Anti-persecution charity, Release International, said new regulations that have come into force could lead to the most severe crackdown on the church in China since the Cultural Revolution.
The new Regulations for Religious Affairs are intended to clamp down on extremism. They ban religious organisations from using religion to ‘harm national security or disrupt social order’.
However, Release warned the new regulations will drive more churches underground and make life much harder for those already under strict government control.
Andrew Boyd, a Release spokesperson, explained the thinking of a Chinese Christian during Premier’s News Hour.
“I would love for my kids to be able to go to church, but I can’t do that in China. If I wanted my children to go to a Sunday school, Sunday schools are forbidden,” he said.
“So if I think to myself I can’t take my children to church, therefore we’ll have a service in our home, then under these new regulations, my home could be demolished for holding a church in it.
“You might think, I don’t own my home, I rent it, and it’s not a problem. Well it is because the landlord of my home could be heavily fined for allowing me to worship there. “
Under the new regulations even state-controlled churches are subject to review.
The charity said that as China’s leaders are worried about the rapid spread of Christianity in their country, cross…
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