{"id":210700,"date":"2020-07-21T07:44:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T07:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=210700"},"modified":"2020-07-23T06:24:23","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T06:24:23","slug":"chinas-brutal-persecution-of-christians-has-taken-a-really-bizarre-turn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=210700","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s Brutal Persecution Of Christians Has Taken A Really Bizarre Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Snyder \u2013 The Economic Collapse July 19, 2020<\/strong><\/h1>\n

ChristWhat would you do if government authorities stormed into your home, ripped down all crosses and other symbols of the Christian faith, and replaced them with pictures of prominent politicians?\u00a0 As strange as that may sound, this is something that is actually happening all over China right now.\u00a0 The communist government has declared war on the Christian faith and is trying to eradicate it from their society.\u00a0 Pastors are being dragged off to prison, churches are being demolished, and there is even an official effort to \u201crewrite the Bible\u201d in order to make it compatible with Chinese communist ideals.\u00a0 The persecution of Christians inside China has grown to really frightening levels, and it seems to have greatly accelerated during the first half of 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past several years, I had read numerous reports about Chinese officials raiding churches, but now they are actually raiding\u00a0individual homes<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter reports that in April, officials with China\u2019s Communist Party visited believers\u2019 homes in Linfen, a prefecture-level city in the northern province of Shanxi. While there, they ordered residents who receive social welfare payments from the government to replace crosses, religious symbols, and images in their homes with portraits of China\u2019s communist leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Christians resisted the order, officials annulled their subsidies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll impoverished households in the town were told to display Mao Zedong images,\u201d a local pastor told Bitter Winter. \u201cThe government is trying to eliminate our belief and wants to become God instead of Jesus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, the communist Chinese government intends to replace Jesus in the hearts of the people.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a moment, try to imagine what these impoverished households in China are going through.\u00a0\u00a0How would you feel if elderly Americans were having their Social Security payments cut off for worshipping Christ?\u00a0 Without those payments, a lot of elderly Americans wouldn\u2019t be able to buy food or heat their homes, and this is the situation that many in China are now facing.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, one elderly Chinese Christian woman is now facing a future in which she won\u2019t be able to afford\u00a0her diabetes injections<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Another elderly Christian woman from Henan\u2019s Shangqiu city had her minimum living allowance canceled after government officials found a cross image posted on the door of her home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey tore it down immediately,\u201d she said. \u201cAfterward, both my minimum living allowance and poverty alleviation subsidy were canceled. I am being driven to a dead end. I have diabetes and need injections regularly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Without those injections, she could very easily end up dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other instances, Chinese officials are raiding private residences that are hosting church services, and some of the confrontations are quite dramatic.\u00a0 Here is just one example<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

In a video taken at the scene, officers and attendees of Xingguang Church shout as they engage in a physical altercation. As they block the entrance, officials drag a Christian to the door, with other congregants fighting along with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Christian men guarding the door were beaten and pinned down. Officers confiscated phones and used brutal force against some Christian women as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Xingguang Church\u2019s meeting place is located in a private residence, and neighbors of the location where the service was being held filmed the encounter. Police broke down barriers and dragged brought three people out.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the proceedings, the officers did not show any warrants. The church was later banned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Would you still go to church if you knew that authorities may come bursting in at any moment and drag you to prison?<\/span><\/p>\n

This has become a weekly reality for Christians all over China.<\/span><\/p>\n

And sometimes when authorities raid a church they literally demolish the entire structure that day.\u00a0 In fact, this is precisely what happened to one prominent church in China\u2019s Henan province\u00a0on June 12th<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Authorities demolished a church in China\u2019s Henan province on June 12.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the morning, around 200 officials from various government departments arrived at the Sunzhuang Church with cranes and heavy-duty machinery. Personnel from the Zhengzhou High-Tech District Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau forced their way into the church and took control of the Christians gathered there. They did not show any legal documents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the church\u2019s property, including chairs, were tossed outside. At least one Christian woman resisted, and she lost consciousness and had to be taken to the hospital after being pushed to the ground. Another Christian was hospitalized after officials beat her. One male church attendee was taken into custody.<\/span><\/p>\n

The church was then demolished.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other instances when churches have been raided, Bibles and other symbols of the Christian faith have been gathered into giant piles and burned publicly<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Of course most Americans have never heard about any of this, because most mainstream news networks in the United States do not consider the persecution of Christians to be \u201cnewsworthy\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

During past waves of persecution, officials always left the government-approved Three Self churches alone, but now\u00a0they are even being persecuted<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to do whatever the government tells us to,\u201d said the director of a Three Self church in Jiangxi province, according to\u00a0watchdog site Bitter Winter<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve proven our patriotism, donated money to help curb coronavirus in Wuhan, as they had required. Still, the government says that our church grew too rapidly, and they fear that having many believers is unfavorable to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The church is located in Jiangjia village in Yangbu town. On April 21, authorities removed the church\u2019s cross, and three days later, they closed the church after removing chairs and religious symbols from the building. The church\u2019s director said, \u201cWe don\u2019t know what to do now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When the communist government in China decides to do something, they can be brutally efficient.<\/span><\/p>\n

No stone is being left unturned, and no aspect of the Christian faith is being left out.\u00a0 In fact, as I mentioned above, the communist government even wants to\u00a0rewrite the Bible<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0in order to make it compatible with \u201ccore socialist values\u201d\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

The centerpiece of this campaign is a major new undertaking to rewrite holy scripture. China\u2019s state-run Xinhua News Agency said late last year that Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Yang had presided over a meeting of so-called scholars and \u201creligious people from the grassroots level\u201d to discuss \u201cmaking accurate and authoritative interpretations of classical doctrines to keep pace with the times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It would take years to create official state translations of the Bible, Quran and other religious texts. Purging passages deemed incompatible with \u201ccore socialist values\u201d while retaining a measure of the original poetry\u2014this would require literary achievement and deep religious knowledge, both of which are lacking in the party\u2019s handpicked experts. Even entertaining such an idea reveals Beijing\u2019s staggering \u201carrogance of power,\u201d Mr. Lian says, noting that Chinese emperors never attempted such a feat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in China, because they desperately need it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course they are not alone.\u00a0 Persecution is rising all over the globe, and I fully expect it to continue to intensify as time rolls along.<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong>: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of\u00a0The Economic Collapse Blog<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0End Of The American Dream<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Most Important News<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available\u00a0on Amazon.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0including\u00a0The Beginning Of The End<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Get Prepared Now<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, and\u00a0Living A Life That Really Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this \u201cAbout the Author\u201d section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.\u00a0 During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal\u00a0to share the gospel of Jesus Christ<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0with as many people as we possibly can.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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