A new report from the human rights group called China Aid recently released a report indicating that Christian persecution is on the rise in China.
In fact, according to the report, the regime is putting forth “an orchestrated effort to consolidate power and suppress dissent.” So extreme is the religious persecution that China Aid is saying that it has increased over 150 percent each year for the past eight years.
The Chinese government officially endorses atheism and has shown terrible hostility to Christianity. China Aid reports that “it is fair to say that the rapid increase in the number of Christians in China over the past decade has triggered a unique sense of crisis within the CPC. As the Christian faith continues to grow in China, so does the number of Chinese citizens who embrace rule of law, oppose totalitarian governance and support the expansion of civil society.”
Several Catholic Churches and bishops have been persecuted for their expressed discontent with the Chinese government’s interference and harassment of the Catholic Church.
According to statistics received by China Aid from Christian leaders in Zheijang, by the end of 2014, more than 30 churches were forcibly demolished, 422 crosses were removed, over 300 church members were taken into police custody, 150 individuals were physically injured, at least 60 Church members were criminally or administratively detained, and more than 10 pastors and church leaders were arrested.
And the actual cases of abuse and persecution are likely much higher, according to the human rights group as many people are fearful of reporting abuses.
The report also details stories of Chinese Christians surrounding churches in order to prevent the government from destroying it, only to be arrested and assaulted by armed police for “gathering a crowd to disturb social order.”
The Church is interesting in that over here in the West, it is often viewed as an oppressor, while in China and many other parts of the world it is being suppressed for being on the side of freedom.
I often think how odd it is that the more attempts to destroy the Church are made, the more the Church grows.
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