in China.

ChinaAid reports persecution increased by almost 20 per cent in 2009. Some of the harshest persecution was suffered by the House Church movement, churches that refuse to register with the government and submit to state control and restrictions. ChinaAid recorded almost 3,000 cases of individual persecution, with a growing trend towards abuse and intimidation, rather than prosecution.

Courtesy of http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.call.on.microsoft.and.yahoo.to.end.internet.censorship.in.china/25584.htm

Chinese Government to Tighten Watch Over Religious Group Finances

 

The government of China revealed Friday its intention to tighten supervision on the financial management of the country’s 130,000 religious institutions in response to “prevailing malpractice.”

In a statement, the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) claimed that authorities found some institutions did not follow standard financial rules and that malpractices were reported.

More specifically, SARA said authorities found that heads of some religious institutions embezzled or misused public money, and the property of some religious institutions had been used for non-religious.

“For quite a long time, finance affairs of religious institutions were largely under self-discipline,” the government body stated. “Systems have not been in place so the authorities could supervise, which caused some problems.”

To better regulate financial management of religious institutions, the Chinese government has introduced a new regulation this month that will be on trial this year and take effect formally nationwide next year.

Under the new rules, religious institutions are required to hire their own accountants or have an accounting firm take care of their finances.

Furthermore, religious institutions are required to submit their annual financial reports to authorities three months after conclusion of the financial year.

And when the head or financial chief of a religious institution leaves their post, authorities will audit the institution.

Experts believe the new rules are motivated by the government’s desire to control the activities of various groups – which can be more easily done through constant supervision of their financial operations.

While China officially allows freedom of religion, the Chinese Communist Party in practice restricts religious groups through a bureaucratic registration process that demands allegiance to the officially atheist ruling party.

The United States has regularly called for China to end what it views as politically motivated repression of the millions of religious faithful in the country.

In October, the U.S. State Department released its 2009 international religious freedom report, which noted the Chinese government’s repression of the religious activities of “underground” Roman Catholic clergy, saying it was “in large part due to their (the clergy’s) avowed loyalty to the Vatican, which the Government accused of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.”

“Government also continued to restrict severely the activities of groups it designated as ‘evil religions,’ including several Christian groups and Falun Gong,” the State Department added.

Though the exact figure is unknown, some put the estimated population of underground Chinese Christians as high as 100 million.

Courtesy of Christian Post at http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100321/chinese-gov-t-to-tighten-watch-over-religious-group-finances/index.html