NEWS//China's war on religion
The Communist government in China continues its war against religion.
In a January 31, 2021 article, the Epoch Times documents how, "in communist China, practicing a certain faith, printing, or even reading religious books could result in prison terms and abuse. Spiritual believers in China—be it Christians, Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, or Falun Gong practitioners—are faced not only with brutal suppression or forced-labor terms but also have their religious books burned or trashed at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).… The coercive policies are aimed at forcing these religious followers to renounce their faith and follow the communist ideologies based on atheism and Marxism."
Examples:
On July 2, the Lanling county government in the prefecture-level city of Linyi demolished a Three-Self Church venue in one of the villages under its jurisdiction because it was “too close to a village committee office…. All churches too close to government institutions must be destroyed, and those that look better than government buildings must also go,” a county government official explained to the congregation. “Belief in the Communist Party is the only religion allowed.” (Bitter Winter)
Religious materials that are sent through the mail as closely monitored. A staff member of a courier company reported, “Only the mailing of government-approved books is allowed. All books with ‘bad information,’ including religion, are not allowed to be dispatched. If public security authorities discover violations of these regulations, the company will be fined and closed down.” (Bitter Winter)
In addition, the printing of religious materials is prohibited. The article quotes a manager for a printing company, “Anyone who takes on such orders breaks the law and might be put into prison. This is the line that we absolutely can’t cross.” (Bitter Winter)
The Epoch Times describes its goal as bringing "our readers accurate information so they can form their own opinions about the most significant topics of our time." This newspaper is particularly focused on China. "Our founders, Chinese-Americans who themselves had fled communism, sought to create an independent media to bring the world uncensored and truthful information."
Source: Epoch Times See also: Bitter Winter 01, 02, 03, Minghui.org